How Much Does It Cost to Start an LLC in Georgia? (2026)
Starting an LLC in Georgia costs $100 if you file online — or $110 by mail. That’s the mandatory fee to file your Articles of Organization with the Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division. Everything after that is either optional, recurring, or depends on your specific situation.
This breakdown covers every cost you’ll hit in year one and year two: the required fees, the optional fees worth paying, and the ones to skip entirely.
Georgia LLC Cost at a Glance
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| Cost | Amount | Required? |
|---|---|---|
| Articles of Organization (online) | $100 | Yes |
| Articles of Organization (by mail) | $110 | Yes (one or the other) |
| Annual Registration | $60/year | Yes |
| Name Reservation | $10 | No |
| EIN (from IRS) | $0 | No (but get one) |
| Registered Agent Service | $0–$199/year | No (you can be your own) |
| Formation Service | $0–$39 | No |
| Operating Agreement | $0–$500+ | No (but get one) |
| Business License | $0–$500+ | Depends on locality |
Minimum to form: $100 online, paid to the state. That’s it.
Realistic first year: $150–$350, once you add a registered agent service and basic operating agreement.
Annual ongoing cost: $60 for the Annual Registration plus $50–$199 if you’re using a commercial registered agent service. Budget $110–$260/year to keep the LLC alive and compliant.
One-Time Formation Costs
Articles of Organization: $100
This is the fee to officially form your LLC in Georgia. You pay it once, directly to the Georgia Corporations Division through the eCorp portal. Non-negotiable. No discount for small businesses, no waiver for nonprofits at the LLC level.
File online. The $10 savings over mail is minor, but online processing is faster — standard turnaround is about 7 business days — and you get a digital confirmation you can track.
Name Reservation: $10
Optional. If you’re not ready to file but want to lock down your LLC name, you can reserve it for $10. Skip this if you’re filing within the next week or two. Just search the Georgia business name database to confirm availability, then file.
LLC Formation Service: $0–$39
A formation service fills out and submits your Articles of Organization for you. That’s the core job. Some charge for it, some don’t.
- Bizee (formerly Incfile): $0 + state fee
- ZenBusiness: $0 + state fee (starter plan)
- Northwest Registered Agent: $39 + state fee
All three handle the same paperwork. Northwest costs a little more upfront but includes better privacy protection and doesn’t push as many upsells. ZenBusiness and Bizee are fine if you’re watching every dollar — just read what you’re agreeing to at checkout.
You don’t need a formation service at all. The eCorp portal is straightforward. But if you’d rather hand it off, $39 is a reasonable price for the convenience.
EIN: $0
Your Employer Identification Number is free. Always. Apply directly at IRS.gov and you get it instantly. Any website charging you $50–$79 to “get your EIN” is just submitting the same free form on your behalf. Don’t pay for this.
Operating Agreement: $0–$500+
Georgia doesn’t legally require an operating agreement, but you should have one. It establishes who owns what, how decisions get made, and protects your personal liability shield if you’re ever challenged in court.
A free template from a reputable source works for most single-member LLCs. Multi-member LLCs — especially ones with unequal ownership or complex profit splits — benefit from an attorney-drafted agreement. That runs $300–$500+ depending on complexity and who you hire.
Expedited Processing: $25–$100
Standard processing is 7 business days. If you need it faster:
- Expedited (2-3 business days): $25 extra
- Next-day processing: $100 extra
Pay these fees through the eCorp portal at the time of filing. Worth it if you have a contract or bank account opening that’s time-sensitive. Skip it otherwise.
Annual Ongoing Costs
Annual Registration: $60/year
Every Georgia LLC pays $60 per year to stay active. This breaks down as $50 base fee plus a $10 service fee charged by the state’s filing system.
The filing window opens January 1 and closes April 1 each year. Miss it and the Corporations Division can administratively dissolve your LLC. Put it on your calendar now.
This is Georgia’s version of an annual report. There’s no franchise tax on top of it — just the $60 flat fee, regardless of revenue.
Registered Agent: $0–$199/year
Every Georgia LLC must have a registered agent with a physical Georgia address (no PO Boxes). This person or company receives legal documents and official government notices on your behalf.
Your options:
- Be your own registered agent: Free. You list your name and address in the Articles of Organization. Fine if you work from a fixed address and are comfortable having your address in the public record.
- Use a commercial service: $50–$199/year. Northwest Registered Agent runs $125/year. ZenBusiness and Bizee include it free for the first year, then charge $119–$199/year at renewal.
If you work from home and don’t want your home address tied to a public state database, a registered agent service is worth the fee.
Business License: Varies by Locality
Georgia doesn’t have a statewide business license. Your city or county does.
