Start a Free LLC in New Hampshire

Per the New Hampshire Department of State, as of September 2026, New Hampshire charges $100 to file the Certificate of Formation. After that, the Annual Report costs $100 every year. With LLC Register, formation is included in the $99-a-year New Hampshire registered agent service, so year one costs $199.

Mailed filings take about 7–10 business days. Online filings are faster, and walk-in filings are typically processed the same day. Expedited filing is available for $25 extra ($125 total) with same-day walk-in filing at the State House Annex. Your LLC exists once the state accepts your filing.

To start an LLC in New Hampshire, choose an available name, appoint a New Hampshire registered agent, and file the Certificate of Formation with the New Hampshire Department 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 NH QuickStart, by mail, or in person (walk-in) at the State House Annex in Concord. The Certificate of Formation costs $100.

In New Hampshire you form an LLC by filing the Certificate of Formation (Form LLC-1) with the New Hampshire Department 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 $25 extra ($125 total) with same-day walk-in filing at the State House Annex. Mailed filings take about 7–10 business days. Online filings are faster, and walk-in filings are typically processed the same day.

Use the New Hampshire Department of State's free online business name search to check whether your LLC name is available. Your New Hampshire LLC name must contain "Limited Liability Company" or an abbreviation such as "LLC," "L.L.C." or "L. L. C." It must be distinguishable from every other name on file with the Department of State.

Your New Hampshire LLC name must contain "Limited Liability Company" or an abbreviation such as "LLC," "L.L.C." or "L. L. C." It must be distinguishable from every other name on file with the Department of State. The rules are set by the New Hampshire Limited Liability Company Act, RSA Chapter 304-C.

Yes. You can reserve a name for $15 with Form 1; the reservation lasts 120 days. A reservation is optional; filing the formation document also secures the name.

Yes. Every New Hampshire LLC must have a registered agent. Your registered agent must be a New Hampshire resident individual, or a qualifying New Hampshire corporation, LLC or LLP, whose address matches your registered office exactly.

Yes. A member or manager who resides in New Hampshire can serve as the registered agent as long as their address matches the LLC's registered office. 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 New Hampshire resident individual, or a qualifying New Hampshire corporation, LLC or LLP, whose address matches your registered office exactly. A PO box can usually serve as a mailing address, but the registered agent needs a physical address in New Hampshire.

File the Statement of Change of Registered Agent/Registered Office, filed through NH QuickStart with the New Hampshire Department of State. The fee is $15.

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

Yes. New Hampshire LLCs must file the Annual Report every year. The state fee is $100.

The Annual Report is due between January 1 and April 1 every year. Your first one is due by April 1 of the year after your LLC is formed. It is filed with the New Hampshire Department of State.

Per the New Hampshire Department of State, as of September 2026, the Annual Report state fee is $100. 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.

Reports received after April 1 owe a $50 late fee. Continued failure to file can lead to administrative dissolution. File as soon as possible to keep your LLC in good standing.

New Hampshire charges a Business Enterprise Tax (BET) of 0.55% on compensation, interest and dividends paid, but only once gross receipts or the enterprise value tax base exceed $298,000. Below that threshold, an LLC owes and files nothing for the BET.

New Hampshire has no personal income tax on wages or business profits, but it taxes an LLC directly through the Business Profits Tax: 7.5% of business profits once gross business income exceeds $109,000. Any Business Enterprise Tax already paid is credited against the Business Profits Tax owed. 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.

New Hampshire has no general state sales tax, so there is no sales tax permit to register for.

Before you hire, register with New Hampshire Employment Security for an unemployment insurance account; New Hampshire has no wage withholding tax to register for. You also need an EIN from the IRS before you run payroll.

It depends on your industry and location: New Hampshire regulates some professions and activities through state licenses, and many cities and counties require local business licenses. Start with the NH QuickStart.

New Hampshire does not require an operating agreement, and you never file one with the state. New Hampshire law recognizes a written or oral agreement among the members. LLC Register includes an operating agreement with every New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire or be a U.S. citizen to form a New Hampshire LLC. You do need a registered agent with a physical address in New Hampshire. Non-U.S. owners without a Social Security number apply for an EIN with IRS Form SS-4.

Yes. New Hampshire 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. New Hampshire's LLC Act does not provide for series LLCs.

Yes. Licensed professionals form a professional limited liability company under RSA Chapter 304-D, a separate statute from the general LLC Act, that layers on profession-specific licensing requirements.

No. New Hampshire does not require newspaper publication to form an LLC.

Order a Certificate of Good Standing from the New Hampshire Department of State for $5. 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 New Hampshire by filing the Application for Foreign Limited Liability Company Registration (Form FLLC-1) with the New Hampshire Department of State. The fee is $100, and the LLC needs a New Hampshire registered agent.

File the Certificate of Amendment (Form LLC-3) with the New Hampshire Department of State for $35. Amend when you change your LLC's name or other information in the formation document.

File the Certificate of Cancellation (Form LLC-7) with the New Hampshire Department of State for $35. 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 (Form TN-1) with the New Hampshire Department of State for $50; renew it every 5 years for another $50. 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. New Hampshire has no personal income tax on wages or business profits, but it taxes an LLC directly through the Business Profits Tax: 7.5% of business profits once gross business income exceeds $109,000. Any Business Enterprise Tax already paid is credited against the Business Profits Tax owed.

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

A sole proprietorship costs nothing to start, but you are personally liable for the business's debts. A New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire. An out-of-state LLC doing business here must also register as a foreign LLC in New Hampshire for $100 and keep a New Hampshire registered agent, so you pay two states' fees.

No. Formation is included in the $99-a-year New Hampshire 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: New Hampshire LLC formation in year one, a New Hampshire registered agent, an operating agreement, and filing of your Annual 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 New Hampshire Department of State, Corporation Division, handles LLC formations, amendments and annual filings. Its office is at 107 North Main Street, Concord, NH 03301-4989 (walk-in: State House Annex, Room 317, 25 Capitol Street, 3rd Floor, Concord, NH 03301).

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