Updated August 10, 2026. Quick answer. Forming an LLC in Wisconsin costs $130 online; $170 paper to file, and an ongoing report requirement ($25 online; $40 paper). Five-year total: $255 over five years, every component verified.
What it actually costs
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Formation filing fee | $130 online; $170 paper |
| Annual/biennial report | $25 online; $40 paper |
| Franchise / minimum tax | none for an LLC taxed as a partnership |
| Publication requirement | No newspaper publication requirement was found. |
Five-year cost of ownership: $255 over five years, every component verified. Publication cost is excluded from this figure — it’s county-driven where it applies, not state-driven, so a single number would be wrong for most filers.
Expedited filing: $100 next day; $250 in-person 4-hour; $500 in-person 1-hour
The trap worth knowing before you file
Fees from DFI’s own published schedule; due-date basis from the DFI business-entity FAQ (https://dfi.wi.gov/Pages/BusinessServices/BusinessEntities/FAQ.aspx); surcharge treatment quoted verbatim from WI DOR Publication 400 (02/26) at https://www.revenue.wi.gov/DOR%20Publications/pb400.pdf, read directly. Access note: www.wdfi.org does not resolve (no DNS record) — the live domain is dfi.wi.gov, and its /Pages/BusinessServices/Corporations/* paths 404 in favour of /Pages/BusinessServices/BusinessEntities/*.
Source
Wis. Stat. ch. 183 (LLC Act); Wis. Stat. secs. 77.93-77.96 (economic development surcharge); WDFI corporation fee schedule. Read 2026-08-06 from official. Formation-service sites were not used as a source for this figure.
Once the LLC exists, an operating agreement is what actually runs it
This is free to browse and there is no obligation to buy anything — LawDepot builds a state-specific LLC operating agreement through a question-and-answer form.
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If the LLC already exists somewhere else
Everything above prices forming a new Wisconsin LLC. A company that already exists in another state does not have to be dissolved and re-formed: Wisconsin takes it in as the same legal entity by the route its own code captions conversion, Wis. Stat. § 183.1041(2), and the entity-law filing fee for it is $150 — a separate filing from the formation costs above. Going the other way, a Wisconsin LLC may leave for another US state under Wis. Stat. § 183.1041(1). Either way the move needs both ends to allow it — the state being left as well as the state being joined — which is where most published advice goes wrong.
How to Move an LLC to Another State · LLC Domestication by State: All 51 Jurisdictions, With the Statute
What letting it lapse costs in Wisconsin. The catch-up bill is only half the story — in Wisconsin recodified in 2023, with no deadline to reinstate, but the exclusive right to the name ends on the dissolution date itself. The figures, and the statute they come from, are on reinstating a Wisconsin LLC.
Wisconsin LLC Annual Report: Anniversary-Quarter Deadline
Use these official filing checkpoints when reconciling the recurring-cost estimate on this page.
- Wisconsin includes Chapter 183 limited liability companies among the entity types required to file annual reports.
- A domestic entity files in each year after its registration year, during the calendar quarter containing its registration anniversary.
- The quarter deadlines are March 31, June 30, September 30, and December 31.
Match the entity’s formation or registration record, filing mode, and current status to the controlling rule before submitting; use the official filing authority for the current interface.
Compare LLC reporting systems across all jurisdictions, then verify this state’s rule in the official source.
Moving an LLC you already own is a different question from what it costs to form a new one here: Wisconsin’s statute calls the mechanism conversion, at Wis. Stat. § 183.1041(2). See how to move an LLC to Wisconsin.
Looking for the annual-report due date and fee instead? See Wisconsin LLC annual report.
Related: Wisconsin’s registered agent requirements, including who can serve and what happens if you don’t have one.
Related: Wisconsin’s LLC Certificate of Good Standing cost, including who issues it and how fast you can get one.