Free Tool · USPTO Fees
Are you a micro, small, or large entity?
Entity status is the single biggest lever on what a patent costs: small entities pay 60% less, micro entities 80% less, on nearly every USPTO fee. Answer a few questions to find your status — and what it saves you over a patent's lifetime.
Doesn't count provisional, foreign, or PCT applications, or ones you assigned to a former employer.
The USPTO sets this “maximum qualifying gross income” at 3× the median household income and updates it yearly (recently around $206,000). Counts you and anyone you've assigned/licensed to.
Your status
You likely qualify as a micro entity.
- As an independent inventor, you qualify as a small entity.
- You're named on 4 or fewer prior US applications and under the income cap (about 3× the US median household income), so you also qualify as a micro entity — the maximum discount.
This qualifier implements the rules in 37 CFR 1.27 (small entity) and 1.29 (micro entity) but is an educational guide, not legal advice. Falsely claiming a discount can render a patent unenforceable — confirm your status with a qualified attorney before paying reduced fees. PatentBrief is not a law firm.