The same LLC, in every state we have verified
Ranked by what it costs over 5 years, not by the filing fee — because the filing fee is the number every comparison quotes and the one that matters least. 19 of 51 US jurisdictions are verified; the other 32 are not shown, because a fee we have not read on the Secretary of State’s own page gets no row.
The ranking flips. Kentucky is the cheapest of these states to form an LLC in at $40 — but by year 5 the cheapest is Arizona. Sorting on the fee everyone compares produces a different answer from sorting on what you actually pay.
| State | Filing fee | Every year after | Year 1 | Year 5 total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California11.57× trap | $70 | $810+formula | $880 | $4,120 |
| Pennsylvania5.66× trap | $125 | $707+formula | $832 | $3,660 |
| Tennessee | $300 | $400+formula | $700 | $2,300 |
| Delaware3.64× trap | $110 | $400 | $510 | $2,110 |
| Nevada4.67× trap | $75 | $350 | $425 | $1,825 |
| North Carolina | $125 | $200 | $325 | $1,125 |
| Kentucky4.75× trap | $40 | $190+formula | $230 | $990 |
| Florida | $125 | $139 | $264 | $819 |
| Illinois | $150 | $75 | $225 | $525 |
| Georgia | $110 | $60 | $170 | $410 |
| Wyoming | $100 | $60 | $160 | $400 |
| Texas | $300 | $0+formula | $300 | $300 |
| New York | $200 | $5 | $205 | $223 |
| Colorado | $50 | $25 | $75 | $175 |
| Michigan | $50 | $25 | $75 | $175 |
| Utah | $59 | $18 | $77 | $149 |
| Hawaii | $51 | $15+formula | $66 | $126 |
| Ohio | $99 | $0 | $99 | $99 |
| Arizona | $50 | $0 | $50 | $50 |
What the table shows
5 of these 19 states charge more every year than they charge to form. California (11.57×), Delaware (3.64×), Kentucky (4.75×), Nevada (4.67×), Pennsylvania (5.66×). On those, the fee in every comparison table is the smallest number you will pay.
Figures assume you act as your own registered agent, which is lawful in most states and costs nothing — so this compares STATES rather than service purchases. A commercial agent typically adds $100–$200 a year wherever you file.
Where a state charges a franchise or gross-receipts fee by formula rather than a flat amount, the column shows its published floor and marks it +formula. We do not turn a formula into a single number, because the number would be wrong for everyone whose revenue differs from an assumption we invented.
None of this addresses forming in one state while operating in another — the structure most often sold as a saving. That comparison is on the LLC cost pages, and it does not come out the way the pitch suggests: you carry the home state either way, so the second state is added to the bill rather than substituted for it.
These are US figures throughout. Canada has no LLC at all — a Canadian business incorporates federally or provincially, and those fees are on their own page.
Where these came from
Verified 2026-08-04 against Arizona Corporation Commission, Corporations Division — Schedule of Fees, Limited Liability Companies, A.R.S. Title 29 (Rev. 3.2026) (effective 2026-03-01)
Verified 2026-08-04 against California Secretary of State, Business Programs Division — Business Entities Fee Schedule (BE FEES, Rev. 06/2018) (effective 2026-01-01)
Verified 2026-08-05 against Colorado Secretary of State — Business Organizations Fee Schedule (Limited liability company) (effective 2026-01-01)
Verified 2026-08-04 against Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations Fee Schedule (Revised August 1, 2026) (effective 2026-08-01)
Verified 2026-08-04 against Fla. Stat. §605.0213 (2025), Fees of the department — Florida Revised Limited Liability Company Act (effective 2026-01-01)
Verified 2026-08-05 against Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division — Filing Fees, Effective September 6, 2025 (Rev. 8/2025) (effective 2025-09-06)
Verified 2026-08-05 against Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Business Registration Division — Fees / Uniform Limited Liability Company Act, Chapter 428 (effective 2026-01-01)
Verified 2026-08-05 against Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Business Services — Limited Liability Company publications, forms and fees (effective 2026-01-01)
Verified 2026-08-05 against Kentucky Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings — Fees (Domestic Limited Liability Company (Profit, Non-Profit or Professional Service)) (effective 2026-01-01)
Verified 2026-08-05 against Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Corporations, Securities & Commercial Licensing Bureau — Limited Liability Company Forms (CSCL/CD 700, Articles of Organization, Rev. 07/25) (effective 2026-01-01)
Verified 2026-08-05 against North Carolina Secretary of State, Business Registration Division — Fees (Domestic & Foreign Limited Liability Companies) (effective 2026-01-01)
Verified 2026-08-05 against Nevada Secretary of State — Formation: Limited-Liability Company (Articles of Organization packet, including the Limited-Liability Company Fee Schedule, Rev. 8/1/2023) (effective 2026-01-01)
Verified 2026-08-05 against New York State Department of State, Division of Corporations — Articles of Organization for Domestic Limited Liability Company (effective 2026-01-01)
Verified 2026-08-05 against Ohio Secretary of State — Business Filing Forms & Fee Schedule (Domestic Limited Liability Company) (effective 2026-01-01)
Verified 2026-08-05 against Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations — Fees and Payments (Fee Schedule) (effective 2026-01-01)
Verified 2026-08-05 against Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations — Business Forms & Fees (Articles of Organization Limited Liability Company, SS-4270) (effective 2026-01-01)
Verified 2026-08-04 against Texas Secretary of State, Form 205 — Certificate of Formation, Limited Liability Company (Revised 12/21) (effective 2026-01-01)
Verified 2026-08-04 against Utah Department of Commerce, Division of Corporations and Commercial Code — Fiscal Year 2026 Fee Schedule, Effective July 1, 2025 (effective 2025-07-01)
Verified 2026-08-04 against Wyoming Secretary of State, Business Division Filing Fee Schedule Effective July 1st, 2026 (Revised June 2026) (effective 2026-07-01)
Published as open JSON at /data with the source URL and verification date on every figure. Reuse with attribution.