Wisconsin LLC Cost in 2026: Every State and Local Fee
Wisconsin LLC Cost in 2026: Every State and Local Fee
The short answer: forming an LLC in Wisconsin costs $130 online or $170 on paper for the articles of organization, and the required annual report costs $25 online or $40 on paper. If you file online and skip the optional extras, your first-year state cost is $130. If you add expedited service, a name reservation, a trade name, a Certificate of Status and a seller's permit, the total reaches $290 before any registered agent fee.
This guide covers every state and local fee tied to forming and keeping an LLC in Wisconsin. It separates the required charges from the optional ones and flags the costs that vary by agency, so you know exactly what to confirm before you file.
Informational content, not legal or tax advice. This guide explains public filing rules and fees as of October 2026. It is not legal or tax advice. Talk to a qualified attorney and a CPA before you form an entity or choose a tax classification, especially if you have multiple owners, outside investors, or sales in other states.
Wisconsin does not require a general business license
Wisconsin has no general business license at the state or county level, and most cities do not issue one either. A few cities do require one. Lake Geneva is an example, so check with your city clerk before you open. Otherwise, your costs come from three places:
- Department of Financial Institutions (DFI). Business entities, including LLCs, are filed with DFI, not a Secretary of State. DFI handles formation, the annual report and trade name registration.
- Department of Revenue (DOR). If you sell taxable products or services, you need a seller's permit through DOR's Business Tax Registration.
- Activity-specific licensing. The Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) licenses many regulated occupations. DATCP, or a local health department acting as DATCP's agent, handles food and lodging. Your municipal clerk handles alcohol and other listed activities.
Wisconsin LLC fee summary
| Fee | Amount | Required? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Articles of Organization (Form 502), online | $130 | Yes | Filed with DFI |
| Articles of Organization, paper | $170 | Only if not filed online | Mailed to DFI's Milwaukee lockbox |
| Expedited service | $100, added to the filing fee | No | Acted on by close of business the first business day after receipt |
| Name reservation | $15 | No | Holds the name for 120 days |
| Trade name or trademark registration | $15 | No | Renewal is also $15 |
| Annual report (Form 5), online | $25 | Yes, every year after organization | Due in the quarter containing your anniversary |
| Annual report, paper | $40 | Only if not filed online | Includes a $15 paper surcharge |
| Change of registered agent or office, online | $10 | As needed | $25 on paper |
| Certificate of Status | $10 | Only if a bank asks | Ask the bank exactly what it needs first |
| Business Tax Registration (seller's permit), initial | $20 | If you sell taxable goods or services | Covers two years |
| Business Tax Registration renewal | $10 | Every two years | Renews the permit for the next two-year period |
Articles of Organization: the $130 filing fee
The articles of organization (Form 502, filed under sec. 183.0201, Wis. Stats.) are the only mandatory one-time filing. The fee is $130 online or $170 on paper. Online filings are in most cases accepted on receipt, with immediate notice. DFI's statutory limit for processing new business filings is five business days. Paper filings go to the Milwaukee lockbox, so expect a longer wait.
Your name must contain 'limited liability company' or 'limited company', or the abbreviation 'LLC' or 'LC', or a variation that differs only in capitalization or punctuation. 'Limited' may be abbreviated to 'Ltd.' and 'company' to 'Co.' The name must be distinguishable on DFI records from other registered entities and from any reserved or registered name. You can run a preliminary check in the DFI corporate records database. That check is not final, though. Availability is confirmed only when DFI examines and files your document.
File online through DFI's Business Entity File Online portal. If you also need to register with DOR and the Department of Workforce Development, the Wisconsin One Stop Business Portal registers a new business with DFI, DOR and DWD in one pass. Confirm the fee structure for each agency on its own page before you submit.
The student entrepreneur waiver
The articles fee is waived when every member is a Wisconsin postsecondary student entrepreneur age 18 or older. If your LLC qualifies, the $130 filing fee does not apply. Confirm the eligibility rules with DFI before you file, because the waiver depends on every member meeting the requirements. The waiver covers the articles fee only, so confirm with DFI whether any other filing charge applies to your entity.
Expedited service and name reservation
Expedited service costs $100 on top of the filing fee, whether you file online or on paper. With it, DFI acts on the document by the close of business on the first business day after receipt. If you need a faster turnaround, DFI's customer service counter in Madison can process documents within four hours for $250 or within one hour for $500.
A name reservation holds an LLC name for 120 days for $15. Submit Form CORP1. Reserve a name only if you need time to finish preparations, such as a lease or a bank application, before you file. If you can file the articles right away, the $15 is usually unnecessary.
