Costs

The Real Cost of a US LLC in Year 1 (Non-Resident, 2026): Hidden Fees Exposed

The $99 LLC ad you saw on YouTube is a lie. Here's the actual breakdown of every dollar you'll spend in your first year, including the costs nobody talks about.

Published on 6 min readShare

If a service advertises "$99 LLC", run. Here's what year 1 actually costs.

Mandatory costs (year 1)

ItemWyomingNew MexicoDelaware
State filing fee$100$50$110
Registered Agent (year 1)$99-$150$99-$150$99-$150
EIN application$0 (DIY) or $150-$300 (service)samesame
Operating Agreement$0 (DIY template) or $50-$200samesame
Mailing address (if needed)$9-$20/mo$9-$20/mo$9-$20/mo
Subtotal mandatory$300-$700$250-$650$310-$710

Likely costs (year 1)

  • Mercury / Wise account opening: $0
  • ITIN application (if needed): $150-$400
  • Form 5472 + 1120 prep: $200-$500 (DIY) or $899/yr (service)
  • Bookkeeping: $0-$50/month for a simple business
  • Tax preparer for your country (Brazil/EU/etc.): $200-$1,000 depending on complexity

Optional costs that "save you money"

  • Domain + website: $10/yr domain + $0-$20/mo hosting
  • Logo: $0-$200
  • Stripe account: free (% per transaction)
  • PayPal account: free (% per transaction)
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Realistic total for year 1

  • DIY everything: $400-$800
  • Use a service like LLCora Basic ($149): $149 + $0 (RA included) + Form 5472 self-prep ≈ $200 total in year 1
  • Use Doola Total Compliance: $2,300+ in year 1

What about the "$99 LLC" ads?

Those services typically charge:

  • $99 to file (looks great)
  • + $250 for "expedited filing" (forced upsell)
  • + $300 for EIN
  • + $150 for Operating Agreement
  • + $99-$199/yr for Registered Agent (often hidden)

Realistic out-of-pocket: $700-$900 in year 1. The $99 was bait.

Our pricing in plain English

  • Basic ($149): NM filing fee paid + Registered Agent year 1 + Articles + Operating Agreement template. EIN is DIY (we provide instructions).
  • Pro ($299): Wyoming + everything in Basic + we file your EIN with the IRS.
  • Premium ($499): Pro + Form 5472 reminder + Mercury guide + ITIN support + 1:1 call.

No hidden upsells. Ever.

LLCora Editorial Team
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