The short answer
- To form the LLC
- $51 to file the Articles of Organization.
- Every year after
- $15 a year, due at the end of the anniversary quarter.
- If you file late
- $10 added by Hawaii. After two missed reports, Hawaii administratively dissolves the LLC, and the state's total to reinstate it at that point is $75.
- Five years, filing it yourself
- $126: the formation fee plus five years of the state's recurring fee, with no service fees.
Start your Hawaii LLC
Our service fee and the Hawaii filing & processing are itemized on the checkout review screen before you pay.
Start your Hawaii LLCWhat's included
- Name availability check before we file
- Articles of Organization prepared and filed with Hawaii
- Submitted within 3 business days, or the same day as an option
- Approved documents emailed, plus a private order page
- Hawaii's after-formation deadlines in writing
- A real person by email
Hawaii LLC one-time costs
What Hawaii 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.
- Amount
- $51
- Notes
- Paid to Hawaii to file the Articles of Organization. One time.
- Amount
- Set by the state
- Notes
- +$25 expedited service (DCCA)
- Amount
- Free if you serve yourself; our agent service can be added in the application
- Notes
- Required in Hawaii; a street address in the state.
- Amount
- Free if you write it, or our self-help template after checkout
- Notes
- Not filed with the state.
- Amount
- Our fee, itemized at checkout
- Notes
- Optional. Our fee and the Hawaii 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.
Hawaii LLC ongoing costs
What Hawaii charges to keep the LLC in good standing, when it is due, and what the state does when a report is late or missed.
- The state's rule
- $15 a year
- Notes
- Filed with the Hawaii DCCA, Business Registration Division, every year.
- The state's rule
- End of the anniversary quarter
- Notes
- State wording: End of the quarter containing the anniversary month.
- The state's rule
- $10
- The state's rule
- After two missed reports
- Notes
- Administrative dissolution, revocation or forfeiture by the state, after notice.
- The state's rule
- $75
- Notes
- The state's total to reinstate after two missed reports: reinstatement fee plus the missed reports and penalties it requires.
- The state's rule
- None
- Notes
- Hawaii adds no LLC tax beyond the figures above.
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.
Hawaii LLC annual fee
Hawaii's recurring requirement: $12.50/year online ($15 paper), due end of the quarter containing the anniversary month. Hawaii calls the filing the Annual Report, and it goes to the Hawaii DCCA, Business Registration Division at hbe.dcca.hawaii.gov. Hawaii keys the deadline to your own formation date: at the end of the anniversary quarter, every year. In the state's words: End of the quarter containing the anniversary month.
If you file late: $10 added by the state for a late report. After two missed reports, Hawaii administratively dissolves the LLC, and the state's total to reinstate it at that point is $75.
The due date, filing window and portal are covered step by step in Hawaii LLC annual report.
Other recurring obligations
- Annual business report. During the calendar quarter of the registration anniversary, starting the year after formation. $12.50 online ($15 paper); $10 per year late.
- Hawaii General Excise Tax license (Dept. of Taxation), if doing business in Hawaii. before conducting business. $20 one-time (Form BB-1).
Hawaii LLC filing fee: $51
The filing fee is what Hawaii charges to file your Articles of Organization, the document that creates the company. Hawaii charges $51. 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 Hawaii uses, where it is filed and what it asks: how to register an LLC in Hawaii.
Hawaii posts its current processing times on its own site; we do not quote one.
Faster review from the state: +$25 expedited service (DCCA)
By filing fee, Hawaii ranks 11 of 51 jurisdictions, cheapest first; the median state charges $100.
Five-year Hawaii LLC cost: $126
$51 to form, plus $15 a year in report fees for five years, comes to $126 paid to Hawaii over five years, assuming every report is filed on time. One late report adds $10. Taxes on the company's income, licenses and a registered agent service are separate.
See your exact Hawaii total before you pay
Our service fee and the Hawaii filing & processing are itemized on the checkout review screen before you pay, each on its own line.
