Last updated Mar. 12, 2023 by Peter Jakes
When you’re starting a business, there are many things to consider. For example, you need to make sure you have the right equipment, hire employees if you need them and make sure that you pay your taxes on time.
Another important thing is setting up a legal structure for your company. Setting up an LLC can be confusing and intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. These ten services will help with all parts of the process.
Zen Business
Zen Business is another affordable service that is a good choice for small businesses. It’s also a good option for companies with short-term and long-term business plans.
Zen Business offers unlimited free consultations, and its pricing starts at $50 per month for LLCs with up to 100 members.
The company also provides access to an auxiliary accounting platform called “Zen Ledger,” which helps you manage your books and pay bills online, and it’s included in your monthly fee.
You can use Zen Business’s services from start to finish (including setting up your corporate bank account) or use it for some of the more complicated parts, like registering your business name and filing paperwork with state agencies when necessary (which will save you time).
LegalZoom
LegalZoom is a legal service provider and online filing platform that helps business owners form an LLC. LegalZoom offers affordable and easy-to-use services, including:
- Setting up your new LLC
- Filing your articles of organization with the state’s Secretary of State’s office
- Establishing an operating agreement for your company’s structure and bylaws
- Creating members, managers, officers, and directors roles in your LLC
Northwest Registered Agent
When you incorporate your business, choosing a registered agent is one of the most important things to get right.
The role of a registered agent is to receive official documents on behalf of your company in case something happens to you or any other person who has been designated as an officer in the LLC.
It’s not uncommon for businesses to use their offices as their registered agents, but this can result in severe issues if anything goes wrong with those offices and they cannot receive mail at that address anymore.
The benefits of using a third-party company include the following:
- Increased peace of mind
- Lower chance of missing essential notices
- Easier management of multiple companies
Legal Nature
Legal Nature is an online legal document service that provides a wide range of legal documents for business, personal, and other purposes. In addition to offering its customers a range of customized documents for specific needs,
Legal Nature also provides general templates for everyday uses, such as buying or selling a home or starting an LLC.
The company offers first-time users free trials, money-back guarantees, and discounts. In addition to providing these standard services with their products and services, the company also offers free informational guides to help you understand your next move in creating your own LLC.
Incfile
Incfile is a well-established company that has been helping small businesses for over 20 years. Incfile offers affordable pricing and free templates, so your LLC is up and running quickly.
They also offer free business plan assistance, which we don’t see with other online services. They also provide optional tax filing services if you need help.
BizFilings
BizFilings is a subsidiary of LexisNexis, a company that specializes in making legal documents accessible online.
As such, BizFilings is an online filing service that offers LLC formation services for all 50 states and Washington D.C., as well as a variety of other corporate filing options (including trademark registration).
BizFilings was founded in 2005 and has served clients with its easy-to-use interface. So if you’re looking to file an LLC with no fuss and start your business immediately, this service is a good choice.
Incorporate.com
Incorporate.com is an excellent choice for many companies because it offers several helpful services at no cost. Some other benefits of this service include:
- Free to start
- Easy to use and understand
- I will help you file your taxes (if applicable)
- It will help you get your business license (if applicable)
This service also offers other legal matters, including business planning and marketing advice, that may be useful in growing your company.
Rocket Lawyer
You don’t have to be an attorney to use Rocket Lawyer, and it’s an excellent tool for those just starting independently. With Rocket Lawyer, you can create your LLC in less than an hour. The process is straightforward:
- Go to the website and set up a free account.
- Select “LLC” as your entity type.
- Answer a few questions about the business’s name, address, and other details (including whether or not the company has employees)
There’s also a handy feature where you can find an attorney in your area who specializes in small business law and other areas of expertise relevant to forming an LLC.
Once you’ve created everything online, file your paperwork with the state where you live or do business.
CorpNet.com
- CorpNet’s website is easy to use and navigate, with clear instructions on how to file an LLC.
- Their customer service is helpful and responsive, so you can get your questions answered quickly.
- The fees are reasonable for the quality of service provided.
If you’re looking for a lower-cost option than other providers, this might be a good choice for your business needs.
MyCorporation
MyCorporation is a great place to start a business. They offer a variety of business formation packages, and it’s easy to set up your new LLC through the website.
MyCorporation has a great reputation, and they excellent support and offer business.
Best LLC filing companies
Choosing a filing service isn’t always an easy task. There are many options, and each company has different benefits and drawbacks.
Fortunately, we’ve researched and narrowed it down to three companies we think are the best in the business.
Zen Business
Northwest
Inc. Authority
Best online LLC services
Online LLC formation services are not hard to find. A quick search on the internet will give you a list of many companies that offer the service.
You can read reviews and compare prices. You can choose one or two state LLCs and use them for your business. There are many reasons to form an LLC for your business.
First, if you plan to hire employees, it is easier to do so with an LLC rather than a sole proprietorship or partnership. Also, an LLC protects your assets from being used as payment if someone sues your business.
There are tax benefits to having an LLC but also some disadvantages. An LLC can complicate things more than a sole proprietorship or partnership, but the benefits outweigh the cons.
An online LLC formation service can help you form your LLC quickly and easily with little hassle. In addition, the cost is minimal, and they offer assistance in English and Spanish.
Contact one of these companies today to start forming your LLC Zen Business Northwest and Inc. Authority.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the best place to file an LLC?
If you’re the only member of your business, the best place to file an LLC is in the state where you live. However, if it’s a partnership, it’s best to rub it in the state where your business is physically located.
