The LLC Total Cost Calculator (All 51 States)
Every other cost page gives you one number: the filing fee. That's not what an LLC actually costs you. This LLC total cost calculator adds the filing fee, the annual report, and registered agent service together, for all 51 states, so you see the real number — not just the headline your state advertises.
The LLC total cost calculator combines three real costs into one accurate number: the one-time state filing fee, the recurring annual or biennial report fee, and registered agent service, across all 50 states plus Washington D.C. Filing fees alone range from $40 in Kentucky to $500 in Massachusetts. Annual fees range from $0 in ten states (including Arizona, Missouri, and New Mexico) to $500 in Massachusetts. Select your state below to see your exact Year 1, Year 3, and Year 5 total cost, plus where your state ranks against all 51 for total cost of ownership — not just the one-time fee most calculators show you.
- Cheapest filing fee
- Kentucky, $40
- Most expensive filing fee
- Massachusetts, $500
- States with $0 annual report
- 10 states — AL*, AZ, ID, MN, MS, MO, NM, OH, SC, TX*
- National average annual fee
- ~$91/year
- Typical registered agent cost
- $100–$300/year if not self-serving
- Data source
- Official Secretary of State sites, verified 2026
LLC Total Cost Calculator: Pick Your State
This LLC total cost calculator covers all 51 states. Pick your state and how you plan to handle registered agent service. The numbers update instantly — no email required, nothing to submit.
Educational estimate based on published 2026 state fees, verified against official Secretary of State sources. State fees change — confirm current numbers before filing. This link is a referral link; we may earn a commission at no cost to you. Full disclosure.
How This Calculator Works
Most "LLC cost" content online shows you one number: the state filing fee. That number is real, but it's not what an LLC actually costs to run. This LLC total cost calculator adds three things together for an honest total: the one-time filing fee your state charges to approve your Articles of Organization, the recurring annual or biennial report fee most states require to stay in good standing, and registered agent service, which every LLC needs whether you pay for it or handle it yourself.
All fee data is drawn from official Secretary of State sources for all 50 states and Washington D.C., cross-checked against multiple independently verified 2026 compilations. Ten states (Alabama, Arizona, Idaho, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, Ohio, South Carolina, and Texas) charge no separate annual report fee at all — though a few of these have other recurring obligations noted below.
Cheapest and Most Expensive States
| Category | State | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest filing fee | Kentucky | $40 |
| Most expensive filing fee | Massachusetts | $500 |
| Cheapest ongoing (no annual fee) | Arizona, Missouri, New Mexico, Ohio + 6 more | $0/year |
| Most expensive ongoing | Massachusetts | $500/year |
| Best true "set and forget" state | New Mexico | $50 once, $0 ever again |
New Mexico deserves a specific callout: a $50 one-time filing fee and genuinely zero recurring state fees afterward — no annual report, no franchise tax, nothing. For an LLC owner who wants to file once and never think about state compliance fees again, it's arguably the single most maintenance-free state in the country, provided you're not required to register as a foreign LLC back in your actual home state (see our best state to form an LLC guide for when out-of-state formation genuinely makes sense versus when it just adds a second state's paperwork).
Hidden Costs Most Calculators Skip
A handful of states have real costs beyond the standard filing-fee-plus-annual-report structure, and this calculator flags them by state, but they're worth knowing up front:
- California — a $800/year minimum franchise tax, separate from the modest $20 Statement of Information fee, applies regardless of whether the LLC turns a profit.
- New York — a one-time publication requirement can add $200 to $1,500+ depending on county, due within 120 days of formation.
- Alabama — a separate Business Privilege Tax (minimum roughly $50–$100/year) applies in addition to the standard filing fee.
- Texas — technically has a franchise tax, but it's revenue-based and most small LLCs owe $0 under the no-tax-due threshold (currently around $2.47 million in revenue).
- Delaware — the $300 shown as its "annual report" is actually Delaware's flat annual LLC franchise tax; there's no separate report requirement layered on top.
Full 51-State Fee Table
The complete dataset powering the calculator above — use the tool for your personalized total, or scan the raw numbers here.
| State | Filing Fee | Annual/Recurring Fee |
|---|
Why Registered Agent Cost Changes Everything
Look at the calculator above and toggle between "self-serve" and "paid service" for the same state — the 5-year gap is often larger than the filing fee itself. A $125/year registered agent costs $625 over five years; in a low-fee state like New Mexico or Missouri, that single line item can be the majority of your entire 5-year total. See our registered agent guide for the full trade-off between self-serving (free, but your address becomes public and you must be available during business hours) and paying for privacy and reliability.
Ahmad Adil's Take: I built this LLC total cost calculator because I was genuinely tired of seeing "form an LLC for $40!" headlines that quietly ignore the annual report, the registered agent, and every recurring cost that actually determines what you'll spend over time. The filing fee is the smallest number in this whole equation for most states — it's the 5-year total that tells you the real story, and that number changes dramatically based on one choice: whether you self-serve as your own registered agent or pay for the privacy. Run your actual numbers above before you assume the "cheapest state" headline applies to you.
Sources
Fee data reflects official Secretary of State (or equivalent state agency) publications for all 50 states and Washington D.C., cross-verified against multiple independently compiled 2026 datasets. For primary source material on your specific state, see our LLC filing fees by state guide and the IRS's LLC classification overview.
- ✓Forms your LLC for $39 + state fee
- ✓Files online with your state’s filing agency
- ✓Free registered agent the first year
- ✓No upsells · No data selling · Privacy by Default
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LLC Total Cost Calculator — FAQ
Ahmad Adil is the founder and CEO of LLC School. Fee data reflects official Secretary of State sources for all 50 states and Washington D.C., cross-verified against multiple independently compiled 2026 datasets, as of July 2026. This is educational content, not legal or financial advice; confirm current fees with your state directly. Some links on this page are affiliate/referral links; we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
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