WEBVTT 00:00:00.226 --> 00:00:05.186 To start an LLC in Georgia, you file Articles of Organization with the Georgia 00:00:05.242 --> 00:00:10.625 Secretary of State's Corporations Division and pay the $110 filing fee. 00:00:11.506 --> 00:00:15.266 Why $110? I expected a round number. 00:00:15.266 --> 00:00:21.667 It's two pieces. The filing fee is $100, and the Division adds a $10 service charge. 00:00:21.667 --> 00:00:23.827 This is The Business Formation Podcast. 00:00:23.907 --> 00:00:29.507 Today, Georgia for 2026, in six steps, with what it all costs and the three best 00:00:29.571 --> 00:00:31.027 ways to have it filed for you. 00:00:31.167 --> 00:00:32.467 Let's get into the name. 00:00:33.759 --> 00:00:39.359 Your Georgia LLC's name needs an LLC designator, like LLC, and it has to be 00:00:39.399 --> 00:00:42.479 distinguishable from every name on the Secretary of State's records. 00:00:42.479 --> 00:00:45.279 What does distinguishable mean in practice? 00:00:45.279 --> 00:00:48.639 The Division gives examples of changes that don't count. 00:00:48.753 --> 00:00:53.279 Adding the word the. Shortening Georgia to G A. 00:00:53.519 --> 00:00:55.680 Spelling Boys with a z. 00:00:56.367 --> 00:00:57.519 So no clever spelling. 00:00:57.519 --> 00:01:04.319 Not for this purpose. Also, words like bank, trust, insurance, or university 00:01:04.383 --> 00:01:08.479 need another agency's written approval before the Division will accept them. 00:01:08.479 --> 00:01:10.159 And checking availability? 00:01:10.159 --> 00:01:13.279 The state's business database is free to search. 00:01:13.439 --> 00:01:17.519 If you want to hold a name, reserving one for 30 days is optional. 00:01:18.686 --> 00:01:20.286 Who can be my agent in Georgia? 00:01:20.286 --> 00:01:26.686 A Georgia resident, or a corporation or LLC authorized to do business in Georgia, at 00:01:26.726 --> 00:01:29.966 a Georgia street address where the agent is actually located. 00:01:29.966 --> 00:01:32.446 Can my own LLC be the agent? 00:01:32.446 --> 00:01:36.286 No. And a P.O. box or a mail drop won't work either. 00:01:36.286 --> 00:01:37.646 What about privacy? 00:01:37.646 --> 00:01:42.126 The agent's name and address are public, which is why a lot of owners hire a 00:01:42.162 --> 00:01:43.286 commercial agent. 00:01:43.286 --> 00:01:46.446 If I want to change agents later, is there a form? 00:01:46.446 --> 00:01:51.726 Not a separate one. You update the agent on your annual registration, or you file an 00:01:51.766 --> 00:01:52.446 amended one. 00:01:53.513 --> 00:01:55.353 Where does the filing happen? 00:01:55.353 --> 00:02:00.233 Online through eCorp, or on paper with Form CD 030. 00:02:00.293 --> 00:02:02.794 The fee is $110 either way. 00:02:02.794 --> 00:02:05.353 Walk me through the online route. 00:02:05.353 --> 00:02:10.314 You create an eCorp account, choose to register a business, pick domestic limited 00:02:10.378 --> 00:02:12.634 liability company, and pay by card. 00:02:12.634 --> 00:02:14.954 I'm Maya, by the way, here with Dan. 00:02:14.954 --> 00:02:16.553 Nice to meet you, Maya. 00:02:16.553 --> 00:02:17.994 What if I'd rather mail it in? 00:02:17.994 --> 00:02:24.234 That works. The paper route uses Form CD 030 together with Transmittal Form 00:02:24.474 --> 00:02:25.195 231. 00:02:25.195 --> 00:02:27.834 What do I need on hand before I start? 00:02:27.834 --> 00:02:33.035 The LLC name, an email address for state notices, the principal office mailing 00:02:33.105 --> 00:02:37.835 address, your registered agent, and each organizer's name and address. 