Georgia LLC Costs

Quick answer

For a new domestic Georgia LLC, the standard state charge to file Articles of Organization is $110 ($100 filing fee plus a $10 service charge). The first annual registration is then due between January 1 and April 1 of the following calendar year and costs $60. With no optional state filing and no paid outside help, the required Georgia Corporations Division charges from formation through that first annual registration total $170. Georgia’s current fee schedule and domestic-entity guide support those inputs.

That is the state-filing answer, not a universal startup budget. A registered-agent service, licenses, permits, tax setup, insurance, banking, legal or accounting help, and local requirements can change what a particular business spends. Start by separating the Secretary of State bill from services and permissions your business actually needs. The official sources below were checked 2026-10-01. This guide offers general information, not legal or tax advice.

At a glance

The required Georgia state cost to form a domestic LLC

The core state filing for a new Georgia LLC is Articles of Organization with the Georgia Secretary of State’s Corporations Division. The current total is $110, made up of a $100 filing fee and a $10 service charge. The current official schedule lists the same total for online and paper filing. Fees are nonrefundable and nontransferable. Georgia Corporations Division Filing Fees

A domestic LLC is one created in Georgia for the first time. This page’s $110 baseline is for that situation. A company that already exists in another state or country is not using this domestic-formation route: Georgia’s schedule lists a $235 charge for a foreign LLC’s Certificate of Authority to transact business in Georgia. Do not use the domestic number for a foreign-qualification budget. Georgia Corporations Division Filing Fees

The Secretary of State’s domestic-entity guide says a filer needs the LLC name or a valid reservation number, organizer information, principal-office mailing address, a registered agent and address, an email address, and payment. The state can generate articles through the regular online flow, or a filer can submit prepared paper articles online or by mail. Register a Domestic LLC with the Secretary of State

What the $110 does mean: the charge to submit the domestic LLC formation filing to the Georgia Corporations Division. What it does not automatically cover: an optional name reservation, expedited review, a commercial registered-agent service, tax accounts, permits, licenses, insurance, a bank account, or professional help.

The distinction matters when comparing an advertised “Georgia LLC cost.” A service’s package price may include its own work or add-ons; it is not the same thing as the state’s filing charge. Ask every seller to identify the state charge, its own charge, recurring items, and optional selections separately.

First-year versus recurring Georgia LLC costs

Georgia uses an annual registration, not a one-time formation payment. Every LLC must file the registration when it is due. For an LLC, the charge is $60 whether filed online or on paper. The normal filing window opens January 1 and ends April 1. A late annual registration carries a $25 penalty. How to File Annual Registration

The formation date changes when the first $60 bill comes due. The initial annual registration is due from January 1 through April 1 in the calendar year after the calendar year in which the LLC was formed. An LLC formed in December 2026 therefore faces its first registration window in early 2027; an LLC formed in January 2027 has its first registration window in early 2028. The rule does not waive the annual registration because the formation was late in the prior year. Register a Domestic LLC with the Secretary of State

Required-state cost model

The $170 is an arithmetic planning model using the $110 formation fee and $60 annual-registration fee, not a state quote for every business. It excludes business-specific costs and costs triggered by optional choices or a late filing. Both inputs appear in the official fee schedule; the date rule appears in the domestic LLC guide.

Georgia also permits annual registrations for up to three calendar years in advance. That can simplify calendar management, but it advances payment rather than reducing the stated annual charge. How to File Annual Registration

A practical Georgia LLC budget: use the quote test

A useful budget separates charges by who sets them and whether you chose them. Use this four-question test before accepting a formation quote:

1. Is it a Georgia Corporations Division charge? If yes, compare it with the official fee schedule.
2. Is it required for every domestic Georgia LLC, or only for my situation? The formation filing and annual registration are different from, for example, a license tied to a particular activity.
3. Is it optional state processing? Name reservation and expedited review are examples.
4. Is it a commercial service? A filing service, registered-agent company, attorney, accountant, bank, or insurer sets its own price. Request the provider’s current written price and renewal terms rather than treating it as a state fee.

Three planning scenarios with verified state inputs

The name-reservation and expedite amounts in the model are official charges, not estimates. The $35 reservation is optional and lasts 30 days or until the entity filing is submitted, whichever comes first. How to Reserve a Name Expedited review is extra to the regular filing charge; Georgia lists $120 for two-business-day service, $275 for same-day service, and $1,200 for one-hour service. Filing Fees and Expedited Processing

This model intentionally leaves variable columns blank. A blank is more honest than inventing a “typical” registered-agent, permit, tax, insurance, legal, or accounting price when the business, provider, locality, and risk profile have not been specified.

Optional Georgia state charges that can raise the total

The $110 formation charge is not the only amount on Georgia’s schedule, but several other charges arise only if a founder makes a particular choice or needs a later filing.

Optional or event-driven Secretary of State charges

The fee schedule supports the listed state charges. Georgia Corporations Division Filing Fees Georgia’s annual-registration guide also says information corrections can require another annual registration or an amended annual registration with the applicable fee. How to File Annual Registration

A name reservation is not required to register a Georgia LLC. It can be filed online or by mail, costs $35, and is effective for 30 days or until the formation filing is submitted. It may make sense when a founder needs a short hold before filing, but it is not an automatic line item for a standard LLC budget. How to Reserve a Name

Expedited processing is a request for a faster review response, not a promise that the filing will be accepted. Same-day requests must reach the Division by noon on a business day, and the state notes that expedited periods exclude weekends and state holidays. Filing Fees and Expedited Processing

Costs that the Secretary of State filing fee does not settle

A Georgia LLC must continuously maintain a Georgia registered agent and registered office. For a domestic LLC, the state identifies qualifying agent categories, including a Georgia-resident individual, a domestic corporation or domestic LLC, or a qualified foreign corporation or LLC; the registered office must align with the agent’s business office. Georgia Business Division FAQ That legal requirement does not establish a universal price: a founder who uses a qualifying arrangement and a founder who hires a commercial service may face very different out-of-pocket costs. Obtain current pricing directly from any provider before including it in a budget.

