How to start an LLC in New Jersey

What the New Jersey Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services asks for, what each filing costs, and when the Annual Report is due.

A New Jersey LLC's filings and state fees, in the order they come.
  1. To form it Certificate of Formation, $125
  2. Every year Annual Report, $75, due during the anniversary month of formation or authorization, filed online

An LLC in New Jersey starts with one filing: the Certificate of Formation, sent to the New Jersey Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services with a $125 fee. From then on, state fees come to $75 a year.

File with the New Jersey Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services

What is different in New Jersey

New Jersey LLCs register with the Treasury's Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services, not a Secretary of State. The free name search shows no status or registered agent.

Step by step

  1. Check that the name is free

    Start from our New Jersey business lookup or go straight to the official New Jersey search. Search the proposed name in the NJ Business Name Search; the name is also checked for availability as part of the formation filing, and can be reserved first for 120 days.

    The name must also say that it is an LLC, with words such as "Limited Liability Company" or "LLC". Our name availability guide covers what makes two names too close.

  2. Reserve the name, if you want to hold it

    Optional. If you are not ready to file, a reservation costs $50 and holds the name for 120 days. Source, checked 2026-10-26

  3. Appoint a registered agent

    Pick someone with a street address in New Jersey to receive legal papers for the LLC: yourself, a person you trust, or a commercial agent. Whoever it is appears on the public record (more on registered agents).

  4. File the Certificate of Formation

    File the Certificate of Formation with the New Jersey Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services. The state fee is $125. Source, checked 2026-10-26

  5. Get an EIN from the IRS, free

    Once New Jersey approves the LLC, apply for an Employer Identification Number on the IRS EIN page. It is free and issued online as soon as the application is approved; a site that charges for it is selling a service, not the number.

  6. Write an operating agreement

    It records who owns the LLC, how profit is split, who decides and what happens when a member leaves. It stays with the company's records; the New Jersey Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services never sees it. Without one, New Jersey's default LLC rules fill the gaps. See what goes in one.

  7. Keep it in good standing

    Annual Report: $75, every year, due during the anniversary month of formation or authorization, filed online. Source, checked 2026-10-26

    An LLC that falls behind on these, or is left without a registered agent, can be dissolved by the state.

What a New Jersey LLC costs

To form $125
  • Certificate of Formation Source, checked 2026-10-26 $125
Every year to keep it $75 a year
  • Annual Report Source, checked 2026-10-26 $75 a year

Annual Report: due during the anniversary month of formation or authorization, filed online.

State fees only, as each state publishes them, checked on the date beside each line. Not legal or tax advice.

These are the state's fees. A commercial agent and local licenses, if you need them, are extra.

Look up any New Jersey company, yours included once it is filed, in our New Jersey business lookup. For a bank account, licenses and permits, see how to start an LLC.

General information, not legal or tax advice. Facts checked 2026-10-26 against the official sources linked above; confirm with the state or the IRS before you file. How we check our facts · Report an error