Checklist
Getting started
Four steps, in order. Skipping the LLC and parking personal cash in a brokerage is how a first-time 1099 earner turns a bookkeeping mess into a tax-and-liability mess.
Optional branches (not always required to file)
Form the LLC
If you live and work in one state, file there. An LLC is a state filing with a registered agent, an operating agreement kept in the company records, and an annual renewal. A brand that is not the legal name is a separate DBA / assumed-name / trade-name filing (SOS in some states, county clerk in Georgia and California). Working regularly in a second state often means a foreign registration (certificate of authority) there too. Closing the company later needs a dissolution, termination, or cancellation filing — not just stopping work. Administrative dissolution for missed reports is a catch-up reinstatement, not a voluntary close. It is not a tax election, and it does not hide you from the public record. After the state filing, get an EIN from the IRS for free.
How to form an LLC in:
Pick the state where you live and work. These are not ranked upgrades.
Full guide titles for search: Form an LLC in Alabama 2026: $200 fee, 5 steps; How to form an LLC in Alaska; Form an LLC in Arizona 2026: $50 fee, 5 steps; Form an LLC in Arkansas 2026: $45 fee, 5 steps; Form an LLC in California 2026: $70 fee, 5 steps; Form an LLC in Colorado 2026: $50 fee, 5 steps; Form an LLC in Connecticut 2026: $120 fee, 5 steps; Form an LLC in Delaware 2026: $110 fee, 5 steps; How to Form an LLC in Florida (2026): $125 on Sunbiz; Form an LLC in Georgia 2026: $110 fee, 5 steps; How to form an LLC in Hawaii; Form an LLC in Idaho 2026: $100 fee, 5 steps; Form an LLC in Illinois 2026: $150 fee, 5 steps; Form an LLC in Indiana 2026: $95 fee, 5 steps; Form an LLC in Iowa 2026: $50 fee, 5 steps; Form an LLC in Kansas 2026: $85 fee, 5 steps; Form an LLC in Kentucky 2026: $40 fee, 5 steps; Form an LLC in Louisiana 2026: $125 fee, 5 steps; How to form an LLC in Maine; Form an LLC in Maryland 2026: $100 fee, 5 steps; Form an LLC in Massachusetts 2026: $500 fee, 5 steps; Form an LLC in Michigan 2026: $50 fee, 5 steps; Form an LLC in Minnesota 2026: $155 fee, 5 steps; Form an LLC in Mississippi 2026: $50 fee, 5 steps; Form an LLC in Missouri 2026: $50 fee, 5 steps; How to form an LLC in Montana; Form an LLC in Nebraska 2026: $100 fee, 5 steps; Form an LLC in Nevada 2026: $425 fee, 5 steps; How to form an LLC in New Hampshire; Form an LLC in New Jersey 2026: $100 fee, 5 steps; Form an LLC in New Mexico 2026: $50 fee, 5 steps; New York LLC 2026: $200 Fee + Publication, $9 Biennial; North Carolina LLC 2026: $125 Fee, $200 Annual Report, 5 Steps; How to form an LLC in North Dakota; Ohio LLC 2026: $99 Fee, Form 610, No Annual Report; Form an LLC in Oklahoma 2026: $100 fee, 5 steps; Form an LLC in Oregon 2026: $100 fee, 5 steps; Pennsylvania LLC 2026: $125 Fee, $7 Annual Report, 5 Steps; How to form an LLC in Rhode Island; Form an LLC in South Carolina 2026: $110 fee, 5 steps; How to form an LLC in South Dakota; Form an LLC in Tennessee 2026: $300 fee, 5 steps; Texas LLC Online (2026): Form 205, $300 Fee, SOSPortal; Form an LLC in Utah 2026: $59 fee, 5 steps; How to form an LLC in Vermont; Form an LLC in Virginia 2026: $100 fee, 5 steps; Form an LLC in Washington 2026: $180 fee, 5 steps; Form an LLC in West Virginia 2026: $100 fee, 5 steps; Form an LLC in Wisconsin 2026: $130 fee, 5 steps; Form an LLC in Wyoming 2026: $100 fee, 5 steps.
- After you form an LLC — first 30 days checklist
- LLC SEO after you form — money pages first
- Registered agent basics for a new LLC
- LLC operating agreement basics
- LLC annual report and annual registration
- Foreign LLC and certificate of authority
- Dissolve or cancel an LLC (close the entity)
- Reinstate an administratively dissolved or revoked LLC
- DBA, assumed name, and trade name for an LLC
- Get an EIN after the state filing
- LLC vs sole proprietorship — when the filing shows up
- Convert a sole proprietorship to an LLC
- Check LLC name availability
Open a business bank account
Put business money in a business checking account. Then keep a clear record of income and expenses (chart of accounts, monthly categorize and reconcile). Extra cash can sit in a high-yield savings account at an FDIC-insured bank. Longer-term surplus can go into Treasury bills or a government money-market fund at a brokerage.
Open a brokerage (if you need one)
Open a brokerage because the work calls for it. This stack step walks through Interactive Brokers — optional, not automatic for every household.
Use a 0% card the honest way
A 0% intro APR is fair for two jobs: a balance transfer to pay down high-interest card debt, or a 0% purchase period on a business card for real expenses with a written payoff date. It is not a way to fund a brokerage, a savings account, or crypto.
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