Comparison

New York vs New Jersey vs Pennsylvania LLC (2026)

Research dated Sep 12, 2026. Figures copied from the matching state hubs. Tonight’s re-check: Pennsylvania still $125 / $7; New York still $200 Articles / $9 biennial; New Jersey still $100 formation / $75 annual — no fee drift.

This is the Northeast corridor operating-state ladder founders actually compare when they live, hire, or sell in New York, New Jersey, or Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania is the SOS-cash lean pick (~$146 over three years) with a light $7 annual report. New York looks close on SOS cash alone (~$209) but still requires county newspaper publication plus a $50 Certificate of Publication — those dollars sit outside this SOS table because newspaper rates are not statewide. New Jersey undercuts on day one ($100 formation after the July 2026 fee cut) then adds a heavier $75 annual report.

Form where you operate. Picking another state’s charter does not erase nexus where you actually sell, hire, or hold inventory — you may still need to foreign-qualify and pay that state’s fees/taxes. Full 51-state ranking: cheapest states (3-year).

At a glance — SOS only

State	Articles	Typical recurring	~3-yr state	Rank / 51
Pennsylvania	$125	$7 (Annual Report)	$146	#15
New York	$200	$9 (Biennial Statement)	$209	#22
New Jersey	$100	$75 (Annual Report)	$325	#32

Gap Pennsylvania → New Jersey over ~3 years: $179 in SOS cash alone (before registered-agent fees, New York publication, or operating taxes).

Same three + professional RA (Northwest path)

State fees are identical whichever formation company you use. Adding the national provider table’s Northwest path ($289 over 3 years: $39 formation with RA year 1, then $125 RA years 2–3) shows how RA spend sits on top of each charter.

State	State 3-yr	+ Northwest path
Pennsylvania	$146	$435
New York	$209	$498
New Jersey	$325	$614

Provider math from the 3-year provider comparison. DIY RA needs an in-state physical street address — most remote founders pay for commercial RA.

Pennsylvania — $125 to form, $7 a year

The Pennsylvania Department of State fee schedule lists Certificate of Organization for a domestic LLC at $125 (Form DSCB:15-8821). Ordinary for-profit annual reports are $7; LLCs file between January 1 and September 30. Certificate + three on-time reports → $146. Beginning with reports due in 2027, missing the deadline can lead to administrative dissolution six months later. Restricted professional companies file a separate Certificate of Annual Registration that starts at $500 — that path is not the figure modeled here.

~3-year state fees: $146
Watch: Do not budget $7 if you render a restricted professional service. File online via Business Filing Services at file.dos.pa.gov unless you have a reason to mail paper.
Sources: PA DOS — Fees and Payments · Annual Reports guide · Full Pennsylvania hub

New York — $200 Articles, $9 biennial (publication separate)

The New York Department of State prices Articles of Organization at $200. Domestic LLCs file a Biennial Statement every two years for $9 in the calendar month of formation (one filing inside a typical 3-year window). Articles + one biennial → $209 of SOS cash. That is not the full day-one compliance stack: LLC Law §206 still requires six weeks of notice in two county-designated newspapers, then a Certificate of Publication with affidavits plus a $50 DOS fee within 120 days. Newspaper rates are set by the papers, not the state, so they stay out of this SOS table.

~3-year state fees (SOS cash modeled): $209
Watch: Miss the 120-day publication window and authority to do business can be suspended. NYS Tax Department Form IT-204-LL filing fees are income-scaled and separate from DOS math.
Sources: DOS Articles of Organization · DOS FAQs (Biennial $9) · Forming an LLC in New York · Full New York hub

New Jersey — $100 formation, $75 every year

The Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services fee schedule lists Certificate of formation at $100.00 (reduced from $125 effective July 1, 2026) and Annual Report at $75.00, due the last day of the anniversary month each year. Formation + three annuals → $325. Older third-party guides that still quote $125 will overstate your formation budget — confirm against the DORES schedule. Multi-member tax filings can trigger a separate Division of Taxation partnership filing fee that is not part of this DORES math.

~3-year state fees: $325
Watch: Skipping annual reports for consecutive years risks charter revocation; reinstatement needs past-due reports plus a $75 reinstatement fee and may require tax clearance.
Sources: NJ DORES fee schedule · Full New Jersey hub

Who each state is for (orientation only)

Pennsylvania — Pennsylvania-nexus operators who want low recurring SOS cash after a $125 formation and will file the $7 annual report by September 30.
New York — New York operators who need an in-state LLC and can budget county newspaper publication plus the $50 Certificate of Publication on top of the $200 / $9 DOS fees.
New Jersey — New Jersey-nexus businesses filing domestically after the 2026 formation-fee cut who will calendar the $75 annual report.

None of these charters is a nexus shield for the other two states — or for anywhere else you actually do business.

How this page is built

Source of truth: Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey hubs — same numbers as those pages.
Re-check (2026-09-12): PA DOS still $125 Certificate / $7 annual report; NY DOS still $200 Articles / $9 Biennial Statement; NJ DORES still $100 formation / $75 Annual Report — no fee drift.
Excludes: professional RA (except the optional Northwest add-on table), New York newspaper publication + $50 Certificate of Publication, expedites, card convenience fees, foreign qualification, and operating taxes / income-scaled filing fees.

Form lean, then pick the charter on purpose

Form with Northwest Registered Agent — Northwest

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