The short answer
- To form the LLC
- $130 to file the Articles of Organization.
- Every year after
- $25 a year, due at the end of the anniversary quarter.
- If you file late
- No flat late fee from Wisconsin. After two missed reports, Wisconsin administratively dissolves the LLC, and the state's total to reinstate it at that point is $150.
- Five years, filing it yourself
- $255: the formation fee plus five years of the state's recurring fee, with no service fees.
Start your Wisconsin LLC
Our service fee and the Wisconsin filing & processing are itemized on the checkout review screen before you pay.
Start your Wisconsin LLCWhat's included
- Name availability check before we file
- Articles of Organization prepared and filed with Wisconsin
- Submitted within 3 business days, or the same day as an option
- Approved documents emailed, plus a private order page
- Wisconsin's after-formation deadlines in writing
- A real person by email
Wisconsin LLC one-time costs
What Wisconsin 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
- $130
- Notes
- Paid to Wisconsin to file the Articles of Organization. One time.
- Amount
- Set by the state
- Notes
- $100 for next-business-day handling (online or paper).
- Amount
- Free if you serve yourself; our agent service can be added in the application
- Notes
- Required in Wisconsin; 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 Wisconsin 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.
Wisconsin LLC ongoing costs
What Wisconsin 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
- $25 a year
- Notes
- Filed with the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, every year.
- The state's rule
- End of the anniversary quarter
- Notes
- State wording: End of the quarter containing the formation anniversary.
- The state's rule
- None
- The state's rule
- After two missed reports
- Notes
- Administrative dissolution, revocation or forfeiture by the state, after notice.
- The state's rule
- $150
- 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
- Wisconsin 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.
Wisconsin LLC annual fee
Wisconsin's recurring requirement: $25/year, due end of the quarter containing the formation anniversary. Wisconsin calls the filing the Annual Report, and it goes to the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions at apps.dfi.wi.gov. Wisconsin 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 formation anniversary.
If you file late: No flat late fee published; a missed report still risks loss of good standing. After two missed reports, Wisconsin administratively dissolves the LLC, and the state's total to reinstate it at that point is $150.
The due date, filing window and portal are covered step by step in Wisconsin LLC annual report.
Other recurring obligations
- Annual report. each year after the formation year, during the calendar quarter containing the anniversary date. $25 online / $40 paper.
- WI Department of Revenue business tax registration if selling/hiring. before activity. varies.
Wisconsin LLC filing fee: $130
The filing fee is what Wisconsin charges to file your Articles of Organization, the document that creates the company. Wisconsin charges $130. 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 Wisconsin uses, where it is filed and what it asks: how to register an LLC in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin posts its current processing times on its own site; we do not quote one.
Faster review from the state: $100 for next-business-day handling (online or paper).
By filing fee, Wisconsin ranks 36 of 51 jurisdictions, cheapest first; the median state charges $100.
Five-year Wisconsin LLC cost: $255
$130 to form, plus $25 a year in report fees for five years, comes to $255 paid to Wisconsin over five years, assuming every report is filed on time. Taxes on the company's income, licenses and a registered agent service are separate.
See your exact Wisconsin total before you pay
Our service fee and the Wisconsin filing & processing are itemized on the checkout review screen before you pay, each on its own line.
What the Wisconsin 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. Wisconsin 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. Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin LLC
- File the Articles of Organization yourself. Wisconsin takes it online at apps.dfi.wi.gov for the $130 state fee alone.
- Be your own registered agent if you have a Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin does not file it.
- File the Annual Report on time. Wisconsin charges no late fee, but a missed report still leads to loss of good standing and dissolution.
- 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 Wisconsin but is formed elsewhere must register in Wisconsin as a foreign LLC anyway, paying Wisconsin's registration fee and its recurring report on top of the home state's.
How Wisconsin compares
By filing fee, Wisconsin is number 36 of 51 jurisdictions, cheapest first. The filing fee is paid once; the recurring line is what separates states over time.
- Filing fee
- $130
- Recurring
- $25 a year
- Five-year total
- $255
- Filing fee
- $155
- Recurring
- Free (Annual Renewal still required)
- Five-year total
- $155
- Filing fee
- $50
- Recurring
- $30 every 2 years
- Five-year total
- $125
- Filing fee
- $150
- Recurring
- $75 a year
- Five-year total
- $525
- Filing fee
- $50
- Recurring
- $25 a year
- Five-year total
- $175
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 Wisconsin costs only the state's own fee: $130. The state takes formations at apps.dfi.wi.gov. Through us, you pay our service fee plus the Wisconsin filing & processing, for the name check, the Articles of Organization prepared and submitted, the approved documents emailed to you and Wisconsin'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 Wisconsin's own fee schedule, forms and statutes:
- dfi.wi.gov (dfi.wi.gov/Documents/BusinessServices/BusinessEntities/Forms/CORP502.pdf)
- dfi.wi.gov (dfi.wi.gov/Pages/BusinessServices/BusinessEntities/Fees.aspx)
- dfi.wi.gov (dfi.wi.gov/Documents/BusinessServices/BusinessEntities/Forms/CORP5i.pdf)
- dfi.wi.gov (dfi.wi.gov/Pages/BusinessServices/BusinessEntities/FAQ.aspx)
- apps.dfi.wi.gov (Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, 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.
Wisconsin LLC cost FAQ
How much does it cost to start an LLC in Wisconsin?+
Wisconsin charges $130. 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 Wisconsin filing & processing are itemized on the checkout review screen before you pay.
Does Wisconsin charge an annual fee for an LLC?+
Yes. Wisconsin's recurring requirement: $25/year, due end of the quarter containing the formation anniversary. That works out to $25 a year.
When is the Wisconsin LLC annual report due?+
Wisconsin 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 formation anniversary.
What is the late penalty for a Wisconsin LLC report?+
Wisconsin charges no flat late fee for a late LLC report. After two missed reports, Wisconsin administratively dissolves the LLC, and the state's total to reinstate it at that point is $150.
Is there a franchise tax in Wisconsin?+
No. Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin?+
Nothing from the state: Wisconsin charges no fee for naming a registered agent. Serving as your own agent is free if you have a street address in Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin address on the record and forwarding what arrives.
Can I file the Wisconsin Articles of Organization myself?+
Yes. Wisconsin accepts the Articles of Organization directly from business owners at apps.dfi.wi.gov, and you pay only the state's $130 fee. Wisconsin posts its current processing times on its own site; we do not quote one. State expedite is optional: $100 for next-business-day handling (online or paper).
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 Wisconsin's deadlines in writing. The Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin before you rely on it.
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