Index

Guides

Step-by-step pages, not listicles. Start with how to form an LLC in your state. The sections below cover what comes after, from taxes and members to banking and closing. Fees and program facts carry a date. If a 2026 number can’t be checked on an official page, we leave it out.

Page dated 16 September 2026Also see the setup checklist

Before you pick a state portal, clear the legal name on that state’s business entity search — Check LLC name availability.

Would rather pay a company to file? Best LLC formation services, compared by fit.

After articles, and the structure choice

• After you form an LLC 2026: first 30 days checklist

  Your first 30 days after the state accepts your articles: EIN, LLC checking, operating agreement, agent and first report date.

• LLC publication requirement 2026: NY newspaper + AZ notice path

  Which states make a new LLC publish a newspaper notice, how New York’s six-week rule works, and Arizona’s county-based path.

• LLC SEO after you form 2026: money pages, GBP, NAP

  Getting found online once the LLC exists: Google Business Profile, consistent name and address, and money pages before blogging.

• Put your app under your LLC (2026): D-U-N-S, Apple $99, Google Play $25

  List your app under the LLC’s name on the App Store and Google Play: organization enrollment, a D-U-N-S number and a domain.

• Get an EIN 2026: free IRS.gov, one-per-day limit, SS-4 SMLLC

  Apply for your LLC’s free EIN on IRS.gov online or by Form SS-4, the one-per-day limit, and when a new number is needed.

• Change EIN responsible party 2026: Form 8822-B + 60-day rule

  Update the person the IRS lists as your EIN responsible party with Form 8822-B within 60 days, usually without a new EIN.

• Cancel or deactivate an EIN 2026: IRS letter (not SOS dissolve)

  Close an IRS business account with a signed letter, and why dissolving the LLC with the state leaves the EIN open.

• File Form 5472 2026: foreign-owned U.S. DE / pro forma 1120

  The IRS information return for certain foreign-owned U.S. LLCs, filed with a pro forma Form 1120, and its late-filing penalty.

• Registered Agent for an LLC (2026): Requirements, Be Your Own, Change Fees

  What a registered agent does, when you can serve as your own, and why a P.O. box or virtual mailbox address won’t work.

• Change LLC registered agent 2026: fees, consent, no gap

  Switch registered agents without a gap: get consent, file the change, wait for the state record, then cancel the old agent.

• Registered agent vs LLC member 2026: one person, two roles

  Owner versus state contact: when a member can also be the LLC’s registered agent, and why that role confers no ownership.

• Amend LLC articles 2026: name-change fees, consent, when to file

  File an amendment to change your LLC’s legal name or other details in the articles, and when a different form applies.

• Articles of correction 2026: fix SOS errors (not amendments)

  Fix a typo or execution error in a filed LLC document with a certificate of correction instead of a full amendment.

• Restated articles of organization 2026: vs amendment, correction

  Combine your original articles and every amendment into one current filed document, and how that differs from amending.

• Amend LLC operating agreement 2026: consent, amend vs restate, SOS

  Change your operating agreement with the member consent it requires, and decide between a short amendment and a full restatement.

• Change LLC address 2026: principal office vs agent, annual report

  Update your LLC’s principal or mailing address, usually on the annual report, plus the IRS, bank and tax accounts to notify.

• Change LLC name 2026: amendment fees, DBA vs legal name

  Change the LLC’s legal name with a state amendment instead of a DBA, then update the bank, EIN records and licenses.

• Add a member to an LLC 2026: operating agreement, SOS, tax

  Admit a new member in the operating agreement first, then update state records, bank paperwork and the LLC’s tax status.

• Remove a member from an LLC 2026: operating agreement, SOS, tax

  Use the operating agreement’s buyout path to remove a member, then update state, bank and IRS records to match.

• Withdraw as an LLC member 2026: resign, dissociate, buyout

  Leaving an LLC yourself: notice and buyout terms in the operating agreement, state default rules, and what you keep.

• Transfer LLC ownership 2026: assignment, SOS, tax

  Assign or gift a membership interest under the operating agreement, then update state records and check the tax effects.

• Buy-sell agreement for an LLC 2026: plan, not SOS filing

  Plan in advance what happens to a member’s share on death, disability, divorce or sale, usually inside the operating agreement.

• Close LLC vs sell membership 2026: dissolve or assign

  Dissolving ends the LLC; selling a membership interest keeps it running with new owners. Compare consents, bank and tax steps.

• LLC charging order 2026: distributions, not control

  How a member’s personal creditor can collect that member’s LLC distributions without taking over the company or its assets.

