FormByState is an independent cost reference for people forming an LLC in the United States. The site exists for one reason. The advertised price of forming an LLC and the actual price of owning one are two different numbers, and most formation marketing shows you only the smaller one.

Our work is built around a single idea. The honest price of an LLC is two numbers, not one headline: what you pay in the first year, and what repeats every year after. A formation offer can look nearly free in the first year and become expensive once registered agent renewals, report filing charges, and recurring provider fees are counted. Another offer can look plain at the start and cost far less every year after. This site does the arithmetic in the open, state by state and provider by provider, so you can compare totals instead of slogans.

The core of the site is its state data. Every state has its own filing fee, its own report schedule, and its own registered agent rules. Those facts change, and they matter more to your total cost than any coupon. State fees on this site are sourced from state filing offices, the agencies that actually collect the money. Each state page shows its source and the date the fee was checked, so you can verify the number at the official source yourself in a minute.

Provider prices get the same treatment. Prices are checked on merchant pricing pages, most recently on October 25, 2026, and checked again monthly. When a provider charges $39 for formation, or offers agent service free for the first year and then charges a renewal, we record the renewal with the same prominence as the offer. Checkout totals can vary with the options a buyer selects, so the merchant page always governs in the end. Our comparisons explain their method in full on the page that describes how we compare providers and build our rankings.

FormByState is a faceless research publication. There is no office to visit, no sales team, and no law firm behind this site. There are no attorneys on staff, and nothing here is legal advice or tax advice. We publish general information about formation costs and state requirements, gathered from public sources and checked on a schedule. For decisions that turn on your personal circumstances, your ownership structure, or your tax picture, the right resource is an attorney or an accountant in your state who can advise you directly.

We are also plain about how the site supports itself. Some pages contain affiliate links to formation and registered agent providers. If a reader uses one of those links and buys, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to the reader. Commissions never change a ranking, never change a fee we publish, and never buy a place in a comparison. The full details are in our affiliate disclosure. If a provider with no affiliate program is the cheapest honest option for a given reader, our tools still show the do it yourself route and that provider on the same terms as every other option.

Use the site in whatever order helps you. Run the cost calculator for your state. Check whether serving as your own registered agent suits your situation. Put your report deadline in the compliance calendar view and set a reminder. Then file, directly with your state or through a provider you chose with both totals in front of you, knowing what the LLC will actually cost to form and to keep.