[0:00] The short answer Dan: To start an LLC in Oklahoma, you file Articles of Organization with the Oklahoma Secretary of State, and the fee is $100, or $104 if you pay online by card. Maya: Why the extra four dollars? Dan: Card payments carry a 4% service charge. Maya: This is The Business Formation Podcast. Today, Oklahoma for 2026, six steps with every cost, and the three best ways to have it filed for you. What's first? [0:28] Step 1: Choose a name Dan: The name needs limited liability company, limited company, or an abbreviation like LLC or LC. Maya: And it can't match someone else's? Dan: It has to be distinguishable from names already on record. The Secretary of State has a free name availability tool. Maya: Can I hold a name for later? Dan: A reservation lasts 60 days, and it's $10. [0:52] Step 2: Name a registered agent Maya: Who can be my agent in Oklahoma? Dan: An Oklahoma resident, a business authorized in Oklahoma, or the LLC itself. Maya: The LLC itself? Dan: Yes, in Oklahoma that's allowed. The address has to be an Oklahoma street address, with an office open during regular business hours. No P.O. boxes. Maya: Is the address private? Dan: No, it's public, which is why many owners hire a commercial agent. Maya: I'm Maya, by the way, here with Dan. Dan: Good to meet you, Maya. If you change agents later, that's $25. [1:24] Step 3: File the Articles Maya: How do I file? Dan: On the Secretary of State's website. The fee is $100, and a card adds the 4% service charge, so $104. Maya: What if I want it in person? Dan: In person, same day, costs $25 more. Maya: What do the Articles ask for? Dan: The name, the principal place of business, an email address, the registered agent, and how long the LLC will last. Maya: Why does the email matter? Dan: The annual certificate notice goes only to that address. So use one you check. [2:00] Step 4: Write an operating agreement Maya: Does Oklahoma collect my operating agreement? Dan: No. 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 if a member leaves. Maya: And in writing? Dan: Yes. Keep it with your records. [2:18] 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 Articles. Maya: What do I need ready? Dan: The Social Security number or ITIN of the person in charge. If the online application is approved, the number comes right away. Maya: And the ownership report? Dan: Skip it. FinCEN no longer requires one from U.S. companies. [2:42] Step 6: File the annual certificate Maya: What does Oklahoma ask for after I form? Dan: An annual certificate, which is Oklahoma's version of an annual report. You file it every year on the anniversary of your registration. Maya: What's the cost? Dan: $25, or $26 online by card. Maya: And if I'm late? Dan: More than 60 days late, and the LLC is no longer in good standing. [3:04] What it costs Maya: Give me the do-it-yourself math. Dan: $100 to file the Articles, or $104 by card online. Then $25 a year for the annual certificate. The EIN is free. Maya: So year one is $104. Dan: At most, if you pay by card online. Year two onward is $25, or $26 by card. Maya: And the in-person option? Dan: $25 more, so $125 for the Articles with same-day service. [3:37] Card, mail, or in person Maya: Walk me through the choices. Dan: Online by card is $104, with the 4% charge. Online or by mail without a card is $100. Maya: And walking it in? Dan: Same day, $25 more than the base fee. Maya: When would that make sense? Dan: If you need the filing done today. Otherwise the $100 route is the lowest of the three. Maya: Does the choice affect the annual certificate? Dan: Only in how you pay. It's $25, or $26 by card. [4:09] Why the agent choice matters Maya: Let me go back to the agent. The LLC can be its own? Dan: Yes, as long as it keeps an Oklahoma street address and an office open during regular business hours. Maya: What's the catch? Dan: Your address goes on the public record, and you have to be there during those hours. Maya: And a commercial agent? Dan: They handle that for you. Many owners prefer it. Maya: What does switching cost? Dan: $25. [4:33] Reserving a name Maya: Is the $10 reservation worth it? Dan: If you're not ready to file, yes. It holds the name for 60 days. Maya: Only sixty? That's shorter than some states. Dan: It is, so don't reserve it too early. Line up your agent and your Articles first. Maya: And if I'm ready now? Dan: Skip it. Run the name availability tool, then file the Articles. [4:56] The annual certificate cost over time Maya: Let me total the certificate. Five years of it? Dan: $25 a year is $125. By card it's $26 a year, so $130. Maya: And the Articles on top? Dan: $100, or $104 by card. So five years, all in, runs $225 at the lowest, or $234 by card. Maya: And the EIN? Dan: Free, and so is the operating agreement, apart from your own time. [5:31] Staying in good standing Maya: How do I not slip up on the certificate? Dan: Remember it follows your anniversary, not a fixed date for everyone. Maya: So I mark my registration date. Dan: Yes. And watch the email you gave on the Articles, because that's the only place the notice goes. Maya: And the cost of waiting? Dan: Past 60 days late, the LLC stops being in good standing. [5:52] First-year checklist Maya: Give me the order of operations. Dan: Search the name. Choose your agent. File the Articles for $100, or $104 by card. Write your operating agreement. Maya: And then? Dan: Get your EIN, and put your anniversary on the calendar for the $25 annual certificate. [6:13] The 3 best ways to file in Oklahoma Maya: What if I'd rather have someone else handle it? Dan: Here are the three best ways to file in Oklahoma. Number one, our pick, is Mainstay Filing, $199 a year plus the state fee. With the $104 state fee, checkout comes to $303. Maya: What's included? Dan: Your Articles filed, your EIN application, and your registered agent every year. It renews at the same $199. Maya: And the annual certificate? Dan: Mainstay files it on time each year. You pay only the $25 state fee. Maya: Number two? Dan: OK Registered Agent.org. It prepares and files your Articles for $199 plus the state fee, also $303 at checkout. The first year of agent service is free, then $99 a year. Maya: And number three? Dan: Oklahoma 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: If you'll file your own annual certificate, 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. [7:36] 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 annual certificate being filed on time for you. [8:02] Recap Maya: Can you recap? Dan: Choose a name with LLC in it, name a registered agent at an Oklahoma street address, file the Articles for $100, write an operating agreement, get your free EIN, and file your $25 annual certificate 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 Oklahoma LLC.