Statutia › Cost to start an LLC

What it really costs to start an LLC

By the Statutia Ledger Desk · Published by Carefree Charters LLC

Updated Oct 11, 2026 · State fees checked Oct 7, 2026 · Provider prices checked Oct 11, 2026 · 6 providers compared, not hands-on tested

The only cost every LLC must pay is the state’s filing fee. Everything else — a formation service, a registered agent, an EIN, an operating agreement — is either optional or something you can do yourself. Here is what each choice actually costs, including the renewals most comparisons leave out.

How we make money: Statutia has no affiliate relationships yet. Every provider link on this page is a plain link that earns us nothing. If that changes, commercial links will be labeled next to the link. Commissions will never change our rankings. Details.

Best fit by what you need

We pick the cheapest package that meets each need, then name a credible alternative only when it’s cheaper up front, cheaper over time, or within $100. Service cost only: your state’s fees are the same whoever files.

“Annual reports filed for me” assumes one report a year from year two (states with biennial reports need fewer), so five-year figures are estimates (≈). Bizee doesn’t publish its annual-report price, so it isn’t ranked for that need.

Formation services compared

Cheapest package from each provider, with what it leaves out. Year one = package + agent in year one if not included. Five years adds four agent renewals.

Status: prices and inclusions VERIFIED on each provider’s own site (Oct 11, 2026). Northwest’s site also shows a $39 offer and a $100 figure on other pages; we use the itemized $49 Basic package. Harbor Compliance doesn’t itemize its packages, so its agent cost is estimated (≈) and it never ranks above verified prices.

Why “$0” isn’t free

ZenBusiness Starter and LegalZoom Basic file your LLC for $0, but neither includes a registered agent, which almost every LLC needs from day one. Adding theirs costs $199 and $249 a year, so over five years those $0 packages come to $995 and $1,245. Bizee’s $0 Basic does include the first year of agent service, then renews at $149 a year.

Doing it yourself

1. File your articles with the state for the fee in the table below. Most states take this online.
2. Decide who will be your registered agent. You can usually be your own if you have an in-state street address and are there during business hours, but that address goes on the public record. New York doesn’t require one at all. A service costs $125–$249 a year; compare agents and switching costs.
3. Get an EIN free from the IRS ↗ (opens in a new tab). Bizee and ZenBusiness charge $70 and $99 for it as an add-on.
4. Write an operating agreement. Most states don’t require you to file it, but banks often ask for one.
5. Note your first deadline. See annual fees and deadlines by state.

LLC filing fees by state

From each state’s own fee schedule or statute. “Added in year one” lists costs due soon after you file. “Yearly” is the recurring state cost to keep the LLC.

Two things you can skip

BOI reports: FinCEN says U.S.-formed companies are exempt from beneficial-ownership reporting; only foreign companies registered to do business in a state still file (FinCEN ↗ (opens in a new tab), checked Oct 10, 2026). Ignore offers to file one for a new U.S. LLC.

Official-looking letters: private companies mail look-alike notices for certificates and reports. Check a sender with our Letter Check.

How we worked this out

Open data: the state figures behind this page are free to reuse with credit — download CSV or JSON (CC BY 4.0, “Source: Statutia”).

Every state figure links to its official source and was checked on the date shown; any figure not re-checked within 120 days is removed automatically — at once in the calculator, and at the next weekly rebuild on this page. Provider prices come from each provider’s own pages. We didn’t buy these packages (no hands-on testing), and we don’t score service quality. Rankings use cost and the need you pick; commissions are not an input. Full details in our methodology.

How we make money: Statutia has no affiliate relationships yet. Every provider link on this page is a plain link that earns us nothing. If that changes, commercial links will be labeled next to the link. Commissions will never change our rankings. Details.