Start a Free LLC in Georgia

Per the Georgia Secretary of State, as of September 2026, Georgia charges $100 to file the Articles of Organization. After that, the Annual Registration costs $50 every year. With LLC Register, formation is included in the $99-a-year Georgia registered agent service, so year one costs $199.

Processing takes about 7 business days online and 15 business days by mail. Expedited filing is available for $120 extra (two business days), $275 (same day, received by noon) or $1,200 (one hour). Your LLC exists once the state accepts your filing.

To start an LLC in Georgia, choose an available name, appoint a Georgia registered agent, and file the Articles of Organization with the Georgia Secretary of State for $100. Then sign an operating agreement, get a free EIN from the IRS, open a business bank account and register for any state taxes. LLC Register files it for you as part of the $99-a-year registered agent service.

Yes. You can file online through eCorp Online Services, or on paper by mail or in person. The Articles of Organization costs $100.

In Georgia you form an LLC by filing the Articles of Organization (Form CD 030) with the Georgia Secretary of State. Other states call this document the articles of organization or the certificate of formation. The filing fee is $100.

Yes. Expedited filing is available for $120 extra (two business days), $275 (same day, received by noon) or $1,200 (one hour). Processing takes about 7 business days online and 15 business days by mail.

Use the Georgia Secretary of State's free online business name search to check whether your LLC name is available. Your Georgia LLC name must contain "limited liability company", "limited company", "LLC", "L.L.C.", "LC" or "L.C.". It must be distinguishable from every existing entity and active name reservation on file with the Secretary of State; differences in articles, plurals, punctuation or abbreviations don't count.

Your Georgia LLC name must contain "limited liability company", "limited company", "LLC", "L.L.C.", "LC" or "L.C.". It must be distinguishable from every existing entity and active name reservation on file with the Secretary of State; differences in articles, plurals, punctuation or abbreviations don't count. The rules are set by the Georgia Limited Liability Company Act, O.C.G.A. § 14-11-100 et seq.

Yes. You can reserve a name for $25; the reservation lasts 30 days and cannot be renewed, you must reapply and pay again. A reservation is optional; filing the formation document also secures the name.

Yes. Every Georgia LLC must have a registered agent. Your registered agent and registered office must have a street address in Georgia, with the county listed; a P.O. box or mail drop is not acceptable for the registered office.

Yes. Any Georgia resident, including a member or manager of the LLC, can serve as its registered agent, as long as the registered office is a Georgia street address. Your address becomes public record, and someone must be there during business hours to accept legal papers.

Not as your registered agent's address. Your registered agent and registered office must have a street address in Georgia, with the county listed; a P.O. box or mail drop is not acceptable for the registered office. A PO box can usually serve as a mailing address, but the registered agent needs a physical address in Georgia.

File the Annual Registration or Amended Annual Registration (CD 920) with the Georgia Secretary of State. The fee is $20.

Serving as your own Georgia registered agent is free if you qualify. Commercial registered agents charge a yearly fee. LLC Register's Georgia registered agent service is $99 a year and includes LLC formation and annual report filing.

Yes. Georgia LLCs must file the Annual Registration every year. The state fee is $50.

The Annual Registration is due between January 1 and April 1 every year. Your first one is due between January 1 and April 1 of the year after your LLC is formed. It is filed with the Georgia Secretary of State.

Per the Georgia Secretary of State, as of September 2026, the Annual Registration state fee is $50. It is due between January 1 and April 1 every year. LLC Register files it for you at no extra service fee while your registered agent service is active.

A $25 late fee applies if you don't file, or postmark by mail, by April 1. File as soon as possible to keep your LLC in good standing.

Georgia has no franchise tax on LLCs. Its corporate net worth tax applies to an LLC only if the LLC is taxed as a corporation for income tax purposes.

Georgia classifies an LLC as a partnership for state income tax unless it elects otherwise for federal purposes, so profits normally pass through to members; a multi-member LLC files the Form 700 partnership return, and members may elect to pay Georgia tax at the entity level instead. Federally, a single-member LLC is taxed like a sole proprietorship and a multi-member LLC like a partnership, unless it elects to be taxed as a corporation.

If you sell taxable goods or services, register for a Sales and Use Tax Certificate of Registration with the Department of Revenue through the Georgia Tax Center.

