Dissolving a company in Wisconsin
The state-level facts for closing an LLC or corporation in Wisconsin: the dissolution filing, its fee, whether tax clearance comes first, and the tax obligations that keep accruing until the filing is accepted. Every fact links to the official government source it was read from.
Wisconsin LLC
- Dissolution filing
- Statement of Dissolution or Termination (Limited Liability Company) (Form 510) — filed with the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate & Consumer Services. (official source)
- Filing fee
- $20 (official source)
- Tax clearance before filing
- Not required before the dissolution filing. (official source)
- Annual report (DFI)
- Dissolution cannot be accomplished on the annual report filing — the Statement of Dissolution is required. If the LLC is in delinquent status, all back fees due DFI must be paid at the time of dissolution ($25 per delinquent year on the online filing) in addition to the filing fee. (official source)
- Final state return
- File the final Wisconsin income or franchise return, checked as final; report gain or loss on the sale or liquidation of assets. Partnership-taxed LLCs give each member a copy of the final Schedule 3K-1. (official source)
Worth knowing
- Online and paper fees differ: the online Statement of Dissolution is $20 while the paper Form 510 states a $35 fee — and the online filing adds $25 for each delinquent annual-report year.
- One form (510) covers both states: 'Dissolved' (winding up begins) or 'Terminated' (winding up complete) — check the box that matches where the company is.
- Optional expedited service is $100 on top of any filing fee; all filing fees are nonrefundable.
- A delayed effective date may be declared but cannot be more than 90 days after DFI receives the document.
- Final withholding and sales/use returns are due within 30 days of the closure date — a shorter deadline than most owners expect.
Wisconsin corporation
- Dissolution filing
- Articles of Dissolution (business corporation) (Form 10) — filed with the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate & Consumer Services. (official source)
- Filing fee
- $20 (official source)
- Tax clearance before filing
- Not required before the dissolution filing. (official source)
- Annual report (DFI)
- Dissolution cannot be accomplished on the annual report filing — Articles of Dissolution are required. If the corporation is in delinquent status, any and all back fees due DFI must be paid at the time of dissolution in addition to the filing fee. (official source)
- Final state return
- File the final Wisconsin income or franchise tax return, checked as final; report gain or loss on the sale or liquidation of assets. S corporations give each shareholder a copy of the final Schedule 5K-1. (official source)
Worth knowing
- The foreign-corporation withdrawal fee is not flat: Form 24's final report computes $3 per $1,000 of Wisconsin capital representation on which fees were not previously paid, on top of the $40 base.
- Online and paper fees differ: the online Articles of Dissolution filing is $20 while the paper Form 10 instructions state a $35 fee.
- The dissolved corporation keeps exclusive rights to its name for 120 days after the effective date (s. 180.1405(3)), unless a shorter period is stated in the articles.
- Articles of Dissolution must be signed by an officer — directors are not authorized to sign in their capacity as directors.
- Optional expedited service is $100; a delayed effective date cannot be more than 90 days after receipt; fees are nonrefundable.
Closing a company is more than the state filing — payroll accounts, sales-tax permits, franchise-tax finals, federal returns, and creditor notices all have their own order and deadlines. A Winddown runbook sequences all of it for your specific company, with drafted consents and creditor notices included.
Sourced from the official pages linked above; facts we could not verify against an official source are shown as links rather than numbers. Requirements and fees change — the linked pages are authoritative. General information, not legal or tax advice.