How much does it cost to open a company in 2026: set your budget

There is no single national price for opening a company. The value changes depending on the state, municipality, legal structure, activity, registration body, licenses, technical documents and contracted services.

A loose medium can be more dangerous than useful. To arrive at a reliable number, separate establishment cost, cost to start operating and monthly maintenance cost.

1. Incorporation fees

You can enter this part:

• fee from the Board of Trade, notary office or other registration body;
• issuance of certificates or copies, when necessary;
• recognition, translation or legalization of documents in specific cases;
• digital certificate, when required by the process or operation;
• fees for the preparation and protocol of acts.

Tables are local and may change. In São Paulo, consult the current JUCESP table and identify the exact act — constitution, transformation, alteration and others have their own treatments.

2. Licensing costs

Activity and address can generate:

• municipal taxes;
• health license;
• environmental licensing;
• fire safety measures and documents;
• reports, plans and technical managers;
• registrations with professional councils.

Low risk may result in exemption from certain acts, but does not authorize including “zero permit” in the budget without validating local regulations.

3. Structure to operate

The CNPJ can be issued before the business is ready. Also consider:

• suitability of the property;
• equipment and furniture;
• tax-invoice and management system;
• domain, telephony and payment methods;
• deposit, guarantee or working capital;
• brand and contract protection;
• payroll and hiring costs.

These items are not opening fees, but are part of the cash needed to start safely.

4. First year recurring costs

After opening, project:

• taxes according to regime and billing;
• accounting and payroll;
• certificate and systems;
• licenses with renewal;
• pró-labore and charges;
• obligations without movement;
• bank fees and collection.

A company without revenue can continue to have obligations. The budget does not end with the issuance of the CNPJ.

And the MEI?

The official formalization of the MEI on the Entrepreneur Portal is free. This does not mean zero total cost: after registration there is a monthly DAS and there may be activity expenses, adjustments and local requirements. Be wary of charges presented as a mandatory federal fee to “release” the MEI.

Minimum budget spreadsheet

Group	Confirmed value	Source	Expiration	Mandatory?
Registration		competent body
Licenses		municipality/authority
Technical document		responsible/body
Certificate and systems		supplier
Opening fees		proposal
Monthly costs		simulation
Working capital		internal projection

Ask for each budget to state what is included, what will be paid directly to the government and what may arise as a result.

Three scenarios, not one guess

Create an essential scenario, a probable scenario and a contingency scenario. The difference should reflect conditional licenses, documentary requirements and adjustments — not arbitrary percentages.

The pillar how to open a company and obtain the CNPJ helps to identify the steps that feed this budget. VMAHUB can transform activity, address and structure into a list of pre-protocol verifiable costs.