[0:00] The short answer Dan: To start an LLC in Colorado, you file Articles of Organization online with the Secretary of State, and pay the $50 filing fee. Maya: Online only? Dan: Online only. There's no paper option, and you pay by card, debit, or a prepaid account. Maya: This is The Business Formation Podcast. Today, Colorado for 2026, in six steps, with what it all costs and the three best ways to have it filed for you. What comes first? [0:28] Step 1: Choose a name Dan: Colorado wants limited liability company, LLC, L.L.C., limited, or ltd. in the name. And it has to be distinguishable on the Secretary of State's records. Maya: How do I check what's taken? Dan: The state's business database is free to search. To hold a name, you can reserve it online for 120 days at $25. Maya: Is reserving worth it? Dan: Only if you won't file right away. Filing online is real time, so most people just file. [1:03] Step 2: Name a registered agent Maya: Who can be my registered agent in Colorado? Dan: An adult with a Colorado driver's license or ID, or a business in good standing. Either one needs a physical Colorado address. Maya: What kind of address doesn't count? Dan: A commercial mailbox or a P.O. box can't be the agent's street address. Maya: Does the agent have to agree? Dan: Yes, the agent consents. The details are public record, which is why many owners hire a commercial agent. Changing agents later costs $10. [1:35] Step 3: File Articles of Organization Maya: How do I file? Dan: Online with the Secretary of State. The fee is $50, paid by card. Maya: What does it ask for? Dan: The name, a principal office, your registered agent and their consent, whether members or managers run the LLC, and who is forming it. Maya: I'm Maya, by the way, here with Dan. Dan: Nice to meet you, Maya. One more point: whatever you enter on the form is public. Maya: And how long does it take? Dan: Online filings are processed in real time. Unless you pick a later date, the LLC exists as soon as the payment goes through. [2:12] Step 4: Write an operating agreement Maya: Do I send my operating agreement to the state? Dan: No. It isn't filed, and there's no fee. You keep it with your records. Maya: What if I don't write one? Dan: Colorado's default rules decide things like how profits are split. So put yours in writing. Who owns what, who makes decisions, and what happens if a member leaves. [2:34] Step 5: Get a free EIN Maya: Now the federal side. Dan: Apply for your EIN free with the IRS at IRS.gov, after the state files your Articles. Maya: Can I use the number the Secretary of State gave me? Dan: No. That ID number isn't an EIN. They're two different things. Maya: How fast is the IRS? Dan: If the online application is approved, the number is issued right away. Have the Social Security number or ITIN of the person in charge ready. Maya: And the beneficial ownership report? Dan: You can skip it. FinCEN no longer requires it from U.S. companies. [3:08] Step 6: File the periodic report Maya: What do I owe after the first filing? Dan: A periodic report, filed online every year. The fee is $25. Maya: When is it due? Dan: Around the month you formed. You have a window that opens two months before and closes two months after. Maya: What if I miss the window? Dan: The LLC becomes noncompliant, with a $50 late penalty. Two more months and it's delinquent, and curing that costs $100. Maya: And if I ignore it for a long time? Dan: After 400 days delinquent, your name becomes available to others. [3:45] What it costs Maya: Give me the do-it-yourself total. Dan: $50 to form. Then $25 a year for the periodic report. The EIN is free. Maya: And the extras? Dan: A name reservation is $25. Changing your registered agent is $10. Maya: What's a clean first-year number? Dan: $50 for most people. With a reservation, $75. [4:09] What a miss really costs Maya: Let me test the late math. I miss the whole window. Dan: Then you owe the $25 report plus the $50 late penalty, which is $75. Maya: And if it goes delinquent? Dan: Curing it costs $100, on top of the report you still need to file. Maya: So it's cheapest to just file on time. Dan: Yes. The $25 is small. The trouble comes from letting it slide. The window is wide, four months in all, so there's plenty of room. [4:38] Picking your registered agent Maya: Could I be my own agent? Dan: If you're an adult with a Colorado driver's license or ID and a physical Colorado address, yes. Maya: And a friend? Dan: Same test. They need the license or ID, a physical address that isn't a mailbox, and they have to consent. Maya: What about a company as agent? Dan: A business in good standing works, at a physical Colorado address. That's the commercial agent route. Maya: And if I want to change? Dan: Ten dollars. It's a short statement of change with the Secretary of State. [5:07] Real time filing Maya: You said filing is real time. What does that change? Dan: The LLC exists as soon as your payment goes through. You can start the next steps the same day. Maya: Can I pick a different start date? Dan: Yes. Choose a later effective date, and the LLC begins then. Maya: What's the next step after filing? Dan: Your EIN, since the state has filed your Articles. Then sign your operating agreement. [5:33] First-year checklist Maya: Give me the order of operations. Dan: Search the name. Settle your registered agent at a physical Colorado address. File your Articles online for $50. Then get your EIN, and write your operating agreement. Maya: And the calendar? Dan: Your periodic report. Mark the window around your formation month, two months before through two months after. Maya: And the amount to remember? Dan: $25 a year. [5:59] The 3 best ways to file in Colorado Maya: What if I want someone else to file it? Dan: Here are the three best ways to file in Colorado. Number one, our pick, is Mainstay Filing, $199 a year plus the state fee. With the $50 state fee, checkout comes to $249. Maya: What does it cover? Dan: Your Articles filed, your EIN application, and your registered agent every year. It renews at the same $199. Maya: And the periodic report? Dan: In Colorado, Mainstay prepares and files it in its window every year. You pay only the $25 state fee. Maya: Number two? Dan: CO Registered Agent.org. It prepares and files your Articles for $199 plus the state fee, which is also $249 at checkout. Your first year of agent service is free, then it's $99 a year. Maya: And number three? Dan: Colorado Registered Agent.co. Same offer. $199 plus the state fee, first year of agent service free, then $99 a year. Maya: How do I choose? Dan: If you'll file your own periodic report, numbers two and three cost less from year two, at $99 a year for the agent alone. The $25 state fee is the same either way. If you want the report filed for you at one steady price, that's Mainstay. [7:29] Three years of service fees Maya: Three-year number? Dan: Mainstay is $199 a year, so $597. Number two or three is $199 in year one, then $99 in each of the next two years, for $397. Maya: A $200 gap. Dan: Yes, and in Colorado, that gap covers having the periodic report filed in its window. [7:53] Recap Maya: One more time through it? Dan: Choose a name with LLC in it, name an agent at a physical Colorado address, file Articles online for $50, write an operating agreement, get your free EIN, and file your $25 periodic report every year. Maya: The links to all three services and every official source are in the show notes. Thanks for listening to The Business Formation Podcast, and good luck with your new Colorado LLC.