LLC Guidebook
Plain-English LLC setup help

Start your LLC without getting lost in filings, fees, and state rules

LLC Guidebook is for people who are actively trying to form an LLC, choose a registered agent, get an EIN, file annual reports, or compare formation services. No startup fluff. Just the parts that actually affect what you file and what you pay.

Read the latest guides Compare registered agent services
50guides covering formation, compliance, and registered agents
10state-by-state LLC formation pages to start with
10registered-agent comparison pages for high-intent decisions
1goal: help you make the next filing decision with less guesswork

What this site is for

Most LLC sites either drown you in vague startup advice or push you straight into a checkout button. This one does something simpler: it explains what the state wants, what the IRS wants, what deadlines matter, and where a filing service might actually save you time.

  • State formation guides with the real filing names and fees
  • Registered agent guides for people comparing privacy, cost, and convenience
  • EIN, annual report, and change-of-agent explainers
  • Decision pages for questions like LLC vs sole proprietorship or LLC vs S corp
Most-read comparison angle

Best registered agent service

If you want the short list before reading a dozen vendor pages, start here. This guide compares the practical differences between the major options instead of pretending the cheapest headline tells the whole story.

Read the guide

Brand review

Northwest Registered Agent review

A grounded look at Northwest for founders who care more about privacy, fewer moving parts, and a cleaner admin stack than the lowest day-one sticker price.

Read the review

Need a fast answer?

Do you need a registered agent?

If that question is blocking you right now, this is the page to open first. It explains the role, the self-agent tradeoff, and why people switch later.

Read the explainer

What people usually need help with

Formation by state Filing names, fees, annual reports, publication rules, and what the state actually asks for.
Registered agent choices Whether you should do it yourself, what the service is for, and how the tradeoffs change by state.
Federal setup EIN timing, name matching, and the admin steps that come right after formation.
Entity decisions LLC vs sole proprietorship, LLC vs S corp, and whether your use case actually needs an LLC yet.

How to use the site

If you are trying to... Start here
Form an LLC in one state Open your state guide
Pick a registered agent Read the comparison and your state agent page
Get an EIN Read the EIN guide after the LLC is formed
Stay compliant after filing Open the annual report or agent-change guide for your state
Figure out whether you even need an LLC Read the entity-decision pages first

Browse by topic

The library is built in clusters so you can jump straight to the kind of question you have instead of reading unrelated advice.

Topic What you will find Examples
State formation guides How to form the LLC, what the filing is called, what it costs, and what the first compliance step looks like Texas, Florida, California, New York, Delaware
Registered agent by state What the agent role means in that state and what changes if you hire a service Texas, Florida, California, New York, Wyoming
Compliance and filing EIN, annual reports, state taxes, and changing your registered agent Annual reports, EIN, agent changes
Comparisons and reviews Buyer-oriented pages for people trying to decide between providers or filing paths Northwest review, Northwest vs Bizee, best LLC service
Long-tail decisions Questions people ask before or right after forming an LLC Do I need an LLC, how much does it cost, what does an agent do
See the full library

Published articles

The site now has a growing library of plain, advice-first articles covering formation, compliance, and registered agent decisions.

