How much does it cost to start an LLC by state?

How much does it cost to start an LLC?

It can cost $35 to file an LLC in Montana or $520 online in Massachusetts, before annual taxes, reports, publication, and registered agents enter the picture. Montana’s $35 Articles of Organization fee is the lowest LLC formation fee among the 50 states and DC. Among the worked examples below, yearly state fees after the first year run from $0 for most small Texas LLCs to $810 for a California LLC.

Use the calculator above to compare the first-year state fees with the recurring state bill. It uses published 2026 rules and separates costs due at formation from reports, taxes, and license charges that follow.

The figures exclude registered agent fees and newspaper publication costs. Those costs depend on the provider, county, and newspapers involved, so a cheap-looking filing fee may not be the amount you actually spend.

What does LLC cost by state include?

A useful LLC cost by state comparison has more than one number. Start with the formation filing fee, then add any initial report, business license, annual report, franchise tax, or other state-level charge due during the first year.

California is the clearest example. Its Articles of Organization cost $70. A $20 Statement of Information is due within 90 days, and every LLC organized or doing business in California must pay the $800 annual tax from its first year. The first tax payment is due by the 15th day of the 4th month after filing.

That makes looch’s calculator result $890 in first-year state fees for California. Every year after is shown as $810 because the $20 Statement of Information is due every two years, while the $800 tax is annual.

Massachusetts charges $500 to form by mail or $520 online. Its annual report costs $500. The calculator uses the $520 online filing, making the first-year result $520 and the recurring annual result $500.

Delaware charges $110 to form an LLC and $400 in annual tax, for $510 in the first year and $400 every year after. Domestic and foreign LLCs don’t file an annual report there, but the tax is due by June 1st of the following year.

Sources: California Secretary of State, California Franchise Tax Board, Massachusetts fee schedule, Delaware fee schedule, Delaware Division of Corporations.

Which states have the highest first-year LLC fees?

The filing fee alone can be misleading. Nevada charges $75 for the Articles of Organization, but it also requires a $150 initial list and a $200 state business license at filing. That makes its starting state cost $425, followed by $350 each year for the annual list and business license.

New York costs $200 to form. A single-member LLC with New York income also owes the state’s $25 Form IT-204-LL filing fee each year. The calculator therefore shows $225 for the first year, before newspaper publication.

Florida costs $125 to form, including its $100 filing fee and $25 registered agent designation. Wyoming costs $100 to form. Texas costs $300.

Here are eight first-year examples produced by looch’s calculator. These are state fees only, with registered agent and publication costs excluded:

California is $890. Massachusetts is $520. Delaware is $510. Nevada is $425. Texas is $300. New York is $225. Florida is $125. Wyoming is $100.

Kentucky’s $40 formation filing is lower than every example in that group, but it isn’t a $40 first year. Kentucky also has a $15 annual report and a $175 minimum Limited Liability Entity Tax. This is why comparing LLC fees by state means reading past the filing page.

Sources: Nevada LLC law, Nevada business license law, New York Department of State, New York Department of Taxation and Finance, Florida Division of Corporations, Wyoming Secretary of State, Texas Secretary of State, Kentucky Secretary of State, Kentucky Department of Revenue.

How much are LLC annual fees after formation?

LLC annual fees take several forms. A state may call the charge an annual report fee, franchise tax, license tax, business license, or entity tax. The label matters less to your budget than the total and its deadline.

The calculator’s recurring examples are $810 for California, $500 for Massachusetts, $400 for Delaware, $350 for Nevada, $138.75 for Florida, $60 for Wyoming, $29.50 for New York, and $0 for most small Texas LLCs.

New York’s $29.50 estimate combines its $25 annual filing fee for a single-member LLC with New York income and an annualized share of the $9 biennial statement. Your actual biennial statement payment is still $9 when it comes due.

Texas has no annual state fee for most small LLCs. Franchise tax is owed only above the no-tax-due threshold, and the Public Information Report goes to the Comptroller with the franchise tax report. A $0 tax result doesn’t mean there’s nothing to file.

Florida’s annual report costs $138.75. If the report is received after May 1st, the total becomes $538.75. That missed deadline turns a predictable recurring cost into a much larger one.

Some fees change. Louisiana’s formation fee rises from $100 to $125 on October 1st, 2026, while its annual report rises from $30 to $35. Montana has waived its annual report fee to $0 for reports filed by April 15th in 2026 and 2027. Our separate LLC fee-change tracker covers changes that can make an older comparison stale.

Sources: Texas Comptroller, Florida Division of Corporations, Louisiana Secretary of State, Montana Secretary of State.

What one-time LLC costs do founders miss?

Newspaper publication is the classic missed cost. New York and Nebraska require publication after an LLC is formed in every case. Nebraska requires notice for three successive weeks, followed by filing proof of publication with the Secretary of State for $25 online or $30 in office. Arizona requires three consecutive publications within 60 days unless the statutory agent’s street address is in a county with more than 800,000 people. In practice, the exception applies in Maricopa and Pima counties, where the Arizona Corporation Commission posts the information in its own database instead. The newspapers’ charges aren’t included in this calculator because the price isn’t a single statewide figure.

