Forming an LLC costs a different amount in every state. This page compares the official 2026 charges for all 50 states and the District of Columbia — filing fees, annual reports and the true first-year minimum — with the documents and the filing office for each state one click away.
First-year minimum = the cheapest filing channel plus the fixed mandatory state charges that fall due in year one. Bars are scaled to the highest figure in this top 10 — Hawaii at $52. For comparison, California's first year — the priciest in the country at $870 — is about 25× Montana's $35.
Delaware's fees changed in August 2026. Older guides quote $90 to file and a $300 annual tax; the Division of Corporations' current schedule is $110 filing and a $400 annual tax — the figures used here.
Publication states: New York and Nebraska require a new LLC to publish a notice in newspapers, and Arizona requires it outside Maricopa and Pima counties. Newspapers set the price, so there is no official fixed fee — those states cost more than their totals here.
California's $800 is an annual LLC tax, not a filing fee — it is due every year the LLC exists, on top of the $70 filing fee.
Washington's $240 assumes the Initial Report is filed after formation for $10; filed together with the Certificate of Formation it is free, making the true minimum $230.
| # | State | Filing fee | Annual report | First-year minimum |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montana | $35 | $0 / annual | $35 |
| 2 | Arkansas | $45 | $150 / annual | $45 |
| 3 | Arizona | $50 | None | $50 |
| 4 | Colorado | $50 | $25 / annual | $50 |
| 5 | Iowa | $50 | $30 / biennial | $50 |
| 6 | Michigan | $50 | $25 / annual | $50 |
| 7 | Mississippi | $50 | $0 / annual | $50 |
| 8 | Missouri | $50 | None | $50 |
| 9 | New Mexico | $50 | None | $50 |
| 10 | Hawaii | $51 | $12.50 / annual | $52 |
| 11 | Utah | $59 | $18 / annual | $59 |
| 12 | Kansas | $85 | $90 / biennial | $85 |
| 13 | Indiana | $95 | $32 / biennial | $95 |
| 14 | Ohio | $99 | None | $99 |
| 15 | Idaho | $100 | $0 / annual | $100 |
| 16 | Maryland | $100 | $300 / annual | $100 |
| 17 | New Hampshire | $100 | $100 / annual | $100 |
| 18 | New Jersey | $100 | $75 / annual | $100 |
| 19 | Oklahoma | $100 | $25 / annual | $100 |
| 20 | Oregon | $100 | $100 / annual | $100 |
| 21 | Virginia | $100 | $50 / annual | $100 |
| 22 | Wyoming | $100 | $60 / annual | $100 |
| 23 | Delaware | $110 | None | $110 |
| 24 | Georgia | $110 | $60 / annual | $110 |
| 25 | Connecticut | $120 | $80 / annual | $120 |
| 26 | Florida | $125 | $138.75 / annual | $125 |
| 27 | Louisiana | $125 | $35 / annual | $125 |
| 28 | Nebraska | $100 | $25 / biennial | $125 |
| 29 | North Carolina | $125 | $200 / annual | $125 |
| 30 | Pennsylvania | $125 | $7 / annual | $125 |
| 31 | West Virginia | $100 | $25 / annual | $130 |
| 32 | Wisconsin | $130 | $25 / annual | $130 |
| 33 | Minnesota | $135 | $0 / annual | $135 |
| 34 | North Dakota | $135 | $50 / annual | $135 |
| 35 | South Carolina | $110 | None | $135 |
| 36 | Illinois | $150 | $75 / annual | $150 |
| 37 | South Dakota | $150 | $55 / annual | $150 |
| 38 | Maine | $175 | $85 / annual | $175 |
| 39 | District of Columbia | $99 | $300 / biennial | $198 |
| 40 | Alabama | $200 | None | $200 |
| 41 | Kentucky | $40 | $15 / annual | $215 |
| 42 | Washington | $180 | $70 / annual | $240 |
| 43 | New York | $200 | $9 / biennial | $250 |
| 44 | Alaska | $250 | $100 / biennial | $300 |
| 45 | Texas | $300 | None | $300 |
| 46 | Tennessee | $300 | $300 / annual | $400 |
| 47 | Vermont | $155 | $45 / annual | $405 |
| 48 | Nevada | $75 | $150 / annual | $425 |
| 49 | Massachusetts | $500 | $500 / annual | $500 |
| 50 | Rhode Island | $150 | $50 / annual | $550 |
| 51 | California | $70 | $20 / biennial | $870 |
Click a column heading to sort. “Annual report” shows the recurring report fee and how often it falls due; states marked None have no state annual report (some charge an annual tax instead — see the state page).
A UK limited company is registered nationally with Companies House — one fee for the whole country: £100 online (£124 by paper), plus a £50 yearly confirmation statement.
Method & sources — every figure comes from the state's own Secretary of State (or equivalent filing office) fee schedule or statute, verified 3 November 2026; each state page lists its sources. First-year minimum = cheapest filing channel + fixed mandatory charges due in year one; annual report fees fall due after year one and variable charges (newspaper publication, income-based taxes) are excluded and flagged on the state pages.
Every state charges a different amount to form an LLC. Compare the official filing fees, annual reports and first-year totals for all 51 jurisdictions, then open your state for the documents and filing contacts.
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Forming an LLC costs a different amount in every state. This comparison ranks all 50 states and the District of Columbia by their true first-year minimum — the filing fee plus every fixed mandatory charge due in year one — using only the states' own published fee schedules and statutes.
The spread, end to end: Montana forms an LLC for a $35 filing fee and charges nothing else mandatory in year one — a $35 first year. California files for $70 but adds an $800 annual LLC tax, an $870 first year: 25 times Montana's, from a filing fee only twice as high.
Each state's figures were read from its Secretary of State (or equivalent filing office) fee schedule or statute on 3 November 2026, and every state page lists its official sources. First-year minimum = the cheapest filing channel plus fixed mandatory charges due in year one; annual report fees (due after year one) and variable charges (newspaper publication, income-based taxes) are excluded from the total and flagged on the state pages.
Montana: a $35 filing fee and no other mandatory state charge in year one. Kentucky files for $40 but adds a $175 Limited Liability Entity Tax, so its first year is $215.
California, at an $870 first-year minimum — only $70 of that is the filing fee; the rest is its $800 annual LLC tax. Massachusetts has the highest filing fee alone, at $500.
Delaware charges $110 to file and a $400 annual LLC tax, and its fees rose in August 2026. It is popular for its courts and privacy rules, not for being cheap.
The least a founder must pay the state in year one: the cheapest filing fee plus the fixed mandatory charges that fall due in that year. Annual report fees fall due after year one, and variable charges like newspaper publication have no fixed price, so they are shown separately.
No. Every state requires a registered agent, but you can act as your own agent at no charge if you have a street address in the state; commercial agent services typically charge a yearly fee and are not state charges.
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