North Carolina LLC Cost (2026): Fees and Due Date

The short answer

To form the LLC: $125 to file the Articles of Organization.
Every year after: $200 a year ($203 online by card), due April 15.
If you file late: No flat late fee from North Carolina. After one missed report, North Carolina administratively dissolves the LLC, and the state's total to reinstate it at that point is $300.
Five years, filing it yourself: $1,125: the formation fee plus five years of the state's recurring fee, with no service fees.

Start your North Carolina LLC

Our service fee and the North Carolina filing & processing are itemized on the checkout review screen before you pay.

What's included

Name availability check before we file
Articles of Organization prepared and filed with North Carolina
Submitted within 3 business days, or the same day as an option
Approved documents emailed, plus a private order page
North Carolina's after-formation deadlines in writing
A real person by email

North Carolina LLC one-time costs

What North Carolina charges once, when the LLC is formed, and the optional costs that arrive at the same time. The state fee is the same whether you file yourself or use a service.

State filing fee

Amount: $125
Notes: Paid to North Carolina to file the Articles of Organization. One time.

State expedite (optional)

Amount: Set by the state
Notes: $100 for 24-hour; $200 same day if received by noon (requested at submission).

Registered agent

Amount: Free if you serve yourself; our agent service can be added in the application
Notes: Required in North Carolina; a street address in the state.

Operating agreement

Amount: Free if you write it
Notes: Not filed with the state.

Our filing service

Amount: Our fee, itemized at checkout
Notes: Optional. Our fee and the North Carolina filing & processing appear as separate lines before you pay.

North Carolina LLC one-time and optional costs, 2026
Cost	Amount	Notes
State filing fee	$125	Paid to North Carolina to file the Articles of Organization. One time.
State expedite (optional)	Set by the state	$100 for 24-hour; $200 same day if received by noon (requested at submission).
Registered agent	Free if you serve yourself; our agent service can be added in the application	Required in North Carolina; a street address in the state.
Operating agreement	Free if you write it	Not filed with the state.
Our filing service	Our fee, itemized at checkout	Optional. Our fee and the North Carolina filing & processing appear as separate lines before you pay.

State fees verified October 2026 and set by the state, not by us. Online filing prices; a few states charge a different amount on paper.

North Carolina LLC ongoing costs

What North Carolina charges to keep the LLC in good standing, when it is due, and what the state does when a report is late or missed.

Annual Report fee

The state's rule: $200 a year ($203 online by card)
Notes: Filed with the North Carolina Secretary of State, every year.

Due

The state's rule: April 15

Late penalty

The state's rule: None

After missed reports

The state's rule: After one missed report
Notes: Administrative dissolution, revocation or forfeiture by the state, after notice.

Reinstatement

The state's rule: $300
Notes: The state's total to reinstate after one missed report: reinstatement fee plus the missed reports and penalties it requires.

Franchise or privilege tax

The state's rule: None
Notes: North Carolina adds no LLC tax beyond the figures above.

North Carolina LLC ongoing costs, 2026
Item	The state's rule	Notes
Annual Report fee	$200 a year ($203 online by card)	Filed with the North Carolina Secretary of State, every year.
Due	April 15
Late penalty	None
After missed reports	After one missed report	Administrative dissolution, revocation or forfeiture by the state, after notice.
Reinstatement	$300	The state's total to reinstate after one missed report: reinstatement fee plus the missed reports and penalties it requires.
Franchise or privilege tax	None	North Carolina adds no LLC tax beyond the figures above.

State fees verified October 2026 and set by the state, not by us. Due rules, penalties and dissolution triggers are read from each state's statute or filing office page; the reinstatement figure is the state's own total at that point.

North Carolina LLC annual fee

North Carolina's recurring requirement: $200/year ($203 online by card), due April 15. North Carolina calls the filing the Annual Report, and it goes to the North Carolina Secretary of State at sosnc.gov. The Annual Report is due April 15, every year.

If you file late: No flat late fee published; a missed report still risks loss of good standing. After one missed report, North Carolina administratively dissolves the LLC, and the state's total to reinstate it at that point is $300.

The due date, filing window and portal are covered step by step in North Carolina LLC annual report.

Other recurring obligations

Annual report. April 15 of the year following creation and every April 15 after. $203 online by card ($202 by bank transfer; $200 on paper).

North Carolina LLC filing fee: $125

The filing fee is what North Carolina charges to file your Articles of Organization, the document that creates the company. North Carolina charges $125. It is the one cost nobody can avoid: it is the same whether you file directly with the state or hire a service, and no legitimate service can waive it. Which form North Carolina uses, where it is filed and what it asks: how to register an LLC in North Carolina.

North Carolina posts its current processing times on its own site; we do not quote one.

Faster review from the state: $100 for 24-hour; $200 same day if received by noon (requested at submission).

By filing fee, North Carolina ranks 33 of 51 jurisdictions, cheapest first; the median state charges $100.

Five-year North Carolina LLC cost: $1,125

$125 to form, plus $200 a year in report fees for five years, comes to $1,125 paid to North Carolina over five years, assuming every report is filed on time. Taxes on the company's income, licenses and a registered agent service are separate.

See your exact North Carolina total before you pay

Our service fee and the North Carolina filing & processing are itemized on the checkout review screen before you pay, each on its own line.

Start your North Carolina LLC →

What the North Carolina state fee does not include

The filing fee buys the state's approval of the Articles of Organization and nothing else. These are the costs that sit outside it.

