FormBench

Fee data verified September 2026 · All 50 states

The real cost of forming an LLC, state by state.

Every "form your LLC for $0" headline stops at the state fee line. We publish the whole bill: filing fees, annual reports, registered agents, franchise taxes, and the add-ons services quietly sell you.

See LLC costs by state Compare formation services
$35 cheapest filing fee (Montana)
$500 priciest filing fee (Massachusetts)
$0 what the IRS charges for an EIN
$125/yr flat registered agent (Northwest)

Where it's cheapest (and priciest)

State Filing fee Report fee Report cycle First-year total
Arizona $50 $0 None $50
Mississippi $50 $0 None $50
Missouri $50 $0 None $50
New Mexico $50 $0 None $50
Kentucky $40 $15 Annual $55
Montana $35 $20 Annual $55
Hawaii $51 $15 Annual $66
Colorado $50 $25 Annual $75
Michigan $50 $25 Annual $75
Utah $59 $18 Annual $77
Iowa $50 $30 Biennial $80
California $70 $20 Biennial (initial $20 due 90 days after formation) $90
Ohio $99 $0 None $99
Alabama $100 $0 Initial report: $100 minimum tax due within 90 days of formation $100
Idaho $100 $0 Annual (no fee) $100
South Carolina $110 $0 None $110
Nebraska $100 $13 Biennial $113
Oklahoma $100 $25 Annual $125
West Virginia $100 $25 Annual $125
Indiana $95 $32 Biennial $127
Pennsylvania $125 $7 Annual (decal fee) $132
Louisiana $100 $35 Annual $135
Georgia $100 $50 Annual $150
Virginia $100 $50 Annual $150
Minnesota $155 $0 Annual (no fee) $155
Wisconsin $130 $25 Annual $155
Vermont $125 $35 Annual $160
Wyoming $100 $60 Annual $160
North Dakota $135 $50 Annual $185
Arkansas $45 $150 Annual $195
Connecticut $120 $80 Annual $200
New Hampshire $100 $100 Annual $200
New Jersey $125 $75 Annual $200
Oregon $100 $100 Annual $200
Rhode Island $150 $50 Annual (+ $400 annual tax) $200
South Dakota $150 $55 Annual $205
New York $200 $9 Biennial $209
Kansas $160 $50 Biennial $210
Illinois $150 $75 Annual $225
Maine $175 $85 Annual $260
Florida $125 $139 Annual (late fee $400) $264
Washington $200 $70 Annual (initial report $10 due within 120 days) $270
Texas $300 $0 Annual (no report fee; franchise tax above revenue threshold) $300
North Carolina $125 $200 Annual $325
Alaska $250 $100 Biennial $350
Delaware $90 $300 Annual $390
Maryland $100 $300 Annual $400
Nevada $75 $350 Annual (initial report $150 due at formation) $425
Tennessee $300 $300 Annual (+ franchise tax by member count) $600
Massachusetts $500 $500 Annual $1000

Sorted by first-year cost. Cheapest: Arizona ($50). Priciest: Massachusetts ($1000). Verified 2026-09-03; cross-checked against northwestregisteredagent.com's published cost data. First-year total = filing fee + first report fee where due. It excludes registered agent service, business licenses, franchise taxes (e.g. California's $800), and publication requirements (New York).

The 50 states at a glance

Arizona: $50 first-year state cost AZ $50 Mississippi: $50 first-year state cost Missouri: $50 first-year state cost New Mexico: $50 first-year state cost Kentucky: $55 first-year state cost KY $55 Montana: $55 first-year state cost MT $55 Hawaii: $66 first-year state cost Colorado: $75 first-year state cost Michigan: $75 first-year state cost Utah: $77 first-year state cost Iowa: $80 first-year state cost California: $90 first-year state cost CA $90 Ohio: $99 first-year state cost Alabama: $100 first-year state cost Idaho: $100 first-year state cost South Carolina: $110 first-year state cost Nebraska: $113 first-year state cost Oklahoma: $125 first-year state cost West Virginia: $125 first-year state cost Indiana: $127 first-year state cost Pennsylvania: $132 first-year state cost Louisiana: $135 first-year state cost Georgia: $150 first-year state cost Virginia: $150 first-year state cost Minnesota: $155 first-year state cost Wisconsin: $155 first-year state cost Vermont: $160 first-year state cost Wyoming: $160 first-year state cost North Dakota: $185 first-year state cost Arkansas: $195 first-year state cost Connecticut: $200 first-year state cost New Hampshire: $200 first-year state cost New Jersey: $200 first-year state cost Oregon: $200 first-year state cost Rhode Island: $200 first-year state cost RI $200 South Dakota: $205 first-year state cost New York: $209 first-year state cost NY $209 Kansas: $210 first-year state cost Illinois: $225 first-year state cost Maine: $260 first-year state cost Florida: $264 first-year state cost Washington: $270 first-year state cost Texas: $300 first-year state cost North Carolina: $325 first-year state cost Alaska: $350 first-year state cost Delaware: $390 first-year state cost Maryland: $400 first-year state cost Nevada: $425 first-year state cost Tennessee: $600 first-year state cost Massachusetts: $1000 first-year state cost MA $1000 cheapest → priciest, first-year state fees only
All 50 states by first-year LLC state cost. Green bars: $75 or under. Red bars: $400 and up. Labeled: postal codes of notable states. Full table below. Data verified 2026-09-03.

Price your own state

LLC cost calculator

State filing fees + optional service costs for year one. Wages, taxes, and licenses are not included.

$50estimated first-year total

State fees verified 2026-09-03. Service prices verified from provider pricing pages 2026-09-03.

Why trust FormBench

Every fee on this site is checked against state fee schedules and the vendors' own published pricing, and dated on the page. When a vendor doesn't publish a price, we say so. We don't accept payment for rankings, and we don't give legal or tax advice — the editorial standards page explains the line we hold.