How to Form an LLC in Any State (2026 Guide)

Forming an LLC means filing one document – the Articles of Organization or Certificate of Formation – with your state's business filing office and paying the state fee. This guide walks through the whole process: the six steps every state shares, what it costs in each state, how long it takes, and which parts you can hand off. If you would rather have it done for you, Rapid Registered Agent files LLCs in every state for a flat $99 plus the state fee.

Want it done for you? Rapid Registered Agent forms LLCs in any state for a flat $99 service fee plus the state filing fee – name check, document prep, filing, and the approved paperwork. No packages, no upsells.

Start your llc – $99 + state fee

How to register an LLC in 6 steps

Every state follows the same basic sequence. The names of the forms and the fees change from state to state, but the steps do not.

1. Choose and check your LLC name

Your name has to be distinguishable from every other business already on file in that state, and it has to include an LLC designator — “LLC”, “L.L.C.”, “Limited Liability Company”, or a close variant the state allows. Most states run a free business-name search on the Secretary of State (or equivalent) website. Check the name there before you do anything else, and check that a matching domain and trademark are available while you are at it. Some states let you reserve a name for 30 to 120 days for a small fee if you are not ready to file.

2. Appoint a registered agent

Every state requires an LLC to name a registered agent — a person or company with a physical address in the state of formation who is available during business hours to accept legal notices, lawsuits, and state correspondence on the company’s behalf. You can be your own registered agent in your home state, but your name and address then go on the public record, and you have to be present at that address every business day. Most owners who form outside their home state, work from home, or travel use a commercial registered agent instead. Rapid Registered Agent provides this service in every state for $10 per month, per state; it is not included in the $99 formation fee.

3. File the Articles of Organization

This is the document that actually creates the LLC. Depending on the state it is called the Articles of Organization, the Certificate of Formation, or the Certificate of Organization — the table below shows the exact name for each state. It is short: the LLC name, the principal address, the registered agent’s name and address, whether the LLC is member-managed or manager-managed, and the organizer’s signature. You file it online or by mail with the state and pay the filing fee, which ranges from $35 in Montana to $500 in Massachusetts.

4. Write an operating agreement

An operating agreement is the internal contract among the members: who owns what percentage, how profits and losses are split, how votes work, what happens when a member wants out or dies. Only a handful of states legally require one (California, New York, Missouri, Maine, and Delaware), but you should have one regardless. Without it, your LLC is governed entirely by the state’s default rules, which are rarely what the owners actually want. Single-member LLCs need one too — it is part of how you show a court that the LLC is a real separate entity and not just you.

5. Get an EIN from the IRS

An Employer Identification Number is the business equivalent of a Social Security number. You need one to open a business bank account, hire employees, and file most tax returns. It is free directly from the IRS and takes a few minutes online if you have a US Social Security number or ITIN. A single-member LLC with no employees can technically use the owner’s SSN for federal taxes, but getting an EIN keeps the two separate and is worth doing.

6. Handle licenses, permits, and post-formation filings

Formation is the state saying your LLC exists. It does not give you permission to operate. Depending on your industry and location you may need a state or local business license, a sales-tax permit, a professional license, or a home-occupation permit. Many states also require an initial or annual report within a set window after formation — miss it and the state can administratively dissolve the LLC. Open a dedicated business bank account before you take in any revenue; commingling personal and business money is the fastest way to lose the liability protection you just paid for.

Have rapid file it for you – $99 + state fee

What LLC registration costs

There are two costs to register an LLC: the state filing fee, which the state charges to process your Articles of Organization, and, if you use a formation service, that company’s service fee.

• State filing fee: $35 to $500 one time, set by the state. See the table below.
• Rapid Registered Agent service fee: $99 flat, any state. We prepare and file the formation document and send you the approved paperwork.
• Registered agent service: $10 per month, per state, if you use ours. Optional in your home state, effectively required if you form elsewhere.
• Operating agreement and EIN: free if you do them yourself.

Ongoing costs vary widely by state and are separate from registration. Most states charge an annual or biennial report fee ($0 to a few hundred dollars). A few levy a flat franchise tax regardless of income — California’s $800 annual franchise tax is the one that catches new owners off guard, and Delaware, Tennessee, and a handful of others have their own versions. Factor the recurring cost of a state into where you form, not just the upfront filing fee.

How long LLC registration takes

Processing time depends on the state and the filing method:

• Online filing: Many states approve online filings within a few business days; several are same-day or immediate.
• Mail filing: Two to six weeks is typical, longer during busy periods (January and the weeks around each state’s annual-report deadline).
• Expedited service: Most states offer 24-hour or same-day processing for an extra $25 to $1,000 depending on the state and speed tier.

Your LLC is not legally formed until the state approves the filing, so if you have a contract, bank appointment, or funding deadline, build in a buffer or pay for expedited processing.

