How long and how much for a patent? The short answer is it takes about 22-30 months and costs about $12,000-$14,000. Before you abandon all hope, read below to find out more about the patent process. According to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the average time it takes to get a patent is about 25 months. If you want to expedite the process you can pay an extra fee ($1000-$4000) to the USPTO to get prioritized examination utility patents you can cut the time down to 6 to 12 months.