WEBVTT 00:00:00.195 --> 00:00:06.035 To start an LLC in Ohio, you file Articles of Organization, Form 610, with the Ohio 00:00:06.091 --> 00:00:09.395 Secretary of State and pay the $99 filing fee. 00:00:10.067 --> 00:00:14.595 That's a pretty low number. Is there a catch hiding somewhere? 00:00:14.595 --> 00:00:20.675 A nice one, actually. Ohio has no annual report for LLCs, and no yearly Secretary of 00:00:20.728 --> 00:00:24.755 State fee either. Once you're formed, the state doesn't bill you again. 00:00:24.755 --> 00:00:27.955 This is The Business Formation Podcast. 00:00:28.062 --> 00:00:34.195 Today, Ohio for 2026, in six steps, with what it costs and the two best ways to have 00:00:34.222 --> 00:00:36.755 it filed for you. Where do we begin? 00:00:37.442 --> 00:00:44.402 Your LLC's name has to include limited liability company, LLC, L.L.C., 00:00:44.512 --> 00:00:51.042 limited, or ltd. It also has to be distinguishable from the names already on the 00:00:51.098 --> 00:00:52.642 Secretary of State's records. 00:00:52.642 --> 00:00:54.562 How do I find out whether mine is taken? 00:00:54.562 --> 00:00:58.482 Use the Secretary of State's free business search before you do anything else. 00:00:58.482 --> 00:01:02.722 And if I want to hold the name while I get ready? 00:01:02.722 --> 00:01:06.162 You can reserve it for 180 days for $39. 00:01:11.122 --> 00:01:14.402 Ohio calls its registered agent something different, right? 00:01:14.402 --> 00:01:19.442 A statutory agent. It's the person or business that accepts legal papers for your 00:01:19.492 --> 00:01:24.562 company. You name an Ohio resident, or a business with an Ohio address, right on 00:01:24.578 --> 00:01:25.202 your Articles. 00:01:25.202 --> 00:01:26.562 Can I use a P.O. box? 00:01:26.562 --> 00:01:31.842 No. Neither a P.O. box nor a commercial mailbox address is allowed. 00:01:32.022 --> 00:01:36.002 The agent also signs an acceptance of the appointment on the form. 00:01:36.669 --> 00:01:38.162 Is that information private? 00:01:38.162 --> 00:01:43.922 No. The agent's name and address go on the public record, which is why a lot of 00:01:43.991 --> 00:01:45.842 owners hire a commercial agent. 00:01:46.055 --> 00:01:50.402 If you change agents later, that filing is $25. 00:01:51.706 --> 00:01:53.866 Okay, so how do I actually file? 00:01:53.866 --> 00:01:59.306 Send Form 610 to the Secretary of State, either online through Ohio Business Central 00:01:59.466 --> 00:02:02.826 or by mail. The fee is $99. 00:02:02.826 --> 00:02:04.506 What goes on the form? 00:02:04.506 --> 00:02:10.506 The name, your statutory agent, the agent's signed acceptance, and the organizer's 00:02:10.562 --> 00:02:13.146 signature. A purpose clause is optional. 00:02:13.146 --> 00:02:16.026 How long until it's approved? 00:02:16.026 --> 00:02:19.226 Regular processing runs 3 to 7 business days. 00:02:19.226 --> 00:02:21.226 I'm Maya, by the way, here with Dan. 00:02:21.226 --> 00:02:26.986 Good to be here, Maya. And if three to seven days is too slow, there are three paid 00:02:27.077 --> 00:02:33.866 speeds. Two business days is $100, one business day is $200, and four 00:02:33.946 --> 00:02:36.666 hours, in person, is $300. 00:02:37.588 --> 00:02:41.145 Four hours for $300. Wow. 00:02:41.145 --> 00:02:43.706 It's there if a bank or a deal is waiting on you. 00:02:43.818 --> 00:02:45.066 Most people don't need it. 00:02:47.407 --> 00:02:49.887 Do I file an operating agreement with the state? 00:02:49.887 --> 00:02:53.647 No. You write one and keep it with your records. 