The answers, before the sales pitch

How to form an LLC

Forming an LLC takes six steps: pick a state, check the name, name a registered agent, file articles of organization, get an EIN, and write an operating agreement. What each one costs and where people go wrong.

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LLC vs S-corp

An S-corp is a tax election, not a company type. What electing it changes about self-employment tax, what it costs you in payroll and paperwork, and the profit level where the arithmetic starts to work.

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Do I need an EIN?

You need an EIN to open a business bank account, hire anyone, or elect S-corp status. The IRS issues it free in minutes. When you genuinely need one, and when paying for it is reasonable.

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What a registered agent actually does

A registered agent is the address where your state and the courts can reach your company. You can be your own in most cases, free. When paying $99 to $300 a year is worth it, and when it is not.

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Which state should you form your LLC in?

Wyoming, Delaware and Nevada are marketed as the smart choice. For a business run from somewhere else, forming there usually means two states, two fees and two annual reports. When the exceptions genuinely apply.

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Reseller permit vs business license

A reseller permit registers you to collect sales tax and buy inventory tax-free. A business license is permission to operate, usually from a city or county. Which you need, and which states charge for either.

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LLC vs sole proprietorship

A sole proprietorship and a single-member LLC are taxed identically. The difference is liability: one puts your house behind the business, the other doesn't. When the filing fee is worth it and when it isn't.

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The LLC operating agreement

Most states don't require an operating agreement, which is why most single-member LLCs don't have one. What it actually decides, who asks to see it, and what the state's default rules say if you never write one.

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Getting an EIN without an SSN

The IRS online EIN tool requires an SSN or ITIN, which is why foreign founders hit a wall. The fax and phone routes are open to everyone, need no ITIN, and are what a filing service is actually charging you for.

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Missing your annual report

Missing an annual report doesn't close your company immediately. It moves it out of good standing, then into administrative dissolution, and the costs escalate at each step. What the sequence looks like and how far back you can come.

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Registering your LLC in a second state

"Foreign" means out-of-state, not overseas. When expanding into another state means filing there too, what triggers it, and what it costs to be caught operating unregistered.

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DBA vs LLC

A DBA registers a name. An LLC creates a legal entity. One of them protects your personal assets and it isn't the cheap one. When a DBA is the right answer and when it's a false economy.

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After your LLC is approved

The state's approval isn't the finish line. EIN, bank account, operating agreement, licences and the annual report deadline — what order they go in and which ones are free.

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How long forming an LLC takes

Filling in the paperwork takes under an hour. State processing is the variable, and it swings from same-day to several weeks — sometimes in the same state depending on the month. What actually controls the clock.

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LLC naming rules

Every state rejects filings over names. The designator requirement, the restricted words, and what "distinguishable" actually means — plus why an approved name still isn't yours.

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Single-member LLC taxes

The IRS looks straight through a single-member LLC. Schedule C, self-employment tax, quarterly estimates — what you actually owe, and the point at which the S-corp election starts to be worth the payroll.

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Closing an LLC

Abandoning an LLC doesn't close it — fees and reports keep accruing against a company you stopped using. The winding-up sequence, the filings that end the obligations, and what the IRS does with your EIN.

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Opening a business bank account

EIN, formation document, operating agreement, ID — and the beneficial ownership question every bank now asks. What to bring, what slows it down, and why the account matters more than most owners think.

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The S-corp election deadline

Form 2553 is due 2 months and 15 days after the tax year starts: March 15 for calendar-year companies, March 16 in 2026, and from day one for a new business.

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Late S-corp election relief

Rev. Proc. 2013-30 lets the IRS accept a late S-corp election up to 3 years and 75 days after the intended date, with a reasonable-cause statement and no fee.

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Checking your S-corp election status

The IRS confirms an S-corp election with a CP261 notice, usually within about 60 days of filing Form 2553. If it never came, call 800-829-4933 with your EIN.

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How to verify a reseller permit

Look the number up on the issuing state's site (CDTFA, Texas Comptroller, Washington or Florida DOR) and check the certificate is complete. Who owes tax if not.

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What's in an LLC annual report

An LLC annual report asks for addresses, the registered agent and who runs the company, never revenue or profit. What each field means and what states call it.

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Forming an LLC with a January 1 effective date

File in November or December with a January 1 effective date and the LLC skips a stub tax year. Most states allow 90 days ahead; California adds a 15-day rule.

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Do you still have to file a BOI report?

No — not if your company was formed in the United States. FinCEN's August 2026 final rule permanently exempts every US-formed company from BOI reporting. Only foreign companies registered to do business here still file. Any letter demanding a BOI fee is a scam.

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The best time of year to start an LLC

January 1 is the clean answer: a full first tax year, no stub-year return, no annual fee for two weeks of existence. How to get that date by filing in November, and the situations where waiting costs more than it saves.

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