Alabama LLC vs Kentucky LLC (2026)
Written for owners based in Alabama.
Verdict: for most owners, form where the business is based
Kentucky has the second-cheapest formation fee in the country at $40, and it is the clearest case of that number deciding nothing. Every liability-shielded Kentucky entity owes a minimum $175 Limited Liability Entity Tax each year on top of the $15 annual report, so the recurring charge is $190. Alabama charges $200 to file plus a required $25 or $28 name reservation, then nothing, with no report and a full privilege tax exemption where the computed tax is $100 or less. Qualifying a Kentucky LLC into Alabama adds $150.
Based in Kentucky? Read Kentucky LLC vs Alabama LLC →
Compare Alabama LLC vs Kentucky LLC on filing fees, taxes, privacy laws, and annual costs. Find out which state is actually better for your business.
By Edmond Hui · Last updated: September 23, 2026
Using a formation service? We compare the 4 formation services that pay us a commission, on three-year service cost, BBB rating and Trustpilot score.
Compare LLC formation services →Or by state: Best LLC services in Alabama, Best LLC services in Kentucky
Ready to file? Our affiliate partner ZenBusiness files your LLC formation paperwork, from $0 + state fee.
Start your LLC with ZenBusiness →Affiliate link. We may earn a commission at no cost to you. MyStateLLC is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.
| Factor | Alabama | Kentucky |
|---|---|---|
| Filing Fee | $200 | $40 |
| Processing Time | Not published by the state | Same day to 3 business days |
| Annual Report Fee | None | $15 |
| Annual Report Due | None required | June 30 |
| State Income Tax | Yes | Yes |
| Anonymous LLC | No | No |
| Publication Requirement | No | No |
| Foreign LLC Cost (if forming out-of-state) | N/A, you're in your home state | $150 + registered agent ~$150/yr |
Full fee breakdown for either state: Alabama LLC cost and Kentucky LLC cost. Owner privacy options for either state: Alabama anonymous LLC guide and Kentucky anonymous LLC guide.
Business Climate: Alabama vs Kentucky
| Factor | Alabama | Kentucky |
|---|---|---|
| 5-year business survival rate | 51.4% (#24 of 51) | 54.1% (#11 of 51) |
| Business application growth (2026 YTD (Jan to Jul) vs 2025 YTD (same months)) | +16.6% YoY (#27 of 51 by volume) | +34.1% YoY (#26 of 51 by volume) |
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Business Employment Dynamics · U.S. Census Bureau, Business Formation Statistics (BFS)
Compare LLC Costs: Alabama vs Kentucky
Alabama
Kentucky
A figure shown as "from" is the least the state can charge, not a price. Tennessee's report is $300 for up to six members and $50 for each member above six, its franchise tax is the greater of $100 or 0.25% of Tennessee net worth, Wyoming's report is the greater of $60 or $.0002 per dollar of in-state assets, Kentucky's entity tax is $175 up to $3 million of gross receipts and graduated above it, and New York's annual filing fee is graduated on New York source gross income. A total that contains one of those is shown as "from" for the same reason. Costs include every mandatory state charge: the filing fee, the report fee (annualised where a state files biennially), any state entity-level tax shown in its own row above, a one-time publication cost where the state publishes a rate for it, and any one-time registration charge a state requires before the LLC may trade. Two exclusions follow from that wording. Arizona and Nebraska require publication and publish no rate, so no newspaper cost is carried for either and their totals are not the whole cost. Alaska's $50 annual state business licence is a separate charge from the Secretary of State fees and is not carried here either. Annualising makes the 1, 3 and 5 year rows a cost of ownership rather than a payment schedule: a biennial state charges its whole report fee in the years it falls due and nothing in between. Entity-level taxes that only apply after a corporate election, or above an owner or income threshold, are excluded and flagged on the state's own cost page. New York's publication cost is carried at a $250 floor, roughly $200 of newspaper cost in a low-cost county plus the $50 Certificate of Publication fee. No county-clerk-designated New York City newspaper publishes a rate card, so the four-figure NYC estimates in wide circulation cannot be traced to a primary source and are not asserted here; budget for materially more than the floor if you file in a NYC county. Every fee was verified against the state's own fee schedule, statute, or revenue authority on 29 July 2026. Excludes registered agent and legal fees. For informational purposes only, not legal or tax advice.
