Patent and trademark fees are generally required to be paid at the time of filing or when services are requested. For the convenience of attorneys, agents, and the public, pre-paid deposit accounts may be established. This eliminates the need to send payment by check, credit card, or other payment type each time a fee is required.

There are three types of deposit accounts offered by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO):

• Unrestricted: This type of account allows account holders to charge any fee or service offered by the USPTO directly to their accounts. Account holders must maintain a minimum balance of $1,000 on the last business day of each month. If the account balance is below that amount, the account will be assessed a $25 service charge for that month. The minimum amount required to establish this account is $1,010, of which $10 is the fee charged for establishing the account.

• Restricted: This type of account allows account holders to charge payment for copies of U.S. patents and trademarks, patent subscriptions, and Electronic Ordering Service (EOS) orders to their accounts. Account holders must maintain a minimum balance of $300 on the last business day of each month. If the account balance is below that amount, the account will be assessed a $25 service charge for that month. The minimum amount required to establish this account is $310, of which $10 is the fee charged for establishing the account.

• Universal Public Work Station (UPWS): This type of account is used by deposit account customers exclusively for automated patent and trademark searching at the USPTO facilities in Arlington, Virginia. The minimum amount required to establish this account is $310, of which $10 is the fee charged for establishing the account. There is no minimum monthly balance required.

You may establish a deposit account by completing a Deposit Account Application Form and sending it along with your initial deposit, and the fee required to establish your account to the address below. Please make checks payable to the Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. You may also use this address for sending general correspondence about deposit accounts:

Mail Stop 16
Director of the US Patent and Trademark Office
PO Box 1450
Alexandria, VA 22313-1450

You may use your deposit account to pay fees for all products and services offered by the USPTO. You may make replenishments to your deposit account as often as you like using a variety of replenishment options. Visit the Office of Finance On-line Shopping Page for a fast, easy and secure way to maintain your deposit account over the Internet. This includes a way to replenish your account, change authorized users, and access your monthly deposit account statements. If you would like to find out about other options for replenishing your deposit account, visit the Deposit Account Replenishment Options page.

Please note that it is the responsibility of the deposit account customer to ensure that there are sufficient funds in the deposit account to cover all fees and services requested. The account holder must also keep the USPTO informed of all individuals or organizations that are authorized to make charges against the deposit account. For your security, only requests signed by persons on the authorized user list will be processed.

[Deposit Account Branch] [Maintenance Fee Branch] [Refund Branch]
[Receipts Accounting Division Home] [Office of Finance Home]

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