The short answer
- To form the LLC
- $99 to file the Articles of Organization.
- Every year after
- Nothing: Ohio has no annual report for LLCs.
- Five years, filing it yourself
- $99: the formation fee plus five years of the state's recurring fee, with no service fees.
Start your Ohio LLC
Our service fee and the Ohio filing & processing are itemized on the checkout review screen before you pay.
Start your Ohio LLCWhat's included
- Name availability check before we file
- Articles of Organization prepared and filed with Ohio
- Submitted within 3 business days, or the same day as an option
- Approved documents emailed, plus a private order page
- Ohio's after-formation deadlines in writing
- A real person by email
Ohio LLC one-time costs
What Ohio 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.
- Amount
- $99
- Notes
- Paid to Ohio to file the Articles of Organization. One time.
- Amount
- Set by the state
- Notes
- $100 for 2 business days; the $200 one-day and $300 four-hour tiers are walk-in only.
- Amount
- Free if you serve yourself; our agent service can be added in the application
- Notes
- Required in Ohio; a street address in the state.
- Amount
- Free if you write it, or our self-help template after checkout
- Notes
- Not filed with the state.
- Amount
- Our fee, itemized at checkout
- Notes
- Optional. Our fee and the Ohio 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.
Ohio LLC ongoing costs
Ohio is one of the few states with no recurring report for LLCs, so the ongoing state cost is the tax picture below and nothing else.
- The state's rule
- None
- Notes
- No LLC annual report.
- The state's rule
- None
- Notes
- Ohio 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.
Ohio LLC annual fee
Ohio charges no annual fee for an LLC and requires no annual report. Keep the company's other obligations (taxes, licenses) on your calendar; the state itself asks for nothing yearly.
Other recurring obligations
- No periodic report with the Ohio Secretary of State for LLCs.
Ohio LLC filing fee: $99
The filing fee is what Ohio charges to file your Articles of Organization, the document that creates the company. Ohio charges $99. 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 Ohio uses, where it is filed and what it asks: how to register an LLC in Ohio.
Ohio posts its current processing times on its own site; we do not quote one.
Faster review from the state: $100 for 2 business days; the $200 one-day and $300 four-hour tiers are walk-in only.
By filing fee, Ohio ranks 17 of 51 jurisdictions, cheapest first; the median state charges $100.
Five-year Ohio LLC cost: $99
$99 to form, plus nothing recurring from the state, comes to $99 paid to Ohio 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 Ohio total before you pay
Our service fee and the Ohio filing & processing are itemized on the checkout review screen before you pay, each on its own line.
What the Ohio 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. Ohio 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. Ohio registered agent requirements.
- Operating agreement. Not filed with the state and free if you write it yourself. Our self-help template is available after checkout.
- Business licenses and permits. Set by the city, county or licensing board for your line of business, not by the formation filing. Many Ohio 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 an Ohio LLC
- File the Articles of Organization yourself. Ohio takes it online at ohiosos.gov for the $99 state fee alone.
- Be your own registered agent if you have an Ohio 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 Ohio does not file it.
- 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 Ohio but is formed elsewhere must register in Ohio as a foreign LLC anyway, paying Ohio's registration fee and its recurring report on top of the home state's.
How Ohio compares
By filing fee, Ohio is number 17 of 51 jurisdictions, cheapest first. The filing fee is paid once; the recurring line is what separates states over time.
- Filing fee
- $99
- Recurring
- None
- Five-year total
- $99
- Filing fee
- $125
- Recurring
- $7 a year
- Five-year total
- $160
- Filing fee
- $100
- Recurring
- $25 a year
- Five-year total
- $225
- Filing fee
- $40
- Recurring
- $15 a year
- Five-year total
- $115
- Filing fee
- $95
- Recurring
- $32 every 2 years
- Five-year total
- $175
- Filing fee
- $50
- Recurring
- $25 a year
- Five-year total
- $175
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 Ohio costs only the state's own fee: $99. The state takes formations at ohiosos.gov. Through us, you pay our service fee plus the Ohio filing & processing, for the name check, the Articles of Organization prepared and submitted, the approved documents emailed to you and Ohio'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 Ohio's own fee schedule, forms and statutes:
- codes.ohio.gov (codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-1706.16)
- sec.gov (sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/787250/000095010325004418/dp227257_ex0301.htm)
- ohiosos.gov (ohiosos.gov/globalassets/business/forms/533A_instructions.pdf)
- codes.ohio.gov (codes.ohio.gov/ohio-administrative-code/rule-111:1-2-01)
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.
Ohio LLC cost FAQ
How much does it cost to start an LLC in Ohio?+
Ohio charges $99. 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 Ohio filing & processing are itemized on the checkout review screen before you pay.
Does Ohio charge an annual fee for an LLC?+
No. Ohio requires no annual report from LLCs and charges no annual fee.
When is the Ohio LLC annual report due?+
Ohio has no annual report for LLCs, so there is no state due date to track.
What is the late penalty for an Ohio LLC report?+
There is none, because Ohio has no LLC annual report.
Is there a franchise tax in Ohio?+
No. Ohio charges no franchise, privilege or LLC tax on top of the formation filing; 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 Ohio?+
Nothing from the state: Ohio charges no fee for naming a registered agent. Serving as your own agent is free if you have a street address in Ohio 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 Ohio address on the record and forwarding what arrives.
Can I file the Ohio Articles of Organization myself?+
Yes. Ohio accepts the Articles of Organization directly from business owners at ohiosos.gov, and you pay only the state's $99 fee. Ohio posts its current processing times on its own site; we do not quote one. State expedite is optional: $100 for 2 business days; the $200 one-day and $300 four-hour tiers are walk-in only.
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 Ohio's deadlines in writing. The Ohio 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 Ohio before you rely on it.
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