How to Form a Company in the US: A Complete Guide for New Founders
Starting a business can be overwhelming. There are a lot of things you need to take care of and it can be hard to keep track of exactly what you need to do, and when. This section of the site has useful guides and research to help you navigate the legal process of actually forming a company.
State Guides
Our state formation guides are an essential resource for anyone looking to start a business or apply for an LLC. Each guide provides detailed information about the requirements and procedures for forming an LLC in a specific state, including the necessary forms and fees.
These guides are especially helpful because the requirements for forming an LLC can vary widely from state to state. For example, some states require LLCs to have a registered agent, while others do not. Some states have relatively low filing fees, while others can be quite expensive. By consulting our state LLC formation guides, you can make sure that you're meeting all of the necessary requirements and avoiding any costly mistakes.
If you are deciding betweeen two states, we also have comparison pages to quickly compare one state to another.
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Formation Services
If you don't want to form the LLC yourself, you can use a formation service. These services will handle all of the paperwork and filing for you, and they can often do it for a very reasonable price.
Below are links to all of the services we have collected data on and reviewed.
- BizFilings
- Clerky
- CorpNet
- Direct Incorporation
- Doola
- Firstbase
- Harbor Compliance
- Harvard Business Services
- Inc Authority
- Incfile
- IncNow
- InCorp
- Incorporate
- Incorporate Fast
- IncParadise
- LegalZoom
- MyCompanyWorks
- MyCorporation
- MyUSACorporation
- Nationwide Incorporators
- Northwest Registered Agent
- Rocket Lawyer
- Stripe Atlas
- SunDoc Filings
- Swyft Filings
- Tailor Brands
- ZenBusiness
Formation Service Comparisons
We also have comparison pages for the most popular formation services. These pages compare the prices, features, and customer reviews of the most popular formation services.
The state guides show you how you can form the LLC yourself, but formation services are very price-competitive and it's often a huge time-saver to use one. If you're not sure which service to use, our comparison pages can help you decide.
As you can see, we have done a lot of comparison research and collated almost 30 pieces of data on each service. If the list below is too much, you can click the specific service you're considering above and see just the comparisons with that service.
- BizFilings vs Clerky
- BizFilings vs CorpNet
- BizFilings vs Direct Incorporation
- BizFilings vs Doola
- BizFilings vs Firstbase
- BizFilings vs Harbor Compliance
- BizFilings vs Harvard Business Services
- BizFilings vs Inc Authority
- BizFilings vs Incfile
- BizFilings vs IncNow
- BizFilings vs InCorp
- BizFilings vs Incorporate
- BizFilings vs Incorporate Fast
- BizFilings vs IncParadise
- BizFilings vs LegalZoom
- BizFilings vs MyCompanyWorks
- BizFilings vs MyCorporation
- BizFilings vs MyUSACorporation
- BizFilings vs Nationwide Incorporators
- BizFilings vs Northwest Registered Agent
- BizFilings vs Rocket Lawyer
- BizFilings vs Stripe Atlas
- BizFilings vs SunDoc Filings
- BizFilings vs Swyft Filings
- BizFilings vs Tailor Brands
- BizFilings vs ZenBusiness
- Clerky vs CorpNet
- Clerky vs Direct Incorporation
- Clerky vs Doola
- Clerky vs Firstbase