Atlanta requires a business license through the Atlanta Department of Finance. Savannah, Augusta, and other cities have their own offices and fee schedules. Unincorporated areas fall under county jurisdiction.
Fees vary based on revenue (some localities use a gross receipts formula), industry, and location. A small service business under the revenue threshold might pay $0. A retail business with employees might pay $200–$500+ annually.
Check with your specific city or county before assuming you don’t need one. Operating without a required license can mean fines that dwarf the license cost itself.
Business Insurance: $300–$2,000+/year
Not required to form an LLC. Very much worth having once you’re operating.
General liability coverage for a small service business starts around $300–$600/year. Add professional liability (errors and omissions), and you’re looking at $500–$1,500/year depending on your industry. Retail, food service, and construction run higher.
The LLC structure limits your personal liability for business debts and lawsuits — but it doesn’t make you lawsuit-proof. Insurance covers the gap.
Georgia vs. Other States — Cost Comparison
If you live and work in Georgia, form your LLC in Georgia. The “form in Delaware or Wyoming” advice applies to investors and venture-backed companies, not a local service business or online store.
That said, here’s how Georgia’s cost stacks up:
| State | Filing Fee | Annual Fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia | $100 online / $110 mail | $60/year | No franchise tax |
| California | $70 | $800/year minimum | $800 franchise tax even at $0 revenue |
| Oklahoma | $100 online / $110 mail | $25/year | Cheapest annual fee of major states |
| Delaware | $90 | $300/year | Great for corporations; unnecessary for most small LLCs |
Georgia’s $100 filing fee is standard. The $60 annual fee is reasonable. No franchise tax is a genuine advantage over states like California, where you owe $800 every year regardless of whether the business made a dollar.
Oklahoma’s $25 annual fee is lower, but unless you’re doing business there, forming out-of-state means you’d need to register as a foreign LLC in Georgia anyway — adding more fees and paperwork, not less.
Hidden Costs to Watch Out For
Formation services make money after year one. Here’s where the surprises show up.
Auto-renewing add-on services. ZenBusiness’s Worry-Free Compliance package renews automatically at $199/year unless you cancel. It bundles registered agent service with annual report filing reminders. Useful for some people, unnecessary if you track your own deadlines. Read what you’re opting into during checkout.
Registered agent rate jumps. Several services offer year-one registered agent service for free or at a steep discount, then charge $149–$249 at renewal. Northwest Registered Agent is transparent about its pricing ($125/year, same rate year after year). Others aren’t. Check the renewal rate before you commit.
Business bank account fees. Some banks charge $10–$20/month for a small business checking account. That’s $120–$240/year you don’t need to pay. Chase Business Complete, Relay, and Bluevine all offer fee-free or low-cost options worth looking at before you default to whatever bank you personally use.
Bookkeeping and accounting. DIY with a spreadsheet or free version of Wave: $0. QuickBooks Self-Employed: $20/month. A part-time bookkeeper: $200–$500/month. A CPA for annual tax prep: $300–$1,500 depending on complexity. These aren’t LLC formation costs, but they’re real year-one costs that catch new business owners off guard when they start piling up.
FAQ
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What is the cheapest way to start an LLC in Georgia?
File directly through the eCorp portal yourself. Pay the $100 state fee. Get a free EIN from IRS.gov. Download a free operating agreement template. Be your own registered agent if you have a Georgia street address. Total cost: $100.
Is the $60 Annual Registration required every year?
Yes. File between January 1 and April 1 each year. If you miss the deadline, the Georgia Secretary of State can administratively dissolve your LLC. Reinstatement is possible but adds fees and paperwork. Set a calendar reminder.
Do I need a lawyer to form a Georgia LLC?
No. The eCorp portal is designed for self-filing. A formation service like Northwest or ZenBusiness handles it for $0–$39 if you’d rather not deal with the portal yourself. Hire an attorney if your situation involves multiple members with unequal ownership, outside investors, or a business where liability exposure is significant. For a solo consultant or simple retail business, you don’t need one.
Does Georgia charge a franchise tax on LLCs?
No. Georgia LLCs pay the $60 Annual Registration fee and that’s it at the state level. No franchise tax, no minimum income tax on the LLC itself (pass-through income is taxed on your personal return).
What’s the difference between the Articles of Organization and the Annual Registration?
Articles of Organization is the one-time filing that creates your LLC. Annual Registration is the yearly renewal that keeps it active. Two separate things, two separate fees.
Can I use a PO Box as my registered agent address?
No. Georgia requires a physical street address in the state. A PO Box doesn’t qualify. If you don’t have a Georgia business address, a registered agent service solves this for $50–$199/year.