• LLC fiduciary duties 2026: loyalty, care, good faith

  Who owes duties of loyalty, care and good faith in an LLC, how management structure shapes them, and what the OA can change.

• LLC indemnification 2026: advancement, carve-outs, D&O

  How an operating agreement can have the LLC cover member or manager legal costs, the usual carve-outs, and advancement.

• LLC voting rights 2026: consent, majority, deadlock

  How multi-member LLCs vote: majority vs unanimous decisions, ownership share vs one per member, and written consents.

• LLC deadlock breakers 2026: OA tie-breaks, buy-sell, court

  Tie-break tools to write into an operating agreement: a casting vote, a third-party decider, mediation or a buyout trigger.

• LLC meeting minutes 2026: written consents, records, SOS

  What LLC minutes and written consents should record, why banks and buyers ask for them, and why they stay private.

• LLC member inspection rights 2026: books, records, demands

  Which LLC books and records members can usually see, how to make a written demand, and how the agreement can change it.

• LLC member capital contribution 2026: cash, property, records

  Cash or property a member puts into the LLC: how to record it and how it differs from draws, salary and member loans.

• LLC capital call 2026: notice to fund additional capital

  When an LLC asks members for more money: who can authorize a capital call and what happens if a member won’t pay.

• Member loan vs capital contribution 2026: debt or equity

  Lend money to your LLC or contribute it as equity? How to document each choice and what happens if the LLC can’t repay.

• LLC profit distribution 2026: who decides, when, and tax

  Who decides when an LLC pays out profits, how draws differ from salary and guaranteed payments, and the records to keep.

• LLC guaranteed payments 2026: vs salary, tax, and books

  Fixed payments to an LLC member for work or capital, how they differ from salary and distributions, and how to set them.

• Anonymous LLC 2026: what stays public and how to keep your name off

  What a state’s public LLC record shows, which states leave owner names off, and how an agent keeps your home address private.

• Texas franchise tax report for an LLC (2026): PIR, no tax due, May 15

  Every Texas LLC files a yearly franchise tax report by May 15, including the Public Information Report when no tax is due.

• Sales tax permit after LLC 2026: seller’s permit / DOR registration

  Register for a seller’s permit with your state revenue department, a separate step from forming the LLC.

• Business license after LLC 2026: city/county / board permits

  Find the city, county and state licenses your LLC may need, including home-occupation permits if you work from home.

• Professional LLC / PLLC 2026: licensing boards, ownership limits, SOS path

  Licensed professionals often must use a PLLC, with licensing-board rules on the name and ownership layered on formation.

• Series LLC 2026: master LLC, protected series, notice & records

  A master LLC with separate internal series, offered only in some states, and the records each series must keep.

• Hire first employee after LLC 2026: EIN, payroll, UI / new-hire

  Become an employer before your first W-2 hire: W-4 and I-9, federal payroll taxes, state unemployment and new-hire reports.

• Hire independent contractor after LLC 2026: W-9, 1099-NEC, classification

  Pay a contractor from LLC checking: classify the worker first, collect a W-9, and file Form 1099-NEC when required.

• LLC S corp election 2026: Form 2553 timing, consents, payroll desks

  Have your LLC taxed as an S corporation with Form 2553: filing window, late relief, owner consents and reasonable salary.

• LLC entity classification election 2026: Form 8832 vs default vs S

  Use Form 8832 to choose how the IRS taxes your LLC, the default classification if you skip it, and how it differs from 2553.

• Change LLC tax year / fiscal year 2026: Form 1128 vs calendar default

  Switch your LLC from a calendar to a fiscal tax year with IRS Form 1128, a federal choice that is separate from state filings.

• LLC estimated taxes 2026: Form 1040-ES, quarterly due dates, safe harbor

  Quarterly estimated tax for LLC owners: who pays, the calendar-year due dates, Form 1040-ES, and the safe-harbor rules.

• Certificate of good standing after LLC 2026: status / existence / SOS order

  Order proof that your LLC is active from the formation state, often requested by banks or another state you expand into.

• Bring LLC into good standing 2026: cure delinquent / not-in-good-standing status

  Clear a delinquent status from missed reports, taxes or agent lapses before the state moves to dissolve the LLC.

• Order LLC certified copy 2026: articles / filings from SOS

  Order a state-certified copy of your LLC articles or later filings, and how it differs from a good-standing certificate.

• Foreign qualification for an LLC 2026: certificate of authority

  Register an existing LLC to do business in a second state, with its own registered agent there, separately from forming.

• Withdraw foreign LLC qualification 2026: cancellation / surrender

  Withdraw your LLC’s registration in a state where you no longer do business, without dissolving it in its home state.

