[0:00] The short answer Dan: To start an LLC in Georgia, you file Articles of Organization with the Georgia Secretary of State's Corporations Division and pay the $110 filing fee. Maya: Why $110? I expected a round number. Dan: It's two pieces. The filing fee is $100, and the Division adds a $10 service charge. Maya: This is The Business Formation Podcast. Today, Georgia for 2026, in six steps, with what it all costs and the three best ways to have it filed for you. Let's get into the name. [0:33] Step 1: Choose a name Dan: Your Georgia LLC's name needs an LLC designator, like LLC, and it has to be distinguishable from every name on the Secretary of State's records. Maya: What does distinguishable mean in practice? Dan: The Division gives examples of changes that don't count. Adding the word the. Shortening Georgia to G A. Spelling Boys with a z. Maya: So no clever spelling. Dan: Not for this purpose. Also, words like bank, trust, insurance, or university need another agency's written approval before the Division will accept them. Maya: And checking availability? Dan: The state's business database is free to search. If you want to hold a name, reserving one for 30 days is optional. [1:18] Step 2: Name a registered agent Maya: Who can be my agent in Georgia? Dan: A Georgia resident, or a corporation or LLC authorized to do business in Georgia, at a Georgia street address where the agent is actually located. Maya: Can my own LLC be the agent? Dan: No. And a P.O. box or a mail drop won't work either. Maya: What about privacy? Dan: The agent's name and address are public, which is why a lot of owners hire a commercial agent. Maya: If I want to change agents later, is there a form? Dan: Not a separate one. You update the agent on your annual registration, or you file an amended one. [1:53] Step 3: File Articles of Organization Maya: Where does the filing happen? Dan: Online through eCorp, or on paper with Form CD 030. The fee is $110 either way. Maya: Walk me through the online route. Dan: You create an eCorp account, choose to register a business, pick domestic limited liability company, and pay by card. Maya: I'm Maya, by the way, here with Dan. Dan: Nice to meet you, Maya. Maya: What if I'd rather mail it in? Dan: That works. The paper route uses Form CD 030 together with Transmittal Form 231. Maya: What do I need on hand before I start? Dan: The LLC name, an email address for state notices, the principal office mailing address, your registered agent, and each organizer's name and address. Maya: And how long does the Division take? Dan: It says online filings generally take 7 to 10 business days. Maya: That's longer than some states. Dan: It is. If you can't wait, you can pay extra for 2-business-day or same-day review. [2:52] Step 4: Write an operating agreement Maya: Does Georgia require an operating agreement? Dan: It's recommended, and it isn't filed with the Secretary of State. There's no state fee for it. Maya: What happens if I skip it? Dan: Georgia's default LLC rules apply. You get the state's answers to questions you never asked. Maya: I'd rather write my own. Dan: Put down who owns what, how profits and losses are split, who makes decisions, and how a member can exit. Maya: Does a single-owner LLC need the same thing? Dan: It's shorter, but yes, it's worth having. It also helps when a bank or a partner asks how the company is run. [3:27] Step 5: Get a free EIN Maya: Now the federal tax number. Dan: Apply free with the IRS at IRS.gov after the Corporations Division approves your Articles. Maya: Is it quick? Dan: If the online application is approved, the IRS issues it right away. Have the Social Security number or ITIN of the person in charge ready. Maya: And the beneficial ownership filing? Dan: Skip it for U.S. companies. FinCEN doesn't require it anymore. [3:56] Step 6: File the annual registration by April 1 Maya: What's the yearly paperwork? Dan: Georgia calls it an annual registration. You file it with the Corporations Division between January 1 and April 1 every year, starting the year after you form. The fee is $60. Maya: What's on it? Dan: For an LLC, it confirms the registered agent and the principal office. Members and managers aren't listed. Maya: Is it a hassle? Dan: Not much. If nothing changed, One Click Registration doesn't even need a login. Maya: And if April 1 passes? Dan: There's a $25 late fee. Keep ignoring it, and the Division mails a notice of administrative dissolution. You get 60 days to file before the LLC is dissolved. Maya: What if it does get dissolved? Dan: Reinstatement costs $260. That's a lot more than the $60 you skipped. [4:48] What it costs Maya: What's the state bill if I do it all? Dan: $110 to form. Then $60 every year for the annual registration. The EIN is free. Maya: Any extra costs worth knowing about? Dan: The optional ones. Reserving a name for 30 days, and paying for faster review. And the avoidable one, the $25 late fee if you miss April 1. Maya: So the $60 is the recurring cost. Dan: And it's the same every year. Maya: So over, say, the first few years the state side is simple. Dan: Simple, yes. One $110 filing up front, then $60 each year, with nothing hidden in the reporting. [5:31] A year-one checklist Maya: Order of operations, please. Dan: Search the name. Pick a Georgia agent. File on eCorp. Write the operating agreement. Get your EIN. Maya: Then? Dan: Then mark the January 1 through April 1 window, with a reminder two weeks before. Your first registration is due the year after you form. Maya: Which step takes the longest? Dan: The wait on the Division, typically 7 to 10 business days online. Do the other steps while you wait, so the EIN is ready right after approval. [6:04] The 3 best ways to file in Georgia Maya: And if I'd rather hand it off? Dan: Here are the three best ways to file in Georgia. Number one, our pick, is Mainstay Filing, $199 a year plus the state fee. With the $110 state fee, checkout comes to $309. Maya: What comes with it? Dan: Your Articles filed, your EIN application, and your registered agent every year. It renews at the same $199. And in Georgia, it prepares and files your annual registration by April 1. Maya: What do I pay on top? Dan: Just the $60 state fee. Maya: Number two? Dan: GA Registered Agent.org. It prepares and files your Articles for $199 plus the state fee. The first year of registered agent service is free, then it's $99 a year. Maya: Number three? Dan: Georgia Registered Agent.co. Same offer: $199 plus the state fee, a free first year of agent service, then $99 a year. Maya: How do I decide? Dan: If you'll file your own annual registration, two and three cost less from year two, at $99 for the agent alone. If you want the agent and the April 1 filing in one steady price, that's Mainstay. The $60 fee is the same with all three. [7:32] Three years of service fees Maya: Put it in three-year terms. Dan: Mainstay is $199 a year, so $597. The other two are $199, then $99, then $99, for $397. Maya: So $200 apart. Dan: Yes. And the gap is mostly the annual registration, the part Mainstay handles for you. [7:55] Recap Maya: Run it back for us once more. Dan: Choose a name with an LLC designator, name an agent at a Georgia street address, file Articles of Organization for $110, write an operating agreement, get your free EIN, and file your $60 annual registration between January 1 and April 1 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 Georgia LLC.