Trademark Class 36: Insurance and financial services — What It Covers, With a Live Count
Short answer
Trademark class 36 covers insurance, financial affairs, monetary affairs, real estate affairs, banking, investment, and payment services. It is a services class, and as of September 14, 2026 it holds 149,020 live US marks, 3.1% of the register, ranking 11 of 45 by size. A registration in class 36 protects the name only for these services; the same name can be, and often is, registered by an unrelated business in another class.
Class 36 is a large class, with 149,020 live marks out of 4,796,936 across all 45 classes. A live mark is one that is registered or pending; the count is computed from USPTO bulk data by each mark's primary class and refreshed daily.
Class 36 is where fintech files, and the 36-versus-42 question is the recurring one: a payment service is 36, the platform that runs it is often also 42, and the app people download is 9. Most fintech marks end up in all three. Real estate brokerage is 36; building the property is 37; the listing website is 35 or 36 depending on how it is described.
What files in class 36
| Typically in class 36 | Examples of businesses |
|---|---|
| banking and lending | fintech companies |
| payment processing and digital wallets | banks and credit unions |
| insurance | insurers |
| investment and wealth management | payment startups |
| cryptocurrency exchange and trading | real estate brokerages |
| real estate brokerage and property management | crypto platforms |
| crowdfunding and charitable fundraising | investment advisors |
| credit and financing | |
| tax and financial advice |
The USPTO's ID Manual lists the accepted descriptions for class 36. Choosing one of them keeps the filing fee at $350 per class; a custom description costs $550. See what a trademark costs.
What is not in class 36
| Looks like class 36, but is | Class |
|---|---|
| the software that delivers a financial service, if downloadable | 9 |
| financial software as a service | 42 |
| accounting and bookkeeping | 35 |
| real estate construction | 37 |
| legal services | 45 |
The class follows the product, not the industry. A business in this field will often need one of the classes above as well as class 36; the second class is a second filing fee, and a registration in one does not cover the other.
Coordinated classes
The USPTO searches class 36 together with these classes when it examines an application, because confusion between them is common. A live mark in a coordinated class can block a class 36 application, and a class 36 mark can block one of these.
A near match in a coordinated class is worth reading closely. A near match anywhere else on the register is usually not. See is my name trademarked for how to read one.
How crowded class 36 is
| Live marks in class 36 | 149,020 |
| Share of the 45-class register | 3.1% |
| Rank by size | 11 of 45 |
| As of | September 14, 2026 |
A crowded class means more near matches to read through, and a higher chance that one of them is in your actual field. It is still worth searching the coordinated classes, since that is where a conflict for a class 36 mark most often comes from.
Before you file in class 36
- Confirm the services are actually class 36 against the USPTO ID Manual, not against the industry the business is in.
- Check the neighbouring classes in the table above for anything the business also sells or does.
- Search the name on Silvol and read every live match by class: class 36 and its coordinated classes matter; others usually do not.
- Budget per class. Each class is $350 to file and $650 every ten years to maintain.
Common questions
What is trademark class 36?
Class 36 is the Nice classification for insurance, financial affairs, monetary affairs, real estate affairs, banking, investment, and payment services. It is one of the 11 service classes (35–45), and it currently holds 149,020 live US marks.
What does class 36 cover?
Insurance, financial affairs, monetary affairs, real estate affairs, banking, investment, and payment services. The USPTO's ID Manual has the full list of accepted descriptions; the examples above are the common ones.
How much does it cost to trademark in class 36?
$350 in USPTO fees for a clean electronic application using an ID Manual description, $550 with a custom description, plus $650 per class every ten years to maintain. Attorney fees, if any, are on top.
Is class 36 crowded?
It holds 149,020 live marks, 3.1% of the register, ranking 11 of 45. That is above average.
Can two businesses have the same name in class 36?
Not for similar services. Two marks in the same class for overlapping goods or services will conflict. The same name in an unrelated class usually will not.
What are the coordinated classes for class 36?
35, 37, 42, 45. The USPTO searches these together with class 36 because confusion across them is common.
Keep reading
- All 45 trademark classes, with live counts
- Is my name trademarked? How to read a match by class
- How much does a trademark cost, per class
Silvol checks a name against live US federal trademarks and the .com zone. It is not a law firm, does not clear names for use, and does not cover state registrations or unregistered marks. Class counts are computed from USPTO bulk data by primary class and refreshed daily.
Register counts as of September 14, 2026. Silvol is not a law firm and does not clear names for use.