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Updated September 3, 2026 · 3 min read

LLC Formation Cost Calculator

Determine the exact cost to form your LLC in any US state, including filing fees, expedited processing options, and additional services.

Jon MorganBy Jon Morgan, Co-Founder & Chief Editor · Fact-checked by Jon Tobin, Business Attorney · Editorial policy
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Our team has personally tested LLC formation services and state filing processes across multiple jurisdictions, so this calculator reflects real-world pricing based on current state requirements.

Use it to budget accurately for your business formation while understanding what costs are typical versus premium options.

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Select a state to see available processing options.

Understanding Our LLC Formation Cost Calculator

Our LLC formation cost calculator is a user-friendly tool designed to simplify the costs of forming a new LLC or registering an existing LLC in another state.

It helps you estimate initial state filing fees, mandatory state add-ons, expedited processing, publication costs, and optional registered-agent services. The calculator updates automatically as you make your selections. Here’s how it works:

  1. Enter Filing Details: Select your state and choose between forming a new LLC in that state or registering an existing LLC from another state. Foreign qualification registers the same LLC to do business in another state; it does not create a second LLC. You can also select an available processing-speed option.
  2. View the Cost Breakdown: The calculator automatically updates your total and shows each cost separately, including the state filing fee, mandatory state add-ons, expedited processing, publication, and optional ZenBusiness registered-agent service.
  3. Adjust and Explore: Change your state, filing path, processing speed, registered-agent selection, or publication estimate to compare different filing scenarios. Expedited fees are added to the base filing fee and do not replace it. Options that are unavailable or not separately published for a state are disabled or identified accordingly.
  4. Plan Your Initial Filing: Use the itemized estimate to budget for your initial domestic LLC formation or foreign LLC registration. Publication costs may vary by county, newspaper, and publisher, so some states may require a manual estimate.

Key Features: Our tool covers all 50 states with separate domestic and foreign LLC fees, state-specific expedited-processing options, mandatory state add-ons, applicable publication requirements, county-based publication benchmarks, and optional ZenBusiness registered-agent service priced at $99 for the first year (then $199/yr).

VentureSmarter does not add a fee to the estimate.

The calculator focuses on initial filing and foreign-qualification costs. Annual reports, renewals, certificates of existence, name reservations, payment-method fees, and other recurring costs are excluded unless specifically shown.

This calculator is not legal advice, and state fees, processing availability, and publication prices may change. Verify current requirements and amounts with the relevant Secretary of State and local newspaper before filing.

Related article: Best LLC Formation Services in the United States

Jon Morgan

About the author

Jon Morgan · Co-Founder & Chief Editor
Jon Morgan is the co-founder and chief editor of Venture Smarter. He writes the site's LLC formation, compliance and state guides from the filings the team makes itself, checked against each state's own rules.
Fact-checked by Jon Tobin, Business Attorney