Start a Free LLC in Ohio

Per the Ohio Secretary of State, as of September 2026, Ohio charges $99 to file the Certificate of Organization. Ohio does not require an annual report, so there is no recurring report fee. With LLC Register, formation is included in the $99-a-year Ohio registered agent service, so year one costs $198.

The Ohio Secretary of State does not publish a standard processing time. Expedited filing is available for an additional fee, with next-business-day and same-business-day tiers. Your LLC exists once the state accepts your filing.

To start an LLC in Ohio, choose an available name, appoint an Ohio registered agent, and file the Certificate of Organization with the Ohio Secretary of State for $99. 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 Ohio Business Central, or by mailing the paper Certificate of Organization (Form 610). The Certificate of Organization costs $99.

In Ohio you form an LLC by filing the Certificate of Organization (Form 610) with the Ohio Secretary of State. Other states call this document the articles of organization or the certificate of formation. The filing fee is $99.

Yes. Expedited filing is available for an additional fee, with next-business-day and same-business-day tiers. The Ohio Secretary of State does not publish a standard processing time.

Use the Ohio Secretary of State's free online business name search to check whether your LLC name is available. Your Ohio LLC name must include "limited liability company" or an abbreviation such as "LLC" or "L.L.C.". It must be distinguishable from other business names on file with the Secretary of State.

Your Ohio LLC name must include "limited liability company" or an abbreviation such as "LLC" or "L.L.C.". It must be distinguishable from other business names on file with the Secretary of State. The rules are set by the Ohio Revised Limited Liability Company Act, Ohio Revised Code Chapter 1706.

Yes. You can reserve a name for $39 with Form 534B; the reservation lasts 180 days. A reservation is optional; filing the formation document also secures the name.

Yes. Every Ohio LLC must have a registered agent. Ohio calls this role a "statutory agent." They must have a place of business in Ohio where they can be reached during business hours; the office itself cannot be only a P.O. Box, though the LLC may add one as a separate mailing address.

Yes. A member or manager can serve as the LLC's statutory agent if they have a place of business in Ohio where they can be reached. Your address becomes public record, and someone must be there during business hours to accept legal papers.

Not as your registered agent's address. Ohio calls this role a "statutory agent." They must have a place of business in Ohio where they can be reached during business hours; the office itself cannot be only a P.O. Box, though the LLC may add one as a separate mailing address. A PO box can usually serve as a mailing address, but the registered agent needs a physical address in Ohio.

File the Form 521, Statutory Agent Update with the Ohio Secretary of State. The fee is $25.

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

No. Ohio does not require LLCs to file an annual report. Ohio has no traditional franchise tax on LLCs, but its Commercial Activity Tax (CAT) taxes gross receipts sourced to Ohio above an annual exclusion of $6,000,000, at 0.26% on the excess. Most small LLCs stay under the exclusion and owe no CAT.

Ohio has no traditional franchise tax on LLCs, but its Commercial Activity Tax (CAT) taxes gross receipts sourced to Ohio above an annual exclusion of $6,000,000, at 0.26% on the excess. Most small LLCs stay under the exclusion and owe no CAT.

Ohio taxes an LLC the way the IRS does by default, so profits pass through to the members' individual Ohio income tax returns. Ohio's Business Income Deduction excludes a set amount of business income from an owner's return each year, with any excess taxed at the state's rate for business income. 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, apply for a Vendor's License with the Ohio Department of Taxation before you make your first sale.

Before you hire, register for unemployment insurance with the Department of Job and Family Services, and for income tax withholding with the Department of Taxation. You also need an EIN from the IRS before you run payroll.

It depends on your industry and location: Ohio regulates some professions and activities through state licenses, and many cities and counties require local business licenses. Start with the Ohio Department of Development.

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

Yes. Ohio 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. Ohio's Revised LLC Act allows a single LLC to establish one or more protected series, each with its own assets, members and liabilities.

Yes. Ohio does not require a separate professional LLC designation for most licensed occupations; licensed professionals generally form an ordinary LLC, though a few professions such as the practice of law use a different statutory entity.

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

Order a Certificate of Good Standing from the Ohio Secretary 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 Ohio by filing the Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company with the Ohio Secretary of State. The fee is $99, and the LLC needs an Ohio registered agent.

File the Certificate of Amendment or Restatement with the Ohio Secretary of State for $50. Amend when you change your LLC's name or other information in the formation document.

File the Certificate of Dissolution with the Ohio Secretary of State for $50. 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 534A) with the Ohio Secretary of State for $39. Unlike many states, Ohio registers trade names with the state directly rather than at the county level. 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. Ohio taxes an LLC the way the IRS does by default, so profits pass through to the members' individual Ohio income tax returns. Ohio's Business Income Deduction excludes a set amount of business income from an owner's return each year, with any excess taxed at the state's rate for business income.

An LLC separates your personal assets from business debts and lawsuits, keeps pass-through taxation, and needs less paperwork than a corporation. In Ohio it costs $99 to form, with no annual report to file.

A sole proprietorship costs nothing to start, but you are personally liable for the business's debts. An Ohio LLC costs $99 to form and protects your personal assets, with the same pass-through taxes by default.

Usually not if your business operates in Ohio. An out-of-state LLC doing business here must also register as a foreign LLC in Ohio for $99 and keep an Ohio registered agent, so you pay two states' fees.

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

For $99 a year plus the $99 state fee: Ohio LLC formation in year one, an Ohio registered agent, an operating agreement, and ongoing compliance reminders. 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 Ohio Secretary of State, Business Services Division, handles LLC formations, amendments and annual filings.

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 Organization, your EIN and your operating agreement.