State Filing Steps

The route

Filing is a sequence. Most of the trouble is doing it out of order.

The steps themselves are not hard. What catches people is reaching one before the thing it depends on exists - applying for an EIN before the entity is approved, or opening an account before either.

The order it happens in Who We Are

First reads

Begin with these pages

How-to

Is it Hard to Start an LLC on Your Own?

Follow the steps How-to

How Do You Register an LLC Yourself on California bizfile?

Follow the steps How-to

What Do You Need to File a California LLC without Hiring Anyone?

Follow the steps

Waypoints

The order a state expects

Waypoint 01

Settle the name

Check availability against the state register and the designator rules before anything is filed. A rejected name resets the whole sequence.

Before filing
Waypoint 02

Fix the registered agent

A physical in-state address that accepts service during business hours. It goes on the filing, so it has to be decided first - including whether it becomes public.

Before filing
Waypoint 03

File the articles

The filing that creates the entity. Everything after this depends on it being accepted, which is why the next waypoint waits.

The filing
Waypoint 04

Get the EIN

Free and direct from the IRS. Applying before the entity is approved is the most common way this step has to be redone.

After approval
Waypoint 05

Put the first report in the diary

The recurring filing is what keeps the entity alive. Missing it is how an entity reaches administrative dissolution without anyone noticing.

Year one, onward

Covered in detail in Is it Hard to Start an LLC on Your Own?.

By the numbers

Fees, as the states publish them

Federal

  • An EIN is free directly from the IRS $0 (free) irs.gov

The page: Is it Hard to Start an LLC on Your Own?

California

  • Articles of Organization filing fee $70.00 ca.gov
  • Statement of Information fee $20.00 ca.gov

The page: How Do You Register an LLC Yourself on California bizfile?

Florida

  • New LLC total filing cost $125.00 ($100 filing + $25 registered agent) fl.gov
  • Annual report fee $138.75 fl.gov

The page: How Do You Register an LLC Yourself on Sunbiz in Florida?

Georgia

  • Articles of Organization fee $110.00 ($100 filing + $10 service charge) ga.gov
  • Annual registration fee $60.00 (online and paper) ga.gov

The page: How Do You Register an LLC Yourself with the Georgia Secretary of State?

Michigan

  • Annual statement fee $25.00 michigan.gov
  • Late penalty on the annual statement $50.00 if received after February 15 michigan.gov

The page: Can You File a Michigan LLC on Your Own Through LARA?

New York

  • Articles of Organization filing fee $200.00 ny.gov
  • Biennial Statement fee $9.00 ny.gov

The page: How Do You Register an LLC Yourself with the New York Department of State?

Texas

  • Certificate of Formation filing fee $300.00 texas.gov
  • Assumed name certificate fee $25.00 state.tx.us

The page: Is Filing a Texas Certificate of Formation Complicated for a Beginner?

The questions

Start from the question you have