LLC Cost Calculator

The real comparison: 5-year total cost

Ranking states by filing fee alone is misleading, because the filing fee is a one-time cost while the annual report repeats every year. A state with a $50 filing fee and a $300 annual report costs $1,250 over five years ($50 + 4 × $300). A state with a $150 filing fee and no annual report costs just $150 — eight times less, despite the higher sticker price. The tables below rank all 51 jurisdictions by the total you would actually pay over five years: the filing fee plus four annual report payments.

Notice how the rankings shift: states with no annual report climb the list, while states with high recurring fees fall. This is the number that matters if you plan to keep your LLC running for more than a year — which most people do.

LLC Formation Cost in Every State (All 51)

The complete fee table below covers every U.S. state plus Washington, D.C. Filing fees, annual report fees, expedited processing fees, and name reservation fees are all pulled from each state's official filing office and re-verified monthly. Click any state name for the full formation reference, official portal links, and search tool.

"—" means the state does not offer that option or does not require that filing. Fees change occasionally; the last-verified date on each state page shows when we last confirmed the numbers.

Franchise Tax Watchlist: The Cost Most People Forget

A franchise tax (sometimes called a privilege tax, business license fee, or gross receipts tax) is a separate recurring charge some states impose on LLCs just for existing in that state — on top of the filing fee and annual report. Most states do not charge one for a plain LLC, but these are the ones that do, and they can dwarf every other cost on this page:

State	Franchise / privilege tax for LLCs
California	$800 minimum franchise tax for LLCs and corporations (first-year exemption may apply for new businesses).
Delaware	LLCs pay a flat $300 annual franchise tax; corporations pay based on shares or assumed par value.
Texas	A franchise tax applies to most entities; many small businesses owe zero under the no-tax-due threshold.
Tennessee	A franchise tax applies to many entities, including LLCs.
Kentucky	A limited liability entity tax (LLET) applies to many entities.
Mississippi	A franchise tax applies to many entities, including some LLCs.
Louisiana	Franchise tax reinstated for many entities starting 2025.
Ohio	No franchise tax; a Commercial Activity Tax (CAT) applies to gross receipts over $1 million.
Washington	No franchise tax; a B&O gross receipts tax applies to most businesses.
Nevada	No franchise tax; LLCs pay a $150 annual business license fee and a $200 annual list fee.
Massachusetts	Corporations pay an excise; LLCs may owe a $456 minimum reportable tax in some cases.
New York	Corporations pay a franchise tax; LLCs may owe a filing fee based on income.

California is the big one: the $800 minimum franchise tax applies every year even if your LLC has zero revenue, and it is due from the first taxable year (a first-year exemption may apply for brand-new businesses — confirm with the Franchise Tax Board). If you form a California LLC but operate mostly elsewhere, you may still owe it. Delaware's flat $300 is far smaller but is mandatory every year with no income threshold. Texas and Ohio are friendlier: their gross-receipts taxes have high thresholds, so most small LLCs owe nothing.

Before you pick a state, check its row in the table above and read the tax overview section on that state's page. A "$40 LLC" in a franchise-tax state can cost more than a "$200 LLC" in a state with none.

How to read your LLC cost estimate

The calculator breaks your total into two parts: one-time formation costs (what you pay to create the LLC) and ongoing annual costs (what you pay every year to keep it in good standing). Many "cheap LLC" articles only quote the filing fee and ignore the annual costs — which is where states really differ. A $50 filing fee with a $300 annual report costs $1,550 over five years; a $150 filing fee with no annual report costs just $150.

• State filing fee — the mandatory fee to file your Articles of Organization (LLC), Articles of Incorporation (corporation), or foreign registration. This is the same whether you file yourself or use a service.
• Expedited processing — optional in most states. Pays to skip the queue, cutting processing from days/weeks to 24 hours in many cases.
• Name reservation — optional. Holds your business name for 30-180 days (depending on state) while you prepare your filing. Not needed if you're filing immediately.
• Commercial registered agent — optional but recommended for privacy. We estimate ~$125/year, the typical market rate for national services.
• Annual report / franchise tax — the recurring cost. Due yearly (or biennially in a few states). Missing it triggers penalties and can get your LLC administratively dissolved.

