Clipboard with a blank form, a pen and a small plant on a desk, How Much Does It Cost to Start a Business in Wisconsin

How Much Does It Cost to Start a Business in Wisconsin?

Last verified: November 10, 2026

This page is for someone who wants one number before filing anything: what Wisconsin charges to start a business, what repeats every year, and what depends on your trade or town. The LLC fee alone is covered in more depth in Wisconsin LLC Cost in 2026, and the licensing layers are in Wisconsin Business License: What You Need and How to Get It. Here the goal is the whole budget side by side.

Our position: the required state cost of forming a Wisconsin LLC is small ($130 filed online). The money that surprises people is not the filing fee. It is the license for your specific trade, local fees and the tax registration that follow.

Wisconsin Startup Costs at a Glance

Item Cost Source and notes
LLC articles of organization (Form 502) $130 online, $170 on paper One time. DFI fee schedule; statute amount in Wis. Stat. 183.0122(2)(a)1
Corporation articles of incorporation (Form 2) $100 online or on paper One time. DFI fee schedule; Wis. Stat. 180.0122(1m)(a)
Annual report (LLC or corporation) $25 online, $40 on paper Yearly, starting the year after formation. DFI fee schedule
Expedited review $100 (next business day) Optional. Counter service in Madison: $250 within four hours, $500 within one hour
Name reservation $15 for 120 days (LLC and corporation) Optional. Wis. Stat. 183.0122(2)(a)3; DFI Form 1
Seller's permit (Business Tax Registration) $20 for two years, then $10 every two years Only if you sell taxable goods or services. DOR Business Tax Registration FAQ
EIN $0 IRS: Employer Identification Number; the IRS says you never pay a fee for one
Trade or occupational license Varies by trade DSPS credential fees, or the licensing office for your trade
City, village, town or county license Varies by place Set by each local clerk; see the local section below

Business License Cost in Wisconsin

Most people searching for "business license cost" want a single price. We looked for a general state business license in the DFI general information page and FAQ, the Department of Revenue's starting-a-business page, the Wisconsin One Stop Business Portal, the DSPS licensing FAQ and the Wisconsin SBDC business-licensing FAQ, and none of them describes one. DFI presents itself as the filing registry for entities, not a licensing agency. We cannot point to an official statement that none exists, so confirm with DFI or the Department of Revenue before you assume your business is covered.

In practice the license costs you meet are three: the seller's permit above, a license tied to your trade, and anything your municipality charges. Our advice is to price those in that order and ask the clerk of your city, village or town last, with your exact activity in hand. Fees there are set locally and vary, so we do not print a range.

Seller's Permit

The Department of Revenue charges a $20 business tax registration fee that covers two years, and $10 to renew every two years. Apply through the DOR Business Tax Registration portal. Apply at least three weeks before you open. DOR may require a security deposit for some applicants, so ask before you budget for it.

Trade, Local and Industry-Specific Licenses

Regulated trades are licensed by the Department of Safety and Professional Services, and food, lodging and alcohol sit with the state, the municipality or a local health department depending on the activity. The fee schedule is on the DSPS credential fees page. Wisconsin local governments are cities, villages, towns and counties, and each can have its own licenses and zoning permits. Ask the clerk where you will operate.

Wisconsin LLC Formation Costs

An LLC files Articles of Organization with the Department of Financial Institutions (DFI), not a Secretary of State. The fee is $130 online or $170 on paper. The statute sets $130 and lets DFI set a larger paper fee; the DFI fee table shows $170. Use the DFI Business Entity File Online page for the online forms. Under Wis. Stat. 183.0207, a document DFI files is effective on the date it receives it unless the document names a later date, up to 90 days out.

Expedited review adds $100 and acts on the filing by close of business the first business day after receipt. The DFI counter in Madison (4822 Madison Yards Way) charges $250 for a four-hour turnaround and $500 for a one-hour turnaround.

Annual Report

An LLC pays $25 to file its annual report online, or $40 on paper (a $15 paper surcharge). The first report is due in the year after the calendar year you formed, in the calendar quarter that contains your anniversary date, on March 31, June 30, September 30 or December 31. An LLC formed in February 2027 would therefore file its first report by March 31, 2028. Source: DFI business entity FAQ.

Year-One LLC Cost

Filing online with no extras, the required state cost in year one is $130. The annual report is not due in year one, so it does not belong in a first-year total. On paper it is $170. Expedited review, a name reservation and a certificate of status are optional add-ons (the certificate is $10, per the DFI certificate fee page).

