How to start an LLC in Pennsylvania

Forming an LLC in Pennsylvania: the Pennsylvania Department of State's forms, fees and deadlines, each checked against the official source.

What a Pennsylvania LLC files and pays, from formation on.
  1. To form it Certificate of Organization, $125
  2. Every year Annual Report (DSCB:15-146), $7, due September 30 for LLCs

Pennsylvania charges $125 to file the Certificate of Organization, the document that creates an LLC there, with the Pennsylvania Department of State. From then on, state fees come to $7 a year.

File with the Pennsylvania Department of State

What is different in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania annual reports began in 2025, replacing the old decennial report; from reports due in 2027, an LLC that fails to file is administratively dissolved six months after the due date. Unlike a new corporation, a Pennsylvania LLC does not have to advertise its formation in newspapers.

The steps

  1. Check that the name is free

    Start from our Pennsylvania business lookup or go straight to the official Pennsylvania search. Search the name in the Business Filing Services business search or call the Bureau; the Department says these are only preliminary checks, not a guarantee. A written availability search of up to three names costs $15.

    Add an ending such as "LLC" or "Limited Liability Company". What counts as too close to an existing name is in the name availability guide.

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

    Optional. If you are not ready to file, a reservation costs $70 and holds the name for 120 days. Source, checked 2026-10-26

  3. Name a registered office

    Pennsylvania asks for a registered office rather than an agent: a street address in Pennsylvania where legal papers can be delivered, or a commercial registered office provider that supplies one. It goes on the Certificate of Organization and on the public record. Source, checked 2026-10-26

  4. File the Certificate of Organization

    File the Certificate of Organization (DSCB:15-8821), with a Docketing Statement (DSCB:15-134A) with the Pennsylvania Department of State. The state fee is $125. Filed with a Docketing Statement (DSCB:15-134A). Source, checked 2026-10-26

  5. Get an EIN from the IRS, free

    The IRS issues the EIN free, online, the moment it approves the application. You need it for a business bank account, payroll and most tax filings; how to get an EIN has the details.

  6. Write an operating agreement

    It can be short: who owns what, how profit is shared, who decides and how a member leaves, signed by every member, or by you alone for a one-person LLC. It stays with the company's records rather than being filed (what to put in it).

  7. Keep it in good standing

    Annual Report (DSCB:15-146): $7, every year, due September 30 for LLCs. Source, checked 2026-10-26

    Keep the registered office and the addresses on file up to date too: a state can dissolve an LLC that misses its filings or loses its agent.

What a Pennsylvania LLC costs

To form $125
  • Certificate of Organization Source, checked 2026-10-26 $125
Every year to keep it $7 a year
  • Annual Report (DSCB:15-146) Source, checked 2026-10-26 $7 a year

Annual Report (DSCB:15-146): due September 30 for LLCs.

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.

To check a name, a status or an agent on the state record, use the Pennsylvania business lookup. Banking, licenses and the other steps that work the same everywhere are in 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