Deal Alert: Northwest Registered Agent forms your LLC for just $39 + state fee — includes 1 FREE year of Registered Agent service. See deal → Northwest forms your LLC for $39 — See deal →
Free · Verified · All 50 States · Updated 2026

Start Your LLC the Right Way — Free, Step by Step.

LLC School is America's free LLC education platform. Verified 2026 state filing fees, state-by-state guides, and honest service reviews — written and fact-checked by Ahmad Adil against official Secretary of State and IRS sources.

Start My LLC Free Find My Best State
554
Free guides
51
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500K+
Entrepreneurs helped
Your 6-Step LLC Roadmap
Every state follows the same path. Here's what to do.
Name your LLCCheck availability with your state — free
Appoint a registered agentRequired in every state
3
File Articles of OrganizationPay the one-time state fee ($35–$500)
4
Create an operating agreementFree template included on LLC School
5
Get your EIN — always free at IRS.govNever pay for an EIN
6
Open a business bank accountKeeps your liability protection intact
Progress2 of 6 complete
Quick Answer

What is an LLC?

An LLC (Limited Liability Company) is a U.S. business structure that legally separates your personal assets — your home, car, and savings — from your business's debts and lawsuits. It combines the liability protection of a corporation with the simple pass-through taxation of a sole proprietorship, so business profits are taxed once on your personal return. You form one by filing Articles of Organization with your state and paying a one-time filing fee that ranges from $35 to $500 depending on the state.

$35–$500
One-time state filing fee
100%
Verified against official state sources
$0
EIN — always free at IRS.gov
500K+
Entrepreneurs helped by LLC School
The Process

How to Form an LLC in 4 Clear Steps

The path is the same in every state. Here's the full process — and every step is covered free on LLC School.

1
Step 1
Name Your LLC

Choose a name that meets your state's rules and isn't already taken. Search availability on your state's official database — it's free and takes two minutes.

Naming guide
2
Step 2
Appoint a Registered Agent

Every state requires a registered agent — a person or company that receives legal mail on your LLC's behalf. Using a service keeps your home address off public records.

Registered agent guide
3
Step 3
File Articles of Organization

This one document officially creates your LLC. File it with your state's Secretary of State and pay the one-time fee — $35 to $500 depending on where you're forming.

See your state's fee
4
Step 4
Get Your EIN and Bank Account

Get your free EIN from the IRS, write an operating agreement, then open a dedicated business bank account. Keeping finances separate preserves your liability protection.

EIN guide
Read the Complete Step-by-Step Guide
Choose Your State

Free LLC Guides for All 50 States + DC

Every state has its own fees, forms, and deadlines. Select yours for a verified 2026 step-by-step guide. The badge shows the one-time state filing fee.

No state matches that search.

$50 or less — cheapest to file $51–$299 — typical range $300+ — most expensive
Why LLC School

America's Most Trusted
Free LLC Education Platform

Verified, Not Guessed

Every fee, deadline, and IRS rule is checked against official Secretary of State and IRS.gov sources and updated for 2026. No outdated numbers, no copy-paste errors, no content written by someone who has never filed an LLC.

Genuinely Free

All 554 guides are free with no paywalls and no fluff. We'll even show you how to get your EIN directly from the IRS for free — something other sites quietly charge you for. If it's free at the source, we say so.

Honest Recommendations

We tell you when forming out of state is a mistake and when the cheaper service is the smarter pick. When a "$0 formation" service costs more over three years than a $39 one, we show you the math. Straight answers from a real person — Ahmad Adil.

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Most Popular LLC Guides

View all guides
Foundation
What Is an LLC?

The plain-English explanation of what an LLC is, how it protects your personal assets, and whether it's right for your business.

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Comparison
LLC vs Sole Proprietorship

The single most important decision for new founders — liability protection, taxes, and cost compared side by side with clear examples.

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Formation
Best State to Form an LLC

Why your home state is usually the right answer — and the specific situations where Wyoming or Delaware actually makes sense.

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Costs
LLC Filing Fees by State

Verified 2026 one-time and annual fees for all 50 states plus DC in one easy table, sourced directly from each Secretary of State.

