North Carolina LLC Cost

When you start an LLC in North Carolina, you can expect to pay the following fees:

North Carolina LLC Filing Fee – $128

You have to pay$128 to file Articles of Organization in North Carolina.

Franchise Taxes – Rates Vary

If you choose to have your LLC taxed as a C Corporation or S Corporation, you have to pay franchise taxes. The minimum franchise tax is $200, and the amount due increases with the amount of business income you earn over $1 million. Your LLC might have other regular tax liabilities, depending on your business’s activities and characteristics.

Registered Agent Fee – Free

Every North Carolina LLC must have a Registered Agent. You can be the Registered Agent, but taking on that role while running your business can be taxing and distracting. A Registered Agent needs to be regularly present at your LLC’s registered office in North Carolina to receive legal notices on the business’s behalf.

Although it costs nothing to be your own Registered Agent, paying a small fee to hire someone else as your Registered Agent can be a great business investment. If you need help finding a good Registered Agent, our North Carolina Registered Agent Service can help you locate the right person quickly.

There are fees you need to pay to start your North Carolina LLC, and other fees you need to pay to maintain it, including:

Certificate of Existence

As you build a new venture, you might find that you need financing or contracts from third parties. To get these resources, a third party might ask you to prove that your LLC exists and is in good standing with the state. You can answer this request with a Certificate of Existence. You have to pay $15 for a Certificate of Existence from the Secretary of State.

DBA Name in North Carolina

Sometimes a business wants to use more than one name to identify itself. If you want your LLC to have a name that’s different from its official name, that name is a “doing business as” or DBA name. North Carolina calls a DBA name an Assumed Business Name. You need to register your DBA by filing an Assumed Business Name Certificate with your county register of deeds location and paying a $26 fee.

Foreign LLC

If you started your LLC outside North Carolina, you have what’s called a foreign LLC. To run your foreign LLC in North Carolina, you have to submit an Application for Certificate of Authority for a Limited Liability Company. This document costs $250 to file, and you file it with the Secretary of State.

Business Licensing

Your LLC is official once you file your Articles of Organization, but you might not be allowed to run your business until you get the right authorizations from the government. To run your business, you might have to obtain:

• Business licenses
• Permits
• Registrations

Your need for licenses and registrations depends on the activities of your LLC, your LLC’s location, and your LLC’s characteristics. You might also need multiple licenses from federal, state, and local government authorities.

Unfortunately, there’s no centralized government authority that can tell you what all your licensing needs are, but we can take on that role. With our partners at Avalara, we can give you a Business License Report that outlines all the specific licenses, registrations, and permits your business needs at every level of government.

For just $0 plus state fees, we can form your North Carolina LLC for you in just minutes. No LegalZoom promo code required: Pay just $0 plus filing fees for fast LLC formation in North Carolina. 

Yes. If you pay your fees or business taxes late, you could be subject to penalties, you could fall out of good standing with the state, or you could be blocked from forming your business. 

Failure to pay your formation filing fees means that you can’t form your LLC. If you conduct your business without filing formation paperwork with the state, you’re conducting a sole proprietorship or a general partnership. While easier and less expensive to start, these business structures offer less personal protection than an LLC. 

You pay your formation filing fees to the Secretary of State. 

Your largest fee for forming your North Carolina LLC will likely be the$128fee for filing your Articles of Organization. However, each business has different filing needs. Your largest fee depends on the specific characteristics of your LLC.

You can pay your LLC filing fees by check or credit card.