Every guide in this section answers one question: what does it really cost to form and run an LLC — not just the filing fee, but everything — and how do you avoid paying for things you don’t need? Start with the calculator, then read what applies to you.
The filing fee is the smallest number in the whole process, which is exactly why it’s the number every formation ad leads with. A “$35 Montana LLC” also needs a registered agent every year, an annual report every year, and — if you actually operate in another state — a second registration, a second agent, and that state’s taxes and reports on top. The real question isn’t “what’s the filing fee?” It’s “what do I pay in year one, and what do I pay every year after, in the state where I actually do business?” This section exists to make those totals visible before you sign anything.
Nothing here is sponsored and nothing here is sold. Formation companies make money when you buy their package; they don’t make money when you discover you don’t need one. So read with that in mind: the guides below are built to teach you to price any offer, not to steer you toward one.
LLC Formation Cost Calculator — price the true first-year and ongoing cost of an LLC in any state, and compare your home state against the “myth” states side by side. Free, no signup.
Costs
- LLC Formation Cost by State — the 51-jurisdiction reference: filing fees, annual reports, franchise taxes, and registered-agent costs for every state. The single source of truth the other guides draw from. Last verified October 2026.
- How Much Does It Cost to Start an LLC — the true first-year bill, line by line: filing fee, registered agent, annual reports, business licenses, and the costs nobody mentions in the ads. Read this before you budget.
- Best State to Form an LLC — the Delaware/Wyoming/Nevada myth, checked with math. Why forming out of state usually means paying two states instead of one, with a California resident’s costs worked out in full — the “cheap” state costs $355 more in year one.
Structure decisions
- LLC vs. Sole Proprietorship — the honest comparison: when an LLC earns its keep, and when a sole proprietorship is the cheaper, saner choice. The cheapest formation strategy of all is not forming an entity you don’t need.
- Best Registered Agent Services — what a registered agent actually does, what they should cost ($125–$249/yr), and how to price their upsells — compliance alerts, mail forwarding, annual-report filing — before you buy any of them.
Staying compliant
- LLC Annual Report Requirements by State — annual and biennial reports by state: fees, deadlines, the $0-but-mandatory trap (four states charge nothing and still require the filing), and what happens if you miss one.
- Small Business Tax Deadlines — the 2026 calendar: estimated payments, filing deadlines, and which ones actually apply to a small LLC. The report keeps you in good standing; this one keeps you out of penalty territory.
A suggested order, if you want one: run the LLC Formation Cost by State numbers for your state first, read How Much Does It Cost to Start an LLC to set a real budget, check Best State to Form an LLC if anyone has told you to form elsewhere, then keep LLC Annual Report Requirements by State and Small Business Tax Deadlines bookmarked for the deadlines that follow you every year after.
New here? SignLater is the independent place small-business owners go before they sign. Our brand promise: know the real cost before you sign. These guides never sell formation packages — they teach you to price them.