Open dataset · CC BY 4.0
LLC cost by state — 2026 dataset
The state government's own LLC filing fee, recurring fee, per-year cost and base government fee budget for all 50 states + DC. WY, DE and CA base fees were checked on September 10, 2026. Other rows retain earlier estimates. Service and variable costs are excluded. Free to download and cite.
- Coverage
- 51
- 50 states + DC
- Review scope
- 3 states
- WY / DE / CA · Sep 10
- License
- CC BY 4.0
- free to cite
Base fee budget range
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Take the whole dataset
All 51 rows, every column, machine-readable. Free for any use — including commercial — under CC BY 4.0, as long as you credit Lanzamo with a link back.
How to cite
Free to republish and adapt with credit. Suggested citation:
Lanzamo. "LLC Cost by State (2026)." Lanzamo, reviewed June 2026, https://lanzamo.com/data/llc-cost-by-state.
License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. Attribution = a visible credit linking to this page.
Key findings
Lowest base budget
Arizona
$50
Highest base budget
Massachusetts
$1,000
Median base fee budget
$160
across 51
No annual report
5 states
9 with no income tax
The five cheapest states to start an LLC in year one are Arizona ($50), Iowa ($50), Mississippi ($50), Missouri ($50), New Mexico ($50). The five most expensive are Massachusetts ($1,000), California ($890), Nevada ($775), Tennessee ($600), Delaware ($510). Figures are the state government's own fees only; formation services and registered-agent fees are extra.
The full dataset
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Showing 51 of 51
| Recurring | Source | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona AZ | $50 | None Newspaper publication required (except Maricopa/Pima) | $0 | $50 | Earlier estimate — verify Arizona Corporation Commission |
| Iowa IA | $50 | Biennial report | $15 | $50 | Earlier estimate — verify Iowa Secretary of State |
| Mississippi MS | $50 | Annual report (free) Annual report required but $0 | $0 | $50 | Earlier estimate — verify Mississippi Secretary of State |
| Missouri MO | $50 | None No annual report | $0 | $50 | Earlier estimate — verify Missouri Secretary of State |
| New Mexico NM Popular | $50 | None No annual report | $0 | $50 | Earlier estimate — verify New Mexico Secretary of State |
| Kentucky KY | $40 | Annual report | $15 | $55 | Earlier estimate — verify Kentucky Secretary of State |
| Montana MT | $35 | Annual report $20/yr report fee — waived by the Secretary of State through 2027 | $20 | $55 | Earlier estimate — verify Montana Secretary of State |
| Hawaii HI | $50 | Annual report | $15 | $65 | Earlier estimate — verify Hawaii Department of Commerce & Consumer Affairs (BREG) |
| Colorado CO | $50 | Periodic report | $25 | $75 | Earlier estimate — verify Colorado Secretary of State |
| Michigan MI | $50 | Annual statement | $25 | $75 | Earlier estimate — verify Michigan Department of Licensing & Regulatory Affairs (LARA) |
| Utah UT | $59 | Annual renewal | $18 | $77 | Earlier estimate — verify Utah Division of Corporations |
| Indiana IN | $95 | Biennial report | $16 | $95 | Earlier estimate — verify Indiana Secretary of State (INBiz) |
| Ohio OH | $99 | None No annual report | $0 | $99 | Earlier estimate — verify Ohio Secretary of State |
| District of Columbia DC | $99 | Biennial report | $150 | $99 | Earlier estimate — verify DC Dept. of Licensing & Consumer Protection (DLCP) |
| Idaho ID | $100 | Annual report (free) Annual report required but $0 | $0 | $100 | Earlier estimate — verify Idaho Secretary of State (SOSBiz) |
| Nebraska NE | $100 | Biennial report Newspaper publication required | $6.5 | $100 | Earlier estimate — verify Nebraska Secretary of State |
| South Carolina SC | $110 | None No annual report (unless taxed as an S-corp) | $0 | $110 | Earlier estimate — verify South Carolina Secretary of State |
| Oklahoma OK | $100 | Annual certificate | $25 | $125 | Earlier estimate — verify Oklahoma Secretary of State |
| West Virginia WV | $100 | Annual report | $25 | $125 | Earlier estimate — verify West Virginia Secretary of State |
| Louisiana LA | $100 | Annual report | $30 | $130 | Earlier estimate — verify Louisiana Secretary of State (geauxBIZ) |
| Pennsylvania PA | $125 | Annual report New annual report as of 2025 | $7 | $132 | Earlier estimate — verify Pennsylvania Department of State |
| Virginia VA | $100 | Annual registration fee | $50 | $150 | Earlier estimate — verify Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC) |
| Minnesota MN | $155 | Annual renewal (free) Annual renewal required but $0 | $0 | $155 | Earlier estimate — verify Minnesota Secretary of State |
| Wisconsin WI | $130 | Annual report | $25 | $155 | Earlier estimate — verify Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions |
| Kansas KS | $160 | Biennial report | $25 | $160 | Earlier estimate — verify Kansas Secretary of State |
| Wyoming WY Popular No income tax | $100 | Annual report (license tax) $60 min, based on in-state assets | $60+ | $160+ | Base fees checked 2026-09-10 Wyoming Secretary of State — Articles instructions ↗Wyoming Secretary of State — annual report FAQ ↗ Wyoming Secretary of State |
| Georgia GA | $110 | Annual registration Includes $10 service charge added Sept 2025 | $60 | $170 | Earlier estimate — verify Georgia Secretary of State |
| North Dakota ND | $135 | Annual report | $50 | $185 | Earlier estimate — verify North Dakota Secretary of State (FirstStop) |
