LLC guides
How to start an LLC, state by state
Straight answers on forming an LLC: what each state charges, the steps in order, and what comes after. Every fee comes from the same state data we file with.
By the Standard Filings editorial team · Last updated · State fees verified October 2026
Starting an LLC
The filing itself: steps, names, and how long the state takes.
- How to Start an LLC in 2026: Step-by-Step
The six steps to form an LLC in any state: name, registered agent, articles, operating agreement, EIN, and the filings that come after. With state fees.
- How Long Does It Take to Form an LLC?
State processing times and expedite options for LLC filings, from same-day online approval to several weeks, plus what you can do to avoid delays.
- LLC Name Rules: What You Can and Can't Use
The rules every LLC name must follow: the required ending, restricted words, and the distinguishability test, with how to check a name before you file.
Costs and where to form
What every state charges, and whether to form somewhere else.
- LLC Cost by State (2026): Filing Fees and Annual Fees
Every state's LLC filing fee, annual or biennial report fee, and due date in one table, for all 50 states and DC. What you pay once and what you pay every year.
- Cheapest States to Form an LLC
The lowest LLC filing fees and ongoing costs, ranked from state data. Plus why the cheapest state is usually the one where you already do business.
- Should You Form Your LLC in Delaware or Wyoming?
Delaware and Wyoming LLCs compared on fees, annual costs, and privacy, and the home-state rule: forming elsewhere usually means paying two states.
Structure and paperwork
The choices you make before and while you file.
- LLC vs Sole Proprietorship
How an LLC and a sole proprietorship differ on liability, taxes, cost, and paperwork, and the signs that it's time to form an LLC.
- Do You Need a Registered Agent?
Nearly every state requires an LLC to name a registered agent. What the agent does, when you can be your own, and when a paid service is worth it.
- Do You Need an Operating Agreement?
What an operating agreement covers, which LLCs need one most, why banks ask for it, and your options for getting one written.
After you form
The tasks that start the day your LLC is approved.
- What to Do After Forming Your LLC
The checklist for a new LLC: EIN, bank account, operating agreement, state taxes and licenses, annual reports, and where BOI reporting stands in 2026.
How to start an LLC in your state
Each guide covers that state's filing fee, the steps, how long it takes, and the filings that come after.
- Alabama$228
- Alaska$250
- Arizona$50
- Arkansas$45
- California$70
- Colorado$50
- Connecticut$120
- Delaware$110
- District of Columbia$99
- Florida$125
- Georgia$100
- Hawaii$51
- Idaho$100
- Illinois$150
- Indiana$95
- Iowa$50
- Kansas$85
- Kentucky$40
- Louisiana$130
- Maine$175
- Maryland$100
- Massachusetts$500
- Michigan$50
- Minnesota$155
- Mississippi$50
- Missouri$50
- Montana$35
- Nebraska$100
- Nevada$425
- New Hampshire$100
- New Jersey$100
- New Mexico$50
- New York$200
- North Carolina$125
- North Dakota$135
- Ohio$99
- Oklahoma$100
- Oregon$100
- Pennsylvania$125
- Rhode Island$150
- South Carolina$110
- South Dakota$150
- Tennessee$300+
- Texas$300
- Utah$59
- Vermont$155
- Virginia$100
- Washington$200
- West Virginia$100
- Wisconsin$130
- Wyoming$100
Rather have it filed for you?
$99 service fee plus your state's fee at cost. We check the name, prepare the filing and submit it.
Start my LLCStandard Filings is a private filing service, not a government agency. Same-day submission: ordered by 2 PM Eastern on a business day.