Delaware LLC Cost (2026): Filing Fee, Annual Fee, Due Date

The short answer

To form the LLC: $110 to file the Certificate of Formation.
Every year after: $400 a year (LLC tax, no report; $300 for payments due through June 1, 2026), due June 1. The recurring fee is an LLC tax, not a report: $400 from the June 1, 2027 payment ($300 before).
If you file late: Delaware adds a $200 penalty plus 1.5% interest a month on the annual LLC tax. After three missed reports, Delaware administratively dissolves the LLC; reviving it costs over $2,000 in back tax, penalties and fees.
Five years, filing it yourself: $2,110: the formation fee plus five years of the state's recurring fee, with no service fees.

Start your Delaware LLC

Our service fee and the Delaware filing & processing are itemized on the checkout review screen before you pay.

What's included

Name availability check before we file
Certificate of Formation prepared and filed with Delaware
Submitted within 3 business days, or the same day as an option
Approved documents emailed, plus a private order page
Delaware's after-formation deadlines in writing
A real person by email

Delaware LLC one-time costs

What Delaware charges once, when the LLC is formed, and the optional costs that arrive at the same time. The state fee is the same whether you file yourself or use a service.

State filing fee

Amount: $110
Notes: Paid to Delaware to file the Certificate of Formation. One time.

State expedite (optional)

Amount: Set by the state
Notes: 24-hour $50, same-day $100, 2-hour $500, 1-hour $1,000.

Registered agent

Amount: Free if you serve yourself; our agent service can be added in the application
Notes: Required in Delaware; a street address in the state.

Operating agreement

Amount: Free if you write it, or our self-help template after checkout
Notes: Not filed with the state.

Our filing service

Amount: Our fee, itemized at checkout
Notes: Optional. Our fee and the Delaware filing & processing appear as separate lines before you pay.

Delaware LLC one-time and optional costs, 2026
Cost	Amount	Notes
State filing fee	$110	Paid to Delaware to file the Certificate of Formation. One time.
State expedite (optional)	Set by the state	24-hour $50, same-day $100, 2-hour $500, 1-hour $1,000.
Registered agent	Free if you serve yourself; our agent service can be added in the application	Required in Delaware; a street address in the state.
Operating agreement	Free if you write it, or our self-help template after checkout	Not filed with the state.
Our filing service	Our fee, itemized at checkout	Optional. Our fee and the Delaware filing & processing appear as separate lines before you pay.

State fees verified October 2026 and set by the state, not by us. Online filing prices; a few states charge a different amount on paper.

Delaware LLC ongoing costs

What Delaware charges to keep the LLC in good standing, when it is due, and what the state does when a report is late or missed.

Annual Tax fee

The state's rule: $400 a year (LLC tax, no report; $300 for payments due through June 1, 2026)
Notes: Filed with the Delaware Division of Corporations, every year.

Due

The state's rule: June 1
Notes: State wording: June 1 (LLC alternative-entity tax).

Late penalty

The state's rule: Delaware adds a $200 penalty plus 1.5% interest a month on the annual LLC tax.

After missed reports

The state's rule: After three missed reports
Notes: Administrative dissolution, revocation or forfeiture by the state, after notice.

Reinstatement

The state's rule: Depends on the case
Notes: Reviving it costs over $2,000 in back tax, penalties and fees

Franchise or privilege tax

The state's rule: Set by the state
Notes: The recurring fee is an LLC tax, not a report: $400 from the June 1, 2027 payment ($300 before).

Delaware LLC ongoing costs, 2026
Item	The state's rule	Notes
Annual Tax fee	$400 a year (LLC tax, no report; $300 for payments due through June 1, 2026)	Filed with the Delaware Division of Corporations, every year.
Due	June 1	State wording: June 1 (LLC alternative-entity tax).
Late penalty	Delaware adds a $200 penalty plus 1.5% interest a month on the annual LLC tax.
After missed reports	After three missed reports	Administrative dissolution, revocation or forfeiture by the state, after notice.
Reinstatement	Depends on the case	Reviving it costs over $2,000 in back tax, penalties and fees
Franchise or privilege tax	Set by the state	The recurring fee is an LLC tax, not a report: $400 from the June 1, 2027 payment ($300 before).

