LLC for Veterans: Which States Actually Waive the Filing Fee
“Free LLC for veterans” is one of the most repeated claims in small-business content, and in most states it is not true. We checked all 50 states against their own statutes and fee schedules.
Why most “free LLC for veterans” pages are wrong
Three different things get run together under the same headline: a filing-fee waiver (the state does not charge you to file formation documents), a veteran-owned business certification (the state confirms you are veteran-owned so you can bid on set-aside contracts), and federal SBA and VA programs (identical in every state). Only the first one saves you money at formation, and it is the rarest of the three.
The second problem is time. Veteran fee waivers are usually passed with a sunset date, and when the legislature does not renew them, the articles written during the good years stay online unchanged. Texas is the clearest example: its exemption was repealed effective 1 January 2026, and a large share of the pages ranking for “free LLC for veterans in Texas” still tell veterans to file for free.
The table below states the position as of August 6, 2026, with the statute behind each answer linked from the state guide.
LLC filing fees for veterans, all 50 states
| State | Standard fee | Veteran pays | Waiver | State certification | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALAlabama | $200 | $200 | No waiver | No | View guide → |
| AKAlaska | $250 | $250 | No waiver | No | View guide → |
| AZArizona | $50 | $50 | No waiver | No | View guide → |
| ARArkansas | $50 | $50 | No waiver | Yes — 2% goal | View guide → |
| CACalifornia | $70 | $70 | No waiver | Yes — 3% goal | View guide → |
| COColorado | $50 | $50 | No waiver | No | View guide → |
| CTConnecticut | $120 | $120 | No waiver | Yes | View guide → |
| DEDelaware | $110 | $110 | No waiver | Yes | View guide → |
| FLFlorida | $125 | $125 | No waiver | Yes | View guide → |
| GAGeorgia | $100 | $100 | No waiver | Yes | View guide → |
| HIHawaii | $50 | $50 | No waiver | No | View guide → |
| IDIdaho | $100 | $100 | No waiver | No | View guide → |
| ILIllinois | $150 | $150 | No waiver | Yes — 3% goal | View guide → |
| INIndiana | $100 | $100 | No waiver | Yes — 3% goal | View guide → |
| IAIowa | $50 | $50 | No waiver | Yes | View guide → |
| KSKansas | $85 | $85 | No waiver | Yes — 3% goal | View guide → |
| KYKentucky | $40 | $0 | Waived | Yes | View guide → |
| LALouisiana | $100 | $100 | No waiver | Yes | View guide → |
| MEMaine | $175 | $175 | No waiver | No | View guide → |
| MDMaryland | $100 | $100 | No waiver | Yes — 3% goal | View guide → |
| MAMassachusetts | $500 | $500 | No waiver | Yes — 3% goal | View guide → |
| MIMichigan | $50 | $0 | Waived | No | View guide → |
| MNMinnesota | $135 | $135 | No waiver | Yes | View guide → |
| MSMississippi | $50 | $50 | No waiver | No | View guide → |
| MOMissouri | $50 | $50 | No waiver | Yes — 3% goal | View guide → |
| MTMontana | $35 | $35 | No waiver | No | View guide → |
| NENebraska | $100 | $100 | No waiver | No | View guide → |
| NVNevada | $75 | $75 | No waiver | No | View guide → |
| NHNew Hampshire | $100 | $100 | No waiver | No | View guide → |
| NJNew Jersey | $100 | $100 | No waiver | Yes — 3% goal | View guide → |
| NMNew Mexico | $50 | $50 | No waiver | Yes | View guide → |
| NYNew York | $200 | $200 | No waiver | Yes — 6% goal | View guide → |
| NCNorth Carolina | $125 | $125 | No waiver | No | View guide → |
| NDNorth Dakota | $135 | $135 | No waiver | No | View guide → |
| OHOhio | $99 | $99 | No waiver | Yes | View guide → |
| OKOklahoma | $100 | $100 | No waiver | Yes — 3% goal | View guide → |
| OROregon | $100 | $100 | No waiver | Yes | View guide → |
| PAPennsylvania | $125 | $0 | Waived | Yes — 3% goal | View guide → |
| RIRhode Island | $150 | $150 | No waiver | Yes — 3% goal | View guide → |
| SCSouth Carolina | $110 | $110 | No waiver | No | View guide → |
| SDSouth Dakota | $150 | $150 | No waiver | No | View guide → |
| TNTennessee | $300 | $300 | No waiver | Yes | View guide → |
| TXTexas | $300 | $300 | Expired | Yes | View guide → |
| UTUtah | $59 | $59 | No waiver | No | View guide → |
| VTVermont | $155 | $155 | No waiver | No | View guide → |
| VAVirginia | $100 | $100 | No waiver | Yes — 3% goal | View guide → |
| WAWashington | $180 | $180 | No waiver | Yes — 5% goal | View guide → |
| WVWest Virginia | $100 | $0 | Waived | No | View guide → |
| WIWisconsin | $130 | $130 | No waiver | Yes — 1% goal | View guide → |
| WYWyoming | $100 | $100 | No waiver | No | View guide → |
50of 50 state guides published. Every figure verified against the state’s own statute, Secretary of State fee schedule, or procurement office on August 6, 2026.
What is the same in every state
The federal programs do not vary by state, so they are worth knowing once rather than fifty times:
- SBA VetCert: free federal certification as a Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB) or Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), which is what qualifies you for federal set-aside contracting. veterans.certify.sba.gov
- Veteran Business Outreach Centers: free business planning and formation counselling for veterans, service members and military spouses. Find your VBOC
- SBA 7(a) and Express loans: the SBA waives the upfront guarantee fee on many Express loans to veteran-owned businesses. sba.gov
None of these change the cost of filing your articles of organization. That number is set by your state, and it is what the table above tracks.
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.