How to form an LLC in New Jersey (2026)

File a domestic New Jersey LLC on NJPortal Business Formation when you live in New Jersey and will do the work from New Jersey. The Certificate of Formation costs $100 (DORES Registry Fee Schedule, last updated 1 July 2026). Five steps: confirm New Jersey facts, gather the certificate details with a registered agent, file online, pay $100, then get a free EIN. Compare structures on LLC vs sole proprietorship.

Short version for 2026: form through the NJPortal Business Formation Service (Certificate of Formation for a NJ Domestic Limited Liability Company), expect $100 on the DORES Registry Fee Schedule (updated 1 July 2026), appoint a New Jersey registered agent — see registered agent, skip any newspaper advertising pitch that is not on the Certificate of Formation path, and calendar the $75 Annual Report due the last day of your anniversary month each year.

How much does it cost to form an LLC in New Jersey?

$100. The DORES Registry Fee Schedule (last updated 1 July 2026, re-checked 9 October 2026) lists the LLC Certificate of Formation at $100.00, the same as a foreign LLC Certificate of Registration. Over-the-counter expedite fees exist but do not apply to a normal online filing. Budget $75 a year for the Annual Report after that.

How do I file a Certificate of Formation on the NJ Business Formation portal?

Go to njportal.com/dor/businessformation, search the name, and pick NJ Domestic Limited Liability Company (LLC). The portal walks through business information, registered agent, other provisions, signatures, review, and payment by credit card or eCheck. The accepted certificate shows a 10-digit Entity ID.

1. Confirm you live and work in New Jersey. Use this path only if you live in New Jersey and will do the work from New Jersey. A Georgia operator should not treat New Jersey filing as a default upgrade.
2. Gather Certificate of Formation information. Have a distinguishable LLC name, Certificate of Formation details for a NJ Domestic Limited Liability Company, and a New Jersey registered agent (including email for agent notifications).
3. File on NJPortal Business Formation. File through the Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services online Business Formation Service at njportal.com/dor/businessformation (NJ Domestic Limited Liability Company), or follow the paper path if you are not filing online.
4. Pay the $100 Certificate of Formation fee. Pay the $100 Certificate of Formation fee printed on the DORES Registry Fee Schedule (updated 1 July 2026). Pay what the portal shows and keep the receipt.
5. Get an EIN after the certificate is accepted. After the state Certificate of Formation is accepted, obtain an Employer Identification Number free on IRS.gov. Form the state entity first.

Does a New Jersey LLC need a registered agent?

Yes. The Business Formation portal will not finish the Certificate of Formation without registered agent details, including an email address for agent notifications. The agent and office go on the public record. Changing them later costs $25 on the DORES fee schedule. DIY versus commercial: Registered agent basics.

When is the New Jersey LLC annual report due, and what does it cost?

Every New Jersey LLC files an Annual Report each year, due by the last day of its anniversary month (the month it was formed). The state fee is $75 on the DORES fee schedule and the NJPortal Annual Report FAQ. Online payment adds a $3.00 card fee or $0.50 eCheck fee. Missed reports can lead to revocation.

Do I get an EIN before or after the New Jersey LLC?

Usually right after. The IRS says to form the state entity first, and the EIN is free on IRS.gov. The DORES Getting Registered page lists the EIN before the certificate, so getting it the same day is fine. After the certificate, file Form NJ-REG for tax and employer registration. Walkthrough: Get an EIN.

New Jersey LLC fee table (re-checked 9 October 2026)

Fees re-checked on the DORES Registry Fee Schedule and NJPortal Annual Report FAQ on 9 October 2026. If NJPortal shows a different checkout total, pay what the portal shows and keep the receipt.

File in New Jersey if the work is in New Jersey

A domestic New Jersey LLC is organized by filing a Certificate of Formation with the Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services (DORES) in the Department of the Treasury. Online filing runs through the NJPortal Business Formation Service at njportal.com/dor/businessformation. A company already formed somewhere else that wants to transact business in New Jersey files a Certificate of Registration for a foreign LLC — a different instrument, with its own fee on the DORES LLC fee table ($100).

Filing in Wyoming, Delaware, or Georgia does not move New Jersey work out of New Jersey. A foreign entity that transacts business here still needs a New Jersey registered agent and New Jersey foreign registration, plus the formation state’s agent and annual report. Home-state filing is the cheaper default for a one-state operator. Multi-state registration overview: Foreign LLC and certificate of authority.

What to have on the desk before opening NJPortal Business Formation

The DORES Registry Fee Schedule and the online Business Formation Service set the baseline. Checked against the fee schedule (last updated 1 July 2026) and the portal on 9 October 2026:

• A distinguishable LLC name. Search availability inside the Business Formation Service before ordering letterhead. Do not type the LLC designator into the name-search field — the portal adds it later in the filing.
• Certificate of Formation details for a NJ Domestic Limited Liability Company (LLC).
• Registered agent information, including an email address for registered-agent notifications. See Registered agent basics for a new LLC.
• Payment method the portal accepts (credit card or eCheck per the Business Formation welcome page). Payment follows whatever NJPortal shows at checkout.

