Five minutes with a calculator beats five nights with a spreadsheet. I have done both; only one ended with a decision.
- A cost calculator totals setup plus annual fees over five years. The free ones are usually enough. - The whole test: does it show the five-year view or just year one? A calculator that only shows setup cost is a marketing tool, not a planning tool. - Compare coverage: how many jurisdictions, whether the fee data is current. - Use it as a shortlist builder, not a final answer: ten jurisdictions to three, then verify the top three against current data. - One tip that changes results: run it twice, once with your best revenue guess, once with double. Some look cheap at low revenue and expensive at high revenue.
After the calculator picks a winner, keep the numbers somewhere visible. And when the winner is a US state, IncorpTrack files it for $49 plus the state fee, with the free companion app tracking your order and checklist.