Wisconsin LLC Cost

Documents you need

• Articles of Organization (Form 502) with statutory contents — Per Wis. Stat. §183.0201(2) the Articles must contain: a statement that the LLC is organized under chapter 183; the company name (must include 'limited liability company', 'limited company', 'LLC' or 'LC'); the street and mailing addresses of the principal office; the name and street, mailing and email addresses of the initial registered agent; and the name and address of each organizer. The document must be signed by at least one organizer (Form 502).
• Registered agent and registered office in Wisconsin — required — Wisconsin does not use a Secretary of State for entity filings; a registered agent is mandatory. Form 502 instructions (Articles 3-5): the entity must have a registered agent located at a registered office in Wisconsin; the registered office address must be identical to the registered agent's business office and must be an actual physical location with a street address, not solely a P.O. Box, mailbox service or telephone answering service; the entity may not name itself as its own registered agent. The agent's email address is also required.
• Operating agreement — written agreement contemplated by statute, not filed — Not filed with DFI. Wisconsin law works from a written operating agreement: an LLC is member-managed unless its written operating agreement provides that management is vested in managers (DFI Form 5-I instructions, citing Wis. Stat. §183.0407), and the Articles may include any provision required or permitted to be set forth in a written operating agreement (§183.0201(3)(c)).

How forming works in Wisconsin

1. Line up the agent: Registered agent and registered office in Wisconsin — required — Wisconsin does not use a Secretary of State for entity filings; a registered agent is mandatory. Form 502 instructions (Articles 3-5): the entity must have a registered agent located at a registered office in Wisconsin; the registered office address must be identical to the registered agent's business office and must be an actual physical location with a street address, not solely a P.O. Box, mailbox service or telephone answering service; the entity may not name itself as its own registered agent. The agent's email address is also required.
2. File the Articles of Organization with the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions — the filing fee is $130 at the cheapest channel (file online at the official portal linked below).

Annual report & ongoing costs

Wisconsin requires a annual report — fee $25.

Domestic LLC: deliver the annual report each year following the calendar year in which the entity was organized, during the calendar quarter in which the anniversary of the organization date occurs — due by March 31, June 30, September 30 or December 31 depending on the organization quarter (Wis. Stat. §183.0212(3)(a); DFI Form 5-I instructions, which include the due-date table). Foreign LLCs file during the first calendar quarter of each year (by March 31).

$25 is the domestic LLC annual report fee (Wis. Stat. §183.0122(2)(a)17.), i.e. the online fee on DFI's fee schedule. Paper filings add a $15.00 surcharge effective March 1, 2024 under DFI-CCS 10.01(6), making the domestic paper fee $40 (DFI fee schedule; Form 5-I states domestic LLCs 'will add $15.00 to the accumulated annual report fees'). Foreign LLCs pay $65 online / $80 on paper (statutory fee $65 per §183.0122(2)(a)18.; Form 5-I lists the foreign LLC fee as $80.00 with the paper surcharge reflected). Failure to file may result in administrative dissolution (§183.0708).

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: the annual report costs $25 — 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 Wisconsin with the rest of the country

Wisconsin's first-year minimum of $130 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.