State fees verified October 2026 and set by the state, not by us. Due rules, penalties and dissolution triggers are read from each state's statute or filing office page; the reinstatement figure is the state's own total at that point.

Delaware LLC annual fee

Delaware's recurring requirement: $400/year LLC tax (from the June 1, 2027 payment; $300 before), due June 1 (LLC alternative-entity tax). Delaware calls the filing the Annual Tax, and it goes to the Delaware Division of Corporations at icis.corp.delaware.gov. The Annual Tax is due June 1, every year. In the state's words: June 1 (LLC alternative-entity tax).

If you file late: Delaware adds a $200 penalty plus 1.5% interest a month on the annual LLC tax. After three missed reports, Delaware administratively dissolves the LLC; reviving it costs over $2,000 in back tax, penalties and fees.

The due date, filing window and portal are covered step by step in Delaware LLC annual report.

Other recurring obligations

Annual LLC tax (no annual report). June 1 of each year following the year of formation. $400. Late: $200 penalty + 1.5%/month.

Delaware LLC filing fee: $110

The filing fee is what Delaware charges to file your Certificate of Formation, the document that creates the company. Delaware charges $110. It is the one cost nobody can avoid: it is the same whether you file directly with the state or hire a service, and no legitimate service can waive it. Which form Delaware uses, where it is filed and what it asks: how to register an LLC in Delaware.

Delaware posts its current processing times on its own site; we do not quote one.

Faster review from the state: 24-hour $50, same-day $100, 2-hour $500, 1-hour $1,000.

By filing fee, Delaware ranks 28 of 51 jurisdictions, cheapest first; the median state charges $100.

Five-year Delaware LLC cost: $2,110

$110 to form, plus $400 a year in report fees for five years, comes to $2,110 paid to Delaware over five years, assuming every report is filed on time. The recurring fee is an LLC tax, not a report: $400 from the June 1, 2027 payment ($300 before). Taxes on the company's income, licenses and a registered agent service are separate.

See your exact Delaware total before you pay

Our service fee and the Delaware filing & processing are itemized on the checkout review screen before you pay, each on its own line.

Start your Delaware LLC →

What the Delaware state fee does not include

The filing fee buys the state's approval of the Certificate of Formation and nothing else. These are the costs that sit outside it.

Registered agent. Delaware requires one, with a street address in the state. Serving as your own agent is free; the address becomes public record. Our registered agent service can be added in the application. Delaware registered agent requirements.
Operating agreement. Not filed with the state and free if you write it yourself. Our self-help template is available after checkout.
Business licenses and permits. Set by the city, county or licensing board for your line of business, not by the formation filing. Many Delaware LLCs need none; a restaurant, contractor or salon usually needs several.
Taxes. An LLC's income is taxed through its owners' returns unless it elects otherwise, and sales tax or employer registrations are separate state accounts with no formation fee attached. The recurring fee is an LLC tax, not a report: $400 from the June 1, 2027 payment ($300 before).
Filing service. Our fee is itemized on the checkout review screen before you pay, with same-day submission as an option. The state fee is identical either way.

How to pay less for a Delaware LLC

File the Certificate of Formation yourself. Delaware takes it online at corp.delaware.gov for the $110 state fee alone.
Be your own registered agent if you have a Delaware street address and are there during business hours. The trade-off is privacy: the address goes on the public record.
Write your own operating agreement. No state charges for it and Delaware does not file it.
File the Annual Tax on time. Delaware adds a $200 penalty plus 1.5% interest a month on the annual LLC tax. A missed one leads to dissolution and a reinstatement bill.
Skip state expedite unless a date depends on it. The state's standard queue costs nothing extra.
Form where you do business. An LLC that operates in Delaware but is formed elsewhere must register in Delaware as a foreign LLC anyway, paying Delaware's registration fee and its recurring report on top of the home state's.

How Delaware compares

By filing fee, Delaware is number 28 of 51 jurisdictions, cheapest first. The filing fee is paid once; the recurring line is what separates states over time.