Trade names: an optional $15
If your business operates under a name other than its LLC name, you can register a trade name with DFI's Trademarks and Trade Names Bureau for $15. Registration is optional and is not required to use a trade name. File online or in person, because DFI stopped accepting mailed trademark filings in March 2020. Renewal costs $15 and can be filed in the six months before expiration. Details are on the DFI trademark fee page.
The county register of deeds option under Wis. Stat. 134.17 applies to sole proprietorships and partnerships, not LLCs. Counties set their own fee for it.
Registered agent: required, and the price varies
Every LLC must continuously maintain a registered agent with a registered office in Wisconsin. The registered office must be an actual physical street location. A P.O. box, mailbox service or telephone answering service does not qualify. The office address must be identical to the agent's business office. The agent's email address is required on the formation document and on every annual report, because DFI sends annual report forms and official notices to the agent. The LLC cannot name itself as its own registered agent.
The state does not set a registered agent price, and the cost depends on how you cover the requirement. Some owners serve as their own agent if they have a qualifying Wisconsin street address. Others pay an attorney or a commercial service. Get the recurring price in writing and compare it across several years, not just the first-year offer.
Annual report: $25 every year
Every LLC must file an annual report (Form 5) each year after its year of organization. The report is due during the calendar quarter that contains your anniversary of organization:
| If organized between | Annual report due |
|---|---|
| January 1 to March 31 | March 31 |
| April 1 to June 30 | June 30 |
| July 1 to September 30 | September 30 |
| October 1 to December 31 | December 31 |
The fee is $25 online or $40 on paper. A foreign LLC, meaning one formed in another state that registers to do business in Wisconsin, pays $65 online or $80 on paper and files by March 31. Missing the deadline is the easiest way to lose track of your entity, so put the due date on your calendar the day you file the articles.
State taxes that follow the filing
Wisconsin imposes no separate LLC franchise or privilege tax. By default, a multi-member LLC is treated as a partnership and a single-member LLC as a disregarded entity. Profits flow through to the owners' Wisconsin individual income tax, which runs from 3.50% to 7.65%. If the LLC elects corporate treatment, it pays the 7.9% corporate franchise or income tax, plus an economic development surcharge if gross receipts from all activities are $4 million or more. For a default LLC, the only recurring state entity charge is the $25 annual report. Whether to elect corporate treatment is a tax decision for your CPA.
Seller's permit: $20 for two years
If your LLC sells taxable products or services in Wisconsin, you need a seller's permit. The Business Tax Registration fee is $20 for the initial two-year period and $10 to renew every two years after that. The state sales tax rate is 5%. Register through DOR's Business Tax Registration system. DOR's new business information is at revenue.wi.gov.
Activity licenses: fees vary by agency
Licenses attach to what your business does, not to forming an LLC. Confirm each cost with the agency that issues it:
- DSPS for regulated occupations. Check the fee for your specific credential on the DSPS website.
- DATCP or your local health department for food and lodging. Fees depend on the license type and the local agent, so ask before you plan your opening date.
- Your municipal clerk for alcohol, other listed activities and local zoning. A municipal license applies only if your activity is licensed in your municipality.
These amounts vary by agency and activity. Do not budget from an estimate. Get the figure in writing from the agency or your clerk.
Sample budgets
| Scenario | Components | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Basic online formation | $130 articles | $130 |
| Online with expedite and seller's permit | $130 + $100 + $20 | $250 |
| Paper filing with name reservation, trade name and seller's permit | $170 + $15 + $15 + $20 | $220 |
| Every optional item in year one | $130 + $100 + $15 + $15 + $10 + $20 | $290 |
| Five years, online, with seller's permit | $130 articles + four annual reports at $25 + permit at $20, $10 and $10 | $270 |
The five-year row assumes formation in 2026 and one annual report in each of the following four years. None of these totals include registered agent service, activity licenses or bank requests unless noted.
How to keep costs down
- File online. Paper adds $40 to the articles filing and $15 to each annual report.
- Pay for expedited service only when a deadline requires it.
- Check the student entrepreneur waiver before you pay anything.
- Calendar your annual report quarter the day you file the articles.
- Get a seller's permit only when you actually sell taxable goods or services, and calendar the two-year renewal.
- Compare registered agent quotes over several years, not just the first.
Official resources
- DFI business entity information: dfi.wi.gov
- DFI business search: apps.dfi.wi.gov
- DFI online filing: Business Entity File Online
- Wisconsin One Stop Business Portal: onestop.wi.gov
- DOR new business information: revenue.wi.gov
- Wisconsin Small Business Development Center Network, for free advisory help: wisconsinsbdc.org
This guide is informational only and is not legal or tax advice. Fees and rules change, so confirm every figure on the agency page before you pay. For anything beyond a simple single-owner setup, consult a qualified attorney and a CPA.