Cheapest LLC formation in Delaware

What does the state of Delaware charge to form and keep an LLC?

Two state charges are fixed for every Delaware LLC: the filing fee once, and the LLC tax each year. No provider can discount either.

The $110 filing fee is the same whether you submit the certificate yourself or a service does it. Every provider on this page quotes its own price without the state fee.

The tax is the larger fixed cost. Delaware LLCs file no annual report ($0), but they pay $400 a year, and the instructions say "The annual taxes for the prior year are due on or before June 1st." In practice that means an LLC formed this year makes its first payment by the following June 1. The yearly tax alone is more than the filing fee.⁸

Two other fixed fees apply only in some cases. Holding a name in advance costs $75 for 120 days, which you can skip when the certificate is ready to go. An LLC already formed in another state that registers to do business in Delaware pays $200 instead of the formation fee.^{1, 9}

What adds to the cost of a Delaware LLC?

The bill grows past the fixed fees in four ways: faster processing, the registered agent, add-ons in formation packages, and penalties when the tax or the agent lapses.

Faster processing

Regular processing has no extra charge, but the Division says regular processing varies with volume, so it publishes no standard time. The two paid options listed for LLC formations are 24-hour filing for $50 more and same-day filing for $100 more. No contract or bank deadline tied to the start date? Then a rush buys nothing you need. When a package advertises fast handling, ask whether it pays one of these state fees or only speeds up the provider's side.^{1, 10}

The registered agent

The agent is the one recurring cost you can shop on. The statute requires an agent having a business office identical with such registered office in Delaware, and that shapes the options.⁵

1. Use an agent that costs nothing. The statute lists an individual resident in Delaware and the LLC itself among those who may serve, but either needs a business office at the registered office in Delaware. For an owner who lives in the state, that can mean no agent fee at all.⁵
2. Take a year bundled with formation, then pay the renewal.
3. Buy the agent on its own at a published yearly price, as listed below.

Switching later costs $50, so a bundled agent whose renewal is too high can be replaced; the new agent goes on record first, and the old service is cancelled after. The steps are in how to change a registered agent.¹

Add-ons sold with formation

At checkout, expect offers for a federal tax ID (EIN), an ownership agreement template, mail or address services and compliance plans, each sold alone or as the reason for a pricier tier. Annual report services are worth a second look in Delaware, since the state says "There is no requirement to file an Annual Report," and the package descriptions on this page don't say they pay the LLC tax.⁸

Penalties after a lapse

Missing the tax deadline adds a $200 penalty plus 1.5% interest per month on tax and penalty, and the interest keeps running until you pay. Losing the agent can cost more: if an agent resigns and the LLC does not designate a new agent within 30 days of the agent's resignation, its certificate of formation is canceled. Reviving it costs $220, and any unpaid annual taxes and penalties are not included in this figure. The Delaware compliance page sets out the yearly calendar.^{1, 5, 6}

Which providers publish the lowest prices for a Delaware LLC?

Each row shows a provider's yearly agent fee, what it renews at and its entry formation package. The order is our score, highest first, ties in editorial order; it isn't sorted by price.

In that order, here is each entry option's first-year cost on top of the $110 filing fee and its cost in later years, leaving out the $400 tax that every LLC pays.

Tailor Brands. Lite is $0 plus state fees, with no agent listed, so add $199/year for one or name your own. Its Essential plan, at $199/yr plus state fees, recurs every year. Tailor Brands' full terms are in our review.^{11, 12}

ZenBusiness. Starter is $0 + state fees (does not renew). The agent is an add-on at +$199/yr, with 50% off the first year ($99) when you form an LLC, and then $199/yr. Starter also includes Worry-Free Compliance free for 1 year (then $199/yr); check the date it starts charging. The ZenBusiness review lists its add-on prices.^{13, 14}

LegalZoom. Basic is $0 + state filing fees. The agent is $249/year (first-time registered agent customers), renewing at the purchase rate, and LegalZoom notes: "The renewal rate is subject to change." The LegalZoom review has the rest.^{15, 16}

Bizee. Basic is $0 + state fee with the agent's first year included, so year one comes down to the filing fee. From the second year the agent is $149/year (ongoing annual fee). Its renewal and refund terms are in the Bizee review.⁷

Swyft Filings. Basic is $0 + state fees, but the agent is billed by the quarter, which comes to $596/year. No agent is listed in the package, so ask before checkout. Every tier also comes with a trial of ComplianceGuard $199/year, a 14-day free trial then auto-charged, so cancel it before the trial ends if you don't want it. Our Swyft Filings review covers the billing.^{17, 18, 19}

doola. Starter includes the agent, but the plan is $297/yr, so the full plan price recurs rather than an agent fee alone. Plan details are in the doola review.²⁰

Northwest Registered Agent. Formation is $39 + State Fees. Its corporation page calls that price a total that includes one year of registered agent service, but the LLC page doesn't say so; the agent alone is $125 per year. Cancelling carries no cancellation fee. Northwest's review has its fee list.^{21, 22, 23, 24}

Rocket Lawyer. The first registration is free with a Rocket Lawyer membership, and "Additional registrations are $99 each." Membership starts at $149/year, and the agent ($125 with a Plus or Pro membership) needs at least Plus, at $249/year. Add the membership to every year's cost. Membership tiers are set out in the Rocket Lawyer review.^{25, 26, 27}

InCorp Services. InCorp prices formation starting at $99 plus state fees, with the registered agent sold separately at $129 per state per year. Although it advertises a flat yearly rate, its terms let renewals be billed at the then current registered agent service fee. Its cancellation conditions are in the InCorp review.^{28, 29, 30}

Harbor Compliance. Formation is priced starting at $99 plus state fees. The agent costs $99 first year (new customers), then $159 annually, and stopping the renewal needs notice at least 90 days before the end of the current term. Its terms are summarized in the Harbor Compliance review.^{31, 32, 33}

Agent-only prices across all states are on the cheapest registered agent services page, and the services themselves are compared on Delaware registered agents compared.