2025 fees Iowa Secretary of State Rank #13 of 51

LLC Costs in Iowa (IA)

$235 all-in for your first year - $50 to file, $60 annual report, plus a registered agent. Iowa is $148 (39%) cheaper than the national average for first-year LLC costs.

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Biennial report ($60) is filed every two years. Iowa has low formation costs and a business-friendly environment for agriculture and manufacturing businesses.

Updated 2025 · Source: Iowa Secretary of State

Lower Articles filing fee

Lower Articles filing fee. $50 one-time SOS filing sits in the bottom third of Articles/formation fees nationwide. The $50 one-time Articles filing fee in Iowa is the standout line item, putting the $235 first-year total at #13 of 51. Fees are those published by the Iowa Secretary of State; registered agent is a $125/yr market-rate line, not a vendor quote.

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

$50
One-time filing fee
$60 (2-yr)
Annual report
$235
First-year total
#13 of 51
Cost rank (1 = cheapest)

Secretary of State fee strip

Fee strip IA · Iowa SOS FY 2026 · rank #13

Iowa · FY 2026 · 5-7 business days · no pub

  • PUB Online filing
  • PUB sos.iowa.gov
  • PUB 5-7 business days
  • PUB +$100 expedite
  • PUB near South Carolina
  • PUB 39% below avg

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

1. Ohio$2242. Idaho$2253. Iowa$2354. South Carolina$2355. Oklahoma$2506. West Virginia$250
1. Ohio$2242. Idaho$2253. Iowa$2354. South Carolina$2355. Oklahoma$2506. West Virginia$250
First-year SOS-fee total for Iowa and nearest-cost peers. Source: each Secretary of State + 51-row aggregate.

Cost vs. speed: where Iowa sits among all 51 filing offices

Iowa delivers both: below-average cost and a 6-business-day turnaround faster than the national median. 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 Iowa sits among all 51 filing offices
Iowa delivers both: below-average cost and a 6-business-day turnaround faster than the national median.
Iowa delivers both: below-average cost and a 6-business-day turnaround faster than the national median. 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 cheap-third $235 stack breaks down

How your $235 first-year total breaks down Registered agent is still the largest piece (53%) even though Iowa sits in the cheaper third overall.
  • State filing fee $50
  • Biennial Report (yr 1) $60
  • Registered agent $125
Cost Item Amount
State Filing Fee $50
Biennial Report $60
Registered Agent $125/yr
Expedited Filing (optional) $100
Total, First Year $235

Ongoing tax burden after formation

Iowa's effective property tax rate of 1.39% ranks among the highest nationally, an ongoing cost that can exceed the $235 formation fee above within a year or two for a property-owning LLC.

Corporate income tax
5.5%
5.5% corporate tax rate, #21 of 51 lowest nationally
Effective property tax rate
1.39%
Of assessed property value, per year

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

Fee check: Verify current LLC fees with the Iowa Secretary of State at https://sos.iowa.gov. Not legal or tax advice.

Iowa LLC quick facts (cheap third)

Filing Fee $50
Annual Report $60 (2-yr)
Processing Time 5-7 business days
Expedited $100 → Same business day
Online Filing Available
First-Year Total $235
File with Iowa SOS

Similar Cost States

Arizona $175 Mississippi $175 Missouri $175 New Mexico $175

Still-cheaper peers

IA already sits in the cheapest third, but these states still undercut it on first-year SOS fees:

Michigan $200 Ohio $224 Idaho $225

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

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

Verify with the Iowa Secretary of State →