New York requires publication after formation even though its headline filing fee is $200. A founder comparing only Secretary of State filing fees can miss the cost until the LLC already exists.

Initial reports create another trap. California’s $20 Statement of Information is due within 90 days. Nevada’s $150 initial list and $200 state business license are due with the formation filing, which is why Nevada starts at $425 rather than the $75 Articles of Organization fee.

A registered agent is another separate cost. An LLC needs a registered agent in its formation state, and a foreign LLC needs one in every additional state where it registers. The calculator excludes registered agent fees so it doesn’t pretend every founder pays the same provider price.

Sources: Arizona Revised Statutes, Nebraska Legislature, New York Department of State, California Franchise Tax Board, Nevada LLC law.

Is the cheapest state to form an LLC somewhere else?

Usually not. If you operate in one state but form in another, the home state can require foreign LLC registration. You then pay the formation state’s fees, the home state’s foreign registration fee, and the recurring charges in both states.

A California owner who forms in California pays $890 in the first year and $810 every year after. Forming in Delaware and registering in California costs $1,400 in the first year and $1,210 every year after.

California’s $800 annual tax still applies because the LLC is doing business in California. Delaware’s $400 annual tax is added rather than substituted. The owner also needs two registered agents instead of one.

California foreign LLC registration costs $70. The calculation is transparent: Delaware contributes $110 to form and $400 in annual tax, while California contributes its $70 registration, $20 Statement of Information, and $800 annual tax during the first year.

Florida shows the same pattern with smaller figures. Forming in Florida costs $125, then $138.75 each year. Forming in Wyoming and registering in Florida costs $225, then $198.75 each year. Forming in Delaware and registering in Florida costs $635, then $538.75 each year.

Florida foreign LLC registration costs $125. Registering a Wyoming or Delaware LLC in Florida doesn’t erase Florida’s annual report, and it adds the formation state’s recurring charge.

There can be valid legal, investor, privacy, or operational reasons to choose another state. Cost alone usually isn’t one of them when the business still has to qualify at home. Read the full foreign qualification cost by state guide before treating another state’s filing fee as your total.

If you’re comparing two popular formation states, our Delaware LLC versus Wyoming LLC guide explains the tradeoffs. Founders operating in Florida can also use the Florida LLC guide to keep the home-state requirements in view.

Sources: California Secretary of State, California Franchise Tax Board, Florida Division of Corporations, Delaware Division of Corporations, Wyoming Secretary of State.

How should you compare LLC formation choices?

Start with where the business actually operates. Run that state through the calculator, then compare any alternative formation state only after adding foreign registration and both states’ recurring costs.

Next, separate fixed state charges from variable service costs. The calculator includes published state filing, report, tax, and license figures. It excludes registered agent and publication costs.

Finally, keep entity choice separate from tax treatment. An LLC may later elect S corporation taxation if that fits its facts, but the election doesn’t turn the entity into a different state-law structure. Our S corporation versus LLC guide explains that decision without mixing it into the filing-fee comparison.

This calculator gives an estimate from published 2026 rules, and a tax professional can confirm your specific situation.

How looch helps you form

looch Start forms your business for $249 all-in. That includes the state filing fee, the EIN, and one year of virtual office for a Delaware LLC, Wyoming LLC, Florida LLC, or Delaware C corporation.

The virtual office includes a business address, registered agent, and mail scanning. It renews at $49/year. looch provides registered agent service in all 50 states for $49/year for each additional state, which can cover the home-state agent a foreign registration needs.

After the entity is active and the EIN is confirmed, you can onboard into no-fee accounts, Smartcards, payments, and real-time accounting in the same mobile-first app.

Simplicity Fintech Inc is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. As part of looch Start, Simplicity Fintech Inc acts as a Third-Party Designee to facilitate the EIN application. EINs can be obtained directly from the IRS at no cost.

LLC cost FAQ

What’s the cheapest state to form an LLC?

Montana’s $35 Articles of Organization fee is the lowest LLC formation fee among the 50 states and DC. The cheapest state for your business may still be the state where you operate because forming elsewhere can trigger foreign registration, two sets of yearly charges, and two registered agents.

Do LLCs pay a fee every year?

Many do, but the charge may be called an annual report, franchise tax, license tax, or business license. Delaware LLCs pay $400 in annual tax, Florida LLCs pay a $138.75 annual report fee, and most small Texas LLCs have a $0 annual state fee while still having filing obligations.

Does the calculator include registered agent costs?

No. The calculator includes state fees from published 2026 rules but excludes registered agent costs because provider pricing varies. A foreign LLC generally needs a registered agent in both its formation state and its home state.

Does the calculator include newspaper publication?

No. New York and Nebraska require newspaper publication after formation in every case. Arizona requires it unless the statutory agent’s street address is in Maricopa or Pima County, where the Arizona Corporation Commission posts the information in its own database instead. Publication prices vary by location and newspaper, so add that quote separately when comparing your first-year total.

Is Delaware cheaper than forming in my home state?

Not automatically. A California owner using Delaware pays $1,400 in the first year and $1,210 every year after in the calculator, compared with $890 and $810 when forming in California. Delaware can serve other goals, but it doesn’t make the home state’s charges disappear.