LLC Fees by the Numbers: What It Really Costs to Form an LLC in Every State
We track the cost of forming and maintaining a limited liability company in all 50 states. To turn that table into a useful reference in its own right, we measured how those costs are distributed — the spread of one-time filing fees, how recurring report fees and cycles vary, and where states pile on costs that never touch the Secretary of State at all. Every number below is computed directly from our own dataset; nothing is estimated or hand-entered.
State LLC filing fees range from $35 (Montana) to $500 (Massachusetts) — a 14× spread — with a median of $100 and a mean of $129.76.
Where the numbers come from
Every figure on this page is pulled from our 50-state fee table — filing fees, recurring report fees and cycles, and the special costs some states add. We compile from multiple sources, score them for agreement, and spot-check against official Secretary of State schedules.
The filing-fee distribution
Across all 50 states, the one-time Secretary of State filing fee for a domestic LLC has a median of $100 and a mean of $129.76. The cheapest and priciest states sit far apart:
| State | Filing fee | Group |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest 3 | ||
| Montana | $35 | Lowest filing fees |
| Kentucky | $40 | Lowest filing fees |
| Arkansas | $45 | Lowest filing fees |
| Most expensive 3 | ||
| Massachusetts | $500 | Highest filing fees |
| Nevada | $425 | Highest filing fees |
| Texas | $300 | Highest filing fees |
Recurring report fees & cycles
Forming an LLC is one-time; keeping it in good standing is recurring. 10 of 50 states charge nothing for the ongoing report, while the other 40 do — from $7 to $500 (median $50 among the states that charge). The filing cycle also varies:
| Report cycle | States | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Annual | 39 | A report (and any fee) is due every year |
| Biennial | 6 | Due every two years |
| No regular report | 5 | No standing state report or fee to maintain the LLC |
| All states | 50 |
States with big costs that aren't filing fees
The headline filing fee is only part of the picture. 5 states in our dataset carry a significant cost that the Secretary of State filing fee never captures — a franchise tax, a publication requirement, or a multi-part formation bundle. We model these separately so the headline fee stays comparable:
| State | Extra cost (modeled separately) |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Alabama business privilege tax |
| California | California's separate $800 annual franchise tax |
| Nevada | Nevada's three-part formation bundle |
| New York | New York's publication requirement |
| Texas | Texas franchise tax report |
What the data shows
The filing fee is the smallest, most predictable cost. Most states cluster near the $100 median; the 14× gap between Montana ($35) and Massachusetts ($500) is driven by a handful of outliers, not a broad trend. For most people, the one-time filing fee is a rounding error next to the ongoing costs.
Recurring fees and special costs matter more over time. 40 of 50 states bill a recurring report fee, and 5 states add a separate obligation — California's $800 annual franchise tax, New York's publication requirement, or Nevada's three-part formation bundle — that can dwarf the filing fee in year one and every year after. The "cheapest state to file" is rarely the cheapest state to operate.
Most figures are official or strongly corroborated. Of the 100 fee fields we grade (a filing fee and a report fee for each of 50 states), 20 are verified against an official state source and 64 more have 3+ compiled sources in exact agreement; 16 rest on a majority of sources, and any remaining low-confidence field is held back with a visible note until an official check clears it.
Run your own numbers
Want the cost for your specific state, including the first-year total and a five-year projection? Our free calculator does the math from this same dataset — instantly, no sign-up.
Methodology
Figures are computed directly from the LLC Cost by State dataset of 50 states. Filing and report fees come from four reputable compiled sources scored for cross-source agreement and spot-verified against official Secretary of State fee schedules; each field carries a confidence grade. Report-cycle buckets normalize each state's filing frequency into annual, biennial, or no regular report. Special costs that are not Secretary of State fees — franchise taxes, publication requirements, and multi-part bundles — are modeled separately so the headline filing fee stays comparable across states. No figure on this page is invented. All fees verified as of Q2 2026. See our full methodology for sources and editorial process.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average LLC filing fee by state?
Across all 50 states the one-time Secretary of State filing fee for a domestic LLC has a median of $100 and a mean of $129.76, ranging from $35 (Montana) to $500 (Massachusetts).
How many states charge no annual LLC report fee?
10 of 50 states charge $0 for the recurring report. The other 40 states charge a report fee ranging from $7 to $500, with a median of $50 among the states that charge. Most states file annually, 6 file every two years, and 5 have no regular report at all.
Which states have extra LLC costs beyond the filing fee?
5 states in our dataset carry a major cost the filing fee doesn't capture: California's $800 annual franchise tax, New York's newspaper publication requirement, Nevada's three-part formation bundle, and Texas and Alabama franchise/privilege-tax returns. These often cost more than the filing fee itself.