Form a Business in Wisconsin
Filing fees, deadlines, registered agent rules, and tax structure for Wisconsin, verified against the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions (DFI), Division of Corporate and Consumer Services on Jun 11, 2026.
Wisconsin at a glance
What makes Wisconsin different
- WI filings go to DFI (Department of Financial Institutions), NOT a Secretary of State. WI is one of only ~5 US states with this structure (alongside MD's SDAT, VA's SCC, AZ's ACC, MI's LARA).
- LLC formation: $130 online / $170 paper. Online is cheaper. Standard direction (most states either match or charge premium for paper).
- Corp formation: $100 paper, with a minimum (no graduated by-shares fee; rare among Corp states).
- Annual Report due date is UNIQUE: end of the QUARTER of formation anniversary. Not anniversary month, not anniversary day. Last day of the Q in which the entity was originally formed: - Q1 (Jan-Mar): AR due Mar 31 - Q2 (Apr-Jun): AR due…
- LLC Annual Report $25 online; Corp Annual Report $40 online. Among the lower US AR fee tiers.
- Nonprofit Corp Annual Report $10. Cheap.
- Standard processing: ~5 business days. Expedited (+$25): 2 business days. Unusual: expedite is one-flat-fee, not tiered.
- 2021 Wisconsin Act 258 (effective Apr 16, 2022) substantially updated WI Business Corporation Act. Updated forms required for filings after that date.
Wisconsin tax structure
Sales tax 5.0%.
For detailed tax planning, see the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions (DFI), Division of Corporate and Consumer Services and the Wisconsin Department of Revenue. File.Business is not a tax preparer, consult a CPA for personalized advice.
Ready to file in Wisconsin?
We handle Articles of Organization, registered agent service, annual report monitoring, and ongoing compliance, backed by our canonical Wisconsin ruleset (re-verified quarterly against Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions (DFI), Division of Corporate and Consumer Services).
Filing portal: https://www.wdfi.org/apps/