No upsells. No legalese. Just the exact steps, fees, and forms — researched by attorneys and CPAs, updated quarterly, free to read forever.
Every state has different filing fees, processing times, and annual obligations. Start with one of the most-requested guides below, or jump directly to any other state.
Business-friendly courts, flexible operating agreements, and the structure preferred by 68% of Fortune 500 companies.
No state income tax for individuals, and one of the most efficient online filing systems in the country.
Every service below has been through our filing process, support tests, and pricing audit at least once before it's cited in a state guide.
Filing your Articles of Organization is just step one. These guides cover the tax, compliance, and reporting essentials every LLC owner needs to keep things running.
Pass-through taxation, S-Corp elections, self-employment tax, quarterly estimates — what every owner should know before April.
Read the guideGet your federal Employer ID Number directly from the IRS in under 10 minutes — without paying a third party to do it for you.
Read the guideEach state has its own renewal cadence, fee, and deadline. Miss one and your LLC can fall out of "good standing" — here's how to stay compliant.
Read the guideEvery service below was tested with a real filing, timed end-to-end, and graded against the same rubric. No paid placements — just what worked, what didn't, and who we'd recommend for whom.
Free filing plus a free year of registered agent, but the renewal pricing and upsells are where they make it back. Best for true budget filers who'll cancel before year two.
Read the review
The most beginner-friendly dashboard we tested, with a built-in compliance calendar that genuinely earns its keep. Mid-tier pricing, hand-holding flow.
Read the review
Privacy-first filing with real humans on the phones and no aggressive cross-selling. Slightly higher price, considerably less noise post-sale — our top pick for serious owners.
Read the review
Brand recognition you can sell to a skeptical co-founder, but the highest pricing in the category and slowest filings we timed. Good if you want everything in one place.
Read the review
A subscription model that bundles LLC filing with ongoing legal document access. Worth it if you actually need attorney consults; overkill if you just want the paperwork done.
Read the review
Built around a logo and brand kit, with formation bundled in. Smart for solo founders launching with marketing on day one — but be ready for tier-based upselling.
Read the reviewHead-to-head breakdowns of the choices that trip new owners up — services, states, and structures — scored on the things that matter once the marketing copy is set aside.
Two budget favorites with very different post-sale experiences. Which one is the better value once year-two pricing kicks in? We ran the four-year math.
Read comparisonPrivacy-first boutique versus household-name behemoth. We tested both with the same Delaware filing and the gap in customer support was hard to ignore.
Read comparisonThe "best state" debate gets recycled every year. Here's a side-by-side on filing fees, annual obligations, and the privacy gap that actually distinguishes them.
Read comparisonThe income threshold where the S-Corp election starts saving real money — and the bookkeeping, payroll, and compliance costs most "savings calculators" leave out.
Read comparisonWhat you actually gain by incorporating — liability protection, tax flexibility, business credit — versus the simplicity of operating as yourself. A frank cost-benefit look.
Read comparisonYou can file an LLC yourself for the state fee alone — about an hour of work. When does paying a service make sense, and when is it pure marketing markup?
Read comparisonPlain-English walkthroughs for the parts of LLC ownership that don't get explained well anywhere else — from the first filing to the annual obligations no one warned you about.
The seven-step playbook from picking your state to receiving your stamped Articles of Organization — what the order of operations actually is, and where most filers stall.
Read the guideThe IRS gives EINs out for free, in about ten minutes online. Step-by-step screenshots of the application and the four questions where filers most often slip up.
Read the guideMost states don't require one — but every LLC should have one. The clauses worth fighting over, and a clean template you can adapt without paying a lawyer for the basics.
Read the guideState naming rules, the trademark checks you should run before filing, and the domain/social handle reality check most founders skip. Five fast tests before you commit.
Read the guideBe your own agent, hire a service, or use a friend? The three options laid out with their actual privacy, availability, and reliability tradeoffs — not just the price tag.
Read the guideEach state has its own renewal cadence, fee, and deadline. Miss one and your LLC can lose good standing — here's how to track every obligation without paying a service for it.
Read the guideA Limited Liability Company sits between a sole proprietorship and a corporation — giving you legal separation from your business without the overhead of a board, shareholders, or formal meetings.
It's the structure 73% of new U.S. businesses choose in their first year. Here's why.
Read the full primerYour personal assets — home, car, savings — stay separate from business debts and lawsuits.
Choose pass-through, S-Corp, or C-Corp taxation — adapt your structure as your business grows.
Banks, vendors, and clients take you seriously when "LLC" is in your business name.
No board, no shareholders, no annual meetings — just one document and a yearly state filing.
The reason our state guides hold up: each one runs through a four-stage process before publication, and gets re-verified on a 90-day cycle to keep up with state law changes.
Every fee, deadline, and form comes straight from a state Secretary of State portal, IRS publication, or current statute — never from competitor blogs.
Step 1Each guide is reviewed by a licensed attorney or CPA in the relevant jurisdiction before publication.
Step 2Where possible, our editors walk through the actual state filing portal and capture current screenshots — not stock images from five years ago.
Step 3Fees and deadlines change. We re-audit every state guide quarterly and stamp the latest "Reviewed" date at the top of each article. No stale advice.
Step 4Cut through the marketing — what registered agents actually do, when to be your own, and the six things to check before paying.
Everything new LLC owners need to know about their tax structure before the first April rolls around.
The internal document that defines how your LLC actually runs — and why courts care about it.
The questions we get asked most by first-time LLC owners. No legalese — just the practical answers you'd give a friend.
Don't see your question?
Ask our editorial teamState filing fees range from $40 (Kentucky) to $500 (Massachusetts). Most states fall between $100–$200. On top of that, you may pay for a registered agent ($100–$150/year) and an annual report filing ($0–$300/year, depending on your state).
For most small businesses, yes — forming in your home state is simpler and cheaper. "Delaware LLCs" make sense for venture-backed startups, but for a typical small business, registering out-of-state usually means paying fees in two states.
You can absolutely DIY it. Most states have online filing portals that walk you through the process in under 30 minutes. A lawyer becomes worth it only if you have multiple members, unusual ownership splits, or complex tax planning needs.
Online filings are typically approved in 1–7 business days depending on the state. Florida and Wyoming are among the fastest (often 1–3 days). California, New York, and Texas trend slower (5–10 days). Expedited processing is available in most states for an additional fee.
Not strictly — single-member LLCs without employees can use the owner's SSN. But getting an EIN is free, takes 10 minutes on the IRS website, and lets you open a business bank account and avoid sharing your SSN with vendors. Recommended for almost everyone.
A sole proprietorship is the default — if you're earning money without forming an entity, you're already one. The key difference is liability protection: with a sole prop, your personal assets are at risk if the business is sued or defaults on debt. An LLC creates a legal separation between you and the business.