- Clerky vs Harbor Compliance
- Clerky vs Harvard Business Services
- Clerky vs Inc Authority
- Clerky vs Incfile
- Clerky vs IncNow
- Clerky vs InCorp
- Clerky vs Incorporate
- Clerky vs Incorporate Fast
- Clerky vs IncParadise
- Clerky vs LegalZoom
- Clerky vs MyCompanyWorks
- Clerky vs MyCorporation
- Clerky vs MyUSACorporation
- Clerky vs Nationwide Incorporators
- Clerky vs Northwest Registered Agent
- Clerky vs Rocket Lawyer
- Clerky vs Stripe Atlas
- Clerky vs SunDoc Filings
- Clerky vs Swyft Filings
- Clerky vs Tailor Brands
- Clerky vs ZenBusiness
- CorpNet vs Direct Incorporation
- CorpNet vs Doola
- CorpNet vs Firstbase
- CorpNet vs Harbor Compliance
- CorpNet vs Harvard Business Services
- CorpNet vs Inc Authority
- CorpNet vs Incfile
- CorpNet vs IncNow
- CorpNet vs InCorp
- CorpNet vs Incorporate
- CorpNet vs Incorporate Fast
- CorpNet vs IncParadise
- CorpNet vs LegalZoom
- CorpNet vs MyCompanyWorks
- CorpNet vs MyCorporation
- CorpNet vs MyUSACorporation
- CorpNet vs Nationwide Incorporators
- CorpNet vs Northwest Registered Agent
- CorpNet vs Rocket Lawyer
- CorpNet vs Stripe Atlas
- CorpNet vs SunDoc Filings
- CorpNet vs Swyft Filings
- CorpNet vs Tailor Brands
- CorpNet vs ZenBusiness
- Direct Incorporation vs Doola
- Direct Incorporation vs Firstbase
- Direct Incorporation vs Harbor Compliance
- Direct Incorporation vs Harvard Business Services
- Direct Incorporation vs Inc Authority
- Direct Incorporation vs Incfile
- Direct Incorporation vs IncNow
- Direct Incorporation vs InCorp
- Direct Incorporation vs Incorporate
- Direct Incorporation vs Incorporate Fast
- Direct Incorporation vs IncParadise
- Direct Incorporation vs LegalZoom
- Direct Incorporation vs MyCompanyWorks
- Direct Incorporation vs MyCorporation
- Direct Incorporation vs MyUSACorporation
- Direct Incorporation vs Nationwide Incorporators
- Direct Incorporation vs Northwest Registered Agent
- Direct Incorporation vs Rocket Lawyer
- Direct Incorporation vs Stripe Atlas
- Direct Incorporation vs SunDoc Filings
- Direct Incorporation vs Swyft Filings
- Direct Incorporation vs Tailor Brands
- Direct Incorporation vs ZenBusiness
- Doola vs Firstbase
- Doola vs Harbor Compliance
- Doola vs Harvard Business Services
- Doola vs Inc Authority
- Doola vs Incfile
- Doola vs IncNow
- Doola vs InCorp
- Doola vs Incorporate
- Doola vs Incorporate Fast
- Doola vs IncParadise
- Doola vs LegalZoom
- Doola vs MyCompanyWorks
- Doola vs MyCorporation
- Doola vs MyUSACorporation
- Doola vs Nationwide Incorporators
- Doola vs Northwest Registered Agent
- Doola vs Rocket Lawyer
- Doola vs Stripe Atlas
- Doola vs SunDoc Filings
- Doola vs Swyft Filings
- Doola vs Tailor Brands
- Doola vs ZenBusiness
- Firstbase vs Harbor Compliance
- Firstbase vs Harvard Business Services
- Firstbase vs Inc Authority
- Firstbase vs Incfile
- Firstbase vs IncNow
- Firstbase vs InCorp
- Firstbase vs Incorporate
- Firstbase vs Incorporate Fast
- Firstbase vs IncParadise
- Firstbase vs LegalZoom
- Firstbase vs MyCompanyWorks
- Firstbase vs MyCorporation
- Firstbase vs MyUSACorporation
- Firstbase vs Nationwide Incorporators
- Firstbase vs Northwest Registered Agent
- Firstbase vs Rocket Lawyer
- Firstbase vs Stripe Atlas
- Firstbase vs SunDoc Filings
- Firstbase vs Swyft Filings
- Firstbase vs Tailor Brands
- Firstbase vs ZenBusiness
- Harbor Compliance vs Harvard Business Services
- Harbor Compliance vs Inc Authority
- Harbor Compliance vs Incfile
- Harbor Compliance vs IncNow
- Harbor Compliance vs InCorp
- Harbor Compliance vs Incorporate
