2025 fees Iowa Secretary of State Rank #13 of 51

LLC Costs in Iowa (IA)

$235 all-in for your first year - $50 to file, $60 annual report, plus a registered agent. Iowa is $148 (39%) cheaper than the national average for first-year LLC costs.

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Biennial report ($60) is filed every two years. Iowa has low formation costs and a business-friendly environment for agriculture and manufacturing businesses.

Updated 2025 · Source: Iowa Secretary of State

Lower Articles filing fee

Lower Articles filing fee. $50 one-time SOS filing sits in the bottom third of Articles/formation fees nationwide.Forming an LLC in Iowa costs about $235 in the first year, bottom-third of the 51-row book, about 39% below the national average, ranking #13 of 51. Fees are those published by the Iowa Secretary of State; registered agent is a $125/yr market-rate line, not a vendor quote.

According to the Iowa Secretary of State fee schedule; registered agent normalized at $125/yr. See methodology. How we calculate →

$50
One-time filing fee
$60 (2-yr)
Annual report
$235
First-year total
#13 of 51
Cost rank (1 = cheapest)

Secretary of State fee strip

Fee strip IA · Iowa SOS FY 2026 · rank #13

Iowa · $235 · file $50 · no pub

  • PUB $50
  • PUB $60
  • PUB $235
  • PUB #13/51
  • PUB near South Carolina
  • PUB 39% below avg

Cheap-third stack: stamps derive from this state's Secretary of State fee schedule, not a recommendation of where to form. Read with where this cheap-third stack ranks → · All 51 SOS fee rows →

1. Ohio$2242. Idaho$2253. Iowa$2354. South Carolina$2355. Oklahoma$2506. West Virginia$250
First-year SOS-fee total for Iowa and nearest-cost peers. Source: each Secretary of State + 51-row aggregate.

How the cheap-third $235 stack breaks down

How your $235 first-year total breaks down Registered agent is still the largest piece (53%) even though Iowa sits in the cheaper third overall.
  • State filing fee $50
  • Biennial Report (yr 1) $60
  • Registered agent $125
Cost Item Amount
State Filing Fee $50
Biennial Report $60
Registered Agent $125/yr
Expedited Filing (optional) $100
Total, First Year $235

Ongoing tax burden after formation

Iowa's effective property tax rate of 1.39% ranks among the highest nationally, an ongoing cost that can exceed the $235 formation fee above within a year or two for a property-owning LLC.

Corporate income tax
5.5%
5.5% corporate tax rate, #21 of 51 lowest nationally
Effective property tax rate
1.39%
Of assessed property value, per year

Sources: Tax Foundation state corporate tax rates, Census ACS effective property tax rates.

Fee check: Verify current LLC fees with the Iowa Secretary of State at https://sos.iowa.gov. Not legal or tax advice.

Iowa LLC quick facts (cheap third)

Filing Fee $50
Annual Report $60 (2-yr)
Processing Time 5-7 business days
Expedited $100 → Same business day
Online Filing Available
First-Year Total $235
File with Iowa SOS

Similar Cost States

Arizona $175 Mississippi $175 Missouri $175 New Mexico $175

Still-cheaper peers

Even cheaper first-year SOS stacks than IA (already bottom-third):

Michigan $200 Ohio $224 Idaho $225

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified. Report a data error on this page.

Sources used on this page
  • Iowa Secretary of State - LLC filing fee, annual-report requirement, and processing time. sos.iowa.gov
  • Federation of Tax Administrators - cross-check of state fee and tax figures. taxadmin.org
LLC fees and requirements sourced from the Iowa Secretary of State. See our methodology for details.

Verify with the Iowa Secretary of State →