StructureCost2026

LLC vs S corp for software developers (2026)

At $150,000 of profit, an S corp election saves a software developer money over a sole proprietorship in 2 of 51 states, with a $105,000 salary. Pick your state for the calculator with these numbers filled in.

StateSole proprietorS corpSaving
District of Columbia$51,572$50,426$1,146
New Hampshire$41,518$40,973$545
South Carolina$43,122$43,295+$173
Nebraska$43,246$44,048+$802
Virginia$44,809$45,630+$821
Maryland$43,964$44,793+$829
Alabama$44,312$45,154+$842
Missouri$43,222$44,082+$860
Kansas$44,586$45,464+$878
Mississippi$42,451$43,329+$878
Louisiana$41,404$42,284+$880
West Virginia$43,103$44,023+$920
Georgia$43,815$44,736+$921
New Mexico$43,107$44,029+$922
Michigan$43,281$44,210+$929
Arizona$40,698$41,652+$954
Iowa$42,293$43,262+$969
Arkansas$42,594$43,575+$981
Indiana$41,690$42,690+$1,000
Oklahoma$43,335$44,351+$1,016
Kentucky$42,369$43,400+$1,031
Montana$44,122$45,221+$1,099
Idaho$43,887$45,015+$1,128
Utah$43,810$44,965+$1,155
Texas$37,607$38,781+$1,174
South Dakota$37,607$38,842+$1,235
Florida$37,607$38,850+$1,243
North Carolina$42,660$43,974+$1,314
Wisconsin$43,615$44,972+$1,357
Pennsylvania$41,887$43,263+$1,376
North Dakota$39,045$40,444+$1,399
Delaware$45,625$47,095+$1,470
Illinois$44,363$45,867+$1,504
Maine$45,553$47,167+$1,614
Wyoming$37,607$39,257+$1,650
New York$44,792$46,481+$1,689
Vermont$44,415$46,146+$1,731
Alaska$37,642$39,375+$1,733
Minnesota$45,717$47,454+$1,737
Connecticut$43,821$45,650+$1,829
Ohio$37,607$39,638+$2,031
Nevada$37,747$39,927+$2,180
Colorado$43,032$45,305+$2,273
Massachusetts$44,357$46,705+$2,348
Rhode Island$42,627$45,177+$2,550
California$46,479$49,036+$2,557
Oregon$49,363$52,016+$2,653
New Jersey$44,297$47,309+$3,012
Tennessee$37,607$40,896+$3,289
Hawaii$54,642$58,319+$3,677
Washington$41,049$45,084+$4,035

Yearly federal and state tax and fees at $150,000 profit and $330,000 revenue, single filer, $1,800 a year of payroll and return costs.

Questions

Should a software developer form an S corp?

At $150,000 of profit and a $105,000 salary, an LLC taxed as an S corp costs less than a sole proprietorship in 2 of 51 states. The biggest saving is in District of Columbia ($1,146 a year), and in Washington it costs $4,035 more.

What salary should a software developer pay themselves?

The IRS expects pay in line with what the work would earn an employee. The median for employees in this job is $135,980 (BLS, May 2025). The figures here use that, capped at 70% of profit. More on reasonable salary.

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