What the Hawaii state fee does not include
The filing fee buys the state's approval of the Articles of Organization and nothing else. These are the costs that sit outside it.
- Registered agent. Hawaii 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. Hawaii 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 Hawaii 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.
- 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 Hawaii LLC
- File the Articles of Organization yourself. Hawaii takes it online at hbe.ehawaii.gov for the $51 state fee alone.
- Be your own registered agent if you have a Hawaii 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 Hawaii does not file it.
- File the Annual Report on time. A late one costs $10 more, and a missed one leads to dissolution and a reinstatement bill of $75.
- 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 Hawaii but is formed elsewhere must register in Hawaii as a foreign LLC anyway, paying Hawaii's registration fee and its recurring report on top of the home state's.
How Hawaii compares
By filing fee, Hawaii is number 11 of 51 jurisdictions, cheapest first. The filing fee is paid once; the recurring line is what separates states over time.
- Filing fee
- $51
- Recurring
- $15 a year
- Five-year total
- $126
- Filing fee
- $110
- Recurring
- $60 a year
- Five-year total
- $410
- Filing fee
- $100
- Recurring
- Free (Annual Report still required)
- Five-year total
- $100
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 Hawaii costs only the state's own fee: $51. The state takes formations at hbe.ehawaii.gov. Through us, you pay our service fee plus the Hawaii filing & processing, for the name check, the Articles of Organization prepared and submitted, the approved documents emailed to you and Hawaii'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 Hawaii's own fee schedule, forms and statutes:
- cca.hawaii.gov (cca.hawaii.gov/?p=4601)
- cca.hawaii.gov (cca.hawaii.gov/breg/registration/dllc/forms/)
- files.hawaii.gov (files.hawaii.gov/dcca/breg/registration/forms/llc-1-instr.pdf)
- files.hawaii.gov (files.hawaii.gov/dcca/breg/registration/forms/llc-1.pdf)
- cca.hawaii.gov (cca.hawaii.gov/breg/release-third-quarter-hawaii-annual-business-reports-due/)
- hbe.dcca.hawaii.gov (Hawaii DCCA, Business Registration Division, Annual Report 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.
Hawaii LLC cost FAQ
How much does it cost to start an LLC in Hawaii?+
Hawaii charges $51. 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 Hawaii filing & processing are itemized on the checkout review screen before you pay.
Does Hawaii charge an annual fee for an LLC?+
Yes. Hawaii's recurring requirement: $12.50/year online ($15 paper), due end of the quarter containing the anniversary month. That works out to $15 a year.
When is the Hawaii LLC annual report due?+
Hawaii keys the deadline to your own formation date: at the end of the anniversary quarter, every year. In the state's words: End of the quarter containing the anniversary month.
What is the late penalty for a Hawaii LLC report?+
Hawaii adds $10 to a report filed after the due date. After two missed reports, Hawaii administratively dissolves the LLC, and the state's total to reinstate it at that point is $75.
Is there a franchise tax in Hawaii?+
No. Hawaii charges no franchise, privilege or LLC tax on top of its Annual Report; the LLC's income is taxed through its owners' returns in the ordinary way, and any state income tax registration is separate from the formation and report fees here.
How much is a registered agent in Hawaii?+
Nothing from the state: Hawaii charges no fee for naming a registered agent. Serving as your own agent is free if you have a street address in Hawaii 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 Hawaii address on the record and forwarding what arrives.
Can I file the Hawaii Articles of Organization myself?+
Yes. Hawaii accepts the Articles of Organization directly from business owners at hbe.ehawaii.gov, and you pay only the state's $51 fee. Hawaii posts its current processing times on its own site; we do not quote one. State expedite is optional: +$25 expedited service (DCCA)
What does your service add to the state fee?+
Our service fee covers a name availability check, your Articles of Organization prepared and filed, the approved documents emailed to you, and Hawaii's deadlines in writing. The Hawaii 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 Hawaii before you rely on it.
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