In most states the filing office is the Secretary of State, but not in all of them. A handful route business filings through a separate division or add a county step. States also set their own rules on reserving a name, on the designators a name must carry (such as "LLC"), and on the words they will not allow without a license behind them.

A few things are the same wherever you file. Once the state has formed your LLC, you can apply for an Employer Identification Number. The IRS's EIN guidance says to form the entity with the state first, and it states that an EIN is free when you get it directly from the IRS. There is no reason to pay a third party for one. On beneficial ownership, FinCEN's current guidance is that companies formed in the United States are exempt from federal BOI reporting.

Start here

If you are still deciding whether to do this yourself, or you want to know where people usually go wrong, begin with the general guides:

  • Can You File All the LLC Paperwork Yourself without Any Help?
  • How Do You Avoid Mistakes When Forming Your Own LLC?

If you already know your state, go straight to it below.

By state

Each state page answers the same questions in the same order, because that is the order the work happens in.

California

  • Is Filing California Articles of Organization Hard to Do Alone?
  • Can You File a California LLC on Your Own without a Service?

Florida

  • Is Filing a Florida LLC on Sunbiz Complicated for a Beginner?
  • Can You File Your Florida LLC Directly Through Sunbiz Instead of Using a Service?

Georgia

  • Is Registering a Georgia LLC Online Complicated for a Beginner?
  • Can You File a Georgia LLC on Your Own without a Service?

Michigan

  • How Do You Register an LLC Yourself with Michigan LARA?
  • Is Filing Michigan Articles of Organization Hard to Do Alone?

New York

  • What Do You Need to File a New York LLC without Hiring Anyone?

Texas

  • Can You Submit the Texas Certificate of Formation on Your Own?
  • What Do You Need to File a Texas LLC without Hiring Anyone?

If you would rather have help

Filing yourself means paying only what the state charges. If you would rather hand part of the work off, a formation service can file for you. ZenBusiness offers a Starter plan at $0 plus the state fee, Pro at $199 a year, and Premium at $299 a year. Its registered agent service is a separate $199 a year on every tier, including Premium, discounted to $99 for the first year when you form with them.

This site earns a commission on some links, including for ZenBusiness. That does not change what any page here recommends. Whether the convenience is worth the cost is your decision, and the state pages lay out what each filing involves so you can judge for yourself.

Sources

This is general information, not legal advice, and requirements vary by state and change over time.