Founders budget the formation fee and forget the meter that starts running afterward. Nearly every state charges something annually to keep an entity registered: an annual report fee, a franchise tax, or both under one label. The amounts range from zero to four figures, the calculation methods vary wildly, and the deadlines are enforced with the same escalation everywhere: penalties, lost standing, then administrative dissolution. This page is the map: what every state charges an LLC each year, and the five systems complicated enough to need their own paragraphs. The concept itself is covered in what franchise tax is; how it fits your federal picture is in the LLC taxes guide.
Annual LLC Costs in All 50 States
The table shows each state's recurring annual cost for a standard LLC: annual/biennial report fees plus flat franchise taxes where they apply (calculated systems noted below the table). State names link to full cost breakdowns.
| State | Annual recurring cost | State | Annual recurring cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $50 | Montana | $20 |
| Alaska | $50 | Nebraska | $10 |
| Arizona | $0 | Nevada | $550 |
| Arkansas | $150 | New Hampshire | $100 |
| California | $820 | New Jersey | $75 |
| Colorado | $25 | New Mexico | $0 |
| Connecticut | $80 | New York | $9 |
| Delaware | $300 | North Carolina | $200 |
| District of Columbia | $300 | North Dakota | $50 |
| Florida | $139 | Ohio | $0 |
| Georgia | $50 | Oklahoma | $25 |
| Hawaii | $15 | Oregon | $100 |
| Idaho | $0 | Pennsylvania | $7 |
| Illinois | $75 | Rhode Island | $50 |
| Indiana | $32 | South Carolina | $0 |
| Iowa | $45 | South Dakota | $50 |
| Kansas | $50 | Tennessee | $300 |
| Kentucky | $15 | Texas | $0 |
| Louisiana | $30 | Utah | $20 |
| Maine | $85 | Vermont | $35 |
| Maryland | $300 | Virginia | $50 |
| Massachusetts | $520 | Washington | $60 |
| Michigan | $25 | West Virginia | $25 |
| Minnesota | $45 | Wisconsin | $25 |
| Mississippi | $25 | Wyoming | $60 |
| Missouri | $0 |
Amounts reflect the standard LLC obligation (biennial fees annualized where applicable); corporations often differ. Verify against your state's agency at filing time, and see the interactive comparison for formation fees alongside.
The Five Systems Worth Understanding
California: the $800 minimum plus a fee schedule. Every LLC owes $800 from its first tax year, dissolution being the only exit, and gross receipts above $250,000 stack an additional fee from $900 to $11,790. Biennial $20 Statement of Information rides alongside. Full treatment: the California guide.
Delaware: flat $300, no report. LLCs pay a flat annual tax by June 1 with no annual report at all; corporations instead file the March 1 franchise report with a calculated tax. Simple, predictable, and the largest single reason a dormant Delaware LLC costs $300 a year to forget about.
Texas: a tax report most owe nothing on. No annual report fee, but every entity files a franchise tax report by May 15. Below the no-tax-due threshold (about $2.47 million of revenue) the tax is zero and the filing is an information report; above it, 0.375% to 0.75% of taxable margin. Skipping the $0 filing still forfeits the entity. Details: the Texas guide.
New York: a fee scaled to income, plus publication. LLCs pay an annual filing fee from $25 to $4,500 based on New York-source gross income, the $9 biennial statement, and, once, the notorious newspaper publication requirement after formation.
Tennessee and the net-worth states. Tennessee levies both a franchise tax (0.25% of net worth, $100 minimum) and an excise tax (6.5% of net earnings) on LLCs, one of several states where "franchise tax" is a genuine calculated tax rather than a flat fee. Similar calculated systems appear in Arkansas, Mississippi, and others; profitable multi-state operations should map them with a CPA.
Deadline Discipline: the Only Hard Part
Franchise obligations fail in a characteristic way: quietly, a year or more after formation, on a date nothing in daily operations surfaces. The escalation is uniform: late penalties and interest first, loss of good standing next (which blocks loans, certificates, and many contracts), then suspension or administrative dissolution, which ends the liability shield and hands your name to whoever wants it. Reinstatement is always possible and always costs more: back filings, accumulated penalties, and a reinstatement application. The deadline calendar by state lives in annual report deadlines; the recovery process in reinstatement.
Existence has a price; know yours and calendar it
Every entity you own carries a recurring state obligation somewhere between $0 and $800+, owed in profit and loss years alike. Look yours up in the table, put the deadline somewhere that survives a busy year, and franchise tax stays a line item instead of a crisis.
Frequently asked questions
What is franchise tax?
A state-level tax on the privilege of existing or doing business as a registered entity, unrelated to franchising. Some states charge flat amounts (Delaware LLCs: $300), some charge minimums regardless of profit (California: $800), and some calculate on margin or net worth (Texas, Tennessee). It is owed on top of, and separately from, income tax. Concept guide: franchise tax requirements.
Which states have no franchise tax and no annual report fee for LLCs?
A handful keep LLC upkeep at or near zero: New Mexico, Arizona, Missouri, and Ohio charge no annual report fee and no LLC franchise tax; Texas charges no report fee but requires the annual franchise filing; Idaho and Minnesota require reports at $0. Formation fees and other taxes still apply. See the full table above.
Do I owe California franchise tax if my LLC made nothing?
Yes. California's $800 is a minimum tax on existence, owed from the first tax year until the LLC formally dissolves, profitable or not. Above $250,000 of gross receipts an additional fee stacks on top. The only exit is formal dissolution with final returns. Details: the California LLC guide.
Is franchise tax the same as an annual report fee?
Functionally they overlap: both are recurring state charges for keeping an entity registered. States label them differently: Delaware calls its LLC charge an annual tax with no report, most states attach a fee to an annual report, and a few (California, Texas) run genuine tax calculations. What matters is the same: a recurring obligation with a deadline. See deadlines by state.
What happens if I do not pay franchise tax?
The state stacks penalties and interest, revokes good standing (blocking financing and certificates), then suspends or administratively dissolves the entity, ending its liability protection. Reinstatement requires all back taxes, penalties, and filings. California and Texas also void the entity's ability to enforce contracts while delinquent.
Do franchise taxes apply to out-of-state LLCs?
Yes: registering as a foreign LLC in a state generally subjects you to that state's franchise tax and report obligations too. This doubling is exactly why forming out of state usually costs more, not less. See best state to form an LLC.
Never miss an entity deadline again.
Compliance monitoring tracks every state's franchise tax and annual report deadline for every entity you own, with filings prepared before they are due.
