How much does an LLC cost?

What does the state charge to file an LLC?

Every state with a verified fee in our records charges one to register a new LLC, and the median is $100. The lists below show both ends of the range.

A filing service doesn't lower this fee. Providers quote their plans without it, which is why a price is often written as $0 + state fees or $39 + state fees.^{1, 3}

Which states charge the least to form an LLC?

These states have the lowest filing fees for a new LLC in our state records. Some fees depend on whether you file online or on paper, as the list shows.

• Montana: $35
• Kentucky: $40
• Arkansas: $45 online, $50 by paper
• Arizona: $50.00
• Colorado: $50 (online only)

Which states charge the most to form an LLC?

These states have the highest filing fees for a new LLC in our records. The filing fee is paid once; a recurring fee, where the state has one, is billed separately.

• Massachusetts: $500
• Texas: $300
• Tennessee: $50 per member, $300 minimum, $3,000 maximum
• Alaska: $250
• New York: $200

The state fees table lists every state's filing fee and recurring fee with their sources. Each state's guide, such as forming an LLC in Texas, adds the form name, filing methods and expedite options.

What do LLC formation services charge?

Service plans either cost nothing up front, charge a one-time fee or bill every year.

Plans with no service fee

ZenBusiness Starter is $0, LegalZoom's entry plan is $0, Swyft Filings starts at $0 and Inc Authority's plan is $0. Bizee Basic is $0, and Tailor Brands Lite is $0.^{1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8}

Several of these add items that are free only for a while; the cheapest formation services list explains what they leave out.

Plans with a one-time fee

Bizee's paid plans cost $199 and $299, each a one-time fee. Northwest charges $39 + state fees. BizFilings' top plan is $399 and includes 1-day rush filing.^{3, 7, 9, 10}

Plans billed every year

Tailor Brands Essential is $199/yr and renews at $199/yr; ZenBusiness Pro renews at $199/yr. Rocket Lawyer's formation comes with a membership at $149/year ($12.41/month, billed yearly). doola's Starter is $297/yr, and its terms say recurring fees renew at the rates then in effect (renewal price not stated).^{1, 2, 8, 11, 12}

Our rating compares one plan per provider. Over the first and second year, before state fees, that plan costs $498 at Tailor Brands (Elite), $598 at ZenBusiness (Premium) and $249 at LegalZoom (Managed Service). The full plan list shows every tier side by side, and how we rate explains which plan is compared.

Which items are free only for a limited time?

Several plans include a service for a trial period, and most bill automatically when it ends unless you cancel.

• ZenBusiness includes its website builder for a short offer period; after that it renews at $15/mo. Starter's free year of Worry-Free Compliance then renews at $199/yr.^{1, 13}
• LegalZoom's middle plan includes a Business Advisor Plan that auto-renews at $49/mo after 30 days. The top plan's Expert Service Plan auto-renews at $99/mo after 30 days.⁴
• Tailor Brands includes bookkeeping as a trial; when it ends, you’ll be charged $39/month.¹⁴
• Swyft Filings plans include ComplianceGuard, which starts with a 14-day free trial and then bills $199/year automatically.¹⁵
• Bizee includes the first month of a virtual address, which it values at $29/mo; continuing is optional.⁹

Cancelling a trial item doesn't affect the LLC itself. Where the trial covers annual report filing, as with ZenBusiness's compliance year and Swyft's ComplianceGuard, the filing becomes the owner's job once it stops. The package contents guide lists which items each plan keeps for good.

How much does a registered agent cost?

A standalone registered agent service costs from $99 first year for new customers at Harbor Compliance to $149 per quarter ($596/year) at Swyft Filings. A registered agent is the person or company named in state records to receive legal papers for the LLC.^{16, 17}

An owner who meets the state's rules can serve as the agent for nothing extra, but that person's address then goes in the public record.

Some formation plans include an agent for the first year and then bill for it. Northwest's included agent renews at $125/yr after year 1. Inc Authority's included agent auto-renews at $249/yr after year 1. Bizee's agent is free for the first year with any Bizee formation package, then costs $149/year. ZenBusiness offers 50% off the first year ($99) when you form an LLC, then $199/yr.^{3, 18, 19, 20, 21}

Bought on its own, an agent costs $125 per year at Northwest, $129/year at InCorp and $249/year for first-time customers at LegalZoom. The services with an agent included list shows how long each inclusion lasts.^{22, 23, 24}

What does it cost to form an LLC yourself?

Filing it yourself costs only the state filing fee if you act as your own agent and skip extras such as faster state processing.

Bought separately, the extras a service bundles have their own prices. An EIN (the federal tax number a business uses to hire and to open a bank account) costs $49 at Inc Authority, $79 at LegalZoom and $99 one-time at ZenBusiness, which includes it in Pro and Premium. Northwest charges $50 (with SSN) and $200 without SSN, a difference that falls on founders without a Social Security number (services for non-U.S. founders). An operating agreement template costs $99 one-time at ZenBusiness.^{25, 26, 27, 28}

A service checks the form and files it; doing it yourself means reading the state's instructions closely. State processing times and expedite options are in the LLC timeline guide.

How much does an LLC cost in the second year?

In year two you pay the state's recurring report fee, if your state has one, plus anything from the first order that renews, such as a registered agent, a compliance plan or a yearly plan price.

The report's name, schedule and fee differ by state; the state fees table shows each state's recurring fee next to its filing fee. A service that files the report charges on top of that state fee: LegalZoom $99 + state filing fees, InCorp $89 + state fees and Northwest $100 + state fees. ZenBusiness Pro includes "Ongoing filing compliance (state-required annual reports, up to 2 amendments/yr)", and Tailor Brands' annual report filing is included in Essential and Elite, not Lite. A plan that only reminds you leaves the filing to you.^{8, 13, 29, 30, 31}

Northwest's plan lists "Annual renewal/report reminders", and its terms say registered agent customers are auto-enrolled in Compliance Services billed in annual auto-pay. Read the renewal terms on any plan before you assume the agent fee is the only second-year charge.^{3, 32}

The cost calculator adds a state's fees to each provider's plan for the first and second year, and the services with the lowest cost over the first and second year are listed in that order.