How Much Does Copyright Registration Cost?

The cost of registering a copyright has two parts: the government filing fee paid to the U.S. Copyright Office, and, if you use one, the cost of a service that prepares and files the application for you.

U.S. Copyright Office filing fees (2026)

• $45, Single application: one work, by a single author, not made for hire, where the author and the claimant are the same person.
• $65, Standard application: most other single-work filings, including works with multiple authors, works made for hire, or where the claimant differs from the author.
• $85, Group registration of unpublished works (GRUW): up to ten unpublished works by the same author, of the same type, in one application. This is the group option most creators use.
• $65, Group registration of works on an album (GRAM): up to twenty musical works, or up to twenty sound recordings, first published on the same album.
• $55, Group registration of photographs (GRPPH or GRUPH): up to 750 published or unpublished photographs by one photographer in one application.

Each group option has its own eligibility rules; the fees above are from the current schedule at copyright.gov/about/fees, checked August 2026. All of them are set by the Copyright Office and are non-refundable once a filing is submitted, because the government processes the application regardless of outcome. See the group registration guide for which option fits your work.

What a filing service costs

A filing service charges a flat fee that typically includes the government fee, application preparation, and filing. At FastCopyrightFiling.com, the price is $149 for a single work and $249 for a group registration, with the U.S. Copyright Office fee already included, no separate government charge and no subscription. See the full pricing breakdown.

Is registration worth the cost?

For most creators, yes. Registration is the gateway to the financial remedies in copyright law. Without it you cannot sue for infringement, and if you register before an infringement begins (or within three months of publication), you become eligible for statutory damages of up to $150,000 per work plus attorney's fees, without having to prove your actual financial losses.

Hidden costs to watch for

• Correction fees. If an application contains an error, fixing the record after registration can require a supplementary registration and an additional fee.
• Refiling. A rejected or abandoned application means paying the government fee again.
• Expedited handling. The Copyright Office offers "special handling" for urgent filings at a much higher fee; most applicants don't need it.

A correctly prepared application avoids the most common of these costs.