00:02:53.740 --> 00:02:55.167 There's no state fee. 00:02:55.167 --> 00:02:57.887 Does Ohio even require it in writing? 00:02:57.887 --> 00:03:02.367 Under Ohio law, an agreement can be written or even oral. 00:03:02.567 --> 00:03:08.207 But please put yours on paper: who owns what, how profits are split, who makes 00:03:08.279 --> 00:03:12.047 decisions, and what happens if a member leaves. 00:03:12.047 --> 00:03:14.047 Even if I'm the only member? 00:03:14.047 --> 00:03:19.407 Yes. Even with one owner, it's worth having the rules for your company written down. 00:03:20.151 --> 00:03:21.991 Next is the federal tax number. 00:03:21.991 --> 00:03:28.871 Right. Apply for your EIN free with the IRS at IRS.gov, once 00:03:28.911 --> 00:03:31.271 the Secretary of State has filed your Articles. 00:03:31.271 --> 00:03:32.551 Is it a long wait? 00:03:32.551 --> 00:03:36.711 If the online application is approved, the number is issued right away. 00:03:36.871 --> 00:03:41.352 Keep the Social Security number or ITIN of the person in charge handy. 00:03:41.352 --> 00:03:43.912 And the beneficial ownership report I keep hearing about? 00:03:43.912 --> 00:03:47.352 You can skip it. FinCEN no longer requires it from U.S. 00:03:47.400 --> 00:03:48.072 companies. 00:03:49.431 --> 00:03:51.831 What's the upkeep, then, if there's no annual report? 00:03:51.831 --> 00:03:57.351 Mostly one thing. Keep a statutory agent in place at all times. 00:03:57.351 --> 00:03:59.511 What if I let that slide? 00:03:59.511 --> 00:04:04.071 If your LLC is left without an agent, the Secretary of State sends a notice. 00:04:04.174 --> 00:04:08.472 Unless you fix it within 30 days, your Articles are canceled. 00:04:09.384 --> 00:04:11.432 That sounds like a mistake that's easy to make. 00:04:11.432 --> 00:04:15.432 It is, if your agent moves or quits and nobody tells you. 00:04:15.725 --> 00:04:20.872 Reinstating takes a filing and a fee, so it's cheaper to stay on top of it. 00:04:21.624 --> 00:04:23.785 What do first-timers get wrong most? 00:04:23.785 --> 00:04:27.305 Three things come up. The first is the name. 00:04:27.398 --> 00:04:32.665 Leave out the LLC wording, or pick something too close to a name on file, and the 00:04:32.721 --> 00:04:34.505 Secretary of State won't accept it. 00:04:34.505 --> 00:04:35.785 And the second? 00:04:35.785 --> 00:04:39.305 The agent address. People list a P.O. 00:04:39.405 --> 00:04:43.145 box or a mailbox store, and Ohio doesn't allow either one. 00:04:43.925 --> 00:04:45.225 The third? 00:04:45.225 --> 00:04:47.945 Expecting an annual report to remind them. 00:04:48.105 --> 00:04:52.425 Ohio doesn't send you through one, so nothing on a calendar tells you that your 00:04:52.478 --> 00:04:55.945 agent has gone stale. That's the one to check yourself. 00:04:55.945 --> 00:04:57.945 How often should I look? 00:04:57.945 --> 00:05:01.705 Whenever your agent's details change, and at least once a year. 00:05:01.945 --> 00:05:03.145 It takes a minute. 00:05:03.145 --> 00:05:05.305 Thanks, that's a useful habit. 00:05:05.305 --> 00:05:09.545 It's a small one, and it protects the $99 you already spent. 00:05:11.144 --> 00:05:12.824 Give me the do-it-yourself total. 00:05:12.824 --> 00:05:17.784 $99, once. After that, no annual report fee. 00:05:17.944 --> 00:05:19.865 The EIN is free. 00:05:19.865 --> 00:05:23.865 So the one thing I might pay for is an agent. 00:05:23.865 --> 00:05:27.305 Right, and there are no other recurring state bills. 