No newspaper or other advertising is required on the standard domestic Certificate of Formation path. Professional corporations, nonprofits, and conversions are out of scope for a default 1099 single-member LLC on this page.

File online through NJPortal Business Formation (or on paper)

The primary path on this page is DORES’s Online Business Formation Service at njportal.com/dor/businessformation. Select NJ Domestic Limited Liability Company (LLC), complete the Certificate of Formation, and pay. The DORES Registry Fee Schedule lists a Certificate of Formation at $100.00. That is the fee this page cites.

Optional over-the-counter expedite and same-day FAX line items appear on the fee schedule — this page does not invent them as required for the online path. Pay what the portal shows and keep the receipt. After acceptance, the Certificate of Formation displays a 10-digit Entity ID used on later DORES filings.

After the Certificate of Formation is filed

Formation with DORES is not a finished New Jersey Division of Taxation registration, a sales-tax license, a city license, or a professional license. Business.NJ.gov and DORES treat tax/employer registration (often Form NJ-REG) as a separate step after the entity exists.

The IRS tells applicants to form the state entity first, then obtain an Employer Identification Number. That application on IRS.gov is free.

New Jersey does not require an operating agreement to be filed with the Certificate of Formation. A written agreement still matters between members. Banks often ask for one anyway. See LLC operating agreement basics.

Annual Report — last day of anniversary month, $75

Every New Jersey LLC files an Annual Report each year. Business.NJ.gov sets the due date at the last day of the month in which the LLC was formed and prices the filing at $75. The DORES Registry Fee Schedule and the Online Annual Report FAQ match that $75 figure for LLCs. File online through njportal.com/DOR/annualreports.

Put the first due date on a calendar the day the Certificate of Formation is accepted. The responsibility to file falls on the business even if a reminder letter never arrives. Cross-state renewals and “is an annual report a tax?”: LLC annual report and annual registration. This page does not compute anyone’s tax.

Missing reports can lead to revocation. DORES lists reinstatement of charter for LLCs at $75 on the Registry Fee Schedule when that path applies. Overview of admin-dissolve vs reinstate: Reinstate an administratively dissolved or revoked LLC.

New Jersey LLC FAQ

How much does it cost to form an LLC in New Jersey?

The New Jersey Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services Registry Fee Schedule lists a Certificate of Formation at $100.00 for an LLC (page last updated 1 July 2026; re-checked 9 October 2026). File online through the NJPortal Business Formation Service, or by mail / over the counter. Pay what the portal shows and keep the receipt. Optional over-the-counter expedite line items exist on the fee schedule — this page does not invent them as required for the online path.

When is the New Jersey LLC annual report due?

Every New Jersey LLC files an Annual Report each year. Business.NJ.gov puts the due date on the last day of the anniversary month (the month the LLC was formed) and prices the filing at $75. File online through the NJPortal Annual Reports service. Cross-state renewals: LLC annual report and annual registration.

Does a New Jersey LLC need a registered agent?

Yes. The online Business Formation Service asks for registered-agent information (including an email for agent notifications) before you can complete the Certificate of Formation. Keep the agent and office current on later annual reports or change filings. DIY versus commercial tradeoffs: Registered agent basics for a new LLC.

Does a domestic New Jersey LLC need newspaper publication?

No. The DORES Certificate of Formation path and Registry Fee Schedule do not list a newspaper publication step for a standard New Jersey LLC. Skip any “New Jersey LLC publication” add-on that is not on the formation path. New York LLCs do publish under a different statute — see How to form an LLC in New York.

Should I form in Wyoming or Delaware if I live and work in New Jersey?

For a one-state operator who lives and works in New Jersey, home-state (domestic New Jersey) filing is the honest default. A Wyoming or Delaware LLC that transacts business in New Jersey still needs a New Jersey registered agent, New Jersey foreign registration, and New Jersey annual reports — plus the formation state’s agent and report. Multi-state overview: Foreign LLC and certificate of authority.

How do I file a New Jersey Certificate of Formation online?

Open the NJPortal Business Formation Service, choose NJ Domestic Limited Liability Company (LLC), enter the name, registered agent (with an email for agent notifications), and signatures, then pay the $100 Certificate of Formation fee by credit card or eCheck.

Do I get an EIN before or after filing the New Jersey LLC?

After the Certificate of Formation is accepted. The IRS tells applicants to form the state entity first; the EIN application on IRS.gov is free. Walkthrough: Get an EIN after the state entity exists. After the EIN, park operating cash in a dedicated account — see First business checking account.

What this page does not cover

• Professional corporations, nonprofits, conversions, or foreign registration of an out-of-state company.
• Sales-tax, employer withholding, unemployment, Workers’ Compensation, or local business licenses.
• Whether an S corporation election is worth the payroll. That is a CPA conversation after there is real net income.
• Any promise that an LLC prevents a personal guarantee on a bank account or a business card. It usually does not.
• Telling a Georgia operator to file New Jersey as a sophistication upgrade.
• Voluntary dissolution — DORES Certificate of Cancellation for domestic LLCs is $100 on the fee schedule; see Dissolve or cancel an LLC.
• Processor fees or portal line items that are not printed on the sources above.