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Biz Formation Academy

A plain textbook on LLC paperwork, one state per chapter.

Biz Formation Academy

A textbook on forming an LLC in your state

Choose a state and read along: the official form, the fee, the agent rule and the recurring report, each sourced, with our recommendations if you want help.

Written by the Biz Formation Academy editorial board

Three units, fifty states

1 50 lessons

Starting an LLC

How an LLC is formed in each state, with the official form and fee beside the explanation.

Choose your state
2 50 lessons

Registered agents

How to appoint a registered agent, and replace one later, in each state.

Choose your state
3 50 lessons

Registering in another state

Which LLCs must register in a new state, the form that does it and the fee that goes with it.

Choose your state

The outline at a glance

  1. 1

    Find an available name

    Check the state register before filing.

  2. 2

    Put an agent in place

    A person or company inside the state that receives official mail for the LLC.

  3. 3

    File with the state

    Fees differ widely from state to state.

  4. 4

    Apply for the EIN

    The IRS issues it once the state approves the LLC.

  5. 5

    Put the rules in writing

    A private document that never goes to the state.

  6. 6

    Remain in good standing

    Your state's chapter has the dates.

Recommended services, nationwide

Best overall LLC Services Mainstay Filing Best overall Registered Agents Mainstay Filing Best overall Foreign Registration Services Mainstay Filing

The grading

The five criteria

  1. Tuition over three years (34%): The first-year price plus two renewals, read from each company's own price page.
  2. Chapters the price completes (30%): How much of the course the price finishes for you: the formation or registration filing, a full year as the registered agent, the repeating state report and the EIN application.
  3. Second-year bill (12%): What the service charges from year two on, and whether that differs from the opening price.
  4. Fit for the state syllabus (14%): How closely the plan follows the state's own rules: when reports fall due, what a late filing costs, the address the agent must keep and whether a second state is likely.
  5. Clarity of the price list (10%): Whether a reader can see the whole price before paying, with the state fee shown separately at the amount the state sets.
See the criteria

Chapters A to Z