KY · Tax year 2026 · Last reviewed 2026-08-24
LLC vs S Corp in Kentucky: Tax Savings Calculator.
Compare federal payroll taxes, self-employment taxes, Kentucky ’s $15 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 Kentucky's recurring cost, the estimated net modeled benefit (yr 1) is$9,090.
LLC Filing Fee
$40
one-time, Kentucky Secretary of State
Annual Franchise / Report (LLC)
$15
recurring, every year
S-Corp Recurring Cost
$15
same as the LLC rate
Estimated Net Modeled Benefit (yr 1)
$9,090
federal delta minus the annual fee
01 · Kentucky 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).
Kentucky LLC recurring fee (deducted from savings)
$15
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)
$9,090
- Federal payroll-tax delta
- $10,305
- − Kentucky annual fee
- $10,290
- − Modeled S-Corp admin overhead
- $1,200
- = Estimated net modeled benefit
- $9,090
- − Approx. §199A W-2 drag
- $0
- = Net after QBI drag
- $9,090
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 $40 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 Kentucky's $15 LLC annual franchise / report fee and the $15 modeled S-Corp recurring cost and the one-time $40 Kentucky LLC filing fee (setup cost, not deducted from the year-1 net benefit). They do not include federal or Kentucky 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 Kentucky 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. Kentuckycharges $15per 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 Kentucky annual fee, the estimated net modeled benefit is$9,090.
State-specific note: Kentucky requires an annual report for LLCs ($15).
Localized formula — how this number was calculated
// Kentucky — 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 − 15)
savings = max(0, netOfFee − 1200) // $1,200 admin overhead- LLC filing: one-time $40 to form the entity in Kentucky.
- Annual franchise / report: $15/yr to maintain good standing.
- State income tax: applies on top of federal ordinary rates; not modeled.
03 · FAQ
LLC vs S Corp in Kentucky — frequently asked questions
Common questions about choosing between an LLC and S Corp in Kentucky, 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 Kentucky?
Kentucky charges a $40 filing fee to form an LLC. The annual report fee is just $15/year.
Does Kentucky have a state income tax?
Yes. Kentucky imposes a flat individual income tax rate of 4% (as of 2025). This applies to both LLC and S-Corp pass-through income.
Is an S Corp election worth it in Kentucky?
Kentucky's $15/year annual report fee is very low, making the S-Corp election extremely cost-effective. At $100K net profit, the federal savings of $5,500–$6,000 minus $15/year is strong. The election typically becomes worthwhile once net profit exceeds $50K–$60K.
What is Kentucky's limited liability entity tax (LLET)?
Kentucky levies a limited liability entity tax (LLET) of $175 minimum on most LLCs and corporations. The calculator's $15 reflects the SOS annual report fee only; the LLET is a separate obligation.
What is Kentucky's annual report fee?
Kentucky charges a $15 annual report fee for both LLCs and corporations — one of the lowest in the country.
04 · Compare against
Run the model against another state.
05 · Methodology