AZ · Tax year 2026 · Last reviewed 2026-08-24
LLC vs S Corp in Arizona: Tax Savings Calculator.
Compare federal payroll taxes, self-employment taxes, Arizona ’s annual report 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 Arizona's recurring cost, the estimated net modeled benefit (yr 1) is$9,105.
LLC Filing Fee
$50
one-time, Arizona Secretary of State
Annual Franchise / Report (LLC)
$0
no annual report fee modeled
S-Corp Recurring Cost
$0
same as the LLC rate
Estimated Net Modeled Benefit (yr 1)
$9,105
federal delta minus the annual fee
01 · Arizona 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).
Arizona LLC recurring fee (deducted from savings)
$0
No recurring state fee modeled for this state.
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)
$9,105
- Federal payroll-tax delta
- $10,305
- − Arizona annual fee
- $10,305
- − Modeled S-Corp admin overhead
- $1,200
- = Estimated net modeled benefit
- $9,105
- − Approx. §199A W-2 drag
- $0
- = Net after QBI drag
- $9,105
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 $50 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 Arizona's modeled $0 annual report (no recurring franchise tax is currently modeled) and the one-time $50 Arizona LLC filing fee (setup cost, not deducted from the year-1 net benefit). They do not include federal or Arizona 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 Arizona 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. Arizonacharges $0per 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 Arizona annual fee, the estimated net modeled benefit is$9,105.
State-specific note: Arizona LLCs do not pay a recurring annual report fee. An informational 'affirmative notice' is sent every 5 years under H.B. 2605 (2020 reform).
Localized formula — how this number was calculated
// Arizona — 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 − 0)
savings = max(0, netOfFee − 1200) // $1,200 admin overhead- LLC filing: one-time $50 to form the entity in Arizona.
- Annual franchise / report: $0/yr modeled — confirm with Arizona Secretary of State whether a filing is required.
- State income tax: applies on top of federal ordinary rates; not modeled.
03 · FAQ
LLC vs S Corp in Arizona — frequently asked questions
Common questions about choosing between an LLC and S Corp in Arizona, 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 Arizona?
Arizona charges a $50 filing fee to form an LLC. Notably, Arizona does not require an annual report fee for LLCs — one of the lowest ongoing costs in the country.
Does Arizona have a state income tax?
Yes. Arizona imposes a flat individual income tax rate of 2.5% (as of 2025). This applies to LLC and S-Corp pass-through income and is not modeled in the calculator.
Is an S Corp election worth it in Arizona?
With no annual report fee and a relatively low 2.5% state income tax, the S-Corp election in Arizona is cost-effective. At $100K net profit, the federal savings of $5,500–$6,000 minus the $0 annual fee make the net benefit strong once profit exceeds roughly $60K.
Do Arizona LLCs need to file an annual report?
No. Arizona eliminated the annual report requirement for LLCs. Instead, the state sends an informational 'affirmative notice' every 5 years under H.B. 2605 (2020 reform).
What is Arizona's LLC filing process?
You file Articles of Organization with the Arizona Corporation Commission. The $50 fee covers formation. You'll also need an Arizona statutory agent with a physical address in the state.
04 · Compare against
Run the model against another state.
05 · Methodology