Forming a Wisconsin LLC: The Fees, the Form, the Process
$199 is our flat fee to prepare and file your Articles of Organization, on top of Wisconsin's $130 DFI filing fee. Every Wisconsin LLC also has to keep a registered agent on file continuously — that's a separate $99/year line item, billed apart from formation.
A Wisconsin LLC comes to life through one filing with the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions (DFI). No Secretary of State involved here; the DFI runs the show. Filing online is $130, paper is $170, and once approved you shift into maintenance mode. Below: every step, every number, and where we fit in.
Set Up Your Wisconsin LLC for $199
One-time $199: we prep the Articles, file them with the DFI, and tell you the moment they clear. Most filings clear in a matter of business days.
Why an LLC Here
Liability protection like a corporation, taxes like a sole proprietorship. That trade is why the LLC dominates among Wisconsin freelancers, contractors, and small firms.
The $130 Wisconsin LLC Filing Fee, Plus Everything Else
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Our LLC formation service | $199 one-time |
| Wisconsin DFI filing fee, online | $130 one-time |
| Wisconsin DFI filing fee, paper | $170 one-time |
| Registered agent (mandatory, ongoing) | $99/year |
| Annual report, online | $25/year |
That $130 online rate is the statutory fee under Wis. Stat. § 183.0122(2)(a)1; the law lets the DFI charge extra for paper, hence $170. Need it faster? Expedited service is an extra $100, strictly optional. The DFI posts its full schedule on its official fee page.
Form 502 (Corp502): Wisconsin's Articles of Organization
The formation document carries the official name Articles of Organization - Limited Liability Company, DFI Form 502 (Corp502). Formation authority sits in Wis. Stat. § 183.0201. The form wants five things: your LLC's name, the registered agent, the registered office address, whether members or managers run the company, and who the organizers are.
Note the fine print on Form 502, where the state prints in its own words that the entity may not name itself as its own registered agent. Plan for a separate person or company in that seat from day one.
Wisconsin LLC Formation Steps, in Order
- Clear the name. It needs an LLC designator and cannot collide with any name already in the DFI's records. Run the state's entity search first; it takes two minutes.
- Lock in a registered agent. Required for every Wisconsin LLC, continuously, with a business office identical to a registered office at a physical Wisconsin street address. Whatever name and address go here become public. Ours can go there instead of yours for $99/year.
- File Form 502 with the DFI. Online with $130, or on paper with $170. Expedited processing runs $100 extra if you want it. Approval usually lands within a few business days.
- Write the operating agreement. The state never sees it, but your bank will ask for it and your co-owners will need it. Ownership splits, payouts, voting, exits. Skip it and Wisconsin's default LLC statute fills the gaps its own way.
- Grab the EIN. Free at IRS.gov, roughly ten minutes, issued instantly. Ignore anyone charging for this.
- Maintain it. Keep the agent seat filled, file the $25 online annual report during your anniversary quarter every year, keep business money separate from personal money, and pay your taxes. Let the annual report slide and the DFI can dissolve the LLC under Wis. Stat. § 183.0708.
Prefer we handle the filing? $199 once and we take it from there.
The Registered Agent Piece
From filing day forward, your Wisconsin LLC needs an agent on record at all times. The role demands a real Wisconsin street address, presence through business hours to accept lawsuits and official mail, and a fast handoff so you keep your full response window.
List yourself and your address joins the DFI's public database for anyone to search. List us and it does not. $99 per year.
FAQs
How much does it cost to form an LLC in Wisconsin?
$130 to the DFI if you file online, $170 on paper. Our optional filing service is a flat $199 on top. Recurring: the $25 online annual report.
How long does it take to form an LLC in Wisconsin?
Figure a few business days for standard processing, less if you pay the DFI's optional $100 expedited fee.
Does Wisconsin require an annual report?
Yes, every year, due by the end of the calendar quarter your LLC's anniversary falls in. $25 online, $40 on paper.
Do I need a registered agent for my Wisconsin LLC?
Yes, always, with a physical Wisconsin address. And your LLC cannot appoint itself; Wisconsin requires a separate person or company in the seat.
Can I form an LLC in Wisconsin if I live in another state?
Yes. Ownership has no residency requirement. Only the registered agent must be in Wisconsin, and that is exactly what the $99/year agent product handles.
Start Your Wisconsin LLC the Right Way
DIY filers can go straight to the DFI and pay the $130 online fee. The registered agent requirement applies either way, and our agent product is built for it: a Wisconsin address on the record, same-day imaging of official documents, and reminders before every deadline. $99 annually.
Just want the agent role? The registered agent product is $99 annually.
Curious about other parts of Wisconsin LLC formation or the way our agent product operates? Visit the FAQ page or send a message via contact.
Ready to get started?
Sign up for coverage at the same yearly price — address, scanning, and reminders for state filings.
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