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How to start an LLC in Wisconsin: checklist (2026)
To start an LLC in Wisconsin, file the Articles of Organization - Limited Liability Company (Form 502) with the Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) for $130, name a registered agent, get a free EIN and check your local licenses. Mainstay Filing, our best overall pick, does the filing, the agent, the EIN application and the report for $199 a year.
- Official sources, checked October 20, 2026
Wisconsin checklist
- File the formation document. Articles of Organization - Limited Liability Company (Form 502), Department of Financial Institutions (DFI), $130.
- Name a registered agent. Required. A Wisconsin resident, or a business entity formed in Wisconsin or authorized there, whose business office is the registered office. The agent needs an email address and has to consent.
- Get an EIN. Free from the IRS online.
- Check licenses. We could not confirm a general-license statement from Wisconsin’s own pages, so check with your city or county. The state’s starting-a-business page is a good place to begin.
- Keep it current. Annual Report, yearly: $25, due end of the calendar quarter containing the llc's anniversary date.
Mainstay Filing
$199 / year, same at renewal
- LLC formation, prepared and filed
- Registered agent, all year
- EIN application (with an SSN or ITIN)
- Annual report filed every year it is due where the state requires one
- Compliance reminders and stored documents
Price from the Mainstay Filing pricing and FAQ pages, checked October 21, 2026. State fees are passed through at cost and shown before you pay.
Questions
How much does it cost to start an LLC in Wisconsin?
The state filing fee is $130 for the Articles of Organization - Limited Liability Company (Form 502). The first Annual Report later costs $25.
Do I need a registered agent in Wisconsin?
Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.
Do I need a business license in Wisconsin?
We could not confirm a general-license statement from Wisconsin’s own pages, so check with your city or county. The state’s starting-a-business page is a good place to begin.
Sources
- Wis. Stat. § 183.0201 (formation; articles of organization); fee § 183.0122(2)(a)1 ('Articles of organization, $130') (multira state research spine): dfi.wi.gov/Documents/BusinessServices/BusinessEntities/Forms/CORP502.pdf, checked August 12, 2026
- Wisconsin formation fee: Filing fee, official source read 2026-10-01: dfi.wi.gov/Pages/BusinessServices/BusinessEntities/Fees.aspx, checked October 1, 2026
- Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate & Consumer Services (multira state research spine): dfi.wi.gov/Documents/BusinessServices/BusinessEntities/Forms/CORP5.pdf, checked August 12, 2026
- Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate & Consumer Services (multira state research spine): dfi.wi.gov/Documents/BusinessServices/BusinessEntities/Forms/CORP5i.pdf, checked August 12, 2026
- Wisconsin report due date (multira state research spine, due dates verified 714/714): docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/183/II/0210, checked August 12, 2026
- Wisconsin registered agent statute (Wis. Stat. § 183.0115): docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/183/i/0115, checked October 20, 2026
- Department of Financial Institutions (DFI): dfi.wi.gov/, checked October 20, 2026
- IRS: Get an employer identification number: www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/get-an-employer-identification-number, checked October 21, 2026
- Wisconsin One Stop Business Portal (starting a business): onestop.wi.gov/OpenMyBusiness, checked October 21, 2026