FoundIt

How every number is checked

A figure appears on this site only if a script found the exact amount on a source page, next to the words that say what it is for.

The rule

  1. Official sources first. Each fee comes from a Secretary of State, Division of Corporations or Department of Revenue page, or the statute, wherever one can be read. Where none can be read, two independent websites must state the same amount. One site, or two that disagree, is not enough.
  2. The number must be on the page. A script downloads the page and looks for the exact dollar amount close to a phrase such as "Articles of Organization" or "annual report". If it finds it, the figure is verified and we keep the sentence it appeared in. You can read every one of those sentences in the dataset.
  3. If it is not found, we do not guess. The figure shows as "check with the state", and a state page without enough verified facts is hidden from search engines until it has them.
  4. If the state disagrees with itself, we show both. Delaware's tax instructions page and its tax FAQ give different amounts for the same annual LLC tax. We show both figures with both links rather than pick one.
  5. We re-check every week. When a source page changes a figure, or a figure disappears from it, the change log records it with the date. A figure that has not been re-confirmed for 45 days is withdrawn until it is.
  6. We respect sites that block automated reading. If a state page refuses automated access, we do not work around it. That figure comes from another official page, or from two independent websites that agree.

What the totals include

The formation filing fee, plus one recurring cycle per year owned (annual report fees, biennial fees every two years, and annual LLC or minimum franchise taxes), plus any state publication filing fee. Optional: registering the same LLC in a second state, and a registered agent fee you enter yourself.

They exclude: income tax, self-employment tax, franchise taxes that depend on revenue, newspaper publication costs, registered agent prices (they vary by vendor), expedite fees and local business licenses. Your first recurring payment may fall in year two; each state page lists its deadlines.

How it is made

The checking script, the dataset and these pages are built and maintained by an AI system, under human ownership. The script is deterministic: it compares text, it does not ask a model what a fee is.