How Much Does It Cost to Start an LLC in 2026? State Fees Compared
Arizona files an LLC for $50 and Texas for $300. Six state fee schedules, read on 10 October 2026, plus the annual charges that change the total.
Short answer: Arizona is the cheapest of the six states we checked on their own fee schedules on 10 October 2026, at $50 to file Articles of Organization. Texas costs the most at $300. Delaware's yearly tax and Wyoming's $60 minimum annual charge decide the long-run cost, and a commercial registered agent adds $199 a year.
Our analysis: This table covers six of the 50 states. It ranks them by the one-time filing fee, then lists the recurring state charges we could confirm on the same source. The other 44 states are not in this table, so read it as a comparison of these six, not a national ranking.
The one-time filing fee, cheapest first
| Rank | State | Filing fee | Other one-time state fee | Recurring state charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona | $50 regular, $85 expedited | None listed | None listed on its LLC fee schedule |
| 2 | California | $70 (Form LLC-1) | None listed | $20 Statement of Information (LLC-12), due within 90 days of registration and every two years; franchise tax not included |
| 3 | Wyoming | $100 | None listed | $60 annual report license tax minimum |
| 4 | Delaware | $110 | None listed | $400 annual tax, due on or before June 1 |
| 5 | New York | $200 | $50 publication fee | $9 biennial statement |
| 6 | Texas | $300 (certificate of formation, Form 205) | None listed | Franchise tax, not included (see below) |
Arizona has the lowest one-time bill in the set. Its expedited rate is $85, which is $35 more, so speed costs extra there. Arizona's schedule for LLCs lists no annual report charge, which means the filing fee is the whole state bill on that schedule.
California's $70 looks like the second-cheapest entry until you read the rest of its page. The Form LLC-1 costs $70, and the Statement of Information costs $20 and falls due within 90 days of registration and then every two years. California also charges an annual franchise tax. That amount is not in this table, so California's full cost is higher than the table shows.
Wyoming charges $100 to file. Its annual report license tax is whichever is greater: a fixed minimum, or two-tenths of one mill on the dollar of assets located and employed in Wyoming. Two-tenths of a mill is $0.0002 per dollar, so the minimum applies to any LLC with under $300,000 of assets in the state. Above that line, the asset charge takes over.
Delaware's $110 is the formation fee for a domestic LLC. The state's schedule says that fee already includes the municipal fee, but extra municipal fees apply per LLC when registered agents sit in different municipalities. The bigger number is the yearly tax, due on or before June 1 for the prior year. Delaware does not require an annual report for LLCs, so that yearly tax is the recurring charge the state lists.
New York's $200 Articles of Organization is the second-highest one-time fee in the table. The state also lists a publication fee for domestic LLCs, which brings the state's one-time total to $250. The newspaper bill is not on the state's schedule, so we left it out. Its $9 biennial statement is the only recurring state fee on that schedule.
Texas's $300 is the highest filing fee in the table. It covers the certificate of formation for a Texas entity, and Form 205 is the LLC form. Texas also has a franchise tax, which the Comptroller administers and which is not on the Secretary of State's fee schedule. Its amount is not in the table.
What three years of state charges cost
A filing fee is a single bill, but the recurring charges decide the total. We can confirm the full recurring picture for three states: Arizona, Wyoming and Delaware. We compare those three over three years. The totals below assume three annual payments and, for Wyoming, assets under $300,000.
| State | Filing fee | Recurring charges over three years | Three-year state total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | Filing fee only | None listed | $50 |
| Wyoming | $100 | 3 × $60 = $180 | $280 |
| Delaware | $110 | 3 × $400 = $1,200 | $1,310 |
Arizona stays cheapest, and the gap widens every year. Delaware's three-year total is more than four times Wyoming's and 26 times Arizona's. For a one-owner LLC that plans to run for several years, the annual charges move the total far more than the gap between the two filing fees.
California, New York and Texas are left out of this sum on purpose. California's and Texas's franchise taxes are not priced in this table, and New York's $9 biennial statement depends on filing dates that this comparison does not cover. Anyone comparing these states over several years should add those charges from each state's own page.
Add a registered agent and an EIN
A registered agent is the person or company that receives legal papers for the LLC at a street address in its state. You can name yourself or another person at that address, or you can buy the service from a company. ZenBusiness lists its Registered Agent Service at $199 a year on its pricing page, read on 10 October 2026. Its LLC starter package starts at $0 plus state fees.
