All 50 states + DC
US LLC Formation Cost Comparison
Ranked by 5-year total cost (filing + recurring annual fees + minimum franchise tax + $50/yr registered agent baseline).
Quick Answer: The cheapest US states to form an LLC over 5 years are Kentucky, New Mexico, Missouri, Wyoming, and Colorado (about $200–$500 total). The most expensive are California ($800/yr franchise tax), Massachusetts, and New York (newspaper publication). But filing fees are a rounding error next to taxes and banking — for most owners, form in the state where you actually operate. Use the LLC cost calculator to model your own state.
How to read the LLC cost comparison
All 50 US states plus DC, ranked by 5-year total LLC cost. The formula: filing fee + 5 × (annual report fee + $50 registered agent baseline + minimum franchise/privilege tax). All figures are 2026 and verified against each state's Secretary of State filings.
The five cheapest states for an LLC over 5 years — Kentucky, New Mexico, Missouri, Wyoming, and Colorado — cost between $200 and $500 total. The five most expensive — California ($800/yr franchise tax), Massachusetts ($500 filing + $500 annual), New York (publication $400-$2,000), Tennessee ($300+$300), and Maryland ($300 personal property tax) — run $2,500 to $4,500 over 5 years.
Privacy is a 1-10 score reflecting whether members/managers appear on public state filings. Wyoming, New Mexico, and Nevada score 8-9/10 (anonymous LLCs possible at the state level). California, New York, and Florida score 3-4/10 (members on public record).
Banking accessibility reflects how easily a US bank like Mercury, Brex, or Chase will open an account for a non-resident-owned LLC formed in that state. Wyoming, Delaware, New York, and California score 9-10/10. For most owners, banking score should drive your decision more than $50/year in filing fees.
Looking for a personalized pick? Model your exact state in the LLC cost calculator, see our best state to form an LLC ranking, or take the 8-question jurisdiction finder quiz. In a hurry? See how long each state takes to approve an LLC. Already formed? Don’t miss your annual report deadline.
| # | State | Filing fee | Annual report | Franchise min | State income tax | Privacy | 5-yr total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona LLC | $50 | — | — | 2.5% | 5/10 | $300 |
| 2 | Mississippi LLC | $50 | $0 / annual | — | 5% | 5/10 | $300 |
| 3 | Missouri LLC | $50 | — | — | 4.8% | 6/10 | $300 |
| 4 | New Mexico LLC | $50 | — | — | 5.9% | 9/10 | $300 |
| 5 | Ohio LLC | $99 | — | — | 3.5% | 5/10 | $349 |
| 6 | Idaho LLC | $100 | $0 / annual | — | 5.8% | 5/10 | $350 |
| 7 | South Carolina LLC | $110 | — | — | 6.2% | 6/10 | $360 |
| 8 | Hawaii LLC | $50 | $15 / annual | — | 11% | 4/10 | $375 |
| 9 | Montana LLC | $35 | $20 / annual | — | 5.9% | 7/10 | $385 |
| 10 | Utah LLC | $59 | $18 / annual | — | 4.65% | 5/10 | $399 |
| 11 | Minnesota LLC | $155 | $0 / annual | — | 9.85% | 5/10 | $405 |
| 12 | Pennsylvania LLC | $125 | $7 / annual | — | 3.07% | 4/10 | $410 |
| 13 | Colorado LLC | $50 | $25 / annual | — | 4.4% | 5/10 | $425 |
| 14 | Michigan LLC | $50 | $25 / annual | — | 4.25% | 5/10 | $425 |
| 15 | Iowa LLC | $50 | $30 / biennial | — | 5.7% | 5/10 | $450 |
| 16 | Nebraska LLC | $100 | $25 / biennial | — | 5.84% | 4/10 | $475 |
| 17 | Oklahoma LLC | $100 | $25 / annual | — | 4.75% | 5/10 | $475 |
| 18 | West Virginia LLC | $100 | $25 / annual | — | 5.12% | 5/10 | $475 |
| 19 | Indiana LLC | $95 | $32 / biennial | — | 3.05% | 5/10 | $505 |
| 20 | Wisconsin LLC | $130 | $25 / annual | — | 7.65% | 5/10 | $505 |
| 21 | Louisiana LLC | $100 | $35 / annual | — | 4.25% | 4/10 | $525 |
| 22 | Texas LLC | $300 | $0 / annual | — | 0% | 5/10 | $550 |
| 23 | Kansas LLC | $85 | $50 / biennial | — | 5.7% | 4/10 | $585 |
| 24 | Virginia LLC | $100 | $50 / annual | — | 5.75% | 4/10 | $600 |
| 25 | New York LLC | $200 | $9 / biennial | $25 | 10.9% | 3/10 | $620 |
| 26 | Vermont LLC | $155 | $45 / annual | — | 8.75% | 5/10 | $630 |
| 27 | North Dakota LLC | $135 | $50 / annual | — | 2.5% | 5/10 | $635 |
| 28 | Georgia LLC | $100 | $60 / annual | — | 5.39% | 5/10 | $650 |
| 29 | Rhode Island LLC | $150 | $50 / annual | — | 5.99% | 4/10 | $650 |
