Ohio LLC Cost in 2026: State Fees, Statutory Agent and Ongoing Costs
Ohio LLC Cost in 2026: State Fees, Statutory Agent and Ongoing Costs
How much does an LLC cost in Ohio? The state filing fee for a domestic LLC is $99. Ohio LLCs pay no annual report fee and file no renewal with the state. The full cost depends on a few add-ons: a statutory agent, a name reservation, a trade name, the Commercial Activity Tax if your receipts pass the threshold, a vendor’s license if you sell taxable goods, and local taxes. This guide lists each cost, where it comes from, and what to confirm before you pay.
This is informational content, not legal or tax advice. Fees and rules change, so confirm current figures with the agency named in each section. For anything beyond a simple setup, such as multiple owners, outside investors, employees, or receipts near the CAT threshold, talk to a qualified attorney or CPA.
Ohio LLC Fees at a Glance
The table below covers every state-level cost a new Ohio LLC is likely to meet, plus the recurring items. Only the first row is unavoidable.
| Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Articles of Organization (Form 610) | $99 | Domestic LLC filing fee, filed with the Ohio Secretary of State |
| Name reservation | $39 | Holds your name for 180 days |
| Trade name or fictitious name (Form 534A) | $39 | Registered with the Secretary of State, not the county |
| Trade name renewal | $25 | Due every five years |
| Trade name update or change of registrant name | $25 | Only if the details change |
| Statutory agent change, agent address change, or resignation | $25 | Ohio’s term for a registered agent |
| Annual or biennial report | $0 | Not required for Ohio LLCs |
| Foreign LLC registration | $99 | For LLCs formed in another state that register in Ohio (ORC 111.16, effective April 2025) |
| Commercial Activity Tax registration | $20 | Only if Ohio taxable gross receipts exceed $6 million |
| Vendor’s license | $50 per location | Only if you sell taxable goods or services (as of April 9, 2025) |
| Statutory agent service | Varies | Set by the commercial provider you choose |
Ohio issues no single general state business license and no statewide general contractor license. Counties issue no business license either. The one near universal registration is the vendor’s license, covered below.
Articles of Organization: The $99 Filing Fee
Your formation document is Articles of Organization for a Domestic Limited Liability Company, Form 610. The fee is $99. File online through Ohio Business Central at ohiobusinesscentral.gov, which is the fastest standard route. Regular service takes 3 to 7 business days from receipt.
Your name must contain “limited liability company,” “L.L.C.,” “LLC,” “limited,” “ltd.,” or “ltd.” It must also be distinguishable on the Secretary of State’s records from any other domestic or foreign LLC, corporation, limited liability partnership, limited partnership, or registered trade name, unless the prior holder gives written consent. Search the records at businesssearch.ohiosos.gov before you file.
Expedited Filing Costs
- Expedite Service 1: $100 above the filing fee, processed within 2 business days of receipt.
- Expedite Service 2: $200, processed within 1 business day.
- Expedite Service 3: $300, requires in-person delivery, processed within 4 hours if received by 1:00 p.m., otherwise by noon the following business day.
- Preclearance filing review: $50, takes 1 to 2 business days.
Expedited filings go to P.O. Box 1390, Columbus, OH 43216. Confirm the current totals on the Secretary of State’s site before you pay, especially whether an expedite charge is added on top of the $99 filing fee.
Name Reservation and Trade Names: $39 Each
A name reservation costs $39 and holds your chosen name for 180 days. You can file the reservation form through the Secretary of State’s forms page at ohiosos.gov. If you file the articles right away, you do not need one.
A trade name, also called a fictitious name, lets you operate under a name other than your LLC’s legal name. Register it on Form 534A for $39. You file it with the Secretary of State online through Ohio Business Central or by mail. The county is not involved.
- Renewal: $25 every five years
- Update or change of registrant name: $25
A trade name registration is not a trademark. If brand protection matters to you, speak with an intellectual property attorney.
The Statutory Agent: The Recurring Cost You Cannot Skip
Ohio calls it a statutory agent. Every LLC must appoint one and keep one in place continuously. The Secretary of State will not accept your articles unless they come with a written appointment signed for the company and a written acceptance signed by the agent on the prescribed form.
The agent must be either a natural person who is an Ohio resident, or an entity with a business address in Ohio. The listed address must be a street address. A post office box does not qualify, even one with an associated street address.
You have two options. You can serve as your own agent if you meet the requirements, which adds no fee beyond the filing. Or you can hire a commercial registered agent service, whose fee varies by provider. Compare at least two quotes and get the price and renewal terms in writing. The tradeoff is simple: using your home address puts it on public records, while a commercial agent keeps it off and charges you for as long as you use it.