Hidden LLC costs most calculators miss

• Late filing penalties. Most states charge a penalty plus interest if you miss your annual report deadline — and a few can dissolve your LLC after prolonged non-compliance.
• Publication requirements. A small number of states (notably New York and Nebraska) require new LLCs to publish a notice in local newspapers, which can add $100-$1,500 depending on the county.
• Business licenses and permits. City or county business licenses, professional licenses, and sales tax permits are separate from your LLC filing and vary by location and industry.
• Registered office changes. If you move or change your registered agent, most states charge a small fee to update the record.
• Certified copies and certificates of good standing. Banks and landlords often ask for these; states typically charge $5-$50 per copy.

How to lower your LLC formation cost

• File yourself online. Every state offers direct online filing through its official portal — you avoid the $50-$300 markup that formation services charge.
• Skip expedite unless you have a deadline. Standard processing is fine for most new businesses.
• Skip name reservation if you're filing now. Reservation only matters if you found a name but aren't ready to file for weeks.
• Be your own registered agent if you live in the state and don't mind your address being public.
• Compare the 5-year total, not the filing fee. Use the calculator above to see annual costs before you pick a state.

DIY filing vs. formation services: what you actually pay

Every state lets you file directly through its official portal, and the state fee is identical either way. The difference is what you pay on top — and what you get for it. Here is an honest breakdown of the three common routes:

Route	Typical total cost	What you get	Best for
File yourself (official portal)	State fee only ($40-$500)	Direct filing, no middleman, full control of your documents	Most people — the process is a guided online form in every state
Budget formation service	State fee + $0-$150	They fill the same form for you; some include a free registered agent for year one	People who want hand-holding or need the free agent year
Premium formation service	State fee + $200-$400/yr	Expedited handling, compliance reminders, EIN help, operating agreement templates	Busy owners who will pay to never think about deadlines

Two things to watch out for: many services advertise "$0 + state fee" but make their money on upsells (registered agent, compliance alerts, expedited processing) that renew annually, and some enroll you in auto-renewing subscriptions by default. If you file yourself, the only recurring cost you must budget for is the state's own annual report — which is exactly what the ongoing-cost line in the calculator above shows.

When paying more upfront is actually worth it

Cutting costs is smart, but three situations genuinely justify spending extra:

• You have a hard deadline. A lease signing, a bank account, or a client contract that requires your LLC to exist by a specific date is worth the expedite fee — being late on the deal usually costs more than the $50-$150 expedite charge.
• You live outside the state. If you are forming in Delaware or Wyoming but live elsewhere, you cannot be your own registered agent there, so a commercial agent ($39-$300/yr) is effectively mandatory, not optional.
• You want your home address off the public record. Registered agent addresses are public in every state. If privacy matters — landlords, public figures, anyone concerned about spam — a commercial agent keeps your personal address out of the database.

How We Verify These Numbers

Every fee on this page comes from the official filing office for that state — the Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, or equivalent agency. We do not copy figures from other websites or formation-service marketing pages. Our process:

• Source: each state's fee schedule is taken from its official portal or fee document, and the source link is listed on that state's page.
• Monthly re-verification: an automated system re-checks every state's official source pages each month, flags any content changes for human review, and updates the "last verified" date on every page whether or not a fee changed.
• What is not included: taxes (income, sales, self-employment), city/county business licenses, professional permits, and legal or accounting fees. These depend on your revenue, location, and industry, so no calculator can quote them honestly.
• Registered agent estimate: the ~$125/year figure is a typical market rate for national commercial registered agent services, clearly labeled as an estimate rather than a state fee.

If you spot a fee that looks wrong, check the official source linked on the state page and let us know — corrections are usually live within one build cycle.

LLC Cost Calculator FAQ