Cost to start an LLC in District of Columbia (2026)

What an LLC costs in District of Columbia

Washington, D.C. costs $99 to form and $300 for the biennial report (every two years). An Unincorporated Business Franchise Tax can apply to LLCs with D.C. net income above the filing threshold.

Every LLC has two kinds of cost: a one-time state filing fee to form it, and recurring costs to keep it in good standing — the annual or biennial report, any franchise/privilege tax, and a registered agent. The calculator above adds these up for your first year and over five years so you can compare District of Columbia honestly against other states.

How this is calculated

1. Filing fee — the standard online Articles of Organization fee, charged once.
2. Report fee — District of Columbia's annual or biennial report; biennial fees are shown as a per-year average.
3. Franchise / privilege tax — any flat state tax an LLC owes each year regardless of income.
4. Publication — a one-time newspaper-publication cost, which only New York, Arizona, and Nebraska require.
5. Registered agent — $0 if you act as your own, or a yearly fee for a commercial service.

What it doesn't include: income-based taxes (e.g. gross-receipts or margin taxes that only apply above high revenue thresholds), business licenses specific to your industry, or professional fees. It's a clean baseline of the mandatory state costs.

Data as of July 2026. District of Columbia filing and report fees are from the state Secretary of State, cross-checked against LLC-cost datasets. Fees change — confirm on the state's own site before filing.