| 30 | Wyoming LLC | $100 | $62 / annual | — | 0% | 9/10 | $660 |
| 31 | South Dakota LLC | $150 | $55 / annual | — | 0% | 8/10 | $675 |
| 32 | New Jersey LLC | $125 | $75 / annual | — | 10.75% | 4/10 | $750 |
| 33 | Connecticut LLC | $120 | $80 / annual | — | 6.99% | 4/10 | $770 |
| 34 | Illinois LLC | $150 | $75 / annual | — | 4.95% | 4/10 | $775 |
| 35 | Washington LLC | $200 | $70 / annual | — | 0% | 5/10 | $800 |
| 36 | Maine LLC | $175 | $85 / annual | — | 7.15% | 5/10 | $850 |
| 37 | New Hampshire LLC | $100 | $100 / annual | — | 0% | 5/10 | $850 |
| 38 | Oregon LLC | $100 | $100 / annual | — | 9.9% | 4/10 | $850 |
| 39 | Alaska LLC | $250 | $100 / biennial | — | 0% | 6/10 | $1,000 |
| 40 | Florida LLC | $125 | $139 / annual | — | 0% | 4/10 | $1,069 |
| 41 | Alabama LLC | $200 | $100 / annual | $50 | 5% | 4/10 | $1,200 |
| 42 | Kentucky LLC | $40 | $15 / annual | $175 | 4% | 5/10 | $1,240 |
| 43 | North Carolina LLC | $125 | $200 / annual | — | 4.5% | 4/10 | $1,375 |
| 44 | Arkansas LLC | $45 | $150 / annual | $150 | 4.4% | 4/10 | $1,795 |
| 45 | District of Columbia LLC | $99 | $300 / biennial | — | 10.75% | 4/10 | $1,849 |
| 46 | Nevada LLC | $75 | $350 / annual | — | 0% | 8/10 | $2,075 |
| 47 | Tennessee LLC | $300 | $300 / annual | $100 | 0% | 5/10 | $2,550 |
| 48 | Massachusetts LLC | $500 | $500 / annual | — | 9% | 4/10 | $3,250 |
| 49 | Maryland LLC | $100 | $300 / annual | $300 | 5.75% | 4/10 | $3,350 |
| 50 | Delaware LLC | $110 | $300 / annual | $300 | 6.6% | 7/10 | $3,360 |
| 51 | California LLC | $70 | $20 / biennial | $800 | 13.3% | 3/10 | $4,420 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest state to form an LLC in 2026?
Over a 5-year horizon, the cheapest states are Kentucky, New Mexico, Missouri, Wyoming, and Colorado — roughly $200–$500 total including filing and recurring fees. New Mexico and Missouri have no annual report at all, and Wyoming’s annual fee is a $60 minimum.
What is the most expensive state to form an LLC?
California is the most expensive for most owners because of its $800/year minimum franchise tax. Massachusetts charges $500 to file plus $500 a year; New York adds a newspaper publication requirement that can run $400–$2,000; Tennessee and Maryland also run high. These states cost roughly $2,500–$4,500 over 5 years.
Does forming in a cheaper state save money if I operate elsewhere?
Usually no. If you form in Wyoming but operate in, say, California, you must "foreign qualify" in California — paying both states’ fees, both annual reports, and both franchise taxes. For most owners, forming in the state where you actually operate is cheaper than forming out of state.
What is included in the 5-year total cost?
The formula is: filing fee + 5 × (annual report fee + a $50/year registered agent baseline + minimum franchise/privilege tax). It does not include one-off publication costs (NY/AZ/NE) or optional expedite fees, which are noted separately on each state page.
Which states have no LLC annual report?
Arizona, Missouri, New Mexico, Ohio, and South Carolina require no annual report for LLCs (though some still levy a separate tax). See our LLC annual report deadline guide for the full calendar.
How current is this data?
The fee data was verified on 2026-05-30 against each state’s official Secretary of State source, cross-checked against a second independent source per state. State fees change — always confirm with your own Secretary of State before filing.
Open data: free to reuse with attribution
This dataset — filing fees, annual report fees, franchise tax minimums, state income tax rates, privacy and banking scores for all 50 US states + DC — is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license.
You may copy, redistribute, remix, transform, and build upon the data for any purpose, including commercial use, provided you attribute BeginPulse with a link back to https://beginpulse.com/state-comparison and indicate any changes you made. See /methodology for primary government sources and verification dates.
Last updated: 2026-05-30 (verified against official state Secretary of State sources, two independent sources per state). References: state Secretaries of State + IRS + Tax Foundation.