Reference · Wisconsin
Wisconsin LLC requirements
Every requirement we've verified for a domestic LLC in Wisconsin, with the source for each. For the plain-English cost answer, use the cost calculator.
| Filing agency | Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) |
|---|---|
| Formation filing fee | $130 |
| Filing fee notes | Articles of Organization: $130 online (DFI's standard channel), $170 paper, per the official DFI fee page. |
| Standard processing | Not specified with a day-count. |
| Expedited options | $100 next-business-day; $250 4-hour in-person; $500 1-hour in-person (DFI Madison office). |
| Periodic report | Annual Report |
| Report frequency | annual |
| Report fee | $25 |
| Report deadline | Due annually by the end of the calendar quarter in which the LLC was originally organized. $25 online / $40 paper. |
| Late penalty | Not specified with a dollar figure; DFI may administratively dissolve an LLC that fails to file (Wis. Stat. ch. 183). |
| Administrative dissolution | DFI may administratively dissolve for failure to file the annual report; precise timeline unconfirmed. |
| State tax | No entity-level Wisconsin franchise/income tax on default pass-through LLCs, confirmed via official DOR Publication 119. The economic development surcharge no longer applies to partnerships/LLCs taxed as partnerships since 2013 (though a surcharge can still apply above $4M gross receipts). Franchise/income tax applies only if the LLC elects corporate treatment. |
| Minimum state tax | None |
| Newspaper publication | Not required |
| Registered agent required | Yes |
| First-year minimum | $155 |
Confidence
What we're less sure about
Verified against the official state page
- $130 + $25 = $155 online. All-paper filer would be $210.
- No-franchise-tax conclusion sourced from official DOR Publication 119, revision 01/26.
Provenance
Sources
Every figure above traces to one of these. If a state changes a fee and we haven't caught it, tell us — we log corrections publicly.
- Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) — dfi.wi.gov
- Wisconsin tax authority — revenue.wi.gov
Keep reading
More on Wisconsin, and the states most like it
This page is the raw record. These are the places that record gets used — and the states whose rules work the same way.
- Wisconsin filing deadlinesWhen the annual report is due, and what late costs
- What an LLC costs in WisconsinThe whole first year — $155
- What an LLC costs in IowaNext door, $105 less
- What an LLC costs in MichiganNext door, $80 less
- What an LLC costs in IllinoisNext door, $70 more
- What an LLC costs in MinnesotaNext door, and the same $155
- What an LLC costs in West VirginiaCosts about the same — $155
- What an LLC costs in NevadaThe "cheap incorporation state" that costs $350 a year to keep
- What an LLC costs in MassachusettsThe most expensive state in the country — $1,000
- How we verify every figureOur sourcing standard