00:05:27.465 --> 00:05:31.625 Add a name reservation at $39 or an expedite if you want them. 00:05:31.625 --> 00:05:36.105 What's the most I'd pay at the state level if I reserve a name and go for the 00:05:36.169 --> 00:05:37.385 four-hour service? 00:05:37.385 --> 00:05:44.625 $99 plus $39 plus $300, so $438. 00:05:44.713 --> 00:05:46.985 Most people pay $99. 00:05:47.745 --> 00:05:50.145 Can I be my own statutory agent? 00:05:50.145 --> 00:05:53.905 If you live in Ohio and have a street address there, yes. 00:05:54.105 --> 00:05:58.385 You just can't use a P.O. box or a commercial mailbox address. 00:05:58.545 --> 00:06:01.185 And your name and address become public. 00:06:01.857 --> 00:06:03.904 What if I move out of Ohio? 00:06:03.904 --> 00:06:09.665 Then you'd need a new agent with an Ohio address, and you'd file the $25 change. 00:06:09.665 --> 00:06:11.745 Is there a good order to do all this in? 00:06:11.745 --> 00:06:18.705 Pick the name, line up your agent, file Form 610, and then do the EIN. 00:06:18.878 --> 00:06:22.545 Write the operating agreement as soon as you're filed. 00:06:23.293 --> 00:06:25.133 What if I'd rather hand this all off? 00:06:25.133 --> 00:06:28.093 Here are the two best ways to file in Ohio. 00:06:28.230 --> 00:06:35.133 Number one, our pick, is Mainstay Filing, $199 a year plus the state fee. 00:06:35.277 --> 00:06:40.493 With Ohio's $99 fee, checkout comes to $298. 00:06:40.493 --> 00:06:41.693 What does that cover? 00:06:41.693 --> 00:06:47.533 Your Articles filed, your EIN application, and your statutory agent every year. 00:06:47.746 --> 00:06:53.533 It renews at the same $199, so there's no separate agent renewal to plan around. 00:06:53.533 --> 00:06:55.373 And number two? 00:06:55.373 --> 00:07:02.333 OH Registered Agent.org. It prepares and files your Articles for $199 00:07:02.397 --> 00:07:08.413 plus the state fee, which is also $298 at checkout, and your first year of agent 00:07:08.463 --> 00:07:09.454 service is free. 00:07:09.454 --> 00:07:10.014 Then what? 00:07:10.014 --> 00:07:14.734 After the first year, its agent service is $99 a year. 00:07:14.734 --> 00:07:16.334 So which one wins? 00:07:16.334 --> 00:07:23.134 Ohio has no annual report, so from year two, number two costs less, at $99 a 00:07:23.198 --> 00:07:27.934 year for the agent alone against $199 for Mainstay. 00:07:28.201 --> 00:07:33.134 If you want one steady price with the filing and the agent together, that's 00:07:33.198 --> 00:07:33.774 Mainstay. 00:07:35.021 --> 00:07:36.621 Put a number on three years for me. 00:07:36.621 --> 00:07:42.861 Mainstay is $199 a year, so $597. 00:07:43.010 --> 00:07:49.661 Number two is $199 in year one, then $99 in each of the next two 00:07:49.728 --> 00:07:52.381 years, so $397. 00:07:52.381 --> 00:07:54.861 That's $200 apart. 00:07:54.861 --> 00:07:59.421 It is. And the state fee is the same $99 either way. 00:08:00.167 --> 00:08:01.927 Once more, start to finish? 00:08:01.927 --> 00:08:07.527 Choose a name with LLC in it, appoint a statutory agent at an Ohio street address, 00:08:07.591 --> 00:08:14.407 file Form 610 for $99, write your operating agreement, get your free EIN, 00:08:14.487 --> 00:08:18.247 and keep your agent current. No annual report to file. 00:08:18.247 --> 00:08:22.727 The links to both services and every official source are in the show notes. 00:08:22.796 --> 00:08:26.727 Thanks for listening to The Business Formation Podcast, and good luck with your new 00:08:26.855 --> 00:08:28.487 Ohio LLC.