Starting a nonprofit requires a fair amount of savvy and know-how. Building from the ground up to know where to start is often tricky. Questions arise like “What do I need?” and “Why do I need it?” One of the most significant question marks comes up when it’s time to calculate the cost of your nonprofit. Harbor Compliance offers free informational resources for every state that can begin to answer the “whats” and “whys” in your initial budget. We’ve compiled an overview of each state’s associated costs from Harbor Compliance to serve as a helpful stepping stone on the path to starting your nonprofit organization. Here is the price 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 expedited 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 expedited 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 expedited 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 expedited 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 expedited fee (required when filing online, by fax, or in person)

501(c): $400 or $850 IRS fee

Maryland charitable registration: $0-$300, depending on philanthropic 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 expedited 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