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

The short answer

To form the LLC: $300 minimum to file the Articles of Organization.
Every year after: $50 per member a year, $300 minimum to $3,000 maximum. Franchise and excise tax with the Department of Revenue: 0.25% of net worth ($100 minimum) plus 6.5% of net earnings. The Annual Report is due April 1 for a calendar-year LLC.
If you file late: No flat late fee from Tennessee.
Five years, filing it yourself: $1,800 for one member: the formation fee plus five years of the state's recurring fee, with no service fees.

Start your Tennessee LLC

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

What's included

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

Tennessee LLC one-time costs

What Tennessee 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: $300 to $3,000
Notes: Paid to Tennessee to file the Articles of Organization. One time.

Registered agent

Amount: Free if you serve yourself; our agent service can be added in the application
Notes: Required in Tennessee; 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 Tennessee filing & processing appear as separate lines before you pay.

Tennessee LLC one-time and optional costs, 2026
Cost	Amount	Notes
State filing fee	$300 to $3,000	Paid to Tennessee to file the Articles of Organization. One time.
Registered agent	Free if you serve yourself; our agent service can be added in the application	Required in Tennessee; 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 Tennessee 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.

Tennessee LLC ongoing costs

What Tennessee 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 Report fee

The state's rule: $50 per member a year, $300 minimum to $3,000 maximum
Notes: Filed with the Tennessee Secretary of State, every year.

Due

The state's rule: April 1 for a calendar-year LLC
Notes: State wording: 1st day of the 4th month after fiscal year-end (~April 1).

Late penalty

The state's rule: None

After missed reports

The state's rule: See state notes

Franchise or privilege tax

The state's rule: Set by the state
Notes: Franchise and excise tax with the Department of Revenue: 0.25% of net worth ($100 minimum) plus 6.5% of net earnings.

Tennessee LLC ongoing costs, 2026
Item	The state's rule	Notes
Annual Report fee	$50 per member a year, $300 minimum to $3,000 maximum	Filed with the Tennessee Secretary of State, every year.
Due	April 1 for a calendar-year LLC	State wording: 1st day of the 4th month after fiscal year-end (~April 1).
Late penalty	None
After missed reports	See state notes
Franchise or privilege tax	Set by the state	Franchise and excise tax with the Department of Revenue: 0.25% of net worth ($100 minimum) plus 6.5% of net earnings.

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.

Tennessee LLC annual fee

Tennessee's recurring requirement: $300/year minimum, up to $3,000, due 1st day of the 4th month after fiscal year-end (~April 1). Tennessee calls the filing the Annual Report, and it goes to the Tennessee Secretary of State at tncab.tnsos.gov. The Annual Report is due April 1 for a calendar-year LLC, every year. In the state's words: 1st day of the 4th month after fiscal year-end (~April 1).

If you file late: No flat late fee published; a missed report still risks loss of good standing.

Tennessee prices LLC Articles at $50 per member, with a $300 minimum and $3,000 maximum. A Tennessee LLC that is prohibited from doing business in Tennessee uses a flat $300 filing fee.

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

Other recurring obligations

Register with TN Department of Revenue for franchise & excise tax via TNTAP (or apply for exemption). within 15 days of becoming subject to F&E tax. no registration fee.
Annual report (TNCaB). on or before the 1st day of the 4th month after fiscal-year end (Apr 1 for December fiscal year-end). $50 per member, $300 min / $3,000 max.
Franchise & excise tax return (Department of Revenue). 15th day of the 4th month after year-end (April 15 for a calendar year). Franchise 0.25% of net worth ($100 minimum) plus excise 6.5% of net earnings.

Tennessee LLC filing fee: $300 to $3,000

The filing fee is what Tennessee charges to file your Articles of Organization, the document that creates the company. Tennessee charges $50 per member, with a $300 minimum and a $3,000 maximum. 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 Tennessee uses, where it is filed and what it asks: how to register an LLC in Tennessee.

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

By filing fee, Tennessee ranks 48 of 51 jurisdictions, cheapest first; the median state charges $100.

Five-year Tennessee LLC cost: $1,800

For a single-member LLC: $300 to form, plus five annual reports at the $300 minimum, comes to $1,800 paid to Tennessee over five years. Each additional member adds $50 to the filing fee and $50 to each report, up to the state's $3,000 cap, and the franchise and excise tax is separate.

