VC-track pricing, line-itemed for buyers who expect it: $297 service + $110 state fee, $407 total. Court of Chancery jurisdiction. The default choice for startup founders planning institutional capital.
Delaware is the default jurisdiction for US startups planning VC funding. The Court of Chancery is the most sophisticated business court in the US, with 200+ years of LLC and corporate precedent. VC firms and institutional investors expect Delaware. The $300 annual franchise tax is the price of that jurisdiction — most startup founders accept it. For full pillar context see /delaware-anonymous-llc/.
VC-track founders, startup teams planning institutional capital, founders who anticipate converting LLC to C-corp, anyone whose lawyer or investor specifically requests Delaware. Not optimized for cheapest formation or simplest tax — pick /services/wyoming-llc/ ($397) or /services/new-mexico-llc/ ($347) for those.
Delaware is the most chosen state for US LLC formation by sticker volume — but it's also the most over-chosen state. The vast majority of US small businesses that incorporate in Delaware don't need Delaware; they need Wyoming or their home state. Delaware makes sense for a narrow but real category of founder: someone planning to raise institutional venture capital, someone who expects to take on professional investors (a board of directors, preferred shares, ratchets and protective provisions), someone planning a future C-corp conversion or acquisition, or someone whose lawyer specifically prefers Delaware for litigation purposes. For those founders, Delaware is genuinely the right answer and worth the higher ongoing cost ($300/year franchise tax) and slightly weaker single-member charging order doctrine compared to Wyoming.
The Court of Chancery is what makes Delaware different. It's a court of equity (not a court of law), it has no juries (cases decided by judges with decades of corporate-law expertise), and it has a body of precedent on LLC governance, fiduciary duties, operating agreement interpretation, and corporate M&A that no other US court matches. Sophisticated investors and acquirers love this — they can predict how disputes will be resolved with high confidence. The downside: if you never plan to face sophisticated litigation, you're paying for a feature you'll never use. Wyoming's courts are perfectly competent for routine LLC matters at ~$60-$100/year less.
The $300 annual franchise tax is the most underestimated cost in Delaware formation. It's flat — same $300 whether your LLC made $0 or $10M last year. It's due every June 1, no exceptions. Miss it for two years and the state administratively cancels your LLC, requiring reinstatement at $200+ in penalties. Combined with the $110 formation fee, $100/year RA renewal, and the $0-$100 cost of filing the annual franchise tax form, Delaware's effective Y1 cost is $507 and the year-2+ ongoing cost is $400/year. Compare to Wyoming's $160/year ongoing ($60 annual report + $100 RA). For a 10-year hold, Delaware costs ~$3,400 in state and RA fees; Wyoming costs ~$1,600. The $1,800 difference is the price of Court of Chancery jurisdiction.
Day-by-day breakdown so you know what's happening at every stage.
We try to be explicit about scope so there are no surprises. Anything below is either outside this SKU, sold separately, or handled by you directly.
Honest line-by-line. We're not the cheapest sticker price in every cell — we're the cheapest after the upsells the others bolt on at checkout.
The intake is short. Five minutes, maybe ten. Below is exactly what we'll ask and why we need each piece.
Before Delaware filing submitted: 100% refund minus Stripe processing fees. Cancel within 24 hours before Certificate of Formation reaches Delaware Division of Corporations.
After Delaware filing submitted: $110 Delaware state fee non-refundable. $297 service fee refundable if we fail to deliver EIN, OA, or bank applications within 21 calendar days of filing — assuming delay is on our side.
If you change your mind and want Wyoming or NM instead: We can form a new Wyoming/NM LLC and either dissolve the Delaware one or keep both. New state filing fee + $147 service for the second formation. Delaware portion non-refundable.
If you skip the $300 franchise tax for 2 years and DE cancels the LLC: Reinstatement is $200+ in DE penalties + $147 our service. Avoid this by enrolling in our compliance calendar — free, just opt in on intake.
Quick answers to the things people ask in WhatsApp before they invoice.
5-minute WhatsApp intake. 5-10 day turnaround. Everything included.
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