Are extension fees the same as initial L-1B fees?

Not necessarily. Applicable government charges depend on the filing and circumstances, and some supplemental fees have specific triggers. Check the current schedule and instructions rather than copying the original payment amounts.

Include the full renewal scope

Budget updated evidence preparation, any additional filing required by changed duties, dependent applications and optional premium processing where appropriate. Separate those expenses from ongoing payroll and business costs. A professional estimate should explain whether it includes reviewing prior H or L time, travel records and family status issues.

Avoid assuming one employer payment automatically covers every dependent’s procedure. Fee estimates have scope limits too, and the boundary is usually drawn more narrowly than the client assumes. A quotation for an extension typically covers the extension; it may exclude the historical time calculation, an amendment prompted by changed duties, dependent filings, and any response to a request for further evidence.

Hypothetical example: an aggregate haulage operator budgets for one renewal and is then asked for detailed evidence about a changed work location, which is real additional work nobody had priced. Ask for the exclusions in writing rather than the inclusions, since the exclusions are what generate the surprise. Confirm current government charges from official sources at the time of filing, and treat premium processing, where it is available and chosen, as buying attention to a step rather than a particular outcome.