How Much Does an LLC Cost in All 50 States? (2026 Pricing) | Bastion Formations

If you're forming an LLC without knowing the real cost in your state, you're about to overpay by hundreds or even thousands. And here's the exact breakdown. Here's the problem. Most fee calculators leave out three hidden costs that hit later.

Wyoming charges just $12 to file your LLC, the lowest state filing fee in 2026. Delaware's $90 filing fee looks cheap until you pay the $300 annual franchise tax every year. Forming an LLC in 2026 means navigating 50 different state fee structures and most people only compare the filing fee. A founder picks Delaware because they heard it's businessfriendly.

They pay $90 to file. 6 months later, Delaware sends a $300 franchise tax bill plus a $50 registered agent renewal. They just spent $440 when Wyoming would have cost $21 total. Here's what actually matters.

Every state charges three core fees. Filing fee to create the LLC. Annual report or franchise tax to keep it active. Registered agent fee if you live out of state.

Add those three together and you get the real firstear cost. Most people fail here because they compare states using only the filing fee. Massachusetts charges $520 to file. Sounds expensive, but their annual report is just $125.

Nevada charges $425 upfront plus $350 per year. Over 3 years, Nevada costs $1,475 and Massachusetts costs $895. The cheapest filing fee rarely means the cheapest LLC long-term. Do not pick your state based on that one number alone.

Look at the total first year cost instead. In 2026, Wyoming costs $12 filing plus $99 registered agent, which equals $21 total. Delaware costs $90 filing plus $300 franchise tax plus $99 registered agent, which equals $489. California costs $75 filing plus $800 minimum franchise tax plus $99 registered agent, which equals $974.

That's a $773 spread between the cheapest and most expensive state in year 1. Factor in the annual recurring cost because you'll pay it every year your LLC exists. This is important. Wyoming charges $62 annual report.

Delaware charges $300 franchise tax. Illinois charges $75 annual report. New York charges $9 bianial statement which is $4. 50 per year.

Over five years, that $300 Delaware tax costs you $1,500 more than Wyoming's $310 in annual reports. Multiply small differences by time and the gap explodes. Here's the problem with DIY cost research. Pathy is googling each state secretary of state website and manually adding fees.

You spend 6 hours, miss the registered agent renewal, and still don't know which state fits your tax situation. Path B is using bastion formations which shows you the total all-in cost for formation EIN and registered agent in one transparent quote. Here's the exact wording to use when comparing state costs in 2026. Open a spreadsheet.

Column one is state name. Column two is filing fee. Column three is firstear annual report or franchise tax. Column four is registered agent cost if you need one.

Column five is the sum of columns 2 through 4. Sort by column 5 ascending. The top five cheapest states in 2026 are Wyoming at $21, Mississippi at $23, New Mexico at $223, Kentucky at $229, and Missouri at $230. Bastion Formations offers formation in all 50 states with transparent pricing so you can pick the right state without hidden fees hitting you later.

Filing fee plus firstear franchise tax plus registered agent equals total firstear LLC cost. Compare total firstear cost, not just filing fee. Wyoming costs $21, Delaware $489, California $974 in year 1. Multiply annual fees by 5 years to see the real gap.

If this helped, smash like, hit subscribe, and visit bastions at bastions. com. For transparent pricing in all 50 states, visit https/bastions. com.