Last updated
A Wisconsin LLC exists once the Department of Financial Institutions files your articles of organization. Online the fee is $130. On paper it is $170. The department's fee schedule lists both, plus a $100 option for next business day handling. Our Wisconsin business guide explains how to search the records afterwards.
Where do you file in Wisconsin?
DFI handles business registrations because the state has no Secretary of State registry. Online filing goes through DFI's file online page. Paper forms are listed on the department's forms page. The FAQ says an attorney is not mandatory, though DFI cannot give legal advice and the people forming the company choose the entity type.
The articles are signed and delivered by an organizer. An LLC may have more than one.
How do you pick a name?
The name needs one of these: limited liability company, limited company, LLC or LC. Limited may be written Ltd. and company may be Co. Under Wis. Stat. 183.0112 the name must be distinguishable on the department's records.
Search the corporate records first. Phone answers are tentative, and the name is yours only after the filing is accepted. To hold a name while you get ready, file Form 1 under Wis. Stat. 183.0113. It costs $15 for an LLC and lasts 120 days. The fee is not refunded if the name turns out unavailable. See our name reservation guide.
What does the registered agent need?
The agent is an individual or existing entity resident in Wisconsin. The agent needs a physical street address, not solely a PO box or mailbox service, and an email address. The LLC cannot name itself. The full rules and the change fee are on our Wisconsin registered agent page.
How do you file, step by step?
- Check the name in the corporate records.
- Choose an agent and a registered office in Wisconsin.
- Decide whether members or managers run the company. Wisconsin treats an LLC as member-managed unless the written operating agreement provides otherwise.
- File the articles online for $130, or on paper for $170.
- Add expedited service if you need it. Next business day is $100 per transaction. At the Madison counter, four hours costs $250 and one hour costs $500.
Keep the filed articles with your records.
What comes after approval?
Write an operating agreement, because it is where management is set. Next get an EIN and open a bank account. Wisconsin entities do not report owners to DFI, so the agreement is where you set out ownership for your own records.
What does a Wisconsin LLC file each year?
An annual report, required by Wis. Stat. 183.0212. Online it costs $25, and paper adds a $15 surcharge. It is due in the calendar quarter of the anniversary of your formation, so the date depends on when you formed:
| Formed in | Report due |
|---|---|
| January to March | March 31 |
| April to June | June 30 |
| July to September | September 30 |
| October to December | December 31 |
The first report comes in the year after you formed. A foreign LLC files by March 31. The report names a manager or member, the agent and the principal office.
Miss it and the record turns delinquent. If that goes on for years, DFI can dissolve the LLC administratively. The status codes are explained in our annual report deadline guide.
What is different about Wisconsin?
The filer is DFI, not a Secretary of State, so look for the department when you need forms or records. The report date also moves with your formation quarter rather than sitting on one day for every company.
Out-of-state owners can form here too. See LLC for non-residents. Neighbouring states: Michigan, Minnesota and Iowa.
When you are ready, the start an LLC form is the next step.
After approval, check the rules in our Wisconsin business license guide.