The process of starting a nonprofit requires a fair amount of savvy and know-how. Building from the ground up, it’s often difficult knowing where to start. Questions arise like “What do I need” and “Why do I need it?” One of the biggest question marks comes up when it’s time to calculate the cost of your nonprofit. Harbor Compliance offers free informational resources for every state that can begin to answer the “whats” and “whys” in your initial budget. We’ve compiled an overview of each state’s associated costs from Harbor Compliance to serve as a helpful stepping stone on the path to starting your own nonprofit organization. Here is the cost of starting a nonprofit in every state.
Alabama
Name reservation: $28
Incorporation: $100 state filing fee + minimum $50 county filing fee
501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee
Alabama charitable registration: $25 ($0 if exempt)
Alaska
Incorporation: $50
Alaska business license: $50
501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee
Alaska charitable registration: $40
Arizona
Incorporation: $40
- Optional $35 expedite fee
Publishing of incorporation: ~$200 (vary based on publication and length of copy)
Arizona state taxes: $12 per license/location
501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee
Arkansas
Incorporation: $45 online or $50 by mail
501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee
California
Incorporation: $30 by mail or $45 in-person
- Optional $250-$500 preclearance service
- Optional $350-$500 expedited filing service
Statement of information: $20
501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee
California Franchise Tax Board (FTB) exemption: $25 ($0 for exemption request)
California charitable registration: $25
Colorado
Incorporation: $50
501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee
Colorado charitable license: $8
Colorado charitable registration: $10
Connecticut
Incorporation: $50
- Optional $50 expedite fee
First report: $50
501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee
Connecticut charitable registration: $50 ($0 if exempt)
Delaware
Incorporation: $89
- $9 for extra pages
- Optional $50-$1,000 expedite fee
- $50 state expedite
- $100 same-day expedite
- $500 ~2 hour expedite
- $1000 1 hour expedite
Delaware Combined Registration Application (CRA) form: varies based on applicable licenses and accounts
501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee
Florida
Incorporation: $70
501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee
Florida sales tax license: $5, if applicable
Florida charitable registration: $10-$400, depending on contributions received during the prior fiscal year ($0 if exempt)
Georgia
Georgia Articles of Incorporation: $100
Georgia Notice of Incorporation: $40
Georgia Initial “Annual” Registration: $50
501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee
Georgia charitable registration: $35
Hawaii
Incorporation: $26
- Optional $25 expedite fee
501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee
Form BB-1 (basic business application): $20
Idaho
Incorporation: $30
- Optional $20 expedite fee
501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee
Illinois
Incorporation: $50 by mail or $77.75 online
- Optional $100 expedite fee
501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee
Form REG-1 (business registration application): varies based on state tax accounts
Illinois charitable registration: $15
Indiana
Incorporation: $30
501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee
Form BT-1 (business tax application): $25 for sales tax license, if required
Iowa
Incorporation: $20
501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee
Iowa business tax registration: varies based on tax accounts and licenses
Kansas
Incorporation: $20
- Optional $20 expedite fee
501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee
Kansas business tax registration: varies based on tax accounts and licenses
Kansas charitable registration: $35
Kentucky
Incorporation: $8
501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee
Louisiana
Incorporation: $75
- Optional $30-$50 expedite fee
- $30 24-hour expedite
- $50 while-you-wait with in-person filing expedite
501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee
Louisiana charitable registration: $25 (no filing if exempt)
Maine
Incorporation: $40
- Optional $50-$100 expedite fee
- $50 24-hour expedite
- $100 immediate expedite
501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee
Maine charitable registration: $50
Maryland
Incorporation: $100 filing fee
- $20 organization & capitalization fee
- $50 development center fee if applying for 501(c)(3), (4), or (6)
- Optional $5 return mail fee
- Optional $50 expedite fee (required when filing online, by fax, or in-person)
501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee
Maryland charitable registration: $0-$300, depending on charitable contributions
Massachusetts
Incorporation: $35
501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee
Massachusetts charitable registration: usually $150
- Initial registration fee of $100 plus: $50 schedule A-2 fee for organizations registering before their initial fiscal year or $35-$2,000 for organizations registering in subsequent fiscal years, depending on gross support and revenue
Michigan
Incorporation: $20
- Optional $50-$1,000 expedite service
- $50 24-hour expedite
- $100 same-day expedite
- $1,000 1-hour expedite
501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee
Minnesota
Incorporation: $70 by mail or $90 online/expedited in-person
501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee
