Forming a US Company in 2026: Costs and Changes
Firstbase Start costs $99 under a current offer (listed at $399), plus the state fee and a required registered agent at $299 a year. Stripe Atlas costs $500, including Delaware's filing fee and the first year of registered agent service, and Stripe pays the $500 back when the company deposits $5,000 in a Stripe Treasury account within 90 days of incorporating and keeps it there 30 days. No ZenBusiness package includes a registered agent. Delaware's annual LLC tax is $400 since 2026-01-01.
Prices read on each provider's own pages, and Delaware's and FinCEN's, on 2026-10-08.
Formation services
Each row gives the price, what the first year includes, and what recurs after it. State taxes are extra.
| Service | Package | Price | Entity types and states | State filing fee | Registered agent | After the first year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stripe Atlas | Atlas | $500 one-time | Delaware C corporation or LLC | Included | First year included | Registered agent $100 a year |
| Clerky | Incorporation (pay per use) | $427 one-time | Delaware C corporation only | Included ($203 Delaware expedited fees) | First year included ($125 value) | CSC invoices the registered agent directly; Clerky's help centre lists it at $125 a year |
| Clerky | Company Lifetime Package | $819 one-time | Delaware C corporation only | Included | First year included | Same as above; Clerky's documents for fundraising and hiring included for the company's life |
| Firstbase | Start | $99, shown beside a struck $399 and labelled "OFFER" | LLC or C corporation, in Delaware or Wyoming | Not included | Not included; Firstbase Agent, $299 a year per state, is required | Agent $299 a year |
| doola | Starter | $297 a year | LLC in any state; C corporation in Delaware or Wyoming | Not included | Included while the plan is paid | $297 a year |
| LegalZoom | LLC Basic | $0 | LLC | Not included | Not included; $249 a year | Registered agent $249 a year if bought |
| LegalZoom | LLC Managed Service | $249 | LLC | Not included | Not included; $249 a year | Business advisor $49 a month after 30 days unless cancelled |
| ZenBusiness | Starter | $0 | LLC or corporation | Not included | Not included; $199 a year on the pricing page, $99 for the first year on ZenBusiness's registered-agent page | Worry-Free Compliance $199 a year after a free first year, if kept |
| ZenBusiness | Pro | $199 a year | LLC or corporation | Not included | Not included; $199 a year on the pricing page, $99 for the first year on ZenBusiness's registered-agent page | $199 a year |
| ZenBusiness | Premium | $299 a year | LLC or corporation | Not included | Not included; $199 a year on the pricing page, $99 for the first year on ZenBusiness's registered-agent page | $299 a year |
| Northwest Registered Agent | LLC or corporation | $39 | LLC or corporation, any state | Not included | First year included | Registered agent $125 a year |
Northwest Registered Agent has the lowest first-year cost for forming an LLC with a registered agent: $39, before the state filing fee, and $125 a year after the first year.
Changes in 2025 and 2026
Each row gives what changed, the old and new terms, and when.
| Who | What changed | Before | After | When | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware | Annual tax for LLCs, LPs and GPs | $300 | $400 | Law effective 2026-01-01; due each June 1 for the year before. Delaware's tax page changed between 2026-06-30 and 2026-08-11 | House Bill 400 (85 Del. Laws c. 273); corp.delaware.gov/alt-entitytaxinstructions |
| FinCEN | Beneficial ownership (BOI) report for companies formed in the US | Required | Not required | Exempt since 2025-03-21; final rule effective 2026-08-14 | fincen.gov/boi |
| Stripe Atlas | First-year perk | Free card processing on the first $100,000 for a year | $2,500 in Stripe product credits | Companies incorporated from 2025-10-16; companies that already had the waiver keep it | support.stripe.com waived-fees and Atlas credits FAQs |
| Stripe Atlas | Fee back | $500 when you deposit $5,000 in a Stripe Treasury account within 90 days of incorporating and keep it there 30 days | Advertised from between 2026-09-12 and 2026-09-16 | stripe.com/atlas; docs.stripe.com/atlas/stripe-treasury-offer | |
| Firstbase | Start | $399 | $99, labelled "OFFER" | Between 2026-06-04 and 2026-08-21 | firstbase.io/pricing (archived 2026-06-04, 2026-08-21) |
| Firstbase | Agent tiers | Light $149, Autopilot $299, Payroll $599 a year | One tier, $299 a year | Between 2025-09-10 and 2025-12-22 | firstbase.io/pricing (archived 2025-09-10, 2025-12-22) |
| ZenBusiness | Premium | $299 a year; registered agent extra | $399 a year with registered agent, from late 2025; then $299 a year with registered agent extra again ($199 a year) | $399 between 2025-10-15 and 2025-11-09; back to $299 between 2026-07-23 and 2026-09-17 | zenbusiness.com/pricing-formation-plans (archived 2025-10-15, 2025-11-09, 2026-07-23, 2026-09-17) |
| ZenBusiness | EIN | $99 add-on on every package | Included in Pro and Premium; $99 on Starter | Between 2026-01-25 and 2026-02-10 | zenbusiness.com/pricing-formation-plans (archived 2026-01-25, 2026-02-10) |
| Clerky | BOI filing in the package | "FinCEN BOI report compliance" listed | Removed | Between 2025-07-14 and 2025-08-24 | clerky.com/pricing (archived 2025-07-14, 2025-08-24) |
Delaware state costs
These are the fees and taxes Delaware charges, whichever service files the company.
