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Where Will You Form Your Limited Liability Company?

Pick a state to compare filing costs, timelines, and ongoing requirements for your Limited Liability Company.

What is a Limited Liability Company?

Understanding Limited Liability Company formation and benefits

Limited Liability Company (LLC)

Limited Liability Company (LLC)

An LLC is a flexible business entity that separates your personal assets from business liabilities. By default it uses pass-through taxation (no corporate tax), can be owned by one or multiple members, and has fewer formalities than a corporationā€”making it the most popular structure for small businesses, consultants, real-estate investors, and online stores.

Key Benefits of an LLC

  • Limited liability: personal assets are protected from business debts and lawsuits
  • Pass-through taxation by default; optional S-Corp/C-Corp election if beneficial
  • Flexible management: member-managed or manager-managed
  • Lighter compliance than corporations (no annual shareholder meetings required)
  • Flexible profit and loss distribution

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Entity Advantages

Why Choose Our Limited Liability Company Formation

Operational Simplicity

LLCs require less paperwork and fewer governance formalities than corporations.

Ownership Flexibility

LLCs can have unlimited members with varying rights and responsibilities.

Tax Efficiency

LLCs allow profits and losses to flow directly to members, avoiding double taxation.

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Corporate Book
Included

What's Included on our Service Fee?

  • State Filing Fee
  • Corporate or Company Seal
  • Records Book
  • Certificate or Articles of Incorporation or Organization
  • Company and Corporate Minutes
  • Corporation Bylaws or LLC Regulations
  • Corporate Stock or LLC Membership Certificate(s)
  • Banking Resolution
  • Preliminary Name Search
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FAQ

Limited Liability Company Formation FAQ

An LLC is a legal structure that separates your personal assets from your business. If the business gets sued or takes on debt, your personal finances stay protected. It gives you the liability protection of a corporation with far less paperwork, and its flexibility in how it is taxed and managed makes it the most widely used business structure in the country.

Anyone running a business, holding real estate, or generating income outside of a regular job. It works for solo operators, multi-member businesses, and everything in between. If you have anything worth protecting, an LLC is the structure that protects it.

It separates your personal assets from business liabilities. If your business is sued, a creditor cannot come after your personal bank accounts, home, or savings to satisfy a business debt. That separation only holds if the LLC is properly maintained, which is why formation alone is not enough.

By default, a single-member LLC is taxed as a sole proprietorship and a multi-member LLC is taxed as a partnership. Both pass income through to the members, meaning the business itself does not pay federal income tax. You can also elect to have your LLC taxed as an S-Corporation or C-Corporation if that is more advantageous for your situation.

Yes. Without one, your state's default rules govern how your LLC operates, and those rules rarely reflect what you actually want. An operating agreement sets ownership percentages, decision-making authority, profit distribution, and what happens when a member exits. It is the document that holds your business together.

Your intended business name, the state you are forming in, the names and addresses of the members, and a general description of the business activity. From there, your attorney handles the filing and prepares the formation documents.

Most LLCs are formed within 5 to 7 business days. If you are in a hurry, expedited processing gets most formations done in 1 to 2 business days. The exact timeline depends on the state, and your attorney will confirm it before anything is filed.

We work with clients nationwide and internationally. The state you choose to form in does not need to be the state where you live or operate.

Yes. We offer a complimentary 15-minute call with one of our attorneys before any engagement begins. It is enough time to go over your situation, get a direct answer on whether an LLC is the right structure, and move forward with confidence.

LegalZoom processes forms. We practice law. Every formation we handle is reviewed by a licensed attorney who is accountable for the work. If something comes up during or after formation, you have a real attorney to call, not a customer service queue.
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