AL · Tax year 2026 · Last reviewed 2026-08-24
LLC vs S Corp in Alabama: Tax Savings Calculator.
Compare federal payroll taxes, self-employment taxes, Alabama ’s $50 annual fee and estimated S Corp savings in seconds.
At $100,000 net profit with a $50,000 W-2 salary, the federal payroll tax delta is $10,305. Adjusted for Alabama's recurring cost, the estimated net modeled benefit (yr 1) is$9,055.
LLC Filing Fee
$200
one-time, Alabama Secretary of State
Annual Franchise / Report (LLC)
$50
recurring, every year
S-Corp Recurring Cost
$50
same as the LLC rate
Estimated Net Modeled Benefit (yr 1)
$9,055
federal delta minus the annual fee
01 · Alabama model
Tune the inputs. Numbers update live.
What does this mean? Your expected business profit for the year after business expenses but before the owner's salary.
The IRS requires "reasonable compensation" for S-Corp shareholder-employees. The salary is capped at your current net profit.
This is an illustrative assumption, not a tax or an IRS-required amount. Real overhead depends on your payroll provider, your CPA, and your state.
Per IRS Form 8959, these are added to your business income to determine whether the 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax applies.
Sets the Form 8959 threshold: $200K (single / HOH), $250K (MFJ), $125K (MFS).
Alabama LLC recurring fee (deducted from savings)
$50
Recurring state filing/maintenance fee.
Defaults: $100K profit · $50K salary
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LLC
Federal payroll tax
$14,130
S-CORP
Federal payroll tax
$3,825
Federal Payroll / SE Tax Difference
$10,305
LLC SE tax minus the S-Corp's employer-side FICA on the owner salary. This is the federal payroll-tax piece only.
Estimated Net Modeled Benefit (yr 1)
$9,055
- Federal payroll-tax delta
- $10,305
- − Alabama annual fee
- $10,255
- − Modeled S-Corp admin overhead
- $1,200
- = Estimated net modeled benefit
- $9,055
- − Approx. §199A W-2 drag
- $0
- = Net after QBI drag
- $9,055
Federal delta = the LLC's self-employment tax minus the S-Corp's employer-side payroll tax. The S-Corp employer-side figure ishalf of the standard 12.4% + 2.9% FICA on the salary; the 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax is entirely employee-side (no employer match) and is not included in the S-Corp employer-side comparison. The $200 filing fee is not included — it's a one-time setup cost. Income tax, QBI, health insurance, and retirement contributions are not modeled.
Estimate. Methodology & scope
ESTIMATE. The figures above estimate the federal payroll / self-employment tax difference between a Single-Member LLC (Schedule C / Schedule SE) and an S-Corp election, plus Alabama's $50 LLC annual franchise / report fee and the $50 modeled S-Corp recurring cost and the one-time $200 Alabama LLC filing fee (setup cost, not deducted from the year-1 net benefit). They do not include federal or Alabama individual income tax (the state-income-tax flag is informational; the dollar amount is not modeled), the §199A QBI deduction (made permanent under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, H.R. 1 / Public Law 119-21, signed July 4, 2025, with a 2026 phase-in range of $200K–$275K single / $400K–$550K MFJ), self-employed health insurance, retirement contributions, the half-of-SE-tax Schedule 1 adjustment, filing-status-specific deductions or credits, multi-state apportionment, reasonable-compensation enforcement, or other items that depend on your complete tax situation. The S-Corp administration overhead is a configurable illustrative assumption (defaulted to $1,200/yr), not a tax and not an IRS-required amount. Verify with a licensed CPA, EA, or tax attorney before acting.
02 · Why Alabama 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. Alabamacharges $50per 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 ($10,305) is what an LLC owner gives up in self-employment tax on net profit. After the Alabama annual fee, the estimated net modeled benefit is$9,055.
State-specific note: Alabama requires LLCs to file an annual report and pay the $50 annual fee through the Secretary of State. There is no separate corporate franchise tax for LLCs.
Localized formula — how this number was calculated
// Alabama — same engine as the homepage
seBase = netProfit × 0.9235
ssPortion = min(seBase, 184_500) × 0.124
medicare = seBase × 0.029
addlMed = max(0, seBase + existingWages − 200_000) × 0.009
llcTax = ssPortion + medicare + addlMed
// S-Corp — employer-side payroll tax only
ssPortion = min(salary, 184_500) × 0.124
medicare = salary × 0.029
standard = ssPortion + medicare
addlMed = max(0, salary + existingWages − 200_000) × 0.009
// employee-side only — no employer match
scorpTax = standard / 2 // 50% of standard FICA — AddlMed excluded
// Net benefit
payrollDelta = llcTax − scorpTax
netOfFee = max(0, payrollDelta − 50)
savings = max(0, netOfFee − 1200) // $1,200 admin overhead- LLC filing: one-time $200 to form the entity in Alabama.
- Annual franchise / report: $50/yr to maintain good standing.
- State income tax: applies on top of federal ordinary rates; not modeled.
03 · FAQ
LLC vs S Corp in Alabama — frequently asked questions
Common questions about choosing between an LLC and S Corp in Alabama, sourced from Google, Reddit, and Quora. The right answer depends on your income, reasonable compensation, and other factors — talk to a CPA for personal advice.
How much does it cost to form an LLC in Alabama?
Alabama charges a $200 filing fee to form an LLC with the Secretary of State. After formation, you'll pay a $50 annual report fee to keep your LLC in good standing.
Does Alabama have a state income tax?
Yes. Alabama imposes a state individual income tax with rates ranging from 2% to 5%. This tax applies to both LLC pass-through income and S-Corp shareholder income, and is not modeled in the federal-only calculator above.
Is an S Corp election worth it in Alabama?
At $100K net profit with a $50K salary, the federal payroll tax savings are roughly $5,500–$6,000. After Alabama's $50 annual report fee, the net benefit is still strong. The S-Corp election typically becomes worthwhile once net profit exceeds $60K–$80K in Alabama.
What is Alabama's LLC annual report fee?
Alabama LLCs pay a $50 annual report fee to the Secretary of State. This is separate from any state income tax obligations.
Do I need a registered agent for my Alabama LLC?
Yes. Alabama requires every LLC to designate a registered agent with a physical address in the state. You can serve as your own agent if you have an Alabama address, or hire a registered agent service.
04 · Compare against
Run the model against another state.
05 · Methodology