See your exact Tennessee total before you pay

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

Start your Tennessee LLC →

What the Tennessee 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. Tennessee 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. Tennessee 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 Tennessee 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. Franchise and excise tax with the Department of Revenue: 0.25% of net worth ($100 minimum) plus 6.5% of net earnings.
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 Tennessee LLC

File the Articles of Organization yourself. Tennessee takes it online at tncab.tnsos.gov for the $300 to $3,000 state fee alone.
Be your own registered agent if you have a Tennessee 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 Tennessee does not file it.
File the Annual Report on time. Tennessee charges no late fee, but a missed report still leads to loss of good standing.
Form where you do business. An LLC that operates in Tennessee but is formed elsewhere must register in Tennessee as a foreign LLC anyway, paying Tennessee's registration fee and its recurring report on top of the home state's.

How Tennessee compares

By filing fee, Tennessee is number 48 of 51 jurisdictions, cheapest first. The filing fee is paid once; the recurring line is what separates states over time.

Tennessee

Filing fee: $300 minimum
Recurring: $50 per member a year, $300 minimum to $3,000 maximum
Five-year total: $1,800 for one member

Kentucky

Filing fee: $40
Recurring: $15 a year
Five-year total: $115

Virginia

Filing fee: $100
Recurring: $50 a year
Five-year total: $350

North Carolina

Filing fee: $125
Recurring: $200 a year ($203 online by card)
Five-year total: $1,125

Georgia

Filing fee: $110
Recurring: $60 a year
Five-year total: $410

Alabama

Filing fee: $200
Recurring: None
Five-year total: $228

Mississippi

Filing fee: $50
Recurring: Free (Annual Report still required)
Five-year total: $50

Arkansas

Filing fee: $45
Recurring: $150 a year
Five-year total: $795

Missouri

Filing fee: $50
Recurring: None
Five-year total: $50

Tennessee and its neighbors
State	Filing fee	Recurring	Five-year total
Tennessee	$300 minimum	$50 per member a year, $300 minimum to $3,000 maximum	$1,800 for one member
Kentucky	$40	$15 a year	$115
Virginia	$100	$50 a year	$350
North Carolina	$125	$200 a year ($203 online by card)	$1,125
Georgia	$110	$60 a year	$410
Alabama	$200	None	$228
Mississippi	$50	Free (Annual Report still required)	$50
Arkansas	$45	$150 a year	$795
Missouri	$50	None	$50

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 Tennessee costs only the state's own fee: $50 per member, with a $300 minimum and a $3,000 maximum. The state takes formations at tncab.tnsos.gov. Through us, you pay our service fee plus the Tennessee filing & processing, for the name check, the Articles of Organization prepared and submitted, the approved documents emailed to you and Tennessee'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 Tennessee's own fee schedule, forms and statutes:

sos-prod.tnsosgovfiles.com (sos-prod.tnsosgovfiles.com/s3fs-public/document/SS-4270%20LLC_0.pdf)
sos.tn.gov (sos.tn.gov/businesses/services/business-forms-fees)
tn.gov (tn.gov/revenue/taxes/franchise---excise-tax/registration.html)
tn.gov (tn.gov/content/dam/tn/revenue/documents/tax_manuals/august-2022/Franchise-Excise...)
tncab.tnsos.gov (Tennessee Secretary of State, 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.

Tennessee LLC cost FAQ

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

Tennessee charges $50 per member, with a $300 minimum and a $3,000 maximum. 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 Tennessee filing & processing are itemized on the checkout review screen before you pay.

Does Tennessee charge an annual fee for an LLC?+

Yes. Tennessee's recurring requirement: $300/year minimum, up to $3,000, due 1st day of the 4th month after fiscal year-end (~April 1). Franchise and excise tax with the Department of Revenue: 0.25% of net worth ($100 minimum) plus 6.5% of net earnings.

When is the Tennessee LLC annual report due?+

The Annual Report is due April 1 for a calendar-year LLC, every year. In the state's words: 1st day of the 4th month after fiscal year-end (~April 1).

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

Tennessee charges no flat late fee for a late LLC report.

Is there a franchise tax in Tennessee?+

Yes, in the sense that matters for budgeting: franchise and excise tax with the Department of Revenue: 0.25% of net worth ($100 minimum) plus 6.5% of net earnings. It is assessed separately from the Annual Report, by a different agency, and it is the state's charge, not ours.

How much is a registered agent in Tennessee?+

Nothing from the state: Tennessee charges no fee for naming a registered agent. Serving as your own agent is free if you have a street address in Tennessee 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 Tennessee address on the record and forwarding what arrives.

Can I file the Tennessee Articles of Organization myself?+

Yes. Tennessee accepts the Articles of Organization directly from business owners at tncab.tnsos.gov, and you pay only the state's $300 to $3,000 fee. Tennessee posts its current processing times on its own site; we do not quote one.

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 Tennessee's deadlines in writing. The Tennessee 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 Tennessee before you rely on it.