Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
Year-one cost
$575
Ongoing annual cost (year 2+)
$200
Total cost over 5 years
$1,375
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How to use this
- 1Enter state llc filing fee ($).
- 2Enter registered agent (annual) ($).
- 3Enter operating agreement drafting ($).
- 4Enter publication requirement cost (0 if none) ($).
- 5Enter annual report fee ($).
- 6Enter annual franchise tax (0 if none) ($).
- 7Read your year-one cost on the right — it updates as you type.
- 8Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
LLC formation costs vary enormously by state: the one-time state filing fee ranges from $35 in Kentucky to $500 in Massachusetts, and several states layer on ongoing costs that dwarf the initial fee, like California's $800 annual franchise tax regardless of income, or Delaware's $300 annual franchise tax plus registered agent requirement for out-of-state owners. Add a registered agent service if you don't have a physical address in the formation state ($100-$300/year), an operating agreement if drafted by an attorney rather than a template ($200-$800), and any required publication costs (New York and a few other states require newspaper publication of formation notice, which can run $500-$1,500 in expensive counties). This calculator totals year-one cost and ongoing annual cost so you can compare forming in your home state versus a popular alternative like Delaware or Wyoming.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- State LLC filing fee: 125 $
- Registered agent (annual): 150 $
- Operating agreement drafting: 300 $
- Publication requirement cost (0 if none): 0 $
- Annual report fee: 50 $
- Annual franchise tax (0 if none): 0 $
Results
- Year-one cost: $575
- Ongoing annual cost (year 2+): $200
- Total cost over 5 years: $1,375
What each field means
Inputs
- State LLC filing fee ($)
- The state llc filing fee used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 125 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Registered agent (annual) ($)
- The registered agent (annual) used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 150 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Operating agreement drafting ($)
- The operating agreement drafting used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 300 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Publication requirement cost (0 if none) ($)
- The publication requirement cost (0 if none) used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 0 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Annual report fee ($)
- The annual report fee used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 50 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Annual franchise tax (0 if none) ($)
- The annual franchise tax (0 if none) used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 0 $ so you have a working example on load.
Results
- Year-one cost
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Ongoing annual cost (year 2+)
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Total cost over 5 years
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
Should I form my LLC in Delaware or Wyoming instead of my home state?
Only if you have a specific reason like outside investors who expect Delaware entities or genuine multi-state operations. If you operate and live in one state, forming elsewhere still requires registering as a 'foreign LLC' in your home state, meaning you pay two states' fees instead of one, which usually erases any advantage.
Why do some states charge an annual franchise tax regardless of profit?
States like California treat the LLC's existence itself, not its income, as the taxable event, so the $800 minimum franchise tax applies even to an LLC that lost money or did no business that year. Factor this into whether an LLC structure makes sense for a low-revenue side project in those states.
Do I need a registered agent if I have a business address?
You need a registered agent with a physical street address in the state of formation who's available during business hours to receive legal documents; if you personally have such an address and don't mind your name being public record, you can serve as your own agent for $0 instead of paying a service.
Is an attorney-drafted operating agreement necessary?
For a single-member LLC with simple operations, a solid template is often sufficient. For multi-member LLCs with different capital contributions, profit splits, or buyout provisions, attorney drafting is worth the cost since a poorly drafted agreement causes expensive disputes later.
Accuracy and limitations
- Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.
- Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.
- This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant.
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Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). LLC Formation Cost by State Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/llc-formation-cost-by-state
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/llc-formation-cost-by-state" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LLC Formation Cost by State Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [LLC Formation Cost by State Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/llc-formation-cost-by-state) (2026).