Registered agent. North Carolina requires one, with a street address in the state. Serving as your own agent is free; the address becomes public record. Our registered agent service can be added in the application. North Carolina registered agent requirements.
Operating agreement. Not filed with the state and free if you write it yourself.
Business licenses and permits. Set by the city, county or licensing board for your line of business, not by the formation filing. Many North Carolina LLCs need none; a restaurant, contractor or salon usually needs several.
Taxes. An LLC's income is taxed through its owners' returns unless it elects otherwise, and sales tax or employer registrations are separate state accounts with no formation fee attached.
Filing service. Our fee is itemized on the checkout review screen before you pay, with same-day submission as an option. The state fee is identical either way.

How to pay less for a North Carolina LLC

File the Articles of Organization yourself. North Carolina takes it online at sosnc.gov for the $125 state fee alone.
Be your own registered agent if you have a North Carolina street address and are there during business hours. The trade-off is privacy: the address goes on the public record.
Write your own operating agreement. No state charges for it and North Carolina does not file it.
File the Annual Report on time. North Carolina charges no late fee, but a missed report still leads to loss of good standing and dissolution.
Skip state expedite unless a date depends on it. The state's standard queue costs nothing extra.
Form where you do business. An LLC that operates in North Carolina but is formed elsewhere must register in North Carolina as a foreign LLC anyway, paying North Carolina's registration fee and its recurring report on top of the home state's.

How North Carolina compares

By filing fee, North Carolina is number 33 of 51 jurisdictions, cheapest first. The filing fee is paid once; the recurring line is what separates states over time.

North Carolina

Filing fee: $125
Recurring: $200 a year ($203 online by card)
Five-year total: $1,125

Virginia

Filing fee: $100
Recurring: $50 a year
Five-year total: $350

Tennessee

Filing fee: $300 minimum
Recurring: $50 per member a year, $300 minimum to $3,000 maximum
Five-year total: $1,800 for one member

Georgia

Filing fee: $110
Recurring: $60 a year
Five-year total: $410

South Carolina

Filing fee: $110
Recurring: None
Five-year total: $110

North Carolina and its neighbors
State	Filing fee	Recurring	Five-year total
North Carolina	$125	$200 a year ($203 online by card)	$1,125
Virginia	$100	$50 a year	$350
Tennessee	$300 minimum	$50 per member a year, $300 minimum to $3,000 maximum	$1,800 for one member
Georgia	$110	$60 a year	$410
South Carolina	$110	None	$110

State fees verified October 2026 and set by the state, not by us.

Every state's fee is in LLC cost by state, and the case for and against forming elsewhere is in cheapest states to form an LLC.

Filing yourself vs. using us

Filing directly with North Carolina costs only the state's own fee: $125. The state takes formations at sosnc.gov. Through us, you pay our service fee plus the North Carolina filing & processing, for the name check, the Articles of Organization prepared and submitted, the approved documents emailed to you and North Carolina's deadlines in writing. Both lines are itemized on the checkout review screen before you pay.

Sources

State fees verified October 2026; page last updated November 1, 2026. The figures above are read from North Carolina's own fee schedule, forms and statutes:

sosnc.gov (sosnc.gov/webfiles/documents/forms/Business_Registration/limited_liability_compa...)
sosnc.gov (sosnc.gov/forms/by_title/_Business_Registration_Limited_Liability_Companies)
sosnc.gov (sosnc.gov/fees/by_title/_Business_Registration/)
sosnc.gov (sosnc.gov/frequently_asked_questions/by_title/_BRD_FAQ_Payment)
ncleg.gov (ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/PDF/BySection/Chapter_55D/GS_55D-11.pdf)
sosnc.gov (sosnc.gov/frequently_asked_questions/by_title/_BRD_FAQ_Annual_Reports)
sosnc.gov (North Carolina Secretary of State, Annual Report filing)

Standard Filings is a filing service, not a law firm. This page is general information from each state's published filing rules and fee schedules, not legal or tax advice.

North Carolina LLC cost FAQ

How much does it cost to start an LLC in North Carolina?+

North Carolina charges $125. That is the state's own fee and it is the same whether you file yourself or use a service. If you have us file it, our service fee and the North Carolina filing & processing are itemized on the checkout review screen before you pay.

Does North Carolina charge an annual fee for an LLC?+

Yes. North Carolina's recurring requirement: $200/year ($203 online by card), due April 15. That works out to $200 a year.

When is the North Carolina LLC annual report due?+

The Annual Report is due April 15, every year.

What is the late penalty for a North Carolina LLC report?+

North Carolina charges no flat late fee for a late LLC report. After one missed report, North Carolina administratively dissolves the LLC, and the state's total to reinstate it at that point is $300.

Is there a franchise tax in North Carolina?+

No. North Carolina charges no franchise, privilege or LLC tax on top of its Annual Report; the LLC's income is taxed through its owners' returns in the ordinary way, and any state income tax registration is separate from the formation and report fees here.

How much is a registered agent in North Carolina?+

Nothing from the state: North Carolina charges no fee for naming a registered agent. Serving as your own agent is free if you have a street address in North Carolina and are there during business hours; the address becomes public record. A commercial registered agent charges a yearly fee that the agent sets, in exchange for keeping its North Carolina address on the record and forwarding what arrives.

Can I file the North Carolina Articles of Organization myself?+

Yes. North Carolina accepts the Articles of Organization directly from business owners at sosnc.gov, and you pay only the state's $125 fee. North Carolina posts its current processing times on its own site; we do not quote one. State expedite is optional: $100 for 24-hour; $200 same day if received by noon (requested at submission).

What does your service add to the state fee?+

Our service fee covers a name availability check, your Articles of Organization prepared and filed, the approved documents emailed to you, and North Carolina's deadlines in writing. The North Carolina filing & processing is a separate line, and both are itemized on the checkout review screen before you pay.

General information, not legal or tax advice. Fees change; confirm the current amount with North Carolina before you rely on it.