new-site/docs/foreign-qualification-fees.md

Foreign LLC/Corp Qualification Fees by State

One-time filing fees + annual requirements for foreign entity registration. Used by the new carrier wizard to estimate costs when forming in Wyoming.

Initial Filing Fees (One-Time)

State	Fee	State	Fee	State	Fee
AL	$150	KY	$90	ND	$135
AK	$350	LA	$150	OH	$99
AZ	$150	ME	$250	OK	$300
AR	$300	MD	$100	OR	$275
CA	$135	MA	$500	PA	$250
CO	$100	MI	$50	RI	$150
CT	$120	MN	$205	SC	$110
DE	$200	MS	$250	SD	$765
FL	$125	MO	$50	TN	$20
GA	$225	MT	$70	TX	$750
HI	$50	NE	$120	UT	$70
ID	$120	NV	$75	VT	$125
IL	$150	NH	$100	VA	$100
IN	$125	NJ	$125	WA	$200
IA	$100	NM	$100	DC	$220
KS	$165	NY	$250	WV	$150
		NC	$250	WI	$100
				WY	$100

Average: $186 Cheapest: TN ($20), HI/MI/MO ($50) Most expensive: SD ($765), TX ($750), MA ($500)

Annual Requirements

States with NO annual report for foreign entities:

• Arizona
• New Mexico

States with notable annual costs:

• California: $800/yr franchise tax (regardless of revenue) + $20 annual report
• Texas: ~$0 (no franchise tax for <$2.47M revenue, public info report due May 15)
• New York: Biennial report (every 2 years), $9
• Delaware: $300/yr annual franchise tax for foreign entities
• Massachusetts: $500 annual report

Most states: $50-$200/yr annual report fee

Key Takeaways for the Wizard

1. Wyoming formation + foreign qual total cost depends heavily on operating state:

   • WY ($50 formation) + CA foreign qual ($135 + $800/yr) = expensive ongoing
   • WY ($50) + TX foreign qual ($750 one-time, ~$0/yr) = expensive upfront, cheap ongoing
   • WY ($50) + FL foreign qual ($125 + ~$139/yr) = moderate
   • WY ($50) + most states ($100-200 + $50-200/yr) = reasonable

2. Don't recommend Wyoming for CA-based carriers unless they understand the $800/yr CA franchise tax

3. Best states for WY foreign qual: states with low filing fee AND low annual cost (TN, MO, HI, MI, UT, MT, NV)

4. Worst states for WY foreign qual: CA ($800/yr), MA ($500), SD ($765 filing), TX ($750 filing)

Our Pricing

• Foreign Qualification filing: $149 (our service fee)
• Registered Agent per state: $99/yr
• Total to carrier: $149 + state fee + $99/yr RA per state

Virtual Mailbox Requirement

When forming out-of-state (e.g. Wyoming), the carrier needs a mailing address in the formation state for official correspondence. Options:

• NWRA RA service — may include basic mail forwarding (check with CorpTools Monday)
• Virtual mailbox providers (affiliate/reseller):
  • iPostal1 — affiliate program, ~$10-15/mo retail
  • Anytime Mailbox — affiliate program, ~$10-15/mo retail
  • Earth Class Mail — business-focused, ~$15-20/mo
• Bundle pricing: $149/yr as add-on to RA service (our margin ~$50-80/yr)

We already have Anytime Mailbox — need photo ID for USPS Form 1583 (notarized). Photo ID is already collected during DOT intake and stored in MinIO. Same ID can be reused for:

• MCS-150 filing (FMCSA identity verification)
• Anytime Mailbox setup (USPS 1583 notarization)
• Any future identity verification needs

Monday: Check if we can automate the Anytime Mailbox 1583 process using the photo ID already on file.