StructureCost2026

LLC or S corp for a software developer in Hawaii (2026)

A software developer in Hawaii with $150,000 of profit pays $54,642 a year in tax and fees as a sole proprietor and $58,319 as an LLC taxed as an S corp, with a $105,000 salary. The S corp starts to pay at about $335,000 of profit.

More settings revenue, salary, filing status, payroll costs, PTET

+$3,677 a year

more for an LLC taxed as an S corp than a sole proprietorship in Hawaii, at these numbers.

Switching from a sole proprietorship to an LLC taxed as an S corp starts to pay at about $335,000 of profit, with the same settings. Setting up costs $50 once in state filing fees. As an LLC taxed as an S corp this uses the state's pass-through entity tax election, which lowers the cost here.

Hawaii, 2026: $150,000 profit, single filer

ItemSole propLLC as S corpChange
Hawaii general excise tax (GET)tax.hawaii.gov, checked Oct 20, 2026$13,200$13,200$0
Self-employment taxirs.gov, 2026 rates$19,329$0−$19,329
Federal income taxirs.gov, 2026 rates$14,254$17,530+$3,276
State income tax, after the PTET creditfiles.hawaii.gov, checked Oct 20, 2026$7,859$5,891−$1,968
Annual Reportcca.hawaii.gov, checked Oct 20, 2026$0$15+$15
Payroll tax on your salaryirs.gov, 2026 rates$0$17,661+$17,661
State disability and paid leavelabor.hawaii.gov, checked Oct 20, 2026$0$390+$390
Payroll service and tax return (estimate)$0$1,800+$1,800
Hawaii pass-through entity tax, paid by the company (elected)files.hawaii.gov, checked Oct 20, 2026$0$1,832+$1,832
Yearly cost$54,642$58,319+$3,677
What these figures count
  • State income tax, and state taxes on the business itself: franchise, LLC, S corp, gross receipts and excise taxes.
  • Social Security and Medicare on both sides of an owner salary, federal unemployment tax and the state's new-employer rate.
  • The 20% qualified business income deduction with its income limits and the professional-service rule.
  • Yearly report fees, and a cost you can change for payroll and the business tax return.

Many S corp calculators leave out state taxes and the QBI deduction, which can make the election look better than it is.

At three profit levels

ProfitSalary usedSole propLLCLLC as S corpC corp
$100,000$70,000$33,120$33,129$36,293$38,639
$150,000$105,000$54,642$54,651$58,319$62,086
$220,000$136,000$85,466$85,477$86,785$95,384

Salary is the BLS median for the job ($135,980), capped at 70% of profit. Revenue 2.2 times profit. Single filer.

What matters for software developers

What the switch takes in Hawaii

  1. File the Articles of Organization (Form LLC-1) with the state: $50 (fee).
  2. Get an EIN from the IRS (free, online) and open a business bank account in the new name.
  3. Check the business can elect: no more than 100 shareholders, all of them US citizens or residents (no nonresident alien owners), and one class of stock. IRS
  4. File IRS Form 2553 to elect S corp tax treatment, within 2 months and 15 days of the start of the tax year it should apply to. See how the S corp election works.
  5. Register with Hawaii as an employer and run payroll for your own salary: federal Forms 941 each quarter, Form 940 and a W-2 each year. New employers pay Hawaii unemployment tax at 2.4% on the first $64,500 of wages. labor.hawaii.gov See what payroll costs.
  6. Federal return each year: Form 1120-S, due March 15, plus your own Form 1040.
  7. State upkeep each year: Annual Report, $15 a year, due End of the calendar quarter in which the company was registered.

Questions

Should a software developer in Hawaii form an S corp?

At $150,000 of profit, not on these figures: the S corp costs $3,677 a year more than staying a sole proprietor.

Is an LLC worth it for a software developer in Hawaii?

For tax, a single-member LLC changes nothing: $54,651 a year against $54,642, the difference being Hawaii's LLC fees. It separates business liability and is the base for an S corp election.

More

Other professions in Hawaii
Other states