IA · Tax year 2026
LLC vs S-Corp in Iowa. A localized number.
At $100,000 net profit with a $50,000 W-2 salary, the federal payroll tax delta is $7,680. Adjusted for Iowa's $30 annual franchise/report fee, the estimated net modeled benefit (yr 1) is $7,650.
LLC Filing Fee
$50
one-time, Iowa Secretary of State
Annual Franchise / Report
$30
recurring, every year
State Income Tax
Yes
ordinary rates apply · not modeled
Estimated Net Modeled Benefit (yr 1)
$7,650
federal delta minus the annual fee
01 · Iowa model
Tune the inputs. Numbers update live.
Iowa annual fee (deducted from savings)
$30
LLC
Federal payroll tax
$14,130
S-CORP
Federal payroll tax
$6,450
Estimated Net Modeled Benefit (yr 1)
$7,650
Federal SE tax saved (LLC vs S-Corp) minus Iowa's $30 annual fee. The $50 filing fee is not included — it's a one-time setup cost. Income tax, QBI, health insurance, and retirement contributions are not modeled.
02 · Why Iowa specifically
The state-level numbers that move the answer.
An S-Corp election only pencils out when the federal payroll tax saved outpaces the recurring cost of running a corporate entity. Iowacharges $30per year to keep your entity in good standing and assesses ordinary state income tax on top of the federal figure.
At the calculator's default $100K / $50K inputs, the federal delta ($7,680) is what an LLC owner gives up in self-employment tax on net profit. After the Iowa annual fee, the estimated net modeled benefit is$7,650.
State-specific note: Iowa requires a biennial report for LLCs ($30 every two years, $15/year).
Localized formula
// Iowa adjusted
llcTax = netProfit × 0.9235 × 0.153
scorpTax = salary × 0.153 − 1200
savings = llcTax − scorpTax − 30- LLC filing: one-time $50 to form the entity in Iowa.
- Annual franchise / report: $30/yr to maintain good standing.
- State income tax: applies on top of federal ordinary rates; not modeled.