Alaska charges a flat $250 fee to file LLC Articles of Organization, whether you file online or by mail. The Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing lists the $250 as a nonrefundable filing fee on its current Articles of Organization form (revised May 7, 2026), and the Division's published LLC filing options do not include an expedited service. Online submissions post immediately as the standard service, while hard-copy filings normally take 10 to 15 business days.
Beyond formation, Alaska requires a business license ($50 for one year) and a biennial report every two years: $100 for a domestic LLC and $200 for a foreign LLC registered in Alaska. The biennial schedule halves filing frequency compared to states that require annual reports, though Alaska's upfront formation cost sits well above most states.
Current Alaska LLC filing fees
Alaska charges the same $250 for every filing method, and online filing is the only faster option.
Filing method | Fee | Processing time |
|---|---|---|
Online filing | $250 | Posts immediately |
Paper filing | $250 | Normally 10 to 15 business days; delays possible October through February |
Expedited | Not offered | N/A |
The Division's forms by event page directs filers online for immediate processing and confirms that online filings post immediately. For hard copies, the Corporations Section warns that its heavy renewal season from October through February can push processing past the normal 10 to 15 business days.
Fee authority for LLCs sits in 3 AAC 16.065, the regulation that sets LLC filing fees under AS 10.50. Its published text still lists $150 for Articles of Organization in subsection (a), while the Division's current form and fee table charge $250; budget for the $250 the Division collects. For the full sequence of steps, see the Alaska LLC formation process.
How Alaska's filing fees compare to other states
Alaska's $250 formation fee is higher than every other state in this comparison, though its biennial reporting schedule lowers the ongoing cost.
Pacific Northwest neighbors
The two nearest Pacific Northwest states show the gap in upfront cost:
Washington charges $180 for a domestic LLC Certificate of Formation plus an online processing fee, per the Washington Secretary of State, and expedited handling by mail costs $100 more.
Oregon charges a nonrefundable $100 for Articles of Organization under ORS 56.140.
Both states cost less than Alaska to form an LLC, while Alaska posts online filings immediately at no extra charge.
A low-cost benchmark
Wyoming, often used as the low-cost reference point for LLC formation, charges a $100 base fee for Articles of Organization under Wyo. Stat. § 17-29-210(a)(i), with a card convenience fee added to online payments.
Alaska's $250 is two and a half times that figure, which matters most when you are choosing where to form rather than registering an existing LLC in Alaska as a foreign entity.
Ongoing costs favor Alaska
Alaska's biennial reporting structure costs a domestic LLC $100 every two years, or $50 a year averaged, against Washington's $70 annual report fee. Alaska also repealed its individual income tax in 1980, so an LLC taxed as a partnership or disregarded entity generally owes no Alaska income tax at the entity level, while an LLC taxed as a corporation is subject to Alaska's corporate income tax, according to the Department of Revenue's Tax Division.
Compare that with California, where the Franchise Tax Board charges every LLC doing business or organized in the state an $800 annual tax, plus a separate fee once California total income passes set thresholds.
Additional filing fees to consider
Beyond the $250 formation fee, the Division's fee tables and related forms list several optional and mandatory costs that affect a total formation budget.
Name reservation: $25 nonrefundable to hold a name for 120 days under AS 10.50.035. A reservation may be renewed only twice, at $25 each, and each renewal requires a statement of intent to start a business under 3 AAC 16.010(c).
Articles of Amendment: $25 nonrefundable per Form 08-485 when you change the Articles of Organization after formation.
Certified copies: fees vary by request; the Division prices copies through Copy Request Form 08-562.
Certificate of Compliance: $10. This is Alaska's name for the certificate of good standing that lenders and other states request for foreign registration.
Alaska business license: $50 for one year or $100 for two years. Licenses expire December 31, with the expiration year depending on the term chosen and when the license is issued. The $25 senior and disabled veteran rates apply to qualifying individual owners, so LLCs pay the regular fee.
Biennial report late charges: $25 per year or part of a year of delinquency, plus 10% of the combined filing fee and late charge under 3 AAC 16.065(c) and (d). That brings a late domestic LLC report to $137.50 and a late foreign LLC report to $247.50, per the Division's biennial report FAQs.
The business license applies to any person engaging in business in Alaska under AS 43.70.020(a), with no revenue threshold, and the Division recognizes only limited exceptions, such as certain fisheries businesses. Biennial reports follow the formation year's parity (even-year formations file in even years), are due before January 2, and become delinquent if not filed before February 1 under AS 10.50.760(a), with the filing period opening October 2 of the prior year.
The Division notes that an entity missing one or more biennial reports can be involuntarily dissolved, and reinstatement carries additional fees. An initial report is due within six months of formation under AS 10.50.760(d) and carries no fee; Discern's Alaska biennial report guide covers the full reporting cycle.
Automate Alaska LLC filings with Discern
Alaska's fees are simple to budget, but its deadlines are easy to lose track of: biennial reports alternate by formation year, fall due before January 2, and start collecting late charges on February 1. Discern files Alaska Articles of Organization and biennial reports, includes registered agent service in Alaska with every subscription, and monitors each entity's standing so a lapsed filing appears in the dashboard before a lender's Certificate of Compliance request comes back rejected.
For teams managing entities across several states, Alaska's biennial cycle is one more schedule alongside annual reports, foreign registrations, and Delaware franchise tax. Discern handles registered agent coverage, annual report filings, and foreign registrations from a single platform for $350 per state registration per year, and customers with 200+ registrations spend 5 to 10 minutes annually on compliance.
Book a demo with Discern to see your Alaska filings alongside the rest of your entity portfolio.
Frequently asked questions
These answers cover the Alaska LLC fee questions that come up most often when budgeting a formation or a foreign registration.
How much does it cost to form an LLC in Alaska?
The state charges $250 to file Articles of Organization, online or by mail, and does not offer paid expediting. Add a $50 one-year (or $100 two-year) business license before operating, and $25 if you reserve a name first.
Does Alaska have an annual LLC fee?
Alaska requires a biennial report rather than an annual one: $100 for a domestic LLC and $200 for a foreign LLC, due before January 2 of the applicable year. The business license renewal is the main recurring yearly state charge if you choose a one-year license, and Alaska has no individual income tax for pass-through LLC income.
How long does Alaska take to approve an LLC?
Online filings post immediately. Hard-copy filings normally take 10 to 15 business days, and the Division warns of possible delays during its October through February renewal season.
What happens if the biennial report is late?
Delinquency begins February 1. The Division adds $25 per year or part of a year plus 10% of the fee and late charge combined, so a late domestic report totals $137.50 and a late foreign report totals $247.50. Leaving reports unfiled can lead to involuntary dissolution.
Updated on
2026-10-09
