Form an LLC Yourself, or Not

Two routes

Either you file it, or you pay someone to file it.

It is the same document either way, submitted to the same office, with the same result. The question is only ever what your time is worth and how much of the process you want to hold.

What each side involves About

The seam

The same filing, two ways round

Route A

You file it

The state's own portal, your own details, your own afternoon.

  • You pay the state fee and nothing else
  • Your address is on the public record unless you arrange otherwise
  • Renewals are yours to remember
  • Mistakes are yours to correct, usually for another fee

Cost: the state fee

Route B

A service files it

The same form, completed and submitted on your behalf.

  • You pay the state fee plus a service fee
  • A registered agent address is usually included for year one
  • Renewal reminders are typically part of the package
  • The second year is where the real price shows up

Cost: the state fee, plus the service

Covered in detail in Is it Easy Enough to Skip ZenBusiness and Form Your LLC on Your Own?, Is There Any Real Advantage to a Formation Service Over Doing the LLC Paperwork Yourself? and What Extra Do You Get with ZenBusiness That You'd Miss Out on by Filing Your LLC Alone?.

By the numbers

Fees, as the states publish them

Florida

  • New LLC total filing cost $125.00 ($100 filing + $25 registered agent) fl.gov
  • Annual report fee $138.75 fl.gov
  • Annual report received after May 1 $538.75 (a $400 late penalty) fl.gov

Covered in What Extra Help Does a Florida LLC Service Give You That Filing on Sunbiz Yourself Doesn't?

Georgia

  • Articles of Organization fee $110.00 ($100 filing + $10 service charge) ga.gov
  • Annual registration fee $60.00 (online and paper) ga.gov
  • Penalty for late filing of annual registration $25.00 ga.gov

Covered in Filing Your Georgia LLC Directly Yourself vs. Using a Service, What's Actually Different?

Michigan

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

Covered in Filing Your Michigan LLC Through LARA Yourself vs. Using a Service, What's the Real Difference?

Texas

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

Covered in What's the Difference Between Filing a Texas LLC Yourself and Using a Service?

Federal

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

Covered in Is There Any Real Advantage to a Formation Service Over Doing the LLC Paperwork Yourself?

Where to read on

The write-ups behind this

By state

The general question