Stripe Atlas Pricing (2026): $500 to Start, $100 a Year, and the Delaware Tax Nobody Mentions
Stripe Atlas charges $500 once to form a Delaware C corporation or LLC, including the state filing fee, next-day expedite, the EIN application, 83(b) filing and the first year of registered agent service. After that you pay $100 a year for the registered agent, and Stripe refunds the $500 if you keep $5,000 in Stripe Treasury for 30 days. Atlas fits a founder who wants a standard venture-ready company in a few days and plans to bank and take payments with Stripe. The price is not the number to watch: Delaware franchise tax, which Atlas does not file, costs a typical startup $400 to $5,600 a year, and the default notice can show $85,165 if you do nothing.
Stripe Atlas price list
| Plan | Price (monthly / billed yearly) | For / limits |
|---|---|---|
| Incorporate your company | $500 one-time setup fee | Delaware C corporation, LLC or C-corp subsidiary; Includes Delaware filing with next-day expedited processing and state filing fees, company tax ID (EIN), founder equity issuance, 83(b) election filing, document templates, first year of registered agent |
| Run your business (registered agent) | $100/year after the first year, renews automatically | |
| Fundraise | Included | Board consents and post-money SAFEs (YC template), per-SAFE tracking |
| Add-on: Stripe product credits | $2,500 credit, first year after incorporation | Companies incorporated on or after 16 October 2025; not usable on Atlas or registered agent fees (support.stripe.com/questions/atlas-fee-credits-faq). |
| Add-on: Partner perks | Over $50,000 in partner discounts | List at support.stripe.com/questions/stripe-atlas-perks-partners (Pilot free DE franchise filing, Doola 25% off, Carta 20% off, Pulley 25% off and others). |
Prices verified on stripe.com/atlas on October 12, 2026.
The registered agent renews automatically; Stripe's Atlas terms (updated July 22, 2025) require 30 days notice to cancel and do not refund prepaid fees. The $5,000 Treasury refund applies to accounts opened on or after April 13, 2026, with the deposit made within 90 days of incorporation (Stripe docs). The $2,500 in Stripe credits cannot be spent on Atlas or registered agent fees.
Year 1 vs year 2 and later, by stage
Year 1 is the incorporation year, so it carries the setup fee and no franchise tax (the first Delaware tax and annual report are due March 1 of the following year). From year 2 the bill is the registered agent plus franchise tax plus the $50 annual report fee, and the tax grows with the assets on your balance sheet.
| Service | Year 1 | Year 2+ at pre-seed | Year 2+ at seed | Year 2+ at Series A |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stripe Atlas | $500 ($0 with the Treasury refund) | $550 | $1,350 | $5,750 |
| Clerky Lifetime | $819 | $575 | $1,375 | $5,775 |
| Clerky Pay Per Use | $1,086 | $736 | $1,836 | $7,177 |
| Firstbase (current $99 offer) | $398 | $749 | $1,549 | $5,949 |
| Do it yourself (state fees only) | $277 | $550 | $1,350 | $5,750 |
| of which Delaware franchise tax | $0 | $400 | $1,200 | $5,600 |
Our model: 10M/12M/20M authorized shares at $0.00001 par, 8M/10M/15M issued, gross assets $150K/$2M/$10M; franchise tax by the Assumed Par Value Capital method plus the $50 report; registered agent renewals $100 (Atlas), $125 (Clerky, billed by CSC), $299 (Firstbase); Clerky Pay Per Use adds post-incorporation setup, stock plan and per-document fees; DIY excludes lawyer time.
Across services the gap is $0 to $200 a year at pre-seed. The franchise-tax method is worth more than any of it, which is the next section.
The Delaware franchise tax trap
Delaware computes franchise tax two ways and lets you pay the lower one. The notice it sends uses the Authorized Shares method, which ignores what your company is worth. A startup with 10 million authorized shares, 9 million issued and $500,000 in gross assets gets a notice for $85,165; the same company under the Assumed Par Value Capital method owes $400, plus the $50 report fee (Delaware Division of Corporations). You must file the annual report with your issued shares and gross assets to get the lower figure. Paying late adds a $200 penalty and 1.5% a month; a year without paying or filing makes the charter void under 8 Del. C. § 510. Run your own share count through our Delaware franchise tax calculator.
Atlas does not file it for you. One of its partner perks is free Delaware franchise filing from Pilot.
Delaware changed its fees on August 1, 2026, and Stripe's tax page has not
Delaware's fee schedule revised August 1, 2026 sets incorporation from $109 (the old $89 is still quoted widely) and LLC formation at $110, and Delaware's LLC tax page now lists the annual LLC tax at $400. Stripe's Atlas business-taxes doc still says $300 for LLCs. Use Delaware's figure. The Atlas $500 includes state filing fees, so the incorporation change does not reach you; the LLC tax change does, every June 1.
What else you pay for
- Other states. Foreign qualification and taxes in the states where you operate are not included.
- Hiring and equity paperwork. Atlas covers formation, founder stock, board consents and SAFEs. Offer letters, option plans and option grants are not part of it, so you will pay a lawyer or another document service.
- 409A and cap table. Once you grant options you need a defensible strike price and a cap table tool; see our 409A valuation services and cap table software comparisons.
Founders outside the US
Atlas accepts founders from over 175 countries. It files the EIN application for you; Stripe's signup doc gives 1-2 business days with a US Social Security number, address and phone, and 10-30 business days otherwise. Rho's review says 1-3 and 15-45 days, so plan for the longer end. You can take up to $100,000 in Stripe payouts before the EIN arrives.
The 83(b) deadline
Founder stock usually vests, so each founder has 30 days from the stock issue to file an 83(b) election (Treas. Reg. 1.83-2); the regulation allows no late filing. Atlas files the 83(b) for you. Since July 2025 the IRS has also accepted the election online, according to the law firms Mintz, Morrison Foerster and WilmerHale; WilmerHale notes the online form takes per-share values to only two decimals, which does not fit a $0.00001 price, so many founders still mail it. The IRS form itself still says to mail it.
Not hands-on tested yet: we have not run a live account on Stripe Atlas. Prices and terms come from Stripe Atlas's published pricing page and help docs, read on October 12, 2026.
Alternatives at a glance
- Clerky: $427 pay-per-use or $819 for a lifetime package that includes hiring and fundraising documents; Delaware C corporations only. Clerky agreed to join Stripe on August 26, 2026. See Clerky pricing and Clerky vs Stripe Atlas.
- Firstbase: Start is on offer at $99 (list $399), but its $299-a-year registered agent is required, so year 1 is $398 (Firstbase pricing).
- Every.io: free Delaware C corporation formation with registered agent; what the agent costs after year 1 is not stated (Every.io).
Frequently asked questions
What does the $500 Stripe Atlas fee cover?
Delaware filing and state fees with next-day expedite, the EIN application, founder stock issuance, the 83(b) filing, legal templates and the first year of registered agent service. It does not cover franchise tax or other states.
What are the ongoing costs after the $500?
$100 a year for the registered agent, plus Delaware franchise tax and the $50 annual report due March 1. For a typical pre-seed company that is $550 a year in total if you file under the Assumed Par Value Capital method.
Can I get the $500 back?
Yes, if you deposit $5,000 in Stripe Treasury within 90 days of incorporation and keep it there for 30 days (accounts opened on or after April 13, 2026). Stripe also refunds the fee if it cannot support your business.
Related: the SaaS fundraising guide, SAFE vs convertible note, and our cap table calculator.