Start a Free LLC in Indiana

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

Most online filings through INBiz are processed the same business day. Indiana does not offer paid expedited processing for LLC formations. Your LLC exists once the state accepts your filing.

To start an LLC in Indiana, choose an available name, appoint an Indiana registered agent, and file the Articles of Organization with the Indiana 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 INBiz, or by mail with the paper Articles of Organization (State Form 49459). The Articles of Organization costs $100.

In Indiana you form an LLC by filing the Articles of Organization (Form 49459) with the Indiana Secretary of State. Other states call this document the articles of organization or the certificate of formation. The filing fee is $100.

No. Indiana does not offer paid expedited processing for LLC formations. Most online filings through INBiz are processed the same business day.

Use the Indiana Secretary of State's free online business name search to check whether your LLC name is available. Your Indiana LLC name must include the words "Limited Liability Company" or an abbreviation such as "LLC" or "L.L.C.", and it must be distinguishable from every other name on record with the Secretary of State.

Your Indiana LLC name must include the words "Limited Liability Company" or an abbreviation such as "LLC" or "L.L.C.", and it must be distinguishable from every other name on record with the Secretary of State. The rules are set by the Indiana Business Flexibility Act (Indiana Code Title 23, Article 18), with general filing provisions recodified in Indiana Code 23-0.5.

Yes. You can reserve a name online through INBiz's Reservation of Business Name filing. A reservation is optional; filing the formation document also secures the name.

Yes. Every Indiana LLC must have a registered agent. Your registered agent must be a commercial registered agent listed with the Secretary of State or a noncommercial registered agent, such as a member or manager, with a physical street address in Indiana. A P.O. box is not accepted unless it includes a Rural Route number, and the agent must consent to serve.

Yes. A member or manager can serve as the LLC's noncommercial registered agent if they have a physical street address in Indiana and consent to serve. 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 must be a commercial registered agent listed with the Secretary of State or a noncommercial registered agent, such as a member or manager, with a physical street address in Indiana. A P.O. box is not accepted unless it includes a Rural Route number, and the agent must consent to serve. A PO box can usually serve as a mailing address, but the registered agent needs a physical address in Indiana.

File the Statement of Change of Registered Agent (State Form 56367) with the Indiana Secretary of State. There is no fee to file it.

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

Yes. Indiana LLCs must file the Indiana Business Entity Report every two years. The state fee is $50.

The Indiana Business Entity Report is due in your LLC's anniversary month, every other year (biennially). Your first one is due in your LLC's anniversary month, two years after you form it. It is filed with the Indiana Secretary of State.

Per the Indiana Secretary of State, as of September 2026, the Indiana Business Entity Report state fee is $50. It is due in your LLC's anniversary month, every other year (biennially). LLC Register files it for you at no extra service fee while your registered agent service is active.

Indiana does not publish a late fee for a missed Business Entity Report, but failing to file can lead to administrative dissolution or revocation of your LLC's registration by the Secretary of State. File as soon as possible to keep your LLC in good standing.

Indiana has no franchise or privilege tax on LLCs. Indiana's Financial Institutions Tax, which functions like a franchise tax, applies only to banks and other financial institutions.

Indiana taxes an LLC as a pass-through entity by default, so profits flow to the members' Indiana adjusted gross income tax returns. An eligible LLC can instead elect Indiana's Pass Through Entity Tax (PTET) to pay Indiana tax at the entity level. 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 Registered Retail Merchant Certificate with the Indiana Department of Revenue, most easily through INBiz or the state's INTIME portal.

Before you hire, register with the Indiana Department of Workforce Development for unemployment insurance and with the Department of Revenue for income tax withholding through INTIME. You also need an EIN from the IRS before you run payroll.

It depends on your industry and location: Indiana regulates some professions and activities through state licenses, and many cities and counties require local business licenses. Start with the INBiz, Indiana's One Stop Source for Your Business.

Indiana does not require an LLC to adopt or file an operating agreement, and written, oral, or implied agreements among members are all enforceable, even for a single-member LLC. LLC Register includes an operating agreement with every Indiana 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 Indiana or be a U.S. citizen to form an Indiana LLC. You do need a registered agent with a physical address in Indiana. Non-U.S. owners without a Social Security number apply for an EIN with IRS Form SS-4.

Yes. Indiana 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.

Yes. Indiana allows series LLCs through its Master Limited Liability Company framework, where a Master LLC designates one or more series, each able to hold separate assets and liabilities.

No. Indiana has no distinct professional-LLC (PLLC) statute; licensed professionals typically form a standard LLC or, if they choose a corporate structure, a professional corporation under Indiana Code 23-1.5.

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

Order a Certificate of Existence from the Indiana Secretary of State for $11. 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 Indiana by filing the Foreign Registration Statement with the Indiana Secretary of State. The fee is $125, and the LLC needs an Indiana registered agent. A foreign Master LLC (series LLC) pays a $250 Indiana foreign-registration fee, instead of the standard $125.

File the Articles of Amendment of the Articles of Organization with the Indiana Secretary of State for $30. Amend when you change your LLC's name or other information in the formation document.

File the Articles of Dissolution of a Limited Liability Company with the Indiana Secretary of State for $30. Before you file, wind up the business: pay debts, close tax accounts and distribute what is left to the members.

File a Certification of Assumed Business Name with the Indiana Secretary of State for $30 per name before you use the name. 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. Indiana taxes an LLC as a pass-through entity by default, so profits flow to the members' Indiana adjusted gross income tax returns. An eligible LLC can instead elect Indiana's Pass Through Entity Tax (PTET) to pay Indiana tax at the entity level.

An LLC separates your personal assets from business debts and lawsuits, keeps pass-through taxation, and needs less paperwork than a corporation. In Indiana it costs $100 to form and the Indiana Business Entity Report is $50 every two years.

A sole proprietorship costs nothing to start, but you are personally liable for the business's debts. An Indiana 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 Indiana. An out-of-state LLC doing business here must also register as a foreign LLC in Indiana for $125 and keep an Indiana registered agent, so you pay two states' fees.

No. Formation is included in the $99-a-year Indiana 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: Indiana LLC formation in year one, an Indiana registered agent, an operating agreement, and filing of your Indiana Business Entity Report 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 Indiana Secretary of State, Business Services Division, handles LLC formations, amendments and annual filings. Its office is at 302 West Washington Street, Room E-018, Indianapolis, IN 46204.

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.