LLC formation cost breakdown: how to read your state (2026)

The cost stack

An LLC’s formation bill has layers: the state’s filing fee (and any publication or extra county step), a registered agent for year one and year two, optional vendor convenience, optional operating agreement / EIN upsells, and later franchise or annual-report taxes. Software cannot change the state fee. Software can hide the agent renewal inside a “$0” headline.

Best LLC formation services and best registered agent services are the short lists. How to choose a registered agent is the process. This page is how to add the numbers without a fake 50-state table. Fees change. Official secretary-of-state pages win. We are not your lawyer or accountant.

How to read the state

• Search “[state] secretary of state LLC filing fee” and open the .gov page. Ignore blog tables dated 2023.
• Note the Articles/Certificate fee, expedite options, and whether publication (some states) is extra.
• Note the annual report or franchise tax — California’s annual LLC tax is the famous example of a second bill that is not the filing fee. Confirm the Franchise Tax Board, not a vendor ad.
• Note foreign qualification fees if you already exist in another state. That is a second filing, not a coupon.
• Delaware and Wyoming are choices with their own annual calendars. “Form there because a thread said so” is not a cost model.

Vendor napkins as of September 21, 2026

• Northwest: $39 + state filing fees on published formation-plus-agent packages. See Is Northwest worth it.
• LegalZoom: LLC from $0 + state fees; agent commonly $249/year; Pro/Premium $249/$299 + fees on comparison pages. See Is LegalZoom worth it.
• Bizee (Incfile): $0 / $199 / $299-class packages; standalone agent often ~$149/year. See Is Incfile worth it.
• ZenBusiness: subscription-shaped competitor — read year-two agent and compliance SKUs.
• Stripe Atlas: $500 one-time including Delaware government fees and year-one agent, then $100/year. Startup kit, not a Main Street LLC. See Stripe Atlas vs LegalZoom.
• EIN: free at IRS.gov. A $79 vendor EIN is convenience.

Year-one total ≈ state filing + vendor (if any) + agent (if not DIY). Year-two total ≈ agent renewal + annual report/franchise. Model both years before you celebrate $0.

How to verify two states (a method, not a quote)

Pick your home state and, if someone is pushing Delaware, Delaware. Open each state’s LLC fee page. Write the filing fee, the annual report or franchise line, and whether publication exists. Add Northwest $39 or LegalZoom’s agent $249. Compare that sum to Atlas only if you are actually forming a Delaware startup kit. If a vendor’s checkout is lower than the .gov fee, you misread a teaser — the state still gets paid.

Mistakes we see

• Treating the vendor sticker as the state fee.
• Forgetting year-two agent and annual report.
• Paying for an EIN you can file free.
• Forming in Delaware for a local shop, then foreign-qualifying at home anyway — two fees.
• Buying a virtual mailbox and thinking it is the agent. See virtual mailbox vs registered agent.
• Skipping a business account after you file. See mistakes when picking business banking.