Delaware LLC Cost

Documents you need

• Certificate of Formation — Formation document for a domestic LLC, filed with the Division of Corporations; fee schedule line 'Limited Liability Companies — Formation – domestic $110.00'.
• Registered agent in Delaware — Delaware law requires every business entity to have and maintain a Registered Agent in Delaware — an individual resident or an entity authorized to do business in Delaware — with a physical street address in Delaware. A business physically located in Delaware may act as its own registered agent.

How forming works in Delaware

1. Line up the agent: Registered agent in Delaware — Delaware law requires every business entity to have and maintain a Registered Agent in Delaware — an individual resident or an entity authorized to do business in Delaware — with a physical street address in Delaware. A business physically located in Delaware may act as its own registered agent.
2. File the Certificate of Formation with the Delaware Department of State — the filing fee is $110 at the cheapest channel (file online at the official portal linked below).

Annual report & ongoing costs

Delaware does not require an annual report for LLCs — there is no yearly report fee to budget.

The state charges that still apply are listed below.

Other state charges

All domestic and foreign LLCs formed or registered in Delaware pay a flat annual tax of $400.00. The annual taxes for the prior year are due on or before June 1. No proration: the tax is assessed if the entity is active in the Division's records at any time from January 1 through December 31 of the tax year, so the first payment falls due on June 1 of the year after formation. Late payment penalty is $200.00 plus 1.5% interest per month on tax and penalty. This tax replaces any annual report for LLCs.

After you form

1. Get the free EIN from the IRS, then open a business bank account so company and personal money stay separate.
2. Stay compliant: Delaware does not require an annual report. — diary the due date before you form.

• Employer Identification Number (EIN) — free from the IRS; a federal step that is the same in every state.

Compare Delaware with the rest of the country

Delaware's first-year minimum of $110 sits in the full ranking of all 51 jurisdictions — the cheapest first year is Montana at $35 and the most expensive is California at $870.