Wisconsin Corporation cost

Forming a Wisconsin Corporation

You file Articles of Incorporation - Business Corporation (Form 2) with the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions (DFI), Division of Corporate and Consumer Services. The state fee is $100. See the official fee.

File it yourself with the state →

Every year after

• Annual Report: $25, filed every year. Due: By the end of the calendar quarter in which the corporation was incorporated: March 31, June 30, September 30 or December 31. $25 online, $40 on paper.
• First one: The year after the year of incorporation, by the end of the quarter containing the incorporation date.
• If you're late: No late fee listed; a delinquent corporation can cure by filing the current report and paying back fees, but failure to file for several years typically leads to administrative dissolution.
• Official report page

State taxes that apply even to a small Corporation

• Corporation franchise tax: $0 — No minimum franchise tax: C corporations pay 7.9% of Wisconsin net income, so a corporation with no income owes nothing. Corporations with gross receipts of $4M or more also owe the economic development surcharge (minimum $25). LLCs taxed as partnerships or disregarded entities do not pay it source

Worth knowing

• An LLC costs $130 to form online or $170 on paper; a business corporation starts at $100 and a nonstock (nonprofit) corporation costs $35.
• Annual reports cost $25 online ($40 on paper) and are due by the end of the calendar quarter in which the entity was formed, starting the following year.
• Foreign entities pay $65 online ($80 on paper) for annual reports, due March 31.
• No minimum franchise tax; corporations pay 7.9% of net income.

Registered agent

Wisconsin requires a registered agent. Agent must be a Wisconsin resident individual or an existing entity; the registered office is the agent's physical Wisconsin address. You can serve as your own agent if you have a qualifying address; paid services usually charge a yearly fee.