Business activity can add requirements outside the Corporations Division. Georgia’s Department of Revenue says an entity conducting business in the state may need one or more tax-specific identification numbers, permits, or licenses, and directs business registration through the Georgia Tax Center. It also notes that LLCs should check Secretary of State registration requirements before registering for taxes. Georgia DOR: Register a New Business Local governments and specialized regulators may have separate rules, so do not assume a Secretary of State receipt resolves every operating requirement.

The IRS also treats the EIN as a separate federal task. An EIN is free when obtained directly from the IRS, and the IRS says an LLC should be formed with the state before the EIN application. IRS: Get an Employer Identification Number A company selling EIN assistance may charge for its service, but that is not an IRS EIN fee.

For a deeper state-specific sequence beyond the cost question, use the Georgia LLC formation guide. After state formation, the guide to starting a business and getting an EIN can help organize the federal ID step. These are contextual planning resources, not substitutes for advice tailored to a business’s taxes, contracts, owners, or regulated activity.

How to keep a Georgia LLC budget focused on what you actually need

Use this state-specific checklist to avoid adding charges merely because a checkout flow presents them:

• Confirm the filing type. Use the domestic LLC path only if the entity is being created in Georgia for the first time. An existing out-of-state company needs the foreign-entity process and a different fee. Register a Domestic LLC with the Secretary of State
• Choose the LLC name and check it carefully. A reservation can be useful, but it is optional; do not pay $35 by default if you are ready to file. How to Reserve a Name
• Line up a compliant registered agent and Georgia registered office. Decide whether to use a qualifying arrangement or a commercial service, then price a provider’s current fee only if buying that service. Georgia Business Division FAQ
• File Articles of Organization through the Secretary of State’s eCorp system or another permitted route. Budget the stated $110 standard filing charge before optional expedite service. Register a Domestic LLC with the Secretary of State
• Save the approval and calendar the next annual registration. Set an internal reminder before the January 1–April 1 window in the next calendar year so the $60 registration and avoidable $25 late penalty are visible. How to File Annual Registration
• Assess post-formation obligations by activity. Check Department of Revenue tax registration and the appropriate licensing authorities; these are not reliably estimated from an LLC filing alone. Georgia DOR: Register a New Business
• Apply directly to the IRS for an EIN if needed, after state formation. The direct IRS EIN application has no fee. IRS: Get an EIN

This approach is not about choosing the cheapest option in every case. It is about making each cost traceable to an actual legal requirement, state filing choice, or disclosed commercial service.

Timing and cost mistakes to avoid

Mistake: calling $110 the whole first-year cost. The $110 is the domestic formation charge. Budget the $60 annual registration due in the following calendar year as a separate obligation. Register a Domestic LLC with the Secretary of State

Mistake: treating a name reservation as mandatory. Georgia states that it is optional. If you are ready to submit Articles of Organization, deciding not to reserve can keep the state amount at the standard $110. How to Reserve a Name

Mistake: comparing a service package with the state fee as if they are equivalent. A package can bundle a provider’s work, an agent service, and state charges. Ask for an itemized first-year and renewal total, then compare the state portion with the official fee schedule.

Mistake: missing the April 1 annual-registration deadline. The official guide lists a $25 late penalty and warns that entities that do not timely file registrations and required fees may be subject to administrative dissolution or revocation. How to File Annual Registration A domestic LLC that is administratively dissolved may be eligible for reinstatement within five years; the current state charge is $260, subject to the conditions in the agency’s guidance. Register a Domestic LLC with the Secretary of State

Mistake: paying someone for a “required EIN.” An EIN may be needed for particular federal tax and business purposes, but the IRS says it never charges a fee to issue one. Verify whether you need it, then use the direct IRS route where eligible. IRS: Get an Employer Identification Number

Mistake: using a processing estimate as a launch promise. Georgia says general processing times vary with office workload. Expedited processing has its own charges and review windows, but neither route removes the need for an accurate filing or business-specific permits and tax registrations. Filing Fees and Expedited Processing

Official sources and next steps

Sources checked: 2026-10-01. The state fee schedule, domestic-registration guide, annual-registration guide, name-reservation guide, expedited-processing guide, Business Division FAQ, IRS EIN page, and Georgia Department of Revenue registration page were reviewed for the claims on this page. Fee schedules, portal rules, and agency processes can change, so recheck them before a filing or publication update.

Start with the state’s domestic LLC registration guide and current fee schedule when you are ready to calculate a specific filing. If you are weighing a do-it-yourself filing against paid assistance, use company incorporation services to compare the tasks you may want help with. This page does not recommend a provider or state a service price; verify any commercial quote with the provider directly.

For tax treatment, liability questions, ownership arrangements, contracts, regulated activities, or local licensing, consider qualified legal, tax, and licensing guidance appropriate to the business. The public agency links are the source of the government charges; they are not individualized advice.