The registered agent requirement

This is the one requirement people underestimate. All 50 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico require an LLC to continuously maintain a registered agent with a physical street address in the state of formation. If the agent resigns, moves, or stops being reachable and you do not replace them, the state can dissolve the LLC and you lose the liability shield — often without a warning you actually see, because the notice goes to the address that is no longer valid.

If you are forming in your home state and are comfortable putting your address on the public record and being available every business day, you can serve as your own agent. If you are forming in another state, work from home, run multiple LLCs, or simply do not want your home address searchable, use a commercial service. Rapid Registered Agent covers every state for $10 per month per state, with same-day scanning of anything that arrives. See our registered agent service or your state’s page — for example Texas, Florida, Wyoming, or New Mexico.

LLC formation documents explained

Three documents come up during and right after registration, and people mix them up:

• Articles of Organization / Certificate of Formation: the public document you file with the state to create the LLC. This is the one the filing fee pays for.
• Operating Agreement: the private contract among the members. You do not file it with the state; you keep it with your company records.
• EIN confirmation letter (CP 575): the IRS notice confirming your federal tax ID. Banks ask for it.

Want to see what your state’s approved formation document actually looks like? We publish real, redacted examples with state-by-state comparisons — for instance Florida, Ohio, Georgia, and Iowa.

Member-managed vs. manager-managed

The Articles of Organization ask you to pick one:

• Member-managed: the owners run the company day to day. This is the default and the right choice for most small LLCs where everyone with a stake is also working in the business.
• Manager-managed: the members appoint one or more managers (who may or may not be members) to run things, while the other members stay passive investors. Choose this if you have silent partners, outside investors, or a large membership that should not all have signing authority.

You can change it later by amending the Articles and updating the operating agreement, but it is cleaner to get it right at formation.

LLC filing fees by state (2026)

State filing fees to form a domestic LLC, current as of 2026. The formation document name is what that state calls the filing you submit. Rapid’s $99 service fee is the same in every jurisdiction; only the state fee below changes.

Register your llc in any state = $99 + state fee

Which state should you register in?

For most people, the answer is the state where you live and do business. Forming in Delaware, Wyoming, or Nevada because of something you read only makes sense if you have a specific reason — outside investors who expect Delaware, or a genuine privacy need. Otherwise, forming out of state means you still have to register your LLC as a “foreign LLC” in your home state anyway, so you end up paying two sets of fees and maintaining two registered agents. Register where you operate unless a lawyer or accountant tells you otherwise for a concrete reason. If you have already formed elsewhere and now need to operate in a new state, that is foreign qualification, which is a separate filing in the new state.

How Rapid Registered Agent handles it

Give us the LLC name, the members, and the state. We check the name, prepare the Articles of Organization, file with the state, and send you the approved formation document. The fee is $99 plus whatever that state charges. If you add registered agent service, we are listed as your agent at filing so your address stays off the public record from day one, and everything the state or a court sends gets scanned to you the same day it arrives.

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LLC registration FAQ

How much does it cost to register an LLC?

The state filing fee ranges from $35 (Montana) to $500 (Massachusetts). Rapid Registered Agent adds a flat $99 service fee to prepare and file the paperwork. Registered agent service, if you use ours, is $10 per month per state and is not included in the $99.

How long does LLC registration take?

Online filings are approved in anywhere from same-day to about a week in most states. Mail filings take two to six weeks. Most states offer expedited processing for an extra fee. Your LLC is not legally formed until the state approves the filing.

Can I register an LLC myself?

Yes. Every state lets you file the Articles of Organization directly, usually online. You pay only the state fee. A formation service is worth it if you want the name check, the paperwork prepared correctly, a registered agent in place from the start, and someone to deal with the state if the filing is rejected.

Do I need a registered agent to form an LLC?

Yes. All 50 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico require every LLC to name and continuously maintain a registered agent with a physical address in the state of formation. You can be your own agent in your home state, or use a commercial service.

What is the difference between Articles of Organization and an Operating Agreement?

The Articles of Organization is the public document you file with the state to create the LLC. The Operating Agreement is the private contract among the members that governs how the LLC is run and owned — you keep it with your records and do not file it.

Do I have to register my LLC in the state where I live?

You should register in the state where you actually do business, which for most people is where they live. If you form in another state, you generally still have to register as a foreign LLC in your home state, which means two filing fees and two registered agents.

Does Rapid Registered Agent form corporations too?

Not at this time. We form LLCs in all 50 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico.

What do I need to do after my LLC is registered?

Get an EIN from the IRS, write an operating agreement, open a business bank account, and check whether your state requires an initial report and whether your industry or city requires a license or permit. Then keep up with the state’s annual report and your registered agent so the LLC stays in good standing.

Reviewed by Andrew Traub, a Texas-licensed attorney and the founder of Rapid Registered Agent. Rapid Registered Agent has acted as a registered agent for business owners since 2007.