Ohio Articles of Organization: File for $99 (2026)
The Articles of Organization is the filing that creates your Ohio LLC — $99, one of the more affordable fees in this series, with genuinely fast expedite options if you need your LLC approved same-day.
File Articles of Organization with the Ohio Secretary of State to create your LLC. The fee is $99 — the same online or by mail — filed through the Business Central portal. Standard processing runs 3–7 business days. Need it faster? Ohio offers same-day expedited processing for $100 or 1-hour processing for $300. The Articles require your LLC name, statutory agent, and organizer information.
- Filing fee
- $99
- Portal
- Business Central
- Standard processing
- ~3–7 business days
- Same-day expedite
- +$100
- 1-hour expedite
- +$300
- Agency
- Secretary of State
What the Articles of Organization Do
The Articles of Organization are your LLC's birth certificate. When the Secretary of State accepts your filing, your LLC exists: liability protection attaches, the name is claimed, and you can bank and contract as the company.
The Filing Walkthrough
Create a Business Central account
Ohio's online portal handles formation and any future filings — keep the login durable.
Start a new domestic LLC filing
The portal walks the Articles field by field and checks your name against state records.
Enter your details and pay $99
Name, statutory agent and Ohio address, organizer information; pay by card at submission, plus any expedite fee.
Download your confirmed Articles
Save the approved filing the moment it issues — your bank requires it.
Every Line of the Articles
LLC name
With "LLC" or "Limited Liability Company," distinguishable on state records — verified in Step 1.
Statutory agent & address
Name of your statutory agent and their Ohio street address.
Organizer signature
The person forming the LLC — doesn't have to be a member or manager.
Effective date (optional)
Usually immediate upon filing, though you can specify a delayed effective date if desired.
Payment
$99 by card online through Business Central, or by check/money order for mail filings — the same base fee either way.
Expedited Processing (If You Need It Faster)
Ohio Filing Speed Decision Tool
How urgently do you need your LLC approved?
Standard: $99, 3\u20137 business days. Same-day: +$100 ($199 total). 1-hour: +$300 ($399 total).
After Approval: Your Immediate Next Moves
- Save your confirmed Articles — banks require them alongside your EIN letter.
- Create your operating agreement — the document that overrides Ohio's default rules.
- Get your free EIN at IRS.gov, then register with the Ohio Department of Taxation as applicable.
- Relax on the annual report front — there isn't one. Just keep your statutory agent current.
Ahmad Adil's Take: Ohio's filing is refreshingly simple, and the expedite options are genuinely useful if you have a real deadline \u2014 $100 for same-day is reasonable if you need to close a deal or open a bank account this week. Most founders don't need to pay for speed; the standard 3\u20137 day window is fast enough for nearly everyone. Once you're approved, there's very little else to think about at the state level \u2014 no annual report deadline to calendar, which genuinely simplifies your first-year to-do list compared to almost every other state in this series.
- ✓Forms your Ohio LLC for $39 + the $99 state fee
- ✓Files online with the Secretary of State (Business Central)
- ✓Free Ohio statutory agent service the first year
- ✓No upsells · No data selling · Privacy by Default
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Ohio LLC — FAQ
Ahmad Adil is the founder and CEO of LLC School. The figures here — the $99 Articles of Organization, the fact that Ohio has no LLC annual report, and Ohio’s flat 2.75% income tax with its $250,000 Business Income Deduction — reflect current Ohio Secretary of State and Department of Taxation guidance. This is educational content, not legal or tax advice.
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