Article Why it matters
How to get an EIN for an LLC without paying a filing service Good bridge page between formation intent and IRS action intent.
How to start an LLC in Texas without getting lost in Form 205 High-intent state guide with a strong registered agent angle.
How to start an LLC in Florida and what Sunbiz actually asks for Simple state guide with clear fee and filing mechanics.
How to start an LLC in California and the fee people forget after filing Good California money page with the 90-day Statement of Information angle.
How to start an LLC in New York without getting blindsided by publication Strong New York page because the publication requirement is a real pain point.
Best registered agent service if you care more about clean execution than hype Commercial comparison page that frames the shortlist.
Northwest Registered Agent review: good fit if you want fewer moving parts Brand page for the main affiliate offer.
Can I be my own registered agent? Yes, but that does not make it a good idea Objection-handling page with a strong transition into the service pitch.
How to start an LLC in Delaware and what people leave out about the yearly tax Delaware formation page with the annual $400 tax as the main reality check.
How to start an LLC in Wyoming without confusing the cheap filing with the full compliance bill Wyoming guide that frames the low filing fee against the real annual-report rules.
How to start an LLC in Nevada and why the real price is higher than the Articles fee Nevada page that explains the three-part formation cost clearly.
How to start an LLC in Illinois and stay ahead of the anniversary-month trap Illinois guide focused on annual-report timing and registered-agent details.
How to start an LLC in Georgia and not miss the April 1 annual registration deadline Georgia guide that explains the transmittal form and spring annual-registration cycle.
How to start an LLC in North Carolina and plan for the April 15 annual report North Carolina guide focused on the registered-office rules and the expensive annual report.
Best registered agent in Texas if you want privacy and fewer admin misses Texas commercial page grounded in official agent rules and change-filing mechanics.
Best registered agent in Florida if you want fewer compliance chores Florida commercial page that ties agent choice to Sunbiz rules and annual-report friction.
Best registered agent in California if you want fewer paperwork surprises California commercial page focused on public-record exposure and Statement of Information timing.
Best registered agent in New York if you want more than the state default New York commercial page built around the Department of State default and the optional extra service layer.
Best registered agent in Delaware if you care about the annual tax reality Delaware commercial page that ties agent choice to the state's annual $400 LLC tax and due-diligence warning.
Best registered agent in Wyoming if privacy is the reason you formed there Wyoming commercial page focused on privacy, real physical-office rules, and cheap agent-change mechanics.
Best registered agent in Nevada if you want fewer compliance surprises Nevada commercial page built around the annual list, state business license, and higher change-friction reality.
Best registered agent in Illinois if you want fewer paperwork surprises Illinois commercial page focused on annual-report timing, separate agent-change filings, and clean public records.
Best registered agent in Georgia if you want fewer filing hassles Georgia commercial page tied to the April 1 annual-registration cycle and amended annual-registration mechanics.
Best registered agent in North Carolina if you want fewer missed notices North Carolina commercial page focused on the $200 annual report, 60-day change expectations, and notice handling.
Texas LLC annual report: what you actually file and why May 15 matters Texas compliance page that explains the PIR, the May 15 deadline, and why no-tax-due does not mean no filing.
Florida LLC annual report: due by May 1 and painful if you are late Florida compliance page focused on the $138.75 fee, the $400 late fee, and the September dissolution cutoff.
California LLC annual report: it is really a Statement of Information plus the $800 tax California compliance page that separates the biennial Statement of Information from the annual $800 tax.
New York LLC annual report: there is no annual report, but you still have filings to track New York compliance page clarifying the $9 biennial statement versus the separate annual tax filing fee.
Delaware LLC annual report: there is no report, but the June 1 tax still bites Delaware compliance page clarifying that LLCs do not file an annual report but still owe the yearly $400 tax by June 1.
Change registered agent in Texas: Form 401, $15, and no PO box shortcuts Texas switching guide covering Form 401, the $15 fee, consent rules, and why the registered office must be a real Texas street address.
Change registered agent in Florida: the $25 LLC filing and the easier annual report option Florida switching guide covering the $25 statement of change, written acceptance, and when the annual report can handle the update instead.
Change registered agent in California: file a new Statement of Information California switching guide explaining why LLCs use a new Statement of Information instead of a separate agent-change form.
Do I need a registered agent for an LLC? In practice, yes Foundational conversion page explaining the real requirement, the self-agent tradeoff, and why the role matters before EIN and compliance work.
Northwest vs Bizee: pay more for fewer moving parts, or take the cheap hook? Head-to-head comparison framing the real choice between low upfront cost and a broader privacy-focused setup stack.
Northwest vs Harbor Compliance: better for a solo founder, or better for a process-heavy team? Comparison page separating founder-friendly setup from compliance-operations tooling and annual-report workflow support.
Northwest vs Registered Agents Inc: close on features, different on positioning Comparison page for two serious full-stack options, with privacy, service breadth, and support style as the main decision points.
Best LLC formation service if you want the setup done without buying a mess Buyer guide that compares formation services based on real workflow, not just the cheapest headline.
LLC vs sole proprietorship: the liability gap is real, the tax gap is usually not Decision page that separates the legal-entity difference from the lookalike tax treatment.
LLC vs S corp: this is usually a tax election question, not a business-entity question Clarifies the common confusion between LLC formation and S corp tax status.
Is Delaware worth it for a small business? Usually only in specific cases Decision page that weighs Delaware's real annual tax and agent requirements against the reputation boost.
Best state to form an LLC? Usually your home state, with a few real exceptions High-intent comparison page that cuts through Delaware, Wyoming, Nevada, and home-state myths.
How long does it take to form an LLC? It depends on the state and how you file Timeline page grounded in official state filing and expedite rules instead of generic averages.
How much does an LLC cost? The filing fee is only the first number Cost page that compares formation fees against real annual taxes, reports, and publication costs.
What does a registered agent do? They keep your LLC reachable when it matters Foundational explainer that connects the legal role to actual notice handling, privacy, and compliance.
Do I need an LLC for freelancing? Usually not on day one, but sometimes soon after Side-hustle decision page that separates easy startup from the moment legal separation starts to matter.
Do I need an LLC for Amazon FBA? No, but there are a few reasons sellers still form one Marketplace-specific guide that uses Amazon's own onboarding language instead of repeating seller myths.
Do I need an LLC for real estate? No, but the liability question is harder to ignore Real-estate decision page that focuses on liability exposure, rental reporting, and why structure gets more serious fast.
Foreign qualification for an LLC: when out-of-state registration becomes the real job Compliance page that explains why forming in one state does not automatically let you operate in another.
How to dissolve an LLC without leaving loose ends behind End-of-life workflow page covering state cancellation, final tax filings, EIN cleanup, and the winding-up steps people skip.
Virtual office vs registered agent: they solve different problems Address-choice explainer showing why mail services and legal service-of-process roles are related but not interchangeable.