Full Answer
The cost of having a business lawyer set up and form your LLC for you can be anywhere from $490 to $890 depending on the complexity of your business and how many members your LLC has. Starting a business? If you’re interested in forming an LLC, email me at sam@mollaeilaw.com
An LLC’s filing fee is only paid one time, as are some of the other set-up costs. However, you still need to pay an annual fee to keep your LLC from dissolving. This fee is remitted once every one or two years, depending on the state.
To form an LLC, you will need a business lawyer to file an Articles of Organization (also called Certificate of Formation) with the Secretary of State. Every state has its filing fee for forming an LLC.
Further, an annual $800 LLC tax is due by the 15th day of the fourth month after LLC formation and every year thereafter. If the LLC’s income exceeds $250,000, it will owe an additional LLC tax based on the income amount.
The fees for State filing to set up an LLC can go anywhere from $75 to $1,000, or even more. Before getting started, be sure to contact your Secretary of State office and ask about the requirements and fees for creating an LLC in your state. If you’ll have to publish the creation of your company in a local newspaper, be ready to pay at least $50 to $125, although some publications will charge as much as $2,500.
Once you set up your limited liability company, expect annual expenses of around $20-$200 in maintenance fees, depending on the state. Many states charge an annual franchise tax that can vary from $100 to $800, or even higher, depending on your business.
A limited liability company, also known as an LLC, is a form of legal ownership used by people that need the advantages of a corporation while working on a sole proprietorship or partnership. The limited liability company will be taxed just like a normal sole proprietorship or partnership, with all profits and losses passed to the LLC owners and no income taxes on the business, unless the owners of the LLC choose something else. The LLC members/owners will not be held personally liable for any debts of the company, the same as for any corporation. Create an LLC also if you need something more flexible than a legal corporation, that usually is very rigid and very strictly structured.
A CPA’s services will usually cost $400 to $900, or more, depending on their location and the complexity of the services they will provide. This will be an addition to all of the expenses and fees we presented above.
Although the process might seem complicated, it usually isn’t. the Articles of Organization shouldn’t be more than one page long in most states. Get expert advice before you set up your LLC because in some cases it might be better and easier to form a corporation, depending on what business you’re starting.
The cost will depend on the complexity of the agreement and the amount of negotiation needed. It could cost from $500 to $2,000+ for this work.
I filed my own LLC online in Colorado for $50. I read the state LLC laws, some LLC books and created my operating agreement. My LLC serves as the registered agent so there is no registered agent fee. Annual online report fee in Colorado is only $10.
If you are a single member LLC, you can file the papers yourself and will only incur a filing fee with the Secretary of State ($100 in Georgia.)
The ability to reserve an LLC name is available in every state (for a fee). Alabama is the only one that requires the name to be reserved at a cost between $10-$28. Reserving the name is optional in all other states, but is usually not worth the expense unless it will be some time before you plan to start your LLC.
There are some states like Arizona, Georgia, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, and Pennsylvania that require new LLCs to publish a legal ad notifying the public of the LLC formation in a local newspaper and supplying the affidavit of publication. Publishing costs vary depending on the state and newspaper.
If you have even one partner, even if that partner doesn’t want anything to do with the business, even if the partner promises to let you do “all the work”, even if the partner is your best friend, then you NEED legal help to develop the operating agreement so everything is spelled out. No matter how well you know the person/people it is IMPERATIVE that their responsibilities and LIMITS are spelled out in excruciating detail. If you can ask “What about…” about anything then the matter should be spelled out. DO NOT agree to work it out only if the issue comes up.
Before filing, you will need to make sure the LLC name is available to register as each entity has to have a unique name.
The main cost of forming a limited liability company (LLC) is the state filing fee. This fee ranges between $40 and $500, depending on your state.
If you’re forming an LLC in Alabama, you will also need to reserve your LLC’s name for a fee of $10-$28. Reserving a name is optional for all other States.
Annual/Biennial Report. Most states require LLCs to submit an annual or biennial report which includes updating the name, address, and ownership of the LLC. The report fee varies state by state. Visit our state-specific LLC Annual Report guides to learn more about annual fees and franchise tax.
An LLC provides limited liability protection. This means an LLC protects your personal assets in the event of a business loss such as a lawsuit or unpaid debt. We recommend any small business that carries even the smallest amount of risk or liability, to form an LLC. Learn more in our Should I Start an LLC guide.
The articles of organization, also known as the certificate of formation or certificate of organization, is a document that is filed with your state to form an LLC.
Some states ( Arizona, Nebraska, and New York) require your new LLCs to publish a statement of formation in a local newspaper.
You'll need to designate a registered agent for your LLC when you complete the certificate of formation.
What kind of business contract? Are you looking for an Operating Agreement which will govern how the business will be run between the two of you? OA's outline who will be responsible for what tasks and responsibilities within the business.
The cost depends on how comprehensive an agreement you want created. If you are just looking for someone to form the business and draw up a basic agreement discussing management and division of profits/losses you can likely have this done for between $1000 and $2000 typically on a fixed fee basis.
While this is not my specialty area, I can tell you that most lawyers will charge an hourly rate for doing this kind of work. Rarely will an attorney do this kind of work for a flat fee. Different lawyers have different hourly rates and will also invest different amounts of time in completing the legal work.