Before you hire, register with the Georgia Department of Labor for an unemployment insurance tax account, and with the Department of Revenue for withholding. You also need an EIN from the IRS before you run payroll.

It depends on your industry and location: Georgia regulates some professions and activities through state licenses, and many cities and counties require local business licenses. Start with the Georgia.gov, Register an LLC.

Georgia does not require an operating agreement, and the Secretary of State will not accept one for filing. It is strictly an internal document among members. LLC Register includes an operating agreement with every Georgia LLC it forms.

You need an EIN if your LLC has employees or more than one member, and most banks ask for one to open a business account. A single-member LLC without employees can use the owner's Social Security number for federal taxes, but an EIN keeps it off business paperwork.

Apply for free on the IRS website once the state has approved your LLC; online applicants receive the EIN immediately. Owners without a Social Security number can apply with Form SS-4 by fax or mail.

Yes. You do not have to live in Georgia or be a U.S. citizen to form a Georgia LLC. You do need a registered agent with a physical address in Georgia. Non-U.S. owners without a Social Security number apply for an EIN with IRS Form SS-4.

Yes. Georgia allows an LLC with a single owner. By default the IRS taxes a single-member LLC like a sole proprietorship, reported on the owner's personal return.

No. Georgia's LLC Act does not provide for series LLCs; a bill to permit them (HB 1414) was advancing through the legislature but its enactment could not be confirmed.

Yes. A Georgia LLC may render professional services under O.C.G.A. § 14-11-314, subject to your licensing board's rules; Georgia has no separate professional LLC (PLLC) filing type.

No. Georgia does not require newspaper publication to form an LLC.

Order a Certificate of Existence from the Georgia Secretary of State for $10. Banks, lenders and other states often ask for one as proof your LLC is current with the state.

An LLC formed in another state registers to do business in Georgia by filing the Application for Certificate of Authority for Limited Liability Company with the Georgia Secretary of State. The fee is $225, and the LLC needs a Georgia registered agent.

File the Articles of Amendment with the Georgia Secretary of State for $20. Amend when you change your LLC's name or other information in the formation document.

File the Certificate of Termination (Form CD 415), optionally preceded by a Statement of Commencement of Winding Up (Form CD 414) with the Georgia Secretary of State for free. Before you file, wind up the business: pay debts, close tax accounts and distribute what is left to the members.

File a Trade Name Registration with the Superior Court clerk in the county where your business is located; the fee and procedure vary by county, and the name must run in the county's legal organ once a week for two consecutive weeks. A DBA lets your LLC trade under another name without forming a new company.

Yes. An eligible LLC can elect S corporation tax status by filing IRS Form 2553. The election can reduce self-employment tax once profits are high enough to pay yourself a reasonable salary. Georgia classifies an LLC as a partnership for state income tax unless it elects otherwise for federal purposes, so profits normally pass through to members; a multi-member LLC files the Form 700 partnership return, and members may elect to pay Georgia tax at the entity level instead.

An LLC separates your personal assets from business debts and lawsuits, keeps pass-through taxation, and needs less paperwork than a corporation. In Georgia it costs $100 to form and the Annual Registration is $50 every year.

A sole proprietorship costs nothing to start, but you are personally liable for the business's debts. A Georgia LLC costs $100 to form and protects your personal assets, with the same pass-through taxes by default.

Usually not if your business operates in Georgia. An out-of-state LLC doing business here must also register as a foreign LLC in Georgia for $225 and keep a Georgia registered agent, so you pay two states' fees.

No. Formation is included in the $99-a-year Georgia registered agent service. The state still charges its $100 filing fee, which we pass through at cost.

For $99 a year plus the $100 state fee: Georgia LLC formation in year one, a Georgia registered agent, an operating agreement, and filing of your Annual Registration every year. Renewal is $99 a year. State fees are passed through at cost.

No. FinCEN has exempted companies created in the United States from beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting. Only foreign companies registered to do business in a U.S. state still have to report.

The Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division, handles LLC formations, amendments and annual filings. Its office is at 2 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. SE, Suite 313, Floyd West Tower, Atlanta, GA 30334.

Yes, you should. Mixing business and personal money can weaken the liability protection your LLC gives you. Banks usually ask for your filed Articles of Organization, your EIN and your operating agreement.