[0:00] The short answer Dan: To start an LLC in Vermont, you file Articles of Organization online with the Vermont Secretary of State, and the fee is $155. Maya: Is there an extra charge for filing online? Dan: No. It's $155 online, with no added fee. Maya: This is The Business Formation Podcast. Today, Vermont for 2026: six steps, every fee, and the three best ways to have it filed for you. Where do we start? [0:29] Step 1: Choose a name Dan: Your name has to include limited liability company, limited company, or an abbreviation like LLC or LC. Maya: And it can't match another business? Dan: It has to be distinguishable in the Secretary of State's records. Use the state's free business search first. Maya: Any advice on signs and websites? Dan: The state advises waiting. Hold off on signs or a website until your name is confirmed. Maya: Can I lock the name? Dan: You can reserve it for 120 days for $25. [1:02] Step 2: Name a registered agent Maya: Who can serve as our agent in Vermont? Dan: A Vermont resident, or a business that's registered and active in Vermont. Maya: Is there a catch? Dan: The only qualification is a street address and a mailing address in Vermont. Maya: Can my LLC be its own agent? Dan: No, the LLC can't be its own agent. Maya: I'm Maya, by the way, here with Dan. Dan: Good to be here, Maya. The agent's address is public, so many owners use a commercial agent. And changing agents later costs $35. [1:34] Step 3: File the Articles online Maya: Where do I file? Dan: The Secretary of State's Online Business Service Center. The fee is $155. Maya: How fast is it? Dan: Online filing normally takes less than one business day. Maya: And by mail? Dan: Seven to ten business days. Maya: So the online route saves a week or more. Dan: That's right, and it costs the same. [1:55] Step 4: Write an operating agreement Maya: Does Vermont ask for an operating agreement? Dan: No. It stays with your records, it isn't filed, and there's no state fee. Maya: Why have one, then? Dan: Because it answers the hard questions in advance. Who owns what, how profits are split, who makes decisions, and what happens if a member leaves. Maya: In writing. Dan: In writing. [2:16] Step 5: Get a free EIN, and know the tax minimum Maya: Federal side next. Dan: Apply for your EIN free with the IRS at IRS.gov, after the state files your Articles. If it's approved online, the number comes right away. Maya: Does Vermont have its own tax angle? Dan: Yes. If your LLC files its own business return, Vermont's business entity income tax has a $250 minimum. Maya: Does every LLC file that? Dan: No. A single-member LLC taxed as a disregarded entity doesn't file that return. Maya: And the ownership report? Dan: Skip it. FinCEN no longer requires one from U.S. companies. [2:53] Step 6: File the annual report Maya: What does Vermont want after I form? Dan: An annual report, within three months after your fiscal year ends. For a calendar year, that's by March 31. Maya: What does it cost? Dan: $45, filed online. Maya: And if I'm late? Dan: There's no late fee. But if you never file, the LLC loses its good standing and is terminated. Maya: Can I recover it? Dan: Reinstatement is $35, plus the $45 report for each missed year. [3:24] What it costs Maya: Do-it-yourself total? Dan: $155 to form the LLC. Then $45 a year for the annual report. The EIN is free. Maya: First two years? Dan: $200, with your first report. Maya: And the optional extras? Dan: A name reservation is $25, and a change of agent is $35. [3:47] Fiscal year and your due date Maya: The report is due three months after the fiscal year ends. Whose fiscal year? Dan: The one on record for your LLC. The state's rule is based on that. Maya: So a calendar-year LLC? Dan: Its report is due March 31. Maya: And if the fiscal year is different? Dan: Then count three months from that year-end instead. Check your due date on the state's site. [4:08] The $250 income tax minimum Maya: Let me go back to that $250. Who does it hit? Dan: An LLC that files its own business return. Vermont calls it the business entity income tax, and the form is BI-471. Maya: And who's exempt? Dan: A single-member LLC taxed as a disregarded entity doesn't file that return. Maya: So a solo founder may never see it. Dan: Right. But a multi-member LLC should ask a tax professional, since it's general information here, not tax advice. [4:39] Choosing an agent in Vermont Maya: Who would you pick as an agent? Dan: Someone with a Vermont street address and a Vermont mailing address, who'll be there for years. Maya: What if that's me? Dan: If you live in Vermont, you can do it. But the agent's address is public. Maya: And if I move? Dan: You'd file a change, which is $35. A commercial agent saves you that worry. [5:01] When an LLC is terminated Maya: The no-late-fee rule sounds friendly. What's the downside? Dan: Vermont doesn't charge a penalty. It ends the LLC's good standing instead. Maya: And then? Dan: The LLC is terminated. To reinstate, it's $35, plus $45 for every year of reports you missed. Maya: So two missed years would be? Dan: $35 plus $90, which is $125. Maya: Versus filing on time. Dan: $45 a year. So filing on time is far cheaper. [5:34] Online or mail, side by side Maya: Compare filing channels one more time. Dan: Online: $155, no extra online fee, and normally less than one business day. Maya: Mail? Dan: The same fee, but seven to ten business days. Maya: Why would anyone mail it? Dan: Some people prefer paper. But online is faster at no extra cost. [5:55] Your first-year checklist Maya: Order of operations? Dan: Search the name, and wait on signs or a website until it's confirmed. Choose your agent. File the Articles online for $155. Maya: Then? Dan: Write your operating agreement, get your EIN, and mark your report deadline for the $45 filing. [6:14] The 3 best ways to file in Vermont Maya: What if I want it handled for me? Dan: Here are the three best ways to file in Vermont. Number one, our pick, is Mainstay Filing, $199 a year plus the state fee. With the $155 state fee, checkout comes to $354. Maya: What's covered? Dan: Your Articles filed, your EIN application, and your registered agent every year. It renews at the same $199. Maya: What about the annual report? Dan: Mainstay files it within three months after your fiscal year ends. You pay only the state fee. Maya: Number two? Dan: VT Registered Agent.org. It prepares and files your Articles for $199 plus the state fee, also $354 at checkout. The first year of agent service is free, then $99 a year. Maya: And three? Dan: Vermont Registered Agent.co. Same offer. $199 plus the state fee, first year of agent service free, then $99 a year. Maya: How do I pick? Dan: If you'll file the annual report yourself, numbers two and three cost less from year two, at $99 a year for the agent alone. The $45 state fee is the same either way. [7:38] Three years of service fees Maya: Three-year view? Dan: Mainstay is $199 a year, so $597. Number two or three is $199 in year one, then $99 for each of the next two years, so $397. Maya: A $200 gap. Dan: Yes. With Mainstay, that gap pays for your annual report to be filed for you. [8:01] Recap Maya: Can you recap? Dan: Choose a name with LLC in it, name a registered agent with a Vermont address, file the Articles online for $155, write an operating agreement, get your free EIN, and file your $45 annual report within three months after your fiscal year ends. 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 Vermont LLC.