Do a search to see if your business name is available: https://www.wdfi.org/apps/CorpSearch/Search.aspx?

Wisconsin Department of
Financial Institutions

Corporations Unit
201 W Washington Ave, Suite 300
PO Box 7846
Madison WI 53707
P: (608) 261-7577

Form your Wisconsin corporation or LLC by filing Articles of Incorporation or Articles of Organization. You can send the paper form or file online at https://www.wdfi.org/apps/CorpFormation/. The filing fee for Articles of Incorporation is $100 if you file by paper or online. The filing fee for Articles of Organization is $170 if you file the paper form or $130 if you file online. Normal processing takes 5 business days. You can pay $25 to have processing completed by the next business day.

If you don’t want to do the corporate filing yourself, you can incorporate in Wisconsin with Northwest Registered Agent.

Corporations Unit

Department of Financial Institutions
Corporations Unit
201 W Washington Ave, Suite 300
PO Box 7846
Madison WI 53707
P: (608) 261-7577

You can register for sales tax and income tax withholding accounts online at https://tap.revenue.wi.gov/services/_/#1Sales Tax:

Wisconsin has a 5% state sales tax.

Income Tax:

Individual income tax rates vary from 4.40% to 7.65%

Wisconsin has both franchise tax and corporate income tax. Domestic and foreign corporations doing business in Wisconsin have to pay the 7.9% franchise tax. Foreign corporations that are not subject to the franchise tax and which own property in Wisconsin or whose business in Wisconsin is exclusively in foreign or interstate commerce have to pay the corporate income tax, which is also 7.9%.

Local License Info

City of Milwaukee

Office of the City Clerk
License Division
200 E Wells Street, Room 105
Milwaukee, WI 53202
P: (414) 286-2238

City of Madison

City Clerk’s Office
210 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Rm. 103
Madison, WI 53703
P: (608) 266-4601

Wisconsin does not have a state license requirement for all businesses, but many businesses will require a license from one of many state agencies. The Wisconsin License, Permit, and Registration Service is a good place to start for business and professional licenses. You can search licenses online: http://ww2.wisconsin.gov/state/license/app?COMMAND=gov.wi.state.cpp.license.command.LoadLicenseHome

Any other registration requirements?

City of Milwaukee

There is no general business license requirement, but many businesses will need a license based on their activity. The city provides a list of activities that require a license or permit along with license application forms on their website: http://city.milwaukee.gov/ObtainLicensesPermit54.htm

City of Madison

Many businesses will need a license for their business activity. A list of activities that require a license is available on the City of Madison website: http://www.cityofmadison.com/clerk/licensingForms.cfm

Local License Info

City of Milwaukee

Office of the City Clerk
License Division
200 E Wells Street, Room 105
Milwaukee, WI 53202
P: (414) 286-2238

City of Madison

City Clerk’s Office
210 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Rm. 103
Madison, WI 53703
P: (608) 266-4601

Do I need to collect sales tax?

You will need to get a seller’s permit if you are making retail sales, leases, or rentals of tangible personal property or taxable services in Wisconsin.

What is the Wisconsin sales tax rate?

Wisconsin has a 5% state sales tax.

How do I register for Wisconsin sales tax?

You can register for sales tax and income tax withholding accounts online at https://tap.revenue.wi.gov/services/_/#1
Apply for a seller’s permit at least three weeks before you open your business. It will take the Department about 15 days to process and mail your certificate.

How much does a Wisconsin seller’s permit cost?

There is a $20 Business Tax Registration fee.

The Department of Revenue may also require you to make a security deposit of up to $15,000. Security is usually required in cases where the applicant has unpaid taxes. If a security deposit is required, you will receive a notice with the amount of the security.