LLC cost calculator

How the sum is worked out

The calculator adds three kinds of state fee. The formation fee is paid once. The name reservation fee is added only if you tick the box. The report fee is multiplied by the number of reports that fall inside the years you chose.

Take Iowa. Its certificate of organization costs $50, and its biennial report costs $30 every two years. Over 5 years that is $50 plus 2 reports at $30, or $110. Tick the reservation box and the $10 name reservation brings it to $120.

Where a state publishes a flat yearly tax on LLCs, it appears as its own line and is counted once for each year. Where the yearly amount depends on income or assets, the calculator shows the state's wording and leaves it out of the sum.

Using the calculator

1. Choose the state where the LLC will be formed. The formation fee appears at once.
2. Set the number of years you want to budget for, from 1 to 10.
3. Tick the reservation box if you plan to hold the name before filing.
4. Open "More options" to change how many reports fall in those years, then copy the sum.

Of the 51 states covered, 31 bill an LLC report every year and 7 bill one every two years. 3 require no annual report from an LLC. For 10, the state documents used give no flat report fee, so the calculator shows the formation fee alone and says so.

What changes the bill

Paper filing and faster handling cost more in several states, and the amounts shown are the standard ones. A company formed in one state and doing business in another pays the second state to register as a foreign LLC, which is a separate fee not counted here.

State fees are also only part of a first-year budget. A registered agent service, a business license from a city or county, and a required newspaper notice in the states that have one are all billed by someone other than the filing office.

The other first-year line: a domain name

A domain is not a state fee, so it is not in the sum. Registrars set their own prices, and a name the registry shows as not registered can still be priced as a premium name. Run the name you want through the state name search to see whether its .com, .net, .org and .us are registered, then check the price at Spaceship or any registrar you prefer.