00:02:37.835 --> 00:02:39.915 And how long does the Division take? 00:02:39.915 --> 00:02:44.155 It says online filings generally take 7 to 10 business days. 00:02:44.155 --> 00:02:46.394 That's longer than some states. 00:02:46.394 --> 00:02:52.555 It is. If you can't wait, you can pay extra for 2-business-day or same-day review. 00:02:53.193 --> 00:02:55.353 Does Georgia require an operating agreement? 00:02:55.353 --> 00:02:58.633 It's recommended, and it isn't filed with the Secretary of State. 00:02:58.753 --> 00:03:00.633 There's no state fee for it. 00:03:00.633 --> 00:03:02.313 What happens if I skip it? 00:03:02.313 --> 00:03:04.633 Georgia's default LLC rules apply. 00:03:04.773 --> 00:03:08.153 You get the state's answers to questions you never asked. 00:03:08.697 --> 00:03:09.913 I'd rather write my own. 00:03:09.913 --> 00:03:15.593 Put down who owns what, how profits and losses are split, who makes decisions, and 00:03:15.633 --> 00:03:16.713 how a member can exit. 00:03:16.713 --> 00:03:19.433 Does a single-owner LLC need the same thing? 00:03:19.433 --> 00:03:22.233 It's shorter, but yes, it's worth having. 00:03:22.446 --> 00:03:26.393 It also helps when a bank or a partner asks how the company is run. 00:03:27.987 --> 00:03:29.827 Now the federal tax number. 00:03:29.827 --> 00:03:36.787 Apply free with the IRS at IRS.gov after the Corporations Division approves your 00:03:36.849 --> 00:03:37.667 Articles. 00:03:37.667 --> 00:03:38.867 Is it quick? 00:03:38.867 --> 00:03:43.907 If the online application is approved, the IRS issues it right away. 00:03:44.067 --> 00:03:49.507 Have the Social Security number or ITIN of the person in charge ready. 00:03:49.507 --> 00:03:51.587 And the beneficial ownership filing? 00:03:51.587 --> 00:03:55.507 Skip it for U.S. companies. FinCEN doesn't require it anymore. 00:03:56.867 --> 00:03:58.387 What's the yearly paperwork? 00:03:58.387 --> 00:04:00.947 Georgia calls it an annual registration. 00:04:01.067 --> 00:04:06.467 You file it with the Corporations Division between January 1 and April 1 every year, 00:04:06.511 --> 00:04:08.547 starting the year after you form. 00:04:08.667 --> 00:04:11.027 The fee is $60. 00:04:11.027 --> 00:04:11.827 What's on it? 00:04:11.827 --> 00:04:16.627 For an LLC, it confirms the registered agent and the principal office. 00:04:16.737 --> 00:04:19.187 Members and managers aren't listed. 00:04:19.187 --> 00:04:20.067 Is it a hassle? 00:04:20.067 --> 00:04:25.587 Not much. If nothing changed, One Click Registration doesn't even need a login. 00:04:25.827 --> 00:04:27.987 And if April 1 passes? 00:04:27.987 --> 00:04:33.027 There's a $25 late fee. Keep ignoring it, and the Division mails a notice of 00:04:33.075 --> 00:04:38.787 administrative dissolution. You get 60 days to file before the LLC is dissolved. 00:04:38.787 --> 00:04:40.707 What if it does get dissolved? 00:04:40.707 --> 00:04:47.347 Reinstatement costs $260. That's a lot more than the $60 you skipped. 00:04:49.127 --> 00:04:51.767 What's the state bill if I do it all? 00:04:51.767 --> 00:04:57.247 $110 to form. Then $60 every year for the annual registration. 00:04:57.317 --> 00:04:58.727 The EIN is free. 00:04:58.727 --> 00:05:01.367 Any extra costs worth knowing about? 00:05:01.367 --> 00:05:07.047 The optional ones. Reserving a name for 30 days, and paying for faster review. 00:05:07.207 --> 00:05:13.127 And the avoidable one, the $25 late fee if you miss April 1. 00:05:13.127 --> 00:05:15.367 So the $60 is the recurring cost. 00:05:15.367 --> 00:05:17.407 And it's the same every year. 00:05:17.407 --> 00:05:21.207 So over, say, the first few years the state side is simple. 