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