How Much Does It Cost to Start an LLC in Arizona?

Legal business registration — and keeping your business in good standing — involves some necessary expenses. We’ve summarized some of these costs here. Some of these costs are payable to the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC), while others are due to the federal or other state government entity.

Please note that when you first form your business, Arizona business license and permit fees might need to be paid on an ongoing schedule or on an ad hoc basis. Find more details below.

Initial Arizona LLC Fees

When you first start your business, you must file Arizona Corporation Commission forms and pay filing fees. Here are the current Arizona LLC fees and filing times:

When you form through Incfile, we charge you this fee and forward it to the ACC when we file your formation paperwork.

Employer Identification Number

Every LLC should have a unique Employer Identification Number (EIN) provided by the Internal Revenue Service. You'll use it when filing taxes, opening a business bank account and paying employees. You can get one yourself at no cost from the IRS or have Incfile obtain one on your behalf.

Foreign LLCs

When you want to do business in a state other than the one where your business is based, you must create a foreign LLC.

Arizona Foreign LLC Registration

Before you can bring an arm of your business from another state into Arizona, you must request Arizona Foreign Qualification. This means the state gives you permission to conduct business there.

To request registration of an Arizona Foreign LLC, you must complete a Foreign Registration Statement form and pay a processing fee of $150. The state may have additional requirements so contact the Arizona Secretary of State Corporation Division for more information.

Foreign Qualification to Operate in Another State

If you plan to expand your Arizona LLC into another state, you’ll first need Foreign Qualification or a Certificate of Authority from that state. This is necessary if you'll have a physical presence, employees or banking in that state.

To complete this process, you'll need to fill out an application and pay a filing fee. Each state has its own requirements, so compare state filing times and state filing fees to plan accordingly. Contact the state government entity that administers business (usually the Secretary of State) to confirm their state's requirements and to get detailed instructions.

If you need assistance, Incfile provides complete Foreign Qualification service for all states.

Annual Report Requirements

Arizona does not require LLCs to file annual reports.

Arizona Business Licenses and Permits

You may need state, federal or local business licenses to operate your LLC. Some of the associated fees only need to be paid once, while others are ongoing charges.

Operating Agreements

The state doesn't require you to have an Arizona LLC Operating Agreement in place.

An Operating Agreement is a document that covers how the business will be run, how managers and members are chosen, rights and duties of members and several other key areas. It's usually filed with your Articles of Organization.

This document can be extremely helpful in making sure you’re organized and prepared for any future events that may affect your business.

Other Potential LLC Fees or Requirements in Arizona

You may need to pay and meet several other fees and requirements during the life of your LLC. These ad hoc fees will only be payable in specific circumstances, which we’ve listed below.

Obtaining a Trade Name or DBA

If you want to establish an Arizona DBA (trade name), you must file a form with the ACC and pay a filing fee of $10.

Changing the Registered Agent

Your LLC needs an Arizona Statutory Agent, which must be appointed when you first form your business. You can also switch to a new Registered Agent later by filing a form and paying a $5 fee.

Reserving a Name for Your LLC

If you don’t want to form your LLC right away, you can reserve a business name for 120 days with the ACC for a fee of $45. First, perform an Arizona business search and learn about business name rules to ensure the name you choose meets all state requirements.

Amending Certain Facts About Your LLC

Your business formation documents state certain facts about your Arizona business at the time it's formed. Over time, these facts might change. If they do, you'll need to file Articles of Amendment with the ACC and pay a $25 filing fee. You can do this yourself or have Incfile complete the filing on your behalf.

Getting an Arizona Certificate of Good Standing

Some organizations will request that you prove your LLC’s compliance with laws and tax requirements. If you need to prove that you've met your commitments, you'll need a Certificate of Good Standing from the ACC.

The fees listed above detail many of the charges a standard LLC will be required to pay in Arizona. In some unusual circumstances, there may be other one-off, periodic or ad hoc fees not listed above.

Of course, your LLC will also probably need to pay self-employment, payroll, federal, state and sales taxes. More information about taxes can be found on the Arizona Business Tax page.