Every state · KY
Forming an LLC in Kentucky from outside the United States.
Here's what Kentucky charges to form and keep a company, what it asks for every year, and what its public record shows about you. You'll also get a straight answer on whether a founder abroad should form here at all.
01The figures
What does a Kentucky LLC cost to form and keep?
State fees for a domestic LLC filed online, checked against the Kentucky Secretary of State in September 2026.
- Filing fee
- $40
- Recurring charge
- $190 a year
- Processing
- Online filings are usually approved within a few business days
- Five-year state cost
- $975
Between 1 January and 30 June each year, starting the year after the LLC is formed
As the state publishes it
The filing fee and every state charge due in the first five years
State income tax
Kentucky taxes an owner's share of profit earned in Kentucky. Every Kentucky LLC also pays the limited liability entity tax, $175 at minimum, because being formed in Kentucky counts as doing business there.
The public record
The annual report lists the members of a member-managed LLC, or the managers of a manager-managed one, with an address for each, and they're public on the state's business search.
On the recurring charge
The $15 is the annual report to the Secretary of State. The other $175 is the minimum limited liability entity tax, paid to the Department of Revenue with the LLC's tax return, whether or not the company earned anything.
Checked September 2026 against the Kentucky Secretary of State. If a figure here has changed, email us and we'll correct it.
02The straight answer
Should a founder abroad form in Kentucky?
Kentucky looks like the cheapest state to keep an LLC in, at $40 to form and $15 for the annual report. It isn't. Kentucky treats any LLC formed there as doing business in the state, so each one also owes the limited liability entity tax, $175 a year at minimum, even with a single owner who lives abroad. That makes the real yearly cost $190, far more than Wyoming's. The annual report also lists the members or managers, and the state shows them publicly.
Kentucky is right anyway when
- You'll have staff, an office, a warehouse or property in the state
- A bank, a marketplace or a licensing body has told you the company must be formed in this state
| Kentucky | WyomingWe file here | DelawareWe file here | |
|---|---|---|---|
| To file | $40 | $102.40 | $110 |
| Every year | $190 a year | $60 a year | $400 a year |
| Five years | $975 | $342.40 | $1,710 |
| Owners public | Yes | No | No |
| State income tax | Kentucky taxes an owner's share of profit earned in Kentucky | No personal or corporate income tax | No Delaware income tax on a company that doesn't do business in Delaware |
03What we would file instead
The same company, in Wyoming.
A Wyoming LLC costs $102.40 to file, keeps owners off the public record, and is the state banks and payment processors are used to seeing from founders abroad. Here's the whole first year, from the same price list checkout uses.
| WYOMING | Starter | StandardMost chosen | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Our feeCharged once, when you confirm | $289 | $499 | $1,299 |
| Wyoming filing feePaid to the state, passed through at cost | $102.40 | $102.40 | Included |
| Due on the dayBefore any extras you choose | $391.40 | $601.40 | $1,299 |
| Then, every yearOur registered agent renewal and Wyoming's yearly charge | $179 | $309 | $1,059 |
Extras are optional and asked one at a time, each with its price. Filing yours ahead of our next batch costs $75. We email you before anything renews.
04Questions
Questions about a Kentucky LLC.
If yours is not here, email us at [email protected] before you order.
Yes. Every LLC formed in Kentucky owes the limited liability entity tax, and the minimum is $175 a year, even for a single-member LLC owned by one person. Kentucky counts being formed under its law as doing business in the state. The tax is filed with the Department of Revenue, separately from the $15 annual report.
Yes. Kentucky, like every state, doesn't require an LLC's owners to be US citizens or residents. It does require a registered agent with a street address in Kentucky. Its recurring filing is due between 1 January and 30 June each year, starting the year after the LLC is formed.
It costs $40 to file, and then $190 a year, counting the $175 minimum limited liability entity tax. Over five years that comes to $975 in state charges. A Wyoming LLC costs $342.40 over the same five years.
No. We file in Wyoming and Delaware only. For a founder outside the US, they're the two states worth being in, and we'd rather know two states well than fifty a little. If your business will have staff, an office, stock or property in Kentucky, it'll need to register there whichever state formed it, and we'll tell you so before you order.
05Every state
Every other state, with its figures.
Each state's filing fee and recurring charge, as published in September 2026. Kentucky is highlighted.
Ready when you are
Form it in the state that suits you.
Most founders abroad choose Wyoming for an LLC, or Delaware for a corporation that will raise money. The order form explains the trade-off where you choose.