Skip to content
State packet

Wisconsin Contractor Packet

What you need to start and run a trade business in Wisconsin, in one printable PDF: a first 30 days checklist, everyday forms, the rules in plain English, and a calendar of what’s due.

$17

Instant PDF download · 50 pages · Digital product, all sales final (policy)

What’s inside

Getting set up

  • First-30-days checklist
  • Which trades need a state license, and who to call
  • The workers’ comp decision, and what you have to file

Pricing and taxes

  • Who pays sales tax on your materials, and on your labor
  • A yearly calendar of filings and due dates

Forms and checklists

  • Business setup sheet and a before-your-first-job checklist
  • New job sheet, estimate, invoice and change order forms
  • Sub information sheet and a home contract checklist

If a customer doesn’t pay

  • What to collect on day one of every job
  • Your lien rights and deadlines, for when you need them
  • Printable job tracker

Where to check

  • The agencies and statutes behind the rules, with links
  • Checked November 3, 2026

What you won’t get from a quick search

  • A first 30 days checklist for Wisconsin, in the order to do it
  • Everyday forms you can copy and use: a new job sheet, estimate, invoice, change order and sub information sheet
  • The Dwelling Contractor and Qualifier credentials you need to pull a permit on a one- or two-family home, and the bond conflict shown both ways: DSPS’s page says $25,000, the statute says $5,000 with a limit on your job size
  • What a Wisconsin LLC costs by filing method: $130 online or $170 on paper, plus a $25 or $40 annual report, and why you pay tax on materials and charge none on real property work
  • Workers’ comp at one employee and $500 in a quarter, the nine-part test for 1099 helpers, and what an uninsured sub can cost you
  • The home improvement contract rules, the lien waiver notice you hand over before anyone signs, and the 3-day cancel notice for jobs sold away from your shop

What this packet doesn’t cover

We only state rules we could confirm. All sales are final, so here’s what’s not in it. The packet tells you who to ask.

  • The date your Wisconsin LLC’s annual report is due, and any late penalty. The report starts the year after you form and costs $25 online or $40 on paper. Ask the Department of Financial Institutions for your date.
  • How your LLC is taxed at the state level, and whether any business-level tax applies. This packet gives the individual income tax range and the corporation filing rule. Ask a CPA or the Department of Revenue.
  • The smallest bond for the Dwelling Contractor credential. The statute says $5,000, with a job size cap under $25,000. The DSPS page says $25,000. Ask DSPS before you buy a bond.
  • Dwelling Contractor and Qualifier credential fees, and how the statute’s exam language works today. Ask DSPS.
  • Whether working without the certificate, or breaking the home improvement rule, affects your right to collect. The sections covered here don’t say. Ask a Wisconsin construction attorney.
  • The Department of Revenue’s contractor publication is dated January 2019. Confirm its $20 registration and $10 renewal fees, its out-of-state bond rule, and how Milwaukee’s 2% city tax applies to your materials with the department.
  • Which sales count as “consumer transactions” under the 3-day cancel rule, including any dollar limit. That definition sits in Chapter 421. Ask a Wisconsin construction attorney.
  • The prison and fine ranges for each theft level, and exactly how the general time rule applies to each lien deadline. Ask a Wisconsin construction attorney.

Informational only. This packet should not be considered legal, financial, tax or business advice. Check with a licensed professional in your state before you rely on it.