• Domesticate LLC to another state 2026: redomestication path

  Move your LLC’s home state so the same company continues under new state law, where both states allow it.

• Merge LLCs 2026: statutory merger, certificate filings

  Combine two or more LLCs into one surviving company with a plan of merger and a state certificate of merger.

• LLC Operating Agreement (2026): Free Template + Clauses

  Free single- and multi-member operating agreement templates, a seven-step how-to, a clause checklist and which states require one.

• Operating agreement vs articles 2026: public SOS filing vs private OA

  Articles create the LLC on the public record; the operating agreement is the members’ private contract. What each one covers.

• LLC annual report 2026: due dates, fees, SOS vs tax

  Annual report due dates and late penalties by state, how the report differs from franchise tax, and where to file.

• Foreign LLC Certificate of Authority (2026): How to Register, Fees by State

  When your LLC must register in another state, the published state fees, an in-state agent and name conflicts.

• How to Dissolve (Close) an LLC in 2026: Steps and Fees

  Close an LLC step by step: the state dissolution filing, final IRS returns, notices to creditors and wind-up tasks.

• How to Reinstate an Administratively Dissolved LLC (2026): Fees, Deadlines

  Revive an LLC the state dissolved or revoked: catch-up reports, penalties, reinstatement fees and keeping your name.

• LLC DBA / Assumed Name (2026): How to File, Fees by State

  Register a trade name for your LLC with the county or state, and why a DBA is neither a new LLC nor a trademark.

• Single-member vs multi-member LLC 2026: ownership count, tax defaults, OA & banking

  One owner or several: how the count shapes your operating agreement, bank paperwork and default federal tax treatment.

• Manager-managed vs member-managed LLC 2026: who binds, SOS fields, OA & banking

  Who runs the LLC day to day and can sign for it, set in the operating agreement and sometimes on state filings.

• Appoint LLC manager 2026: OA consent, SOS listing, bank KYC

  Name a new LLC manager with member consent, then update the state listing and the bank’s signer records.

• Remove LLC manager 2026: OA consent, SOS listing, bank KYC

  Remove or replace an LLC manager under the operating agreement, then update state listings and bank signers.

• LLC vs corporation 2026: SOS entity choice, tax defaults, ownership docs

  Compare an LLC and a corporation on formation documents, ownership records, default federal tax and ongoing formalities.

• LLC vs sole proprietorship 2026: liability, tax defaults, when to file

  Stay a sole proprietor or form an LLC: liability, default tax treatment, filing and renewal costs, and when people switch.

• Buy an existing business vs start an LLC (2026): cost, risk, steps

  Buying brings customers and income on day one plus the old owner’s debts; a new LLC starts clean but at zero revenue.

• LLC name availability 2026: SOS search, distinguishability, trademark

  Search your state’s business entity database, apply its name rules, and reserve a name before you file articles.

• Convert sole proprietorship to LLC 2026: form new, EIN, handoffs

  Moving a sole proprietorship into a new LLC: file articles, then transfer the EIN setup, bank, contracts and licenses.

• Convert LLC to corporation 2026: statutory conversion, merger, Form 8832

  Three routes from LLC to corporation: statutory conversion, dissolving and re-forming, or a Form 8832 tax election.

Cash, brokerage, and credit

• Do LLCs file a BOI report in 2026? No, if formed in the U.S.

  U.S.-formed LLCs no longer file BOI reports with FinCEN. Who still does, and how to spot fake BOI notices and add-ons.

• LLC bank resolution 2026: who may open, sign, and wire

  The written approval banks ask for that names who may open, sign and wire for the LLC, and how it ties to the agreement.

• LLC business checking 2026: documents, single vs multi-member

  Documents banks ask for to open LLC checking, from articles and the EIN letter to ID, and what multi-member LLCs add.

• Close an LLC bank account 2026: authorize, residual cash, vs dissolve

  Who can authorize closing the LLC’s bank account, what banks usually ask for, and handling leftover funds and records.

• LLC bookkeeping 2026: chart of accounts, reconcile, draws

  Set up LLC books once checking is open: a chart of accounts, monthly reconciling, owner draws and estimated-tax records.

• First brokerage after LLC 2026: when to open, SIPC vs FDIC, docs

  Whether your LLC needs a brokerage account, personal vs LLC title, the documents to open one, and SIPC vs FDIC coverage.

• 0% balance transfer 2026: fees, promo APR, payoff calendar

  How 0% balance transfers work for LLC owners: transfer fees, the APR after the promo ends, and a payoff calendar.

• Open a business credit card after LLC 2026: EIN, checking, guarantees

  Get your LLC ready for a business card: EIN, an LLC checking history, issuer documents and personal guarantees.