Filing Fees & Formation Costs
Alabama charges $200 to form an LLC, while Kentucky charges $40. Kentucky is $160 cheaper upfront. The cost that usually gets overlooked: if you form in Kentucky but operate in Alabama, you must also register as a foreign LLC in Alabama (a $150 filing) and maintain a registered agent in Kentucky (typically around $150 per year). That puts the realistic first-year cost of the Kentucky route at roughly $340, versus $200 for simply forming in Alabama. Only one side of this comparison is knowable: Kentucky publishes a standard turnaround (same day to 3 business days), while Alabama publishes no standard processing time, so the two can't be ranked against each other on speed.
Taxes: Alabama vs Kentucky
Both Alabama and Kentucky levy a personal income tax on pass-through business income, and your LLC's profits will be taxed where you live and operate. Forming in Kentucky doesn't change what an Alabama-based owner pays. Kentucky levies a flat 4% personal income tax. Kentucky imposes the Limited Liability Entity Tax (LLET), $175 minimum per year.
Privacy & Asset Protection
Neither Alabama nor Kentucky offers anonymous LLC formation: both states require owner or manager information on public filings. Kentucky's annual report confirms the names and addresses of members/managers. Business owners who prioritize privacy typically form a holding company in a state like Wyoming or New Mexico instead. Both states provide charging-order protection for LLC members, and for most small businesses the practical difference in asset protection between the two is minimal.
Annual Maintenance Costs
Alabama LLCs file no annual report at all, and Kentucky LLCs file an annual report ($15, due June 30). If you form in Kentucky while operating in Alabama, you maintain filings in both states, Kentucky's report, though Alabama asks for nothing on the foreign-registration side, and pay a Kentucky registered agent roughly $150 per year. Counting report fees, the agent and any entity-level tax, that brings the Kentucky route to roughly $340 a year, versus about $0 to keep a domestic Alabama LLC in good standing. The tax inside those totals: Kentucky imposes the Limited Liability Entity Tax (LLET), $175 minimum per year.
When Kentucky Actually Makes Sense
Forming in Kentucky makes sense in a few specific situations: your business genuinely operates in Kentucky, with a real office, employees, or property there, or you're relocating to Kentucky in the near future. For a typical small business based in Alabama, none of these usually apply. Registering a Kentucky LLC to do business back home means $150 in Alabama foreign-registration fees, on top of Kentucky's $40 formation fee, while Alabama itself never asks for an annual report at all. Trading Alabama's no-annual-report status for Kentucky's filing calendar is a step backwards for most owners. When in doubt, form where you actually do business.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ready to form your LLC?
Using a formation service? We compare the 4 formation services that pay us a commission, on three-year service cost, BBB rating and Trustpilot score.
Compare LLC formation services →Or by state: Best LLC services in Alabama, Best LLC services in Kentucky
Our affiliate partner ZenBusiness files your LLC formation paperwork, from $0 + state fee.
Start your LLC with ZenBusiness →Affiliate link. We may earn a commission at no cost to you. MyStateLLC is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.
More State Comparisons
Embed this comparison, free
Add the Alabama vs Kentucky cost calculator to any page. Works in WordPress, Squarespace, Webflow, and any HTML site.
<iframe src="https://www.mystatellc.com/tools/compare-states?embed=1&stateA=AL&stateB=KY" width="100%" height="720" frameborder="0" style="border:0;max-width:900px;display:block;margin:0 auto;" title="Alabama vs Kentucky LLC Cost Comparison" loading="lazy"></iframe> <p style="text-align:center;font-size:.8125rem;color:#6b7280">Source: <a href="https://www.mystatellc.com/llc/compare/alabama-llc-vs-kentucky-llc">MyStateLLC, Alabama vs Kentucky LLC Comparison</a></p>
Sources
Each entry below is a document recorded in our verified sources, and each entry says what the document is. Some statutory text is read from an accurate mirror rather than from the state's own host, and those say so.
- sos.alabama.gov/business-entities/llcsAlabama Secretary of State: business entity filings
- sos.alabama.gov/sites/default/files/form-files/FeeSchedule.pdfAlabama LLC filing fees
- sos.ky.gov/bus/business-filings/OnlineServices/Pages/default.aspxKentucky Secretary of State: business entity filings
- sos.ky.gov/bus/business-filings/Pages/Fees.aspxKentucky LLC filing fees
Edmond Hui · Founder, MyStateLLC
Edmond Hui is a software engineer and serial entrepreneur based in New York who has founded multiple online businesses across e-commerce, media, and information publishing. Before transitioning into tech, he spent years as a commercial real estate professional closing deals totaling over 100,000 square feet, giving him firsthand experience with business formation and entity structuring. He built MyStateLLC to provide the free, state-specific LLC guidance he wished existed when forming his own companies.