00:05:21.207 --> 00:05:28.007 Simple, yes. One $110 filing up front, then $60 each year, 00:05:28.055 --> 00:05:29.847 with nothing hidden in the reporting. 00:05:31.447 --> 00:05:33.127 Order of operations, please. 00:05:33.127 --> 00:05:36.087 Search the name. Pick a Georgia agent. 00:05:36.311 --> 00:05:40.687 File on eCorp. Write the operating agreement. 00:05:40.817 --> 00:05:42.327 Get your EIN. 00:05:42.327 --> 00:05:42.967 Then? 00:05:42.967 --> 00:05:49.607 Then mark the January 1 through April 1 window, with a reminder two weeks before. 00:05:49.719 --> 00:05:52.806 Your first registration is due the year after you form. 00:05:53.487 --> 00:05:55.047 Which step takes the longest? 00:05:55.047 --> 00:05:58.967 The wait on the Division, typically 7 to 10 business days online. 00:05:59.260 --> 00:06:03.447 Do the other steps while you wait, so the EIN is ready right after approval. 00:06:04.647 --> 00:06:06.168 And if I'd rather hand it off? 00:06:06.168 --> 00:06:08.968 Here are the three best ways to file in Georgia. 00:06:09.151 --> 00:06:16.088 Number one, our pick, is Mainstay Filing, $199 a year plus the 00:06:16.141 --> 00:06:22.568 state fee. With the $110 state fee, checkout comes to $309. 00:06:22.568 --> 00:06:23.928 What comes with it? 00:06:23.928 --> 00:06:29.928 Your Articles filed, your EIN application, and your registered agent every year. 00:06:30.168 --> 00:06:36.968 It renews at the same $199. And in Georgia, it prepares and files your annual 00:06:37.030 --> 00:06:39.448 registration by April 1. 00:06:39.448 --> 00:06:40.648 What do I pay on top? 00:06:40.648 --> 00:06:42.568 Just the $60 state fee. 00:06:42.568 --> 00:06:43.288 Number two? 00:06:43.288 --> 00:06:48.728 GA Registered Agent.org. It prepares and files your Articles for 00:06:48.808 --> 00:06:55.608 $199 plus the state fee. The first year of registered agent service is free, 00:06:55.656 --> 00:06:57.888 then it's $99 a year. 00:06:57.888 --> 00:06:58.968 Number three? 00:06:58.968 --> 00:07:05.928 Georgia Registered Agent.co. Same offer: $199 plus the state fee, a 00:07:06.024 --> 00:07:10.248 free first year of agent service, then $99 a year. 00:07:10.248 --> 00:07:12.048 How do I decide? 00:07:12.048 --> 00:07:17.848 If you'll file your own annual registration, two and three cost less from year two, 00:07:17.928 --> 00:07:24.088 at $99 for the agent alone. If you want the agent and the April 1 filing in one 00:07:24.145 --> 00:07:26.248 steady price, that's Mainstay. 00:07:26.388 --> 00:07:29.528 The $60 fee is the same with all three. 00:07:32.525 --> 00:07:34.205 Put it in three-year terms. 00:07:34.205 --> 00:07:39.005 Mainstay is $199 a year, so $597. 00:07:39.805 --> 00:07:45.805 The other two are $199, then $99, then $99, for 00:07:45.845 --> 00:07:47.645 $397. 00:07:47.645 --> 00:07:49.805 So $200 apart. 00:07:49.805 --> 00:07:55.165 Yes. And the gap is mostly the annual registration, the part Mainstay handles for 00:07:55.205 --> 00:07:55.645 you. 00:07:56.398 --> 00:07:57.758 Run it back for us once more. 00:07:57.758 --> 00:08:03.438 Choose a name with an LLC designator, name an agent at a Georgia street address, 00:08:03.518 --> 00:08:10.398 file Articles of Organization for $110, write an operating agreement, get your free 00:08:10.518 --> 00:08:17.198 EIN, and file your $60 annual registration between January 1 and April 1 00:08:17.265 --> 00:08:19.358 every year. 00:08:19.358 --> 00:08:23.598 The links to all three services and every official source are in the show notes. 00:08:23.678 --> 00:08:27.838 Thanks for listening to The Business Formation Podcast, and good luck with your new 00:08:27.898 --> 00:08:29.198 Georgia LLC.