2025 fees District of Columbia Secretary of State Rank #44 of 51

LLC Costs in District of Columbia (DC)

$524 all-in for your first year - $99 to file, $300 annual report, plus a registered agent. District of Columbia is $141 (37%) more expensive than the national average for first-year LLC costs.

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Biennial report ($300) is due by April 1 every two years. DC has a high cost of living and business costs but provides access to the federal government market and a well-educated workforce. Basic Business License may also be required for certain business types.

Updated 2025 · Source: District of Columbia Secretary of State

Higher periodic report fee

Higher periodic report fee. Biennial Report at $300 sits in the dearer third of report fees among states that still charge one. District of Columbia's first-year total of $524 (#44 of 51) folds in filing, registered agent and the Biennial Report. Fees are those published by the District of Columbia Secretary of State; registered agent is a $125/yr market-rate line, not a vendor quote.

According to the District of Columbia Secretary of State fee schedule; registered agent normalized at $125/yr. See methodology. How we calculate →

$99
One-time filing fee
$300 (2-yr)
Annual report
$524
First-year total
#44 of 51
Cost rank (1 = cheapest)

Secretary of State fee strip

Fee strip DC · District of Columbia SOS FY 2026 · rank #44

District of Columbia · FY 2026 · 15 business days · no pub

  • AGENT Online filing
  • PROC dcra.dc.gov
  • VS-AVG 15 business days
  • ARTICLES +$100 expedite
  • BIENNIAL near Maryland
  • SCHEDULE 37% above avg

Dear-third stack: stamps derive from this state's Secretary of State fee schedule, not a recommendation of where to form. Read with tax planning against a dear SOS stack → · All 51 SOS fee rows →

1. Alabama$4252. North Carolina$4503. Alaska$4754. District of …$5245. Maryland$5256. Delaware$615
1. Alabama$4252. North Carolina$4503. Alaska$4754. District of …$5245. Maryland$5256. Delaware$615
First-year SOS-fee total for District of Columbia and nearest-cost peers. Source: each Secretary of State + 51-row aggregate.

Cost vs. speed: where District of Columbia sits among all 51 filing offices

District of Columbia is both slower and pricier than the median state -- a 15-business-day wait on top of an above-average formation cost. 2×2 strategic matrix plotting 30 entities by First-year cost ($) (X) and Processing time (business days) (Y), with a crosshair dividing the plot into four quadrants. Slow & expensiveCheap but slowFast but priceyFast & cheap $0$500$1,000$1,500 0d10d20d30d First-year cost ($) Processing time (business days) Cost vs. speed: where District of Columbia sits among all 51 filing offices
District of Columbia is both slower and pricier than the median state -- a 15-business-day wait on top of an above-average formation cost.
District of Columbia is both slower and pricier than the median state -- a 15-business-day wait on top of an above-average formation cost. National median processing time: 6 business days; national average first-year cost: $383. Source: each state's Secretary of State published processing-time guidance + the 51-row SOS fee aggregate.

How the dear-third $524 stack breaks down

How your $524 first-year total breaks down Biennial Report (yr 1) drives 57% of a top-third first-year total.
  • State filing fee $99
  • Biennial Report (yr 1) $300
  • Registered agent $125
Cost Item Amount
State Filing Fee $99
Biennial Report $300
Registered Agent $125/yr
Expedited Filing (optional) $100
Total, First Year $524

Ongoing tax burden after formation

District of Columbia's 8.25% corporate tax rate ranks among the highest corporate tax burdens nationally, an ongoing cost that can outweigh the one-time $524 formation fee within a few profitable years.

Corporate income tax
8.25%
8.25% corporate tax rate, #41 of 51 lowest nationally
Effective property tax rate
0.58%
Of assessed property value, per year

Sources: Tax Foundation state corporate tax rates, Census ACS effective property tax rates.

Fee check: Dear-third first-year stack, verify current District of Columbia SOS fees before filing at https://dcra.dc.gov. Not legal or tax advice.

District of Columbia LLC quick facts (dear third)

Filing Fee $99
Annual Report $300 (2-yr)
Processing Time 15 business days
Expedited $100 → Same business day
Online Filing Available
First-Year Total $524
File with District of Columbia SOS

Similar Cost States

Alabama $425 Texas $425 North Carolina $450 Alaska $475

Lower-cost escapes

Looking to file lighter than top-third DC? These states charge less in year one:

Texas $425 North Carolina $450 Alaska $475

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified. Report a data error on this page.

Sources used on this page
  • District of Columbia Secretary of State - LLC filing fee, annual-report requirement, and processing time. dcra.dc.gov
  • Federation of Tax Administrators - cross-check of state fee and tax figures. taxadmin.org
LLC fees and requirements sourced from the District of Columbia Secretary of State. See our methodology for details.

Verify with the District of Columbia Secretary of State →