Cheapest LLC formation in New Jersey

What does the state of New Jersey charge to form an LLC?

The New Jersey Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services sets these fees, and no provider can discount them. Package prices are quoted before them.

Only one fee applies to every new domestic LLC: $100 for the Certificate of Formation. It is the same whether you file yourself or a service files for you, and a service's price is always on top.⁴

New Jersey adds one more fixed charge, the annual report, $75, due by the last day of the month in which the LLC was originally filed every year. It isn't part of formation, but the state's business portal says "Every business in New Jersey must file an annual report." So it belongs in any count of what the LLC costs.^{5, 6}

Two other state fees are optional or situational. A name reservation is $50, with a renewal $50 to keep holding it; skip it if you can file straight away. An LLC formed in another state registers here instead of forming, and pays $100 for its Certificate of Registration. If you are weighing a neighbouring state, compare its recurring filings first, for example on the New York registered agent page or the Pennsylvania registered agent page.¹

What raises the cost of a New Jersey LLC?

Four things push the bill above state fees: the registered agent, a paid annual report service, formation add-ons, and the cost of falling behind. The first three are decided at checkout; the fourth depends on filing on time.

The agent for service of process

Every New Jersey LLC needs an agent (N.J.S.A. 42:2C-14), and a paid agent bills every year. There are three ways to handle it.⁷

1. Act as your own agent. The law allows an individual who is a resident of this State or other person with authority to transact business in this State, so a resident owner pays nothing. Your own address then goes on file as the registered office, and someone has to be there to accept papers. The New Jersey agent for service of process guide explains the rules.⁷
2. Take an agent bundled with formation. Bizee, for example, includes the agent's first year with its formation packages (Free first year with any Bizee formation package); after that the agent renews at the provider's own yearly price.⁸
3. Buy the agent on its own at a published standalone price, listed below.

If a renewal turns out too high, switching costs $25 on the state's Change of Registered Office or Agent or Both filing. File it before you cancel the old service so the LLC is never left without an agent. Changing an agent for service of process has the steps.¹

A paid annual report service

The state's $75 is fixed, and an owner can also pay a provider to file. Published fees range from InCorp's $89 + state fees to subscriptions such as Swyft's ComplianceGuard $199/year. Some arrive by default, such as the ComplianceGuard trial (14-day free trial then auto-charged) in every Swyft package. Northwest's terms say RA customers auto-enrolled in Compliance Services billed in annual auto-pay, at $100 + state fees, charged at filing, and ZenBusiness's Starter adds Worry-Free Compliance free for 1 year (then $199/yr), which ZenBusiness lists as one optional free year on Starter. Filing it yourself costs only the state fee.^{9, 10, 11, 12, 13}

Add-ons at checkout

Formation checkouts offer an EIN (the federal tax ID), an operating agreement, a business address and compliance plans. Each is a separate decision from the filing itself. Some providers fold them into a pricier package; others sell them one by one, and a few packages are billed every year rather than once.

The price of a lapse

Falling behind adds charges. Reinstating an LLC costs $75 plus all delinquent annual reports, and the Division's fee list adds a $25 agent/office change if applicable. The New Jersey compliance page explains how to stay current.¹⁴

Which providers have the lowest published prices for a New Jersey LLC?

The table gives each provider's agent price, renewal and lowest formation package. Rows follow our score, highest first, ties in editorial order, and are not sorted by price.

Below, in the same order, is what each provider's cheapest route adds to the state's $100 in year one, and what it costs once the yearly report starts.

Tailor Brands. Lite is $0 plus state fees, with no agent listed, so budget for its agent at $199/year or act as your own. Essential, $199/yr plus state fees, includes annual compliance (report filing and updates), which in New Jersey has a yearly report to file. See the Tailor Brands review.^{15, 16}

ZenBusiness. Starter is $0 + state fees (does not renew). The agent is an add-on (+$199/yr), with 50% off the first year ($99) when you form an LLC, then $199/yr. After the free compliance year, ZenBusiness lists Worry-Free Compliance $199/year, or $100 per report for a single filing. See the ZenBusiness review.^{13, 17, 18}

LegalZoom. The cheapest package is $0 + state filing fees, and the agent is $249/year (first-time registered agent customers) on top; the agent renews at the purchase rate each year, with the rate subject to change. If you want LegalZoom to file the annual report as well, a single filing costs $99 + state filing fees, bills once. See the LegalZoom review.^{19, 20, 21}

Bizee. Basic is $0 + state fee, with the agent covered by its Free first year with any Bizee formation package. After that the agent renews at $149/year (ongoing annual fee), so from the second year the yearly cost is that renewal plus the state's report fee. See the Bizee review.^{3, 8}

Swyft Filings. Basic is $0 + state fees, but its agent is $149 per quarter ($596/year). The ComplianceGuard trial in its packages leads to a paid year, and the ComplianceGuard page says "The service renews each year unless cancelled by you." See the Swyft Filings review.^{10, 22, 23}

doola. Starter is $297/yr and includes an agent. Because the plan itself bills yearly, that full price recurs, and Starter doesn't file the annual report. See the doola review.²⁴

Northwest Registered Agent. Formation is $39 + State Fees, described on its corporation page as a total that includes one year of registered agent service; confirm that applies to an LLC. Its agent is $125 per year, and the auto-enrolled report service adds $100 + state fees, charged at filing unless you opt out. See the Northwest review.^{12, 25, 26, 27}

Rocket Lawyer. Formation comes with a membership (First registration free with a Rocket Lawyer membership), billed yearly. Standard is $149/year and excludes the agent; the agent ($125 with a Plus or Pro membership) needs Plus at $249/year or Pro at $349/year. See the Rocket Lawyer review.^{28, 29, 30}

InCorp Services. InCorp prices formation starting at $99 plus state fees, with the registered agent sold separately at $129 per state per year. Its terms say the agent is billed at then-current fee unless a cancellation condition is met. InCorp's report filing, $89 + state fees, is the lowest published filing fee on this page. See the InCorp review.^{9, 31, 32, 33}

Harbor Compliance. Formation starts at $99 plus state fees. The agent is $99 first year (new customers), then $159 annually, and stopping the renewal takes notice at least 90 days before the end of the current term. See the Harbor Compliance review.^{34, 35, 36}

Agent-only prices for every provider are on the cheapest registered agent services page.