Add the agent to the arithmetic. A one-owner Arizona LLC that buys that service pays $249 in year one: the filing fee plus $199. Over three years, the same LLC pays $647 in total, which is the filing fee plus three years of the agent service. For Arizona, the agent is the only recurring cost in this comparison. It is a company price, not a state fee, so it moves when the provider changes its prices.
An LLC may also need an employer identification number (EIN). The IRS issues it free through its own online tool. The IRS page says that tool gives you an EIN directly from the IRS in minutes, and it warns against websites that charge for the same number. A formation service that charges for the EIN adds cost without adding a government fee.
Where the total goes up
Four costs sit outside the totals above, and each one can change the answer. The first is the expedited rate in Arizona, which is $85 for faster processing. The second is the newspaper bill for New York's publication step, which the state schedule does not price. The third is the municipal fees in Delaware when registered agents sit in different municipalities. The fourth is the franchise taxes in California and Texas, which this table does not price.
If you plan to register the LLC in a state other than the one where you formed it, that foreign registration carries its own fee. This table does not include it, so check the second state's schedule before you start doing business there. Also budget for the bank account, accounting software and any state or city license that applies to your work, because none of those are in the state filing figures above.
How to use these numbers
For a single formation, Arizona's filing fee is the lowest number in this set. For a company you expect to keep for years, Wyoming's minimum and Delaware's yearly tax are the figures to plan around, since they repeat every year. A company that expects to hold assets above $300,000 in Wyoming should expect the asset-based charge to replace the $60 minimum.
Cost is one input. Where the owners live, where the business operates and whether investors expect a particular state of formation can each matter more than the gap between the cheapest and most expensive filing fee here. The numbers here cover the state bill only, not the lawyer, accountant or bookkeeping work that a formation may require.
Once the LLC is formed, two next steps are usually a business bank account and bookkeeping software. We compare those in our business bank accounts guide, our free business checking guide and our free accounting software guide. For a cost-first view of the bookkeeping side, see the cheapest accounting software for a small business.
FAQ
How much does it cost to start an LLC in 2026?
In the six states we checked on 10 October 2026, the state filing fee runs from $50 in Arizona to $300 in Texas. California is $70, Wyoming $100, Delaware $110 and New York $200, plus a publication fee. A registered agent adds $199 a year if you buy the service from ZenBusiness, and Delaware's yearly tax is the largest recurring charge in the table.
What is the cheapest state to form an LLC?
Arizona is the cheapest of the six states in this table, for regular processing. Its LLC fee schedule lists no annual report charge. The other 44 states are not in this table, so this is not a ranking of all 50.
Is there a free way to form an LLC?
Not through the state. Every state in this table charges a filing fee. The federal EIN is free: the IRS issues it through its own online tool, and the IRS page warns against sites that charge for it.
Does an LLC have to pay an annual fee?
It depends on the state. Wyoming's annual report license tax never falls below its minimum. Delaware charges a yearly tax, due on or before June 1 for the prior year. California charges a $20 Statement of Information every two years, plus an annual franchise tax that this table does not price. Arizona's LLC schedule lists no annual report charge.
How much is Delaware's LLC tax?
Delaware charges an annual LLC tax of $400, due on or before June 1 for the prior year. It is the only recurring state charge the table lists for Delaware, so it repeats every year the LLC exists.
What does a registered agent cost?
No fee schedule in this comparison lists a registered agent charge. ZenBusiness lists its Registered Agent Service at $199 a year on its pricing page, read on 10 October 2026. A business owner can serve as the agent at a street address in the state, so the service is optional.
How we checked the fees
We read each state's own fee schedule or filing page on 10 October 2026. The IRS page covers the EIN, and ZenBusiness's pricing page covers the registered agent price. All figures are in US dollars. The table covers six states only. Fees change, so check each state's site before you file, and confirm ZenBusiness pricing before you buy.
Louis Corneloup, founder of Toolradar and Dupple, is the named author. This page is general information, not personalized financial advice. Confirm current filing fees and tax terms with each state, and read the terms of any registered agent before you sign up.
Cite this: Finpresso, "How Much Does It Cost to Start an LLC in 2026?", October 2026.
Sources
- Arizona Corporation Commission, Schedule of Fees, Limited Liability Companies (Rev. 3.2026)
- California Secretary of State, Limited Liability Companies forms and fees
- Wyoming Secretary of State, Business Division Filing Fee Schedule
- Delaware Division of Corporations, Corporate Fee Schedule (August 2026)
- Delaware Division of Corporations, LLC and partnership tax
- New York Department of State, fee schedules
- Texas Secretary of State, Form 806 Business Filings Fee Schedule
- IRS, Apply for an Employer Identification Number (EIN) online
- ZenBusiness pricing
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