[0:00] The short answer Dan: To start an LLC in Nebraska, you file a Certificate of Organization with the Nebraska Secretary of State, and pay $100 online. Maya: Is that all it takes? Dan: Not quite. Nebraska also requires you to publish a notice in a local newspaper for three weeks. Maya: This is The Business Formation Podcast. Today, Nebraska for 2026, in six steps, with every cost, and the three best ways to have it filed for you. Where do we begin? [0:28] Step 1: Choose a name Dan: Your name needs limited liability company, limited company, or an abbreviation like LLC or LC. Maya: What about copying a business that's already there? Dan: It can't be the same as, or deceptively similar to, a name on record. The Secretary of State has a free business search, so check first. Maya: And holding one for later? Dan: A reservation lasts 120 days. It's $30. [0:54] Step 2: Name a registered agent Maya: Who can be my agent? Dan: A Nebraska resident, or a business authorized in Nebraska. Either way, with a Nebraska street address. Maya: Can I serve as my own? Dan: A member of the LLC can serve, yes. Maya: Is the address private? Dan: No, it's public. That's why many owners use a commercial agent. Maya: And if I swap agents down the road? Dan: A change costs $25 online. [1:18] Step 3: File the Certificate and publish a notice Maya: How do I file? Dan: You upload the signed form through the Secretary of State's eDelivery service. The fee is $100, plus an online fee of at least $2. Maya: I'm Maya, by the way, here with Dan. Dan: Good to meet you, Maya. In the office, it's $110 instead. Maya: How long does it take? Dan: Reviews have been taking about a week. Maya: And the newspaper part? Dan: Nebraska requires a notice of organization in a legal newspaper near your office, three weeks in a row. Filing the proof costs $25 online, and the newspaper sets its own price. [1:54] Step 4: Write an operating agreement Maya: Does Nebraska collect my operating agreement? Dan: No. You keep it with your records. It isn't filed, and there's no state fee. Maya: What should it cover? Dan: Who owns what, how profits are split, who makes decisions, and what happens when a member leaves. Maya: Put it in writing? Dan: Yes. It's your rulebook. [2:14] Step 5: Get a free EIN Maya: What's the federal step? Dan: An EIN. Apply free with the IRS at IRS.gov, after the state files your Certificate. Maya: How fast? Dan: If the online application is approved, the number comes right away. Maya: Do I need a state business license too? Dan: Nebraska has no general state business license. And skip the beneficial ownership report. FinCEN no longer requires it from U.S. companies. [2:44] Step 6: File the biennial report Maya: What does Nebraska ask for after I form? Dan: A biennial report, which means every other year. You file between January 1 and April 1 of each odd-numbered year. Maya: Starting when? Dan: With the first odd year after you form. Maya: What's the cost? Dan: $25 online. Maya: And a late one? Dan: If it isn't filed by June 16, the delinquency date, the LLC is administratively dissolved. Reinstating costs $30, plus the missed report. [3:14] What it costs Maya: Give me the do-it-yourself math. Dan: $100 to file the Certificate online, plus the online fee of at least $2. Then $25 for the proof of publication. Maya: And the newspaper? Dan: That's a separate charge. The newspaper sets it. Maya: So the state side of year one is? Dan: $127, plus the newspaper's bill. Maya: And after that? Dan: $25 every other year for the biennial report. The EIN is free. [3:44] Online or in the office Maya: Is the office worth considering? Dan: In the office, the Certificate is $110. Online it's $100 plus at least $2. Maya: So they're close. Dan: About $8 apart at the minimum. Online saves a trip. Maya: And the timing? Dan: Reviews have recently taken about a week. Maya: Does the office route change the newspaper step? Dan: No. The notice and the $25 proof apply either way. Maya: So plan for that week before the newspaper clock starts. Dan: Yes, and plan for it to take three more weeks after that. [4:20] Why publication matters Maya: Let me press on the newspaper part. Why do it? Dan: Because Nebraska requires it. The notice runs in a legal newspaper near your designated office, for three weeks in a row. Maya: And the proof? Dan: Once it has run, you file the proof of publication, and that's $25 online. Maya: Who decides the newspaper's price? Dan: The newspaper does. So ask around before you commit. Maya: That makes the real first-year total uncertain. Dan: It does. Budget $127 for the state, plus the newspaper. [4:55] Choosing your agent Maya: Let me return to the agent. Could one of my partners do it? Dan: Yes, a member can serve, if they have a Nebraska street address. Maya: What's the trade-off? Dan: That address is public. Maya: And a commercial agent? Dan: They put their business address on the record. Many owners prefer that. Maya: What about changing it later? Dan: $25 online. [5:18] Why the biennial report matters Maya: A report every two years. Is it easy to forget? Dan: It can be. It only comes in odd-numbered years, between January 1 and April 1. Maya: And the cost of forgetting? Dan: June 16 is the delinquency date, then administrative dissolution. Maya: How do I recover? Dan: Reinstatement is $30, plus the report you missed, which is $25 online. Maya: So that's $55. Dan: Right. Versus $25 if you simply file in time. [5:49] First-year checklist Maya: Order of operations? Dan: Search the name. Choose your agent. File the Certificate for $100 plus the online fee. Publish your notice for three weeks, then file the proof for $25. Maya: And the rest? Dan: Get your EIN, write your operating agreement, and mark your calendar for the first odd-year April 1. [6:08] The 3 best ways to file in Nebraska Maya: What if I'd rather have someone else handle it? Dan: Here are the three best ways to file in Nebraska. Number one, our pick, is Mainstay Filing, $199 a year plus the state fee. With the $100 state fee, checkout comes to $299. Maya: What's included? Dan: Your Certificate of Organization filed, your EIN application, and your registered agent every year. It renews at the same $199. Maya: And the biennial report? Dan: Mainstay files it for you in odd years. You pay only the state fee. Maya: Number two? Dan: NE Registered Agent.org. It prepares and files your Certificate for $199 plus the state fee, also $299 at checkout. The first year of agent service is free, then $99 a year. Maya: And number three? Dan: Nebraska Registered Agent.co. Same offer. $199 plus the state fee, first year of agent service free, then $99 a year. Maya: How should I choose? Dan: The report only comes every other year. So if you'll file it yourself, 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. [7:30] Three years of service fees Maya: Give me the three-year view. 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. With Mainstay, that gap covers your biennial report being filed for you. [7:55] Recap Maya: Can you recap? Dan: Choose a name with LLC in it, name a registered agent at a Nebraska street address, file the Certificate of Organization online for $100, publish your notice for three weeks, write an operating agreement, get your free EIN, and file your $25 biennial report in odd years. 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 Nebraska LLC.