Inflationary factors force UK IPO to announce first significant rise of official fees in over a decade
The UK Intellectual Property Office (UK IPO) has announced that official fees for patents, trade marks and registered designs will increase from 1 April 2026, subject to parliamentary approval. This marks the first significant fee adjustment at the UK IPO in several years – since 2018 for patents; 2016 for designs, and 1998 for trade marks.
How much will the fees increase by?
The increase is largest for patent-related fees, at about 33% on average. The fees for trade marks and registered designs will be increasing by about 23% on average.
For context, the table below shows how the typical official fees paid when filing a UK application will change:
*where the application includes up to 25 claims
**where the application includes up to 25 claims and up to 35 description pages
The table below shows how some of the official fees paid when renewing a UK IP right will change:
What can I do to avoid fee increases?
The fee increases are likely to affect most of our clients. Depending on the action necessary for any IP right or application, official fees may be paid early to avoid fee increases.
Where renewal fees are due soon after the fee increase, our usual reminder emails will mention the option to pay the fee early at a lower rate.
Why are the fees increasing?
Fee increases will allow the UK IPO to address a 32% rise in inflation since 2016, and future cost pressures that cannot be fully offset through further efficiency savings or reserves. This will allow the UK IPO to continue to invest in its services.
A key enhancement coming soon to the UK IPO’s offering is the One IPO patents service, which Barker Brettell is helping the UK IPO evaluate. We are looking forward to this service going live from spring 2026.
The UK IPO will soon start work on its new digital trade marks services. Again Barker Brettell is closely involved with trade mark partner, Catherine Wiseman being part of the UK IPO’s Critical Friends group and chairing The Chartered Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys (CITMA) working group with the UK IPO.
What should I do now?
The UK IPO’s announcement of this fee increase, including a full list of the new fees, can be accessed here. If you would like to discuss this further, please contact one of the authors, Catherine Wiseman or William Dean, or your usual Barker Brettell attorney.
