Virginia LLC Cost

Documents you need

• Articles of Organization (Form LLC1011) — Per Va. Code § 13.1-1011, the articles must set forth: (1) a name for the LLC satisfying § 13.1-1012; (2) the post office address, including street and number if any, of the initial registered office, the name of the city or county in which it is located, the name of the initial registered agent at that office, and the agent's qualification; and (3) the post office address of the principal office, which may be the same as the registered office and need not be within Virginia.
• Registered agent and registered office in Virginia — Per Va. Code § 13.1-1011, the registered agent must be either (i) an individual who is a resident of Virginia and one of the following: a member or manager of the LLC, a member or manager of an LLC that is a member or manager of the LLC, an officer or director of a corporation that is a member or manager of the LLC, a general partner of a partnership that is a member or manager of the LLC, a trustee of a trust that is a member or manager of the LLC, or a member of the Virginia State Bar; or (ii) a domestic or foreign stock or nonstock corporation, limited liability company, or registered limited liability partnership authorized to transact business in Virginia. The LLC itself is not among the qualifying categories and cannot serve as its own registered agent; the SCC's Form LLC1011 instructions state this expressly and note the registered office must be identical to the business office of the registered agent and include a street address.
• Operating agreement — Per Va. Code § 13.1-1011(B), the articles of organization may set forth any other matter that is permitted to be set forth in an operating agreement. The operating agreement itself is not filed with the Commission; only the articles are filed.

How forming works in Virginia

1. Line up the agent: Registered agent and registered office in Virginia — Per Va. Code § 13.1-1011, the registered agent must be either (i) an individual who is a resident of Virginia and one of the following: a member or manager of the LLC, a member or manager of an LLC that is a member or manager of the LLC, an officer or director of a corporation that is a member or manager of the LLC, a general partner of a partnership that is a member or manager of the LLC, a trustee of a trust that is a member or manager of the LLC, or a member of the Virginia State Bar; or (ii) a domestic or foreign stock or nonstock corporation, limited liability company, or registered limited liability partnership authorized to transact business in Virginia. The LLC itself is not among the qualifying categories and cannot serve as its own registered agent; the SCC's Form LLC1011 instructions state this expressly and note the registered office must be identical to the business office of the registered agent and include a street address.
2. File the Articles of Organization (Form LLC1011) with the Virginia State Corporation Commission — the filing fee is $100 at the cheapest channel (file online at the official portal linked below).

Annual report & ongoing costs

Virginia requires a annual report — fee $50.

The annual registration fee is payable on or before the last day of the twelfth month next succeeding the month in which the LLC was organized, and by the same date in each year thereafter (Va. Code § 13.1-1062) — i.e., the last day of the anniversary month of organization.

IMPORTANT: Virginia LLCs do NOT file an annual report. The recurring annual obligation recorded in this entry is the annual registration fee of $50 assessed by the State Corporation Commission under Va. Code § 13.1-1062; the Commission assesses the fee (it is not an informational report filing), and assessments are not refunded. It is recorded here, rather than in other_mandatory_costs, because it is the state's single recurring annual charge.

After you form

1. Get the free EIN from the IRS, then open a business bank account so company and personal money stay separate.
2. Stay compliant: the annual report costs $50 — diary the due date before you form.

• Employer Identification Number (EIN) — free from the IRS; a federal step that is the same in every state.

Virginia tax pages

Once the LLC is formed, these pages work out what it keeps: Virginia Tax Brackets · Virginia Income Tax Calculator · Virginia Paycheck Calculator.

Compare Virginia with the rest of the country

Virginia's first-year minimum of $100 sits in the full ranking of all 51 jurisdictions — the cheapest first year is Montana at $35 and the most expensive is California at $870.