Non-Resident LLC Cost Index 2026

Every cost of forming and running a US LLC as a non-resident founder — formation services, state fees, compliance obligations, and penalties. All figures verified against primary sources and updated quarterly.

Last updated: April 2026CC BY 4.0 — cite with attribution
Formation Fee
$297 – $500
One-time, via service
Year 1 Total
$500 – $3,500
Formation + compliance
Annual Recurring
$660 – $4,900
State + CPA + agent
5-Year Total
$3,550 – $12,500
All-in projection

Formation Service Pricing

Full breakdown →
ServiceFormationYear 1Annual After5-Year Total
Doola$297$297$199/yr agent$10,592*
Firstbase$399$399$199/yr agent + $899/yr tax$5,194
Stripe Atlas$500$500$100/yr agent$5,000–$12,500
DIY$50–$100$200–$800$660–$2,260$3,550–$11,550

5-year totals assume Wyoming LLC. Delaware adds ~$1,200 in additional state fees over 5 years. See full pricing comparison for detailed breakdowns.

Top 5 States for Non-Resident LLCs

All 50 states →
StateFiling FeeAnnual FeePrivacyNote
Wyoming$100$60/yrStrongMost popular for non-residents
Delaware$90$300/yrStrongCourt of Chancery, VC-preferred
New Mexico$50$0/yrStrongestNo annual report, no public disclosure
Nevada$425$350/yrModerateNo state income tax, but expensive
Florida$125$138.75/yrWeakRequires member disclosure

See state comparison guide for full analysis including charging order protection, tax implications, and formation service availability.

Compliance Obligations and Penalties

Full penalty schedule →
ObligationAnnual CostPenalty if MissedWho
Form 5472 + pro forma 1120$500 – $2,000/yr$25,000/form/yearEvery foreign-owned LLC
Registered agent$100 – $249/yrEntity can be dissolvedEvery LLC
State annual report$0 – $300/yr$200 + 1.5%/mo (DE)Most states
FBAR (FinCEN 114)$0 (self-file)$10,000+ per accountIf foreign accounts > $10K
BOI report (FinCEN)$0 (self-file)$500/day, up to $10,000Every LLC (annual from 2025)
Bookkeeping$0 – $200/moN/A (but needed for 5472)Recommended

How we collect this data

All pricing data is sourced directly from provider websites, state secretary of state offices, and IRS publications. Formation service costs are verified against public pricing pages at least quarterly. State fees are cross-referenced with official state filing portals. CPA cost ranges are based on published fee schedules and community-reported quotes from r/tax, r/smallbusiness, and cross-border founder forums.

This data is published under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. You are free to share, adapt, and build upon this data for any purpose, including commercially, as long as you provide attribution to Global Solo with a link to this page.

Not sure what applies to you?

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