- Harbor Compliance vs Incorporate Fast
- Harbor Compliance vs IncParadise
- Harbor Compliance vs LegalZoom
- Harbor Compliance vs MyCompanyWorks
- Harbor Compliance vs MyCorporation
- Harbor Compliance vs MyUSACorporation
- Harbor Compliance vs Nationwide Incorporators
- Harbor Compliance vs Northwest Registered Agent
- Harbor Compliance vs Rocket Lawyer
- Harbor Compliance vs Stripe Atlas
- Harbor Compliance vs SunDoc Filings
- Harbor Compliance vs Swyft Filings
- Harbor Compliance vs Tailor Brands
- Harbor Compliance vs ZenBusiness
- Harvard Business Services vs Inc Authority
- Harvard Business Services vs Incfile
- Harvard Business Services vs IncNow
- Harvard Business Services vs InCorp
- Harvard Business Services vs Incorporate
- Harvard Business Services vs Incorporate Fast
- Harvard Business Services vs IncParadise
- Harvard Business Services vs LegalZoom
- Harvard Business Services vs MyCompanyWorks
- Harvard Business Services vs MyCorporation
- Harvard Business Services vs MyUSACorporation
- Harvard Business Services vs Nationwide Incorporators
- Harvard Business Services vs Northwest Registered Agent
- Harvard Business Services vs Rocket Lawyer
- Harvard Business Services vs Stripe Atlas
- Harvard Business Services vs SunDoc Filings
- Harvard Business Services vs Swyft Filings
- Harvard Business Services vs Tailor Brands
- Harvard Business Services vs ZenBusiness
- Inc Authority vs Incfile
- Inc Authority vs IncNow
- Inc Authority vs InCorp
- Inc Authority vs Incorporate
- Inc Authority vs Incorporate Fast
- Inc Authority vs IncParadise
- Inc Authority vs LegalZoom
- Inc Authority vs MyCompanyWorks
- Inc Authority vs MyCorporation
- Inc Authority vs MyUSACorporation
- Inc Authority vs Nationwide Incorporators
- Inc Authority vs Northwest Registered Agent
- Inc Authority vs Rocket Lawyer
- Inc Authority vs Stripe Atlas
- Inc Authority vs SunDoc Filings
- Inc Authority vs Swyft Filings
- Inc Authority vs Tailor Brands
- Inc Authority vs ZenBusiness
- Incfile vs IncNow
- Incfile vs InCorp
- Incfile vs Incorporate
- Incfile vs Incorporate Fast
- Incfile vs IncParadise
- Incfile vs LegalZoom
- Incfile vs MyCompanyWorks
- Incfile vs MyCorporation
- Incfile vs MyUSACorporation
- Incfile vs Nationwide Incorporators
- Incfile vs Northwest Registered Agent
- Incfile vs Rocket Lawyer
- Incfile vs Stripe Atlas
- Incfile vs SunDoc Filings
- Incfile vs Swyft Filings
- Incfile vs Tailor Brands
- Incfile vs ZenBusiness
- IncNow vs InCorp
- IncNow vs Incorporate
- IncNow vs Incorporate Fast
- IncNow vs IncParadise
- IncNow vs LegalZoom
- IncNow vs MyCompanyWorks
- IncNow vs MyCorporation
- IncNow vs MyUSACorporation
- IncNow vs Nationwide Incorporators
- IncNow vs Northwest Registered Agent
- IncNow vs Rocket Lawyer
- IncNow vs Stripe Atlas
- IncNow vs SunDoc Filings
- IncNow vs Swyft Filings
- IncNow vs Tailor Brands
- IncNow vs ZenBusiness
- InCorp vs Incorporate
- InCorp vs Incorporate Fast
- InCorp vs IncParadise
- InCorp vs LegalZoom
- InCorp vs MyCompanyWorks
- InCorp vs MyCorporation
- InCorp vs MyUSACorporation
- InCorp vs Nationwide Incorporators
- InCorp vs Northwest Registered Agent
- InCorp vs Rocket Lawyer
- InCorp vs Stripe Atlas
- InCorp vs SunDoc Filings
- InCorp vs Swyft Filings
- InCorp vs Tailor Brands
- InCorp vs ZenBusiness
- Incorporate vs Incorporate Fast
- Incorporate vs IncParadise
- Incorporate vs LegalZoom
- Incorporate vs MyCompanyWorks
- Incorporate vs MyCorporation
- Incorporate vs MyUSACorporation
- Incorporate vs Nationwide Incorporators