Changing the agent, an agent’s address, or filing a resignation costs $25. A resignation takes effect 30 days after it is filed, so line up a replacement before you resign.
Ohio LLC Annual Fee and Renewal
The Ohio LLC annual fee is $0. No annual or biennial report is required for Ohio LLCs, and you do not renew the LLC itself with the Secretary of State. For-profit corporations face the same rule. Only domestic professional associations file a Biennial Report (Form 520), at $25.
Some costs do repeat. The trade name renewal recurs every five years at $25. A statutory agent fee recurs if you use a provider. CAT returns are filed quarterly if you are over the threshold, and BWC premiums and municipal tax filings recur if you have employees or net profit.
Ongoing Costs After Formation
Commercial Activity Tax
Ohio has no franchise tax and no LLC annual tax. Instead, businesses pay the Commercial Activity Tax (CAT), a gross receipts tax of 0.26% (.0026) on Ohio taxable gross receipts. For tax year 2025 and later, only businesses with more than $6 million of Ohio taxable gross receipts owe the CAT or must register. The threshold was $3 million in 2024 and $150,000 before 2024. CAT returns are filed quarterly, and registration costs $20 for businesses that must register.
The tax applies to receipts above the $6 million exclusion. As a rough illustration, $7 million in receipts leaves $1 million above the exclusion, and 0.26% of that is $2,600. That is an example, not a filing position. Confirm the calculation with the Ohio Department of Taxation or a CPA before you rely on it.
Workers’ Compensation Through BWC
If you have employees, you buy workers’ compensation coverage from the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation state fund rather than from a private insurer. Premiums depend on your industry classification and payroll, so there is no single flat figure to budget. Request a quote from BWC at bwc.ohio.gov and ask whether any owners or roles in your business require coverage.
Municipal Net Profit Tax
Ohio cities and villages tax business net profit under their own rates, and those rates differ by municipality. This is separate from the state tax. Confirm which municipality applies to your business and its current rate with that city or village tax office.
Owner Income Tax on Pass-Through Profit
An LLC is usually taxed through its owners, so profit flows to each owner’s Ohio return. The Department of Taxation states that taxable business income is taxed at a flat 3%. Ask a CPA how your federal and Ohio filings should be set up.
Vendor’s License
If you sell taxable goods or services in Ohio, you need a vendor’s license before your first taxable sale. The application fee is $50 per location as of April 9, 2025, up from $25. You can apply through the Ohio Business Gateway or your county auditor. The state sales tax rate is 5.75%, plus county and transit authority rates that vary by county.
Ohio Compared With Annual-Fee States
Many states charge an annual report fee or a yearly minimum tax that recurs whether or not the business earned money. Ohio does not. It charges no LLC annual report fee and no annual LLC tax. Its main recurring business tax, the CAT, applies only above $6 million in receipts. For a small Ohio LLC, the recurring state cost can be zero, apart from a statutory agent fee if you use a provider and a vendor’s license if you sell taxable goods.
If you formed your LLC in another state and now do business in Ohio, you must register it here, and you still owe whatever annual fees your home state charges. Check both states’ rules.
Sample First-Year Costs
| Setup | State cost |
|---|---|
| Basic LLC, you serve as your own statutory agent | $99 |
| Basic LLC plus a trade name | $138 |
| Basic LLC plus a trade name plus a vendor’s license for one location | $188 |
| Any of the above plus a commercial statutory agent | Same total, plus the provider’s fee |
These totals cover state fees only. Add the cost of an accountant, attorney, business insurance, and any local permits your industry requires.
What to Confirm With Each Agency
- Secretary of State: current expedite totals and the foreign LLC registration fee at ohiosos.gov.
- Department of Taxation: CAT calculation, CAT registration, and how the 3% business income rate applies to you at tax.ohio.gov.
- Bureau of Workers’ Compensation: the premium for your industry classification at bwc.ohio.gov.
- Your city or village tax office: the municipal net profit tax rate that applies to your business.
- Your county auditor: how to apply for the vendor’s license and where to pay the $50 fee.
When to Bring In a Professional
A single-owner LLC with no employees and no taxable sales can often be set up with the filing fee and a statutory agent. Bring in a qualified attorney or CPA if you have multiple owners, plan to take on investors, hire employees, sell across state lines, or expect receipts to approach the $6 million CAT threshold. A few hours of professional review costs far less than correcting an entity or tax setup after the fact.