2025 fees Wisconsin Secretary of State Rank #23 of 51

LLC Costs in Wisconsin (WI)

$280 all-in for your first year - $130 to file, $25 annual report, plus a registered agent. Wisconsin is $103 (27%) cheaper than the national average for first-year LLC costs.

SmallBizCalc home → About this data Subscribe (RSS)

Annual report is due by the end of the quarter following the anniversary of formation. Wisconsin has a strong manufacturing and agricultural economy with a well-educated workforce.

Updated 2025 · Source: Wisconsin Secretary of State

Lower periodic report fee

Lower periodic report fee. Annual Report at $25 sits in the cheaper third of report fees among states that still charge one. Wisconsin's first-year total of $280 (#23 of 51) folds in filing, registered agent and the Annual Report. Fees are those published by the Wisconsin Secretary of State; registered agent is a $125/yr market-rate line, not a vendor quote.

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

$130
One-time filing fee
$25 /yr
Annual report
$280
First-year total
#23 of 51
Cost rank (1 = cheapest)

Articles filing schedule card

Fee strip WI · Wisconsin SOS FY 2026 · rank #23

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

  • RANK Online filing
  • AGENT www.wdfi.org
  • PROC 5-7 business days
  • VS-AVG +$25 expedite
  • ARTICLES near Minnesota
  • BIENNIAL 27% 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 →

1. Georgia$2752. Virginia$2753. Wisconsin$2804. Minnesota$2805. Vermont$2856. Wyoming$285
1. Georgia$2752. Virginia$2753. Wisconsin$2804. Minnesota$2805. Vermont$2856. Wyoming$285
First-year SOS-fee total for Wisconsin and nearest-cost peers. Source: each Secretary of State + 51-row aggregate.

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

Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin sits among all 51 filing offices
Wisconsin delivers both: below-average cost and a 6-business-day turnaround faster than the national median.
Wisconsin 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.

Where the $130 Articles fee sits inside $280

How your $280 first-year total breaks down State filing fee is the largest piece - 46%
  • State filing fee $130
  • Annual Report (yr 1) $25
  • Registered agent $125
Cost Item Amount
State Filing Fee $130
Annual Report $25
Registered Agent $125/yr
Expedited Filing (optional) $25
Total, First Year $280

Ongoing tax burden after formation

Wisconsin's effective property tax rate of 1.42% ranks among the highest nationally, an ongoing cost that can exceed the $280 formation fee above within a year or two for a property-owning LLC.

Corporate income tax
7.9%
7.9% corporate tax rate, #39 of 51 lowest nationally
Effective property tax rate
1.42%
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 Wisconsin Secretary of State at https://www.wdfi.org. Not legal or tax advice.

Wisconsin SOS fee strip (high filing)

Filing Fee $130
Annual Report $25 /yr
Processing Time 5-7 business days
Expedited $25 → Same business day
Online Filing Available
First-Year Total $280
File with Wisconsin SOS

Similar Cost States

Colorado $185 Hawaii $190 Utah $197 Michigan $200

Lower-cost alternatives

Cheaper first-year filing than WI, state by state:

Louisiana $260 Georgia $275 Virginia $275

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

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

Verify with the Wisconsin Secretary of State →