Delaware

Filing fee: $110
Recurring: $400 a year (LLC tax, no report; $300 for payments due through June 1, 2026)
Five-year total: $2,110

Maryland

Filing fee: $100
Recurring: $300 a year
Five-year total: $1,600

Pennsylvania

Filing fee: $125
Recurring: $7 a year
Five-year total: $160

New Jersey

Filing fee: $100
Recurring: $75 a year
Five-year total: $475

Delaware and its neighbors
State	Filing fee	Recurring	Five-year total
Delaware	$110	$400 a year (LLC tax, no report; $300 for payments due through June 1, 2026)	$2,110
Maryland	$100	$300 a year	$1,600
Pennsylvania	$125	$7 a year	$160
New Jersey	$100	$75 a year	$475

State fees verified October 2026 and set by the state, not by us.

Every state's fee is in LLC cost by state, and the case for and against forming elsewhere is in cheapest states to form an LLC.

Filing yourself vs. using us

Filing directly with Delaware costs only the state's own fee: $110. The state takes formations at corp.delaware.gov. Through us, you pay our service fee plus the Delaware filing & processing, for the name check, the Certificate of Formation prepared and submitted, the approved documents emailed to you and Delaware's deadlines in writing. Both lines are itemized on the checkout review screen before you pay.

Sources

State fees verified October 2026; page last updated November 1, 2026. The figures above are read from Delaware's own fee schedule, forms and statutes:

corpfiles.delaware.gov (corpfiles.delaware.gov/LLC_Forms/LLC%20Formation.pdf)
corpfiles.delaware.gov (corpfiles.delaware.gov/Fee_Schedule/AugustFee2026.pdf)
corp.delaware.gov (corp.delaware.gov/fee/)
corp.delaware.gov (corp.delaware.gov/alt-entitytaxinstructions/)
corp.delaware.gov (corp.delaware.gov/document-upload-service-information/)
icis.corp.delaware.gov (Delaware Division of Corporations, Annual Tax filing)

Standard Filings is a filing service, not a law firm. This page is general information from each state's published filing rules and fee schedules, not legal or tax advice.

Delaware LLC cost FAQ

How much does it cost to start an LLC in Delaware?+

Delaware charges $110. That is the state's own fee and it is the same whether you file yourself or use a service. If you have us file it, our service fee and the Delaware filing & processing are itemized on the checkout review screen before you pay.

Does Delaware charge an annual fee for an LLC?+

Yes. Delaware's recurring requirement: $400/year LLC tax (from the June 1, 2027 payment; $300 before), due June 1 (LLC alternative-entity tax). That works out to $400 a year. The recurring fee is an LLC tax, not a report: $400 from the June 1, 2027 payment ($300 before).

When is the Delaware LLC annual report due?+

The Annual Tax is due June 1, every year. In the state's words: June 1 (LLC alternative-entity tax).

What is the late penalty for a Delaware LLC report?+

Delaware adds a $200 penalty plus 1.5% interest a month on the annual LLC tax. After three missed reports, Delaware administratively dissolves the LLC; reviving it costs over $2,000 in back tax, penalties and fees.

Is there a franchise tax in Delaware?+

Yes, in the sense that matters for budgeting: the recurring fee is an LLC tax, not a report: $400 from the June 1, 2027 payment ($300 before). It is assessed separately from the Annual Tax, by a different agency, and it is the state's charge, not ours.

How much is a registered agent in Delaware?+

Nothing from the state: Delaware charges no fee for naming a registered agent. Serving as your own agent is free if you have a street address in Delaware and are there during business hours; the address becomes public record. A commercial registered agent charges a yearly fee that the agent sets, in exchange for keeping its Delaware address on the record and forwarding what arrives.

Can I file the Delaware Certificate of Formation myself?+

Yes. Delaware accepts the Certificate of Formation directly from business owners at corp.delaware.gov, and you pay only the state's $110 fee. Delaware posts its current processing times on its own site; we do not quote one. State expedite is optional: 24-hour $50, same-day $100, 2-hour $500, 1-hour $1,000.

What does your service add to the state fee?+

Our service fee covers a name availability check, your Certificate of Formation prepared and filed, the approved documents emailed to you, and Delaware's deadlines in writing. The Delaware filing & processing is a separate line, and both are itemized on the checkout review screen before you pay.

General information, not legal or tax advice. Fees change; confirm the current amount with Delaware before you rely on it.