If it’s a corporation, it’s best to file it in the state where your business is physically located, or if that state doesn’t allow corporations, then choose another state.
If you’re doing business in multiple states and want to do that without registering in every single one, then you’ll need to fill it with a secretary of state if they accept an LLC.
How much does it cost to set up an LLC?
The cost to set up an LLC varies widely based on where you live and what kind of company you’re starting. We’ll give an overview of how much it costs to create an LLC in the most famous cities in the United States, but bear in mind that many variables will affect the total cost.
An LLC’s main expense is its annual state filing fee, which ranges from $0 to $800, depending on your state.
The annual fees are paid every year that the company is active. Those costs will also be separate if you need legal advice or accounting services for your business.
For example, if you form an LLC in San Francisco, where registration fees are among the highest in the country, it would cost $800 to register your LLC and another $800 per year after that. You can calculate a fee estimate for your city here.
Can I get a refund from LegalZoom?
LegalZoom is a company that offers online legal services in many areas, including incorporation and trademark filing.
The company is widely advertised on the Internet and other advertising media, so trying LegalZoom for your legal needs may be tempting. Still, there are some things you should consider before you decide to do so.
To use LegalZoom’s services, you must pay for an account with them. Then you can use their services for a monthly fee as long as you keep your account open.
If you do not have enough work for their services or if you decide that the service isn’t for you, you might want a refund from LegalZoom.
LegalZoom doesn’t offer refunds under any circumstances. They will refund your money if they can’t get your paperwork completed within 90 days of starting the process, but they don’t offer refunds even if they fail to meet your paperwork after more than 90 days have passed.
How do I become an LLC?
I’ve always been interested in entrepreneurship, and the idea of a personal brand has always appealed to me. One morning, I was sitting in a cafe with an epiphany that I could build my brand. First, I’d have to become an LLC.
The process is straightforward but requires documents, fees, and signatures. First, you must file articles of organization with your state’s secretary of state.
This does not automatically make you an LLC. Instead, it sets the groundwork for your business by giving you a name under which you can operate.
It also makes you eligible for certain tax benefits unavailable to sole proprietorships or partnerships. You can check with the IRS to see if there are any extra benefits available to your business structure; for instance, if you’re selling products, you may want to set up as an S Corporation instead of an LLC so that your business income can be taxed at a lower rate.
Next, you must register your business name with the county clerk where your office is located. You will also have to register with the Federal Trade Commission.
They’re basically responsible for keeping everyone honest regarding using trademarks and names in commerce. Then it’s time for taxes.
How do I cancel my LegalZoom LLC Order?
When you want to cancel a LegalZoom order, your first impulse might be to call our customer service department.
But if you’ve already started the process of balancing and you’re still in the middle of it, that’s a bad idea.
For example, if you’ve already completed an online application or started an online chat with one of our customer service representatives, you’ll have to cancel using that method. Otherwise, there might be some problems with your request.
If you’re ready to cancel your LegalZoom LLC Order, don’t panic! It turns out that canceling your LegalZoom order is easy.
Login to your account and click “My Orders” in the main navigation bar. Then select the order you want to cancel and click “Cancel.”
A message will pop up asking if you are sure you wish to cancel; click “Yes,” and that’s it.
We hope this helps! Let us know if we can give you any more information about what happened or how we can help in the future.
What are the pros and cons of an LLC?
An LLC, or Limited Liability Company, is a legal structure for a business that protects the LLC owners (called “members”) from personal liability and privacy.
If you’re considering leaping from a sole proprietorship to LLC, You should know a few things about this path.
The Pros-Protection from Personal Liability: An LLC protects its members from personal liability for claims against the company.
If someone sues your company and wins, you don’t have to worry about losing your asset, house, car, etc.
To pay damages awarded in court. In other words: no more worrying about getting sued because someone slipped on spilled milk in the grocery store and decided to sue you personally.
Limited Public Information: Not all businesses choose to be LLCs. Some companies prefer to keep their finances private. Since private companies aren’t required to release financial information publicly, they don’t have to file a tax return like an LLC.
However, because all states require at least one person in an LLC to submit a tax return yearly, it’s not entirely anonymous. Even still, if you’re looking for privacy and are willing to pay your fair share of taxes, this may be an option.
Limited Liability: If your LLC is sued because someone slipped on spilled milk in the grocery store and decided to sue you personally!
Limited Public Information: Not all businesses choose to be LLCs.
Some companies prefer to keep their finances private. Since private companies aren’t required to release financial information publicly, they don’t have to file a tax return like an LLC.
Summary
Choose the right tool. Ensure the agency has all the features you need to start your business device and run efficiently, like accounting software or invoicing.
Check out reviews from other users, who will tell you whether or not they’re happy with their purchases and if they think it was worth their money overall.
Make sure it’s affordable. Some companies offer free trials so you can see how well everything works together before committing to anything long-term, which is excellent if that’s something that winters long-term.
If budgeting isn’t an issue, plenty of free apps are available online through different websites (like Google Play). If either party is at this point, be careful about anything too big since things like this might take up space on both sides.
It may seem trivial now, but trust me: once these files start piling up without proper storage options available, life gets much harder life gets much more complicated than necessary worked remotely overseas before; those poor souls have been through hellish conditions more often than not.”
As you can see, starting a business is not as complicated as it may seem. There are many helpful tools for doing so; the best part about them is that anyone with an internet connection can use them.
You don’t have to own your company or be an accountant or lawyer. All it takes is some time and dedication on your part.
