Nebraska LLC Cost

How do I form my LLC in Nebraska?

1. Name your LLC 

You can’t do anything with your business until you have a name. Because your name will be your business’s introduction to your customers, take the time to think of a few great potential names. Once you have a few names in mind, check to see whether they are available by sending a written request to the Secretary of State’s office. Their email is sos.corp@nebraska.gov. Alternatively, you can use our Business Name Checker to quickly discover whether your ideal business name is available. Assuming your name is available, make sure that it meets the following requirements: 

• The name must not be the same or “deceptively similar” to another business in the Secretary of State’s records
• The name must include the words “limited liability company,” “limited company” or the abbreviations “L.L.C.,” “L.C,” “LLC,” or “LC.”

Once you’ve met these requirements, lock in your name by filing an Application for a Reserved Limited Liability Company Name with the Secretary of State. If you don’t have the time to file the application, let us give you a hand with our Business Name Reservation Service.

2. Select a Registered Agent

Registered agents are a vital part of a successful LLC. They serve as the LLC’s designated point of contact for all legal and financial documents. Anyone with a physical address in the state can serve as a registered agent. Ensuring that you have a responsible party to receive important legal documents for your company is important, so you need to make sure that you obtain a high-quality registered agent. Use our registered agent service to get an outstanding registered agent today. 

3. File your LLC’s Certificate of Organization

Your Certificate of Organization serves to make your business an official Nebraska LLC. The cheapest and quickest way to file a Certificate of Organization is with the Nebraska Secretary of State’s online portal. You can also file by mail or in person. If filing by mail, address your form to:

Nebraska Secretary of State

P.O. Box 94608

Lincoln, Nebraska 68509-4608

You can also pay a visit to the Business Services Department at: 

1201 N. Street, Suite 120

Lincoln, NE 68508

4. Create an Operating Agreement   

It’s always a great idea for LLC owners to draft a Nebraska Operating Agreement. Operating Agreements give you and your partners the opportunity to set your own rules of daily operation. You can touch on a range of topics in your Operating Agreement, including:

• How to distribute the venture’s profits and losses amongst managers and members
• How your business will resolve disputes between managers and members 
• How your members will vote

Strictly speaking, you don’t have to draft your own Operating Agreement. If your business doesn’t have an Operating Agreement, it’ll be run according to the state’s default rules for limited liability companies. But these rules were not crafted with your business in mind and can sometimes hurt more than they help. 

If you want an Operating Agreement but don’t know where to start, we can help you out with our Operating Agreement Template. This template will give you the start you need to write an Operating Agreement that sets your company up for success.

5. Get an EIN

There’s no way to get around paying taxes. Although LLCs are generally pass-through entities when it comes to income taxes, you still have to pay payroll and other taxes. To pay federal taxes, you should have an Employer Identification Number (EIN). In fact, you need an EIN to pay taxes unless your LLC has only one member. Even then, you’d have to use your own social security number on your business’s tax return. That’s hardly ideal. 

There are other benefits to obtaining an EIN. Specifically, having an EIN allows you to get a business bank account and take out a business insurance policy. 

To obtain an EIN, you need to apply for one from the IRS. Don’t want to waste your time filling out IRS paperwork? We didn’t think so. If you want to get an EIN hassle-free, check out our easy Employer ID Number Service today.

6. Meet the Nebraska LLC publication requirement

To wrap up the LLC formation process, you’ll need to publish a notice of your organization. This is a unique requirement that isn’t found in many other states. To meet this requirement, you have to take out an advertisement in a legal newspaper. The newspaper must have a general circulation near your business’s location. You must run the ad for a minimum of three weeks. In addition, you need to submit Proof of Publication to the Secretary of State. Proof of Publication costs $30 to file in person and $25 to file online. 

Stay Legally Compliant

Once your business is up and running, you’ll have to meet a few requirements —  like filing a biennial report. If you don’t like having to remember what report you need to file and when, you can allow us to do the heavy lifting with our Report Filing Service.

Other compliance requirements will inevitably pop up over time. In addition, you’ll probably need to make changes to your business at some point in the future. To help you meet your LLC’s compliance obligations and your changing business needs, check out our Worry-Free Compliance Service. With this service, we can help you stay compliant with all of Nebraska’s regulatory obligations, and the service comes with two free amendments per year. 

We can help!

Being a business owner is a lot of work. It takes vision, grit, and resilience. What it shouldn’t require is endless amounts of boring paperwork. We want to take care of the paperwork so that you can focus on what really matters. We’ve developed a wide variety of products that can meet virtually any business need. Let’s get started today!

Disclaimer: The content on this page is for information purposes only, and does not constitute legal, tax, or accounting advice. If you have specific questions about any of these topics, seek the counsel of a licensed professional.