Wisconsin Corporation Costs

Articles of Incorporation for a for-profit stock corporation cost $100, online or on paper, so the filing is $30 less than an LLC's online fee. The annual report is $25 online or $40 on paper. The corporation annual report is Form 16.

The cheaper filing is not the whole picture. A corporation pays Wisconsin corporate franchise or income tax at 7.9%, and one of the two is imposed in a year. Corporations with gross receipts from all activities of $4 million or more also pay an economic development surcharge. Estimated payments are required when the year's liability will be $500 or more. Source: DOR corporation franchise and income tax FAQ.

Registered Agent Costs

Every LLC and corporation must keep a registered agent and a registered office in Wisconsin. The office must be an actual physical street address, not solely a P.O. box, mailbox service or answering service, and an entity cannot name itself as its own agent. An individual agent must be a Wisconsin resident whose business office is the registered office. If that describes you, the state charges nothing extra. Changing the agent or office later costs $10 online or $25 on paper. Source: DFI Form 502 instructions and the DFI fee schedule.

Filing Yourself or Paying a Formation Service

Filing yourself costs the state fee and your time. A service adds its own charge on top of the same state fee. Of the two services we work with: Northwest Registered Agent lists LLC formation at $39 plus the state filing fee (Northwest Registered Agent pricing, checked November 5, 2026). BetterLegal lists LLC formation at $299 plus the state filing fee, and a separate registered agent plan at $12.50 a month or $120 a year (BetterLegal pricing, checked November 5, 2026). Prices are set by each provider and can change.

Our view: the Wisconsin filing is a short online form, so a service pays off mainly if you want someone else to hold the registered agent role at a business address or want the paperwork done for you. If you can use your own Wisconsin street address and a few minutes, file directly. Compare the details in our Wisconsin LLC services comparison or read the Wisconsin LLC guide.

Sales Tax and Income Tax

The Wisconsin state sales and use tax rate is 5%. You collect it for the state; it is not your cost. The rate a customer pays depends on where the item is received: 5% state tax, plus a county tax in 70 of the 72 counties (0.5% in 69, none in Waukesha and Winnebago), Milwaukee County at 0.9%, an additional 2% in the City of Milwaukee since January 1, 2024, and a premier resort area tax of 0.5% (1.25% in the City of Wisconsin Dells and the Village of Lake Delton) in listed municipalities that applies only to certain sellers. Sources: DOR tax rates and DOR Publication 403. Premier resort area tax municipalities include Sturgeon Bay and Minocqua, which adopted it on July 1, 2026.

Owners of an LLC that is not taxed as a corporation report business income on their individual returns. For tax year 2026 the single-filer rates are 3.5% to $15,110, 4.4% to $51,950, 5.3% to $332,720 and 7.65% above that (DOR Form 1-ES instructions). How your LLC is classified for tax is a question for a CPA.

If You Hire Employees

Hiring adds insurance and payroll registration costs that depend on your payroll and carrier, so we print no estimate. Workers' compensation coverage is required once you have three or more full-time or part-time employees, or one or more employees paid $500 or more in a calendar quarter for Wisconsin work (DWD workers' compensation for employers). A commercial employer also becomes covered for unemployment insurance with wages of $1,500 or more in a quarter or employment in 20 or more weeks (DWD unemployment insurance handbook), and registers through the DWD unemployment insurance tax site.

Where to File and Register

Entity filings go to the Department of Financial Institutions. You can check a name in the DFI corporate records database, but the check is preliminary. The Wisconsin One Stop Business Portal registers a new LLC or business corporation with DFI, DOR and DWD in one application. Free help: the Wisconsin Small Business Development Center network and the SBA Wisconsin District Office.

Bottom Line

An online-filed Wisconsin LLC costs $130 in required state fees in year one and $25 a year after that. A corporation costs $100 to file and $25 a year, with 7.9% corporate tax. Add $20 if you need a seller's permit, then the trade and local licenses that apply to you. Those last two are where your real number comes from, so get them from the agency or clerk before you commit.

Sources

Disclaimer

This guide is informational only and is not legal or tax advice. Fees and requirements are as of the dates shown and can change. Confirm amounts with the agency named before you file, and ask a Wisconsin attorney or a CPA about your own situation.

Keep exploring: related Wisconsin guides