How to get the Operating Agreement
Where to start, what clauses actually matter, and a clean template you can adapt without paying a lawyer for the basics.
7 min readPlain-English guides, transparent state cost breakdowns, and step-by-step checklists. No fluff, no upsells — just the information you came here to read.
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Read our full editorial policyEvery fact traces back to a Secretary of State page, IRS publication, or state statute. We cite sources on every guide so you can verify it yourself.
Content is authored by editors with direct LLC formation experience — not generalist freelancers writing to a brief they don't understand.
Every guide is verified by an editor who didn't write it. State fees and filing steps are confirmed against current government records.
State fees and rules change. Every published guide is reviewed and re-checked on a rolling monthly schedule — not "set and forget."
LLC rules, filing fees, and timelines — written specifically for the state where you'll register.
Nine guides that answer the first questions almost everyone has — pick a chapter and start reading.
Where to start, what clauses actually matter, and a clean template you can adapt without paying a lawyer for the basics.
7 min readYes, you can — without a US address, SSN, or visa. The order of operations that actually works, and where most non-residents get stuck.
11 min readWhere to register when your business has no physical location — and why the answer is rarely the state your laptop happens to be in.
8 min readThe step-by-step IRS application, the questions that trip people up, and why you should never pay a third party for one.
5 min readThree paths to consider — domestication, dissolution-and-refile, foreign qualification — and how to pick the one that costs you least.
9 min readThe "best state" debate gets recycled every year. Here's a side-by-side that does the math instead of repeating marketing claims.
12 min readThe income threshold where the S-Corp election starts saving real money, and the costs most calculators conveniently leave out.
10 min readThe FinCEN BOI filing — who has to file, the deadlines, and the steep penalties for skipping it or getting it wrong.
6 min readHow structure quietly changes everything — tax treatment, liability exposure, and the operating-agreement clauses that decide who owns what.
9 min readShort, clear answers to what readers ask most. Tap any question to expand.
A Limited Liability Company (LLC) is a legal business structure that separates your personal assets from your business. If the business gets sued or accrues debt, your personal property is generally protected.
Filing fees range from $40 (Kentucky) to $500 (Massachusetts). Most states fall between $100 and $200. Many states also have annual report fees ranging from $0 to $800/year.
A registered agent is a person or service with a physical address in your state, available during business hours, who can accept legal documents on your LLC's behalf. You can be your own agent, or hire a service for $50–$300/year.
Only a few states legally require one, but every LLC should have one. It's the internal rulebook for how the business runs and serves as evidence that the LLC is genuinely separate from you personally.
A sole proprietorship is the default for any unincorporated solo business — no separation between you and the business. An LLC creates that legal separation, protecting personal assets if the business is sued.
For most people, the answer is simple: the state where you live and run the business. Forming in Delaware or Wyoming while operating elsewhere usually doubles your fees instead of saving them.
Online filings are typically approved in 1–10 business days, depending on the state. Some states (like Texas) approve in under a day. Expedited service is available in most states for an extra fee.
Yes — almost certainly. You need an EIN to open a business bank account, hire employees, or file federal taxes for the LLC. It's free, takes about 10 minutes online, and you can get it directly from the IRS.
Annual reports are short filings (and usually a fee) most states require to keep your LLC in good standing. Missing the deadline is the most common way new LLCs get administratively dissolved.
Technically yes, using a DBA ("doing business as"). Whether you should is another question — if one business is sued, both are exposed. Separate LLCs cost more but compartmentalize the risk.