Read guide
Taxes
LLC Taxes — Complete 2026 Guide

How LLCs are taxed by default, what self-employment tax actually costs you, and when the S-Corp election saves real money.

Read guide
Setup
How to Get an EIN (Always Free)

Step-by-step instructions for getting your federal tax ID directly from the IRS in 10 minutes — at no cost, ever. No service needed.

Read guide
Ahmad Adil's #1 Recommended LLC Service

Northwest Registered Agent — $39 + State Fee

The service I use for my own LLCs and recommend to every LLC School reader.

  • Privacy by Default — their address on all public state filings, not yours
  • 1 free year of Registered Agent service ($125 value) included
  • Free operating agreement, domain, website, email, and business phone
  • No upsells, no hidden fees — real humans answer the phone
  • Does not sell your data — no spam calls after formation
★★★★★
$39
+ state fee · one time
Form My LLC with Northwest

Advertising disclosure: LLC School may earn a commission if you sign up through this link, at no extra cost to you. This is how we keep all 554 guides free. Full disclosure.

Ahmad Adil, Founder and CEO of LLC School
Meet Your Guide
Ahmad Adil
Founder & CEO, LLC School

I built LLC School because the internet is full of LLC "guides" that are really sales pitches with wrong fees, vague answers, and hidden upsells. I've spent years researching LLC formation laws across all 50 states, and I personally write, research, and verify every article here against official state and IRS sources. My goal is straightforward: give you the accurate answer for free so you can start and protect your business with confidence.

About Ahmad Adil How to Start an LLC Choose Your State
Frequently Asked Questions

LLC Basics — Answered Directly

The questions every new LLC owner asks — answered without hedging or filler.

Starting an LLC costs a one-time state filing fee that ranges from $35 to $500, depending on your state. Montana is the cheapest at $35, Massachusetts the most expensive at $500. Most states fall between $50 and $150. Beyond the filing fee, some states require annual report fees, and California charges an $800 minimum annual franchise tax. Your EIN is always free directly from the IRS — never pay a service for it.
You can absolutely start an LLC yourself — no lawyer required. The process is filing one document (Articles of Organization) with your state and paying the fee. LLC School's state guides walk you through every step for free. A lawyer is worth considering for complex situations: multiple owners with unusual equity splits, raising investment, or specialized industries with regulatory requirements. For most single-owner and straightforward multi-owner businesses, the whole process takes under an hour online.
A sole proprietorship is automatic and free, but offers zero liability protection — if your business is sued or owes a debt, your personal assets (home, car, savings) are at direct risk. An LLC creates a legal wall between you and the business, so those assets are generally protected. Both structures use pass-through taxation by default, so the primary reason to choose an LLC over a sole proprietorship is exactly that legal protection, plus the added credibility a formal entity provides.
For the vast majority of people, the answer is your home state — the state where you live and operate your business. Forming in Wyoming or Delaware while operating in California, Texas, or New York usually backfires: you still have to register as a foreign LLC in your home state, paying fees in both states and doubling your paperwork. Out-of-state formation only makes sense in specific documented situations — see our best state guide for the full analysis.
Yes — a separate business bank account is essential, not optional. Keeping business and personal finances separate is what preserves your LLC's liability protection. If you mix the two ("commingling funds"), a court can "pierce the corporate veil" and hold you personally liable for business debts — defeating the entire point of forming an LLC. Open a dedicated account as soon as you have your approved formation documents and EIN.
By default, an LLC doesn't reduce your taxes — profits pass through to your personal return just like a sole proprietorship, and you pay self-employment tax (15.3% in 2026) on net earnings. The real tax savings opportunity comes later: once your LLC profits are consistently above roughly $60,000–$80,000 per year, electing S-Corp taxation (Form 2553) can meaningfully reduce your self-employment tax burden. See our LLC taxes guide for the complete breakdown.
As of a March 2025 FinCEN interim rule, LLCs formed in the United States by U.S. persons are currently exempt from the Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) reporting requirement. The obligation now applies primarily to foreign-formed entities registered to do business in the U.S. These rules have changed multiple times — always verify the current requirement directly on FinCEN's official website before relying on any guidance, including this one.
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