Industry Advisors

LLC Formation by State — State Selector

Pick your state below. We'll show you filing fees, annual costs, processing times, tax requirements, and the specific compliance traps for your jurisdiction — sourced from each state's Secretary of State.

What this tool shows you

  • Filing fee — the one-time state cost to form your LLC
  • Annual cost — yearly report fees and franchise taxes you'll owe every year
  • Processing time — expected approval window for online filings
  • Tax structure — how the state taxes LLC income (or doesn't)
  • Compliance traps — the deadline or rule that quietly dissolves LLCs in your state

The 10 cheapest states to form in (Year 1, estimated)

State Filing Fee Annual Fee Year-1 Total
Arizona $50 $0 $50–$150
Kentucky $40 $15 $55–$155
Montana $35 $20 $55–$155
New Mexico $50 $0 $50–$150
Missouri $50 $0 $50–$150
Colorado $50 $10 $60–$160
Hawaii $50 $15 $65–$165
Mississippi $50 $25 $75–$175
Michigan $50 $25 $75–$175
Iowa $50 $45 $95–$195

The 5 most expensive states (Year 1, estimated)

State Filing Fee Annual Fee Year-1 Total
Massachusetts $500 $500 $1,000–$1,100
California $70 $800 franchise tax $870–$970
Tennessee $300 $300 $600–$700
Nevada $425 $350 $775–$875
Illinois $150 $75 $225–$325

Fees current as of 2026. Always verify with your state's Secretary of State before filing.

Next step

Use the state-specific deep-dive in our Insights blog for the state you're forming in: California · Texas · New York · Florida · Illinois.

Get the LLC Formation Kit → includes state-specific filing checklists for all 50 states.