| Arkansas AR | $45 | Annual franchise tax Flat $150 franchise tax | $150 | $195 | Earlier estimate — verify Arkansas Secretary of State |
| Alabama AL | $200 | Business Privilege Tax (conditional) No privilege-tax filing/payment when calculated tax is $100 or less; above that threshold, tax depends on apportioned net worth. $0 is the exempt baseline, not a universal exemption. Alabama DOR 2026 instructions checked September 28, 2026: https://www.revenue.alabama.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/26fcptinstr.pdf | $0 | $200 | Earlier estimate — verify Alabama Secretary of State |
| Connecticut CT | $120 | Annual report | $80 | $200 | Earlier estimate — verify Connecticut Secretary of the State |
| New Hampshire NH No income tax | $100 | Annual report | $100 | $200 | Earlier estimate — verify New Hampshire Secretary of State (QuickStart) |
| New Jersey NJ | $125 | Annual report | $75 | $200 | Earlier estimate — verify New Jersey Division of Revenue & Enterprise Services |
| New York NY | $200 | Biennial statement Newspaper publication required (~$300–$1,500+ by county) | $4.5 | $200 | Earlier estimate — verify New York Department of State, Division of Corporations |
| Oregon OR | $100 | Annual report | $100 | $200 | Earlier estimate — verify Oregon Secretary of State |
| Rhode Island RI | $150 | Annual report | $50 | $200 | Earlier estimate — verify Rhode Island Secretary of State |
| Vermont VT | $155 | Annual report | $45 | $200 | Earlier estimate — verify Vermont Secretary of State |
| South Dakota SD No income tax | $150 | Annual report | $55 | $205 | Earlier estimate — verify South Dakota Secretary of State |
| Illinois IL | $150 | Annual report | $75 | $225 | Earlier estimate — verify Illinois Secretary of State |
| Alaska AK No income tax | $250 | Biennial report | $50 | $250 | Earlier estimate — verify Alaska Division of Corporations (DCCED) |
| Maine ME | $175 | Annual report | $85 | $260 | Earlier estimate — verify Maine Secretary of State (ICRS) |
| Florida FL Popular No income tax | $125 | Annual report | $138.75 | $263.75 | Earlier estimate — verify Florida Division of Corporations (Sunbiz) |
| Washington WA No income tax | $200 | Annual report | $70 | $270 | Earlier estimate — verify Washington Secretary of State (CCFS) |
| Texas TX Popular No income tax | $300 | Public Information Report (free) Franchise tax — no tax due below ~$2.65M revenue (2026); report still required | $0 | $300 | Earlier estimate — verify Texas Secretary of State (SOSDirect) |
| North Carolina NC | $125 | Annual report | $200 | $325 | Earlier estimate — verify North Carolina Secretary of State |
| Maryland MD | $100 | Annual report (PPR) $300 min Personal Property Return | $300 | $400 | Earlier estimate — verify Maryland Department of Assessments & Taxation (SDAT) |
| Delaware DE Popular | $110 | Annual franchise tax $400 annual LLC tax for 2026 onward, due June 1 following the tax year; no LLC annual report | $400 | $510 | Base fees checked 2026-09-10 Delaware Division of Corporations — August 2026 fee schedule ↗Delaware Division of Corporations — LLC annual tax ↗Delaware enacted HB 400 — sections 23 and 45 ↗ Delaware Division of Corporations |
| Tennessee TN No income tax | $300 | Annual report $50/member ($300 min–$3,000 max) | $300 | $600 | Earlier estimate — verify Tennessee Secretary of State |
| Nevada NV Popular No income tax | $425 | Annual list + business license $150 annual list + $200 state business license | $350 | $775 | Earlier estimate — verify Nevada Secretary of State (SilverFlume) |
| California CA Popular | $70 | Annual franchise tax $800 annual LLC tax + $20 initial statement within 90 days, then $20 biennially; additional income-dependent fees and exceptions apply | $810+ | $890+ | Base fees checked 2026-09-10 California Secretary of State — LLC fees ↗California FTB — LLC tax and fees ↗ California Secretary of State |
| Massachusetts MA | $500 | Annual report | $500 | $1,000 | Earlier estimate — verify Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth |
State filing and annual fees change frequently. These figures were last reviewed in June 2026 — always confirm the current amount on the state's official Secretary of State website before you file.
Prefer an interactive comparator? Use the filterable LLC cost tool, or read which state to pick as a non-resident.
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How we built this
Each figure is the state government's own fee — the filing fee to form an LLC plus any recurring annual or biennial report/franchise fee — not what a formation service charges on top. We separate the one-time filing fee from the recurring fee, show the recurring fee amortized to a per-year number, and add a base fee budget for a rough comparison. The budget includes a first recurring cycle where applicable, not a payment schedule for the first twelve months. Actual due dates depend on the formation date and tax year; variable tax, services and other-state registration are excluded.
Every row links to that state's official filing authority (the Secretary of State or the equivalent agency). The legacy baseline is June 2026; WY, DE and CA base fee claims were rechecked on September 10, 2026. A link to an agency is not proof that every fee has been reverified. Government fees change often — always confirm the current amount on the state's official site before you file. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.