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The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has confirmed plans to raise its fees by an average of 25% from 1 April 2026, subject to parliamentary approval. The change will affect applications and renewals for patents, trademarks, and designs.
This marks the first major fee increase in several years, with some fees unchanged for more than two decades. The IPO says the rise is necessary to keep pace with inflation and maintain the quality of its services.
The change means most fees will go up by around a quarter. For example:
- A patent search will rise from £150 to £200.
- A trademark application will increase from £170 to £205.
Full guidance will be published early in 2026 to help those whose payments fall close to the transition date.
The IPO has also updated its ‘how to pay’ information online, including revised terms and conditions for deposit account holders.
If approved, the new fee structure will take effect from 1 April 2026. Until then, the current fees remain in place.
See: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/intellectual-property-office-fees-to-increase-from-april-2026
UK businesses are facing a “cost of business crisis”, according to the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC). Its new cost-stack calculator shows government policy alone has pushed up an average firm's expenses by 70% over the past decade, adding roughly £827,000 a year in costs for a typical mid-sized business. About a quarter of the rise stems from the increase in employer National Insurance contributions, with the higher minimum wage and mandatory pension auto-enrolment also major contributors.
Under Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax, sole traders and landlords with income of more than £50,000 have been required to keep digital records and send quarterly updates to HMRC since 6 April 2026.