- Incorporate vs Northwest Registered Agent
- Incorporate vs Rocket Lawyer
- Incorporate vs Stripe Atlas
- Incorporate vs SunDoc Filings
- Incorporate vs Swyft Filings
- Incorporate vs Tailor Brands
- Incorporate vs ZenBusiness
- Incorporate Fast vs IncParadise
- Incorporate Fast vs LegalZoom
- Incorporate Fast vs MyCompanyWorks
- Incorporate Fast vs MyCorporation
- Incorporate Fast vs MyUSACorporation
- Incorporate Fast vs Nationwide Incorporators
- Incorporate Fast vs Northwest Registered Agent
- Incorporate Fast vs Rocket Lawyer
- Incorporate Fast vs Stripe Atlas
- Incorporate Fast vs SunDoc Filings
- Incorporate Fast vs Swyft Filings
- Incorporate Fast vs Tailor Brands
- Incorporate Fast vs ZenBusiness
- IncParadise vs LegalZoom
- IncParadise vs MyCompanyWorks
- IncParadise vs MyCorporation
- IncParadise vs MyUSACorporation
- IncParadise vs Nationwide Incorporators
- IncParadise vs Northwest Registered Agent
- IncParadise vs Rocket Lawyer
- IncParadise vs Stripe Atlas
- IncParadise vs SunDoc Filings
- IncParadise vs Swyft Filings
- IncParadise vs Tailor Brands
- IncParadise vs ZenBusiness
- LegalZoom vs MyCompanyWorks
- LegalZoom vs MyCorporation
- LegalZoom vs MyUSACorporation
- LegalZoom vs Nationwide Incorporators
- LegalZoom vs Northwest Registered Agent
- LegalZoom vs Rocket Lawyer
- LegalZoom vs Stripe Atlas
- LegalZoom vs SunDoc Filings
- LegalZoom vs Swyft Filings
- LegalZoom vs Tailor Brands
- LegalZoom vs ZenBusiness
- MyCompanyWorks vs MyCorporation
- MyCompanyWorks vs MyUSACorporation
- MyCompanyWorks vs Nationwide Incorporators
- MyCompanyWorks vs Northwest Registered Agent
- MyCompanyWorks vs Rocket Lawyer
- MyCompanyWorks vs Stripe Atlas
- MyCompanyWorks vs SunDoc Filings
- MyCompanyWorks vs Swyft Filings
- MyCompanyWorks vs Tailor Brands
- MyCompanyWorks vs ZenBusiness
- MyCorporation vs MyUSACorporation
- MyCorporation vs Nationwide Incorporators
- MyCorporation vs Northwest Registered Agent
- MyCorporation vs Rocket Lawyer
- MyCorporation vs Stripe Atlas
- MyCorporation vs SunDoc Filings
- MyCorporation vs Swyft Filings
- MyCorporation vs Tailor Brands
- MyCorporation vs ZenBusiness
- MyUSACorporation vs Nationwide Incorporators
- MyUSACorporation vs Northwest Registered Agent
- MyUSACorporation vs Rocket Lawyer
- MyUSACorporation vs Stripe Atlas
- MyUSACorporation vs SunDoc Filings
- MyUSACorporation vs Swyft Filings
- MyUSACorporation vs Tailor Brands
- MyUSACorporation vs ZenBusiness
- Nationwide Incorporators vs Northwest Registered Agent
- Nationwide Incorporators vs Rocket Lawyer
- Nationwide Incorporators vs Stripe Atlas
- Nationwide Incorporators vs SunDoc Filings
- Nationwide Incorporators vs Swyft Filings
- Nationwide Incorporators vs Tailor Brands
- Nationwide Incorporators vs ZenBusiness
- Northwest Registered Agent vs Rocket Lawyer
- Northwest Registered Agent vs Stripe Atlas
- Northwest Registered Agent vs SunDoc Filings
- Northwest Registered Agent vs Swyft Filings
- Northwest Registered Agent vs Tailor Brands
- Northwest Registered Agent vs ZenBusiness
- Rocket Lawyer vs Stripe Atlas
- Rocket Lawyer vs SunDoc Filings
- Rocket Lawyer vs Swyft Filings
- Rocket Lawyer vs Tailor Brands
- Rocket Lawyer vs ZenBusiness
- Stripe Atlas vs SunDoc Filings
- Stripe Atlas vs Swyft Filings
- Stripe Atlas vs Tailor Brands
- Stripe Atlas vs ZenBusiness
- SunDoc Filings vs Swyft Filings
- SunDoc Filings vs Tailor Brands
- SunDoc Filings vs ZenBusiness
- Swyft Filings vs Tailor Brands
- Swyft Filings vs ZenBusiness
- Tailor Brands vs ZenBusiness