Cheapest LLC formation in Ohio

What does Ohio charge to form an LLC?

Ohio's fees come from the state, so no provider can discount them. Provider prices are quoted before these fees.

One fee always applies to a new Ohio LLC: $99 for the Articles of Organization. A service that files for you passes the same state fee through on top of its own price.¹

A name reservation is optional. It costs $39 for 180 days and helps only if something will delay your filing. Filing the Articles straight away claims the name without the extra charge.⁶

An LLC formed elsewhere and registering in Ohio pays $99 to register instead of the formation fee. The statute applies the agent duty to a foreign limited liability company as well, so the agent cost below applies to it too.^{3, 7}

What Ohio leaves off the bill counts as much as what it puts on it, because there's no annual report and so no report fee; the state's wording is "No annual report required". The state's Commercial Activity Tax (CAT) reaches only receipts above a $6 million annual exclusion. The old minimum is gone as well: The annual minimum tax ended in 2024. For how the tax is filed and who owes it, the Ohio compliance page has the full picture.^{4, 8}

What pushes an Ohio LLC above the state fee?

Three costs can be added: faster state processing, a paid statutory agent, and extras sold alongside formation packages. Each one is a choice, and each can be priced before you file.

Faster state processing

Ohio's regular service takes 3 to 7 business days at no extra cost. The paid tiers are Expedite 1: $100 (2 business days), Expedite 2: $200 (1 business day) and Expedite 3: $300 (4 hours if received by 1:00 p.m.; in-person delivery required). All in addition to the filing fee. So the fastest tier alone costs more than the filing fee itself. Unless a lease, contract or bank appointment needs the LLC by a set day, regular service costs nothing extra. Where a package advertises faster handling, ask whether the state's expedite fee is included; InCorp, for one, lists a $50.00 InCorp expedite fee (state expedite fee extra).^{1, 9}

The statutory agent

Ohio law expects every LLC to continuously maintain a statutory agent, and a paid one bills every year.³

1. Be your own agent. Under Ohio Rev. Code § 1706.09 an Ohio resident can serve, which makes the agent free. Your address then appears as the agent address on the public record, and you need to be reachable there. The Ohio statutory agent guide has the details.³
2. Take a bundled first year. Several packages include it, then renew at the provider's yearly rate.
3. Buy the agent on its own at the standalone prices below.

If a renewal climbs higher than you'd like, switching costs $25 on the Statutory Agent Update (Form 521). File it before cancelling the old service. Going without an agent is the expensive mistake: an LLC that does not cure within 30 days after SOS notice faces a rule that its articles are canceled, and reinstatement costs $25 (Reinstatement and Appointment of Agent, Form 525A). The process is in how to change a statutory agent.^{3, 6, 10}

Add-ons at checkout

Formation checkouts commonly offer an EIN, an operating agreement, a business address and compliance subscriptions. Each is a separate decision. Compliance plans deserve the closest look in Ohio, because many are built around a yearly report that Ohio LLCs don't file. ZenBusiness's Starter, for example, includes Worry-Free Compliance free for 1 year (then $199/yr); for an Ohio-only LLC, check what it would do before the free period ends.¹¹

Which providers cost least for an Ohio LLC, counting renewals?

The table lists each provider's agent price, renewal and cheapest package, ordered by our score, highest first, ties in editorial order; it isn't a price ranking.

Below, the same providers are grouped by how they handle the agent, since that decides the second-year bill in a state with no report fee.

Agent bundled or listed with formation

• Bizee: Basic is $0 + state fee, with a Free first year with any Bizee formation package. Year one is the state fee; year two is $149/year (ongoing annual fee). Bizee review.⁵
• doola: Starter is $297/yr and lists an agent (duration not stated). Because the plan itself bills yearly, its full price recurs. doola review.^{12, 13}
• Northwest Registered Agent: $39 + State Fees, with a bundled agent year, as stated on the corporation page; confirm it for an LLC. The agent alone is $125 per year. Northwest review.^{14, 15, 16}
• Harbor Compliance: Formation is priced "Starting at $99 plus state fees" and the page lists a registered agent among the filings it handles, without saying the agent service itself is included or for how long. Harbor's agent on its own renews at $159 annually. Harbor Compliance review.^{17, 18}

Agent sold separately

• Tailor Brands: Lite is $0 plus state fees; budget $199/year for the agent unless you serve yourself. Tailor Brands review.^{19, 20}
• ZenBusiness: Starter is $0 + state fees (does not renew), with the agent as an add-on +$199/yr and 50% off the first year ($99) when you form an LLC. ZenBusiness review.^{11, 21}
• LegalZoom: Basic is $0 + state filing fees; the agent is $249/year (first-time registered agent customers), and LegalZoom notes the renewal rate subject to change. LegalZoom review.^{22, 23}
• Swyft Filings: Basic is $0 + state fees; its agent is $149 per quarter ($596/year), the highest yearly agent figure on this page. Swyft Filings review.^{24, 25}
• InCorp Services: Formation is starting at $99 plus state fees, with the registered agent sold separately at $129 per state per year. InCorp review.^{26, 27}

Membership first

• Rocket Lawyer: The formation offer reads "First registration free with a Rocket Lawyer membership". The lowest tier is $149/year (Standard; registered agent not included); the agent, $125 with a Plus or Pro membership, needs Plus ($249/year) or higher. Rocket Lawyer review.^{28, 29, 30}

For agent-only prices beyond Ohio, see cheapest registered agent services. What each package includes besides the agent is set out in Ohio LLC formation services compared.