| Item | Corporation | LLC |
|---|---|---|
| Formation filing fee | $109 minimum for a one-page certificate; more with more stock | $110 |
| Annual tax | Franchise tax: $175 minimum under the Authorized Shares method (5,000 shares or fewer), $400 minimum under the Assumed Par Value Capital method; $200,000 maximum | $400 a year |
| Annual report | $50 | None |
| Due | March 1, for the year before | June 1, for the year before |
| Late payment | $200 penalty plus 1.5% interest a month | $200 penalty plus 1.5% interest a month |
A claim we checked
Stripe's Atlas tax page and its guide to Delaware costs still give the annual LLC tax as $300. Delaware raised it to $400 for every LLC, LP and GP, and the law took effect on 2026-01-01.
Sources
- Stripe Atlas, read 2026-10-08: stripe.com/atlas (price, registered agent renewal, fee back, credits); docs.stripe.com/atlas/stripe-treasury-offer (fee-back terms: 90 days, 30 days); support.stripe.com/questions/waived-payments-processing-fees-for-atlas-users (credits from 2025-10-16); support.stripe.com/questions/atlas-fee-credits-faq (earlier companies keep the waiver); docs.stripe.com/atlas/company-types (entity types); docs.stripe.com/atlas/business-taxes (still says 300 USD)
- Clerky, read 2026-10-08: clerky.com/pricing (prices, $203 Delaware fees, first-year agent); help.clerky.com/article/2790-invoice-registered-agent-service-legitimate (CSC invoices renewals); help.clerky.com/article/2824-minimum-ongoing-costs ($125 a year); clerky.com/pricing, archived 2025-07-14 (BOI row removed); clerky.com/pricing, archived 2025-08-24 (BOI row removed)
- Firstbase, read 2026-10-08: firstbase.io/pricing; firstbase.io/pricing, archived 2026-06-04 (Start $399 to $99); firstbase.io/pricing, archived 2026-08-21 (Start $399 to $99); firstbase.io/pricing, archived 2025-09-10 (Agent tiers); firstbase.io/pricing, archived 2025-12-22 (Agent tiers)
- doola, read 2026-10-08: doola.com/pricing; doola.com/formation (LLCs in any state); doola.com/c-corp (C corporations in Delaware or Wyoming)
- LegalZoom, read 2026-10-08: legalzoom.com/business/business-formation/llc-overview.html (Basic $0, Managed Service $249); legalzoom.com/business/business-operations/registered-agent-overview.html ($249 a year)
- ZenBusiness, read 2026-10-08: zenbusiness.com/pricing-formation-plans (packages, agent $199 a year); zenbusiness.com/registered-agent ($99 for the first year); zenbusiness.com/pricing-formation-plans, archived 2025-10-15 (Premium); zenbusiness.com/pricing-formation-plans, archived 2025-11-09 (Premium); zenbusiness.com/pricing-formation-plans, archived 2026-07-23 (Premium); zenbusiness.com/pricing-formation-plans, archived 2026-09-17 (Premium); zenbusiness.com/pricing-formation-plans, archived 2026-01-25 (EIN); zenbusiness.com/pricing-formation-plans, archived 2026-02-10 (EIN)
- Northwest Registered Agent, read 2026-10-08: northwestregisteredagent.com/llc; northwestregisteredagent.com/corporation; northwestregisteredagent.com/registered-agent ($125 a year)
- Delaware, read 2026-10-08: corp.delaware.gov/alt-entitytaxinstructions ($400, June 1); corp.delaware.gov/paytaxes (franchise tax, $50 report, March 1, penalty); corpfiles.delaware.gov/Fee_Schedule/AugustFee2026.pdf (formation fees); legis.delaware.gov/SessionLaws/Chapter?id=42436 (House Bill 400, Section 45: effective 2026-01-01); corp.delaware.gov/alt-entitytaxinstructions, archived 2026-06-30 (the page's $300 to $400); corp.delaware.gov/alt-entitytaxinstructions, archived 2026-08-11 (the page's $300 to $400)
- FinCEN, read 2026-10-08: fincen.gov/boi (US companies exempt; final rule effective 2026-08-14)