United States / Tools / Delaware franchise tax calculator (both methods)
Delaware franchise tax calculator (both methods)
The notice Delaware sends uses the method that produces the largest number. Run both and see what the Assumed Par Value calculation does to it. For a lot of startups the difference is four figures.
| You enter | authorized shares, issued shares, gross assets and par value — all from your charter and balance sheet. |
|---|---|
| It runs both statutory methods | : Authorized Shares, which produces the alarming default bill, and Assumed Par Value, which usually does not. |
| You get | both figures side by side, so you can see whether recalculating is worth doing before you pay the notice. |
A worked example
The classic startup shape — 10,000,000 authorized shares, small par value — gets a default bill of $85,165. The same company under the Assumed Par Value method: $400. That recalculation is the whole reason this page exists.
Lower statutory method, plus the annual report fee
- Authorized Shares Method (the default bill)
- $85,165.00
- Assumed Par Value Capital Method
- $400.00
- Annual report fee
- $50.00
- Total payable on the lower method
- $450.00
Assumed par 0.0625 × 10,000,000 authorized = assumed par value capital $625,000.00; $400 per $1,000,000 or portion of that.
Figures verified 2026-08-14.
An estimate, not a quote. The Delaware Division of Corporations produces the figure that actually applies to you — check there before you rely on a number. Due 1 March; late means a $200 penalty plus 1.5% monthly interest.
What this assumes, and where it stops
A single class of stock is assumed — multi-class cap tables apportion per class, and that computation belongs with whoever files your annual report. Recalculating a default bill under the other statutory method is arithmetic on public formulas; choosing a share structure to manage the bill is advice we do not give.
What to do with this number: If your default notice looks like the first number, the annual report filing can elect the cheaper method — arithmetic on public formulas, filed by whoever handles your Delaware annual report. Multi-class cap tables need the full calculation done properly.
The figures behind this tool, with their sources and verification dates: the companion guide. When the statute or schedule changes, the guide and the tool move together.