Minnesota charitable registration: $25
Mississippi
Incorporation: $50
501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee
Mississippi charitable registration or exemption: $50
Missouri
Incorporation: $25
501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee
Missouri charitable registration: $15
Montana
Incorporation: $20
501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee
Nebraska
Incorporation: $10
- $5 per page recording fee
Nebraska tax application: usually $0
- Visit Section 15 of the Nebraska Tax Application for programs requiring fees
501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee
Nevada
Incorporation: $50
- Optional $125-$1,000 expedite fee
- $125 24-hour expedite
- $500 2-hour expedite
- $1,000 1-hour expedite
Initial list filing fee (Initial List of Officers and Directors, Nevada State Business License Application, Charitable Solicitation Registration): $50
- $200 business license fee for non-exempt organizations
- Optional $125-$1,000 expedite fee
501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee
New Hampshire
Incorporation: $30
501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee
New Hampshire charitable registration: $25
New Jersey
Incorporation: $75
501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee
New Jersey charitable registration: $30-$250, depending on gross contributions
New Mexico
Incorporation: $25
- Optional $100-$150 expedite fee
- $100 2-day expedite
- $150 1-day expedite
Initial report: $10
501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee
New Mexico charitable registration: $0
New York
Incorporation: $75
- Optional $25-$150 expedite fee
- $25 24-hour expedite
- $75 same-day expedite
- $150 2-hour expedite
501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee
New York State charitable registration: $25 to solicit contributions ($0 if exempt)
North Carolina
Incorporation: $60
- Optional $100-$200 expedite fee
- $100 24-hour expedite
- $200 same-day expedite if submitted by noon
501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee
North Carolina charitable registration: $0-$200 depending on gross contributions ($0 if exempt)
North Dakota
Incorporation: $40
501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee
North Dakota charitable registration: $25
Ohio
Incorporation: $99
501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee
Ohio charitable registration: $50-$200, depending on contributions from Ohio residents during the preceding fiscal year
Oklahoma
Incorporation: $25
501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee
Oklahoma business registration: fees for needed licenses
Oklahoma charitable registration: $15-$65, depending on contributions
Oregon
Incorporation: $50
501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee
Pennsylvania
Incorporation: $125
Incorporation publishing: ~$200
Employer Identification Number (EIN): $0
501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee
PA-100 (Pennsylvania State Tax Identification): $0 + fees for needed licenses
Pennsylvania charitable registration: usually $0 due to exemption
Rhode Island
Incorporation: $35
501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee
Rhode Island Business Application and Registration (BAR): varies based on taxes, licenses and permits required
Rhode Island sales tax exemption: $25
Rhode Island charitable trust registration: $50, if applicable
South Carolina
Incorporation: $25
501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee
South Carolina form SCDOR-111 (South Carolina State Tax Identification): varies based on taxes, licenses and permits required
South Carolina charitable registration: $50 (or $0 if filing for exemption)
South Dakota
Incorporation: $30
- Optional $50 expedite fee
501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee
South Dakota tax license application: varies based on taxes, licenses and permits required
Tennessee
Incorporation: $100
501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee
Tennessee charitable registration: $50 ($0 if exempt)
Texas
Incorporation: $25
501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee
Utah
Incorporation: $30
501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee
Utah charitable registration: $100 ($0 if exempt)
Vermont
Incorporation: $125
501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee
Virginia
Incorporation: $75
501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee
Virginia charitable registration: $100
- $30-$325 depending on contributions ($10 if exempt)
Washington
Incorporation: $30 by mail, $80 expedited by mail, $50 online
501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee
Washington business license application: $19, if applicable
Washington charitable organization registration: $60 ($0 if exempt)
Washington, D.C.
Incorporation: $80
- Optional $50-$100 expedite fee
- $50 3-day expedite
- $100 same-day expedite
501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee
D.C. basic business license for the Charitable Solicitation category: $412.50 OR
D.C. General business license: $324.50
Charitable gaming license: $10-$500, if applicable
West Virginia
Incorporation: $25
501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee
West Virginia charitable registration: $15-50, depending on type of organization ($0 if exempt)
Wisconsin
Incorporation: $35
501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee
Wisconsin business tax registration: $20
Wisconsin charitable registration: $15 ($0 if exempt)
Wyoming
Incorporation: $25
501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee
