LLC Costs in Pennsylvania (PA)
$257 all-in for your first year - $125 to file, $7 annual report, plus a registered agent. Pennsylvania is $126 (33%) cheaper than the national average for first-year LLC costs.
Pennsylvania only requires a decennial (every 10 years) report with a $7 fee. This makes ongoing maintenance costs extremely low. Philadelphia and Pittsburgh offer major market access. Note: LLCs must also file an annual registration with the Department of Revenue.
Updated 2025 · Source: Pennsylvania Secretary of State
Lower periodic report fee
Lower periodic report fee. Decennial Report at $7 sits in the cheaper third of report fees among states that still charge one. Filing, registered agent and the Decennial Report together put Pennsylvania's first-year total at $257, ranking #18 of 51. Fees are those published by the Pennsylvania Secretary of State; registered agent is a $125/yr market-rate line, not a vendor quote.
According to the Pennsylvania Secretary of State fee schedule; registered agent normalized at $125/yr. See methodology. How we calculate →
State LLC fee schedule strip
Fee strip PA · Pennsylvania SOS FY 2026 · rank #18
Pennsylvania · FY 2026 · 5-7 business days · no pub
- SOS Online filing
- SOS www.dos.pa.gov
- SOS 5-7 business days
- SOS +$100 expedite
- SOS near Louisiana
- SOS 33% below avg
Stamps derive from this state's Secretary of State fee schedule (filing, report, publication, rank, nearest peer), not a recommendation of where to form. Read with small business tax planning → · All 51 SOS fee rows →
Cost vs. speed: where Pennsylvania sits among all 51 filing offices
Complete cost breakdown for Pennsylvania
- State filing fee $125
- Decennial Report (yr 1) $7
- Registered agent $125
| Cost Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| State Filing Fee | $125 |
| Decennial Report | $7 |
| Registered Agent | $125/yr |
| Expedited Filing (optional) | $100 |
| Total, First Year | $257 |
Ongoing tax burden after formation
Pennsylvania's 8.99% corporate tax rate ranks among the highest corporate tax burdens nationally, an ongoing cost that can outweigh the one-time $257 formation fee within a few profitable years.
Sources: Tax Foundation state corporate tax rates, Census ACS effective property tax rates.
Pennsylvania LLC Quick Facts
Similar Cost States
Lower-cost alternatives
These states undercut PA's first-year SOS-fee total:
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified. Report a data error on this page.
Sources used on this page
- Pennsylvania Secretary of State - LLC filing fee, annual-report requirement, and processing time. www.dos.pa.gov
- Federation of Tax Administrators - cross-check of state fee and tax figures. taxadmin.org