How to get an llc for free has a short, honest answer: you can’t avoid your state’s filing fee, but you can get the paperwork and filing service itself for $0 through several legitimate companies in 2026. No state charges nothing to form an LLC — fees range from $35 to $500 depending on where you file — but the service fee on top of that, the part companies like ZenBusiness, Bizee, and LegalZoom normally charge for, can genuinely be waived.
Quick Facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Core Question | How to get an LLC for free — the state fee is unavoidable, but the service fee often isn’t |
| Cheapest State Filing Fee (2026) | Montana — $35 |
| Most Expensive State Filing Fee (2026) | Massachusetts — $500 |
| National Average State Filing Fee (2026) | $132 |
| Is There a Truly $0 State? | No — every state charges a filing fee |
| $0-Service-Fee Formation Companies | ZenBusiness, Bizee, Inc Authority, LegalZoom, Swyft Filings, Tailor Brands |
| Always 100% Free | Getting an EIN directly from the IRS website |
What Does “How to Get an LLC for Free” Actually Mean?
It means paying $0 for the paperwork preparation and filing service, while still covering your state’s mandatory filing fee, which ranges from $35 to $500 depending on where you form the LLC. Anyone asking how to get an llc for free is really asking how to avoid the service fee companies charge for handling the filing — not how to skip the state’s own fee, which no legitimate path around.
That distinction trips up a lot of first-time filers, because marketing language like “free LLC” and “$0 LLC formation” technically means the same thing: the company’s labor is free, the state’s charge is not.
How “Free” LLC Formation Actually Works
Several well-known formation companies offer a genuine $0 service-fee tier, where the business prepares and files your Articles of Organization at no charge and only passes along the exact amount your state charges. This isn’t a trick — it’s a real business model built around earning trust early and selling other services later.
The economics work because these companies profit from what comes after formation, not the formation itself: registered agent service that’s often free for one year but renews at $100-300 annually, operating agreement templates, compliance monitoring, EIN assistance, and various business banking or credit-building add-ons.
Getting an EIN, by contrast, is always free when done directly through the IRS website, regardless of which formation path is used. Any service charging specifically for EIN acquisition is charging for a convenience, not for something that costs money at the source.
Understanding this split — what’s genuinely free versus what’s simply bundled or deferred — is the real answer to how to get an llc for free without being surprised by a charge later. The formation companies aren’t hiding this; it’s just easy to miss when a checkout page says “$0” in large text and the state fee in smaller print underneath it.
How to Get an LLC for Free: The Real Options Compared
The fastest legitimate path is a $0-service-fee formation company paired with the cheapest state filing fee that still makes sense for your situation. Six companies currently offer genuine $0 basic formation tiers: ZenBusiness Starter, Bizee Basic, Inc Authority, LegalZoom Basic, Swyft Filings Basic, and Tailor Brands Lite — each charges nothing beyond the state’s own fee for the core filing.
State filing fees themselves vary enormously — Montana sits at just $35, the lowest in the country, while Kentucky ($40) and Arkansas ($45) follow close behind. Several states, including Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Michigan, and Missouri, charge a flat $50.
At the other end, Massachusetts charges $500, by far the highest in the country, with Nevada ($425) and Tennessee and Texas (both $300) rounding out the most expensive filing states. The current national average across all states sits at $132, so a filer in a mid-priced state is paying close to the typical cost even while using a $0-service-fee company.
Picking a formation company before checking the state fee is backwards. Since every $0-service-fee company passes along the identical state charge, the real work in how to get an llc for free as cheaply as possible is comparing states, not comparing formation companies, which mostly compete on speed and bundled extras rather than price.
Free LLC Formation in 2026: The Real Numbers
For 2026, the gap between the cheapest and most expensive state filing fee is $465 — meaning where you file can matter more to your total cost than which formation company you pick, since every $0-service-fee company charges the identical pass-through state amount. This state-by-state gap is the part of how to get an llc for free that most comparison articles skip entirely.
Most of the major $0-service-fee companies bundle a free first year of registered agent service into their basic plan, a detail worth roughly $100-300 depending on the provider, which meaningfully changes the real value of each “free” offer beyond the headline $0 price.
Reading the basic-plan inclusions line by line, rather than assuming every $0 plan is identical, is what actually separates a good answer to how to get an llc for free from a plan that looks the same on the surface but quietly skips the registered agent perk.
Business formation volume has also stayed historically high through 2026, with monthly new business filings regularly landing among the highest on record — a trend that has pushed several of these formation companies to compete more aggressively on $0 basic tiers rather than relying purely on service fees to win new customers.
What “Free” Doesn’t Cover
The state’s one-time filing fee is only the first cost — ongoing annual report fees, registered agent renewals, and in some states a separate franchise tax, keep running regardless of which $0-service-fee company handled the initial filing, which is why how to get an llc for free has to be judged across years, not just the first filing. Arkansas is a clear example: its $45 filing fee looks like one of the cheapest in the country, but the state also charges a $150 annual franchise tax that a quick fee comparison alone won’t surface.
States like Mississippi, New Mexico, Missouri, Arizona, and Ohio skip the annual report requirement entirely, which can make a slightly higher upfront filing fee cheaper over several years than a lower fee paired with recurring paperwork and cost elsewhere.
Registered agent service is the other recurring cost to watch. The free first year most $0-service-fee companies include typically renews automatically into a paid plan, so anyone planning to use a formation company’s free tier should calendar that renewal date rather than being surprised by the charge.
None of this makes the $0 service-fee offers dishonest — it just means a complete answer to how to get an llc for free has to include year two and beyond, not just the day the Articles of Organization get approved.
How the Major $0-Service-Fee Companies Compare
| Company | Basic Plan Cost | Processing Speed | Free Registered Agent (Year 1) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ZenBusiness Starter | $0 + state fee | 7-10 business days standard | Not included on Starter |
| Bizee Basic | $0 + state fee | Varies by state | Yes, included |
| Inc Authority | $0 + state fee | Varies by state | Yes, included |
| LegalZoom Basic | $0 + state fee | Varies by state | Not included on Basic |
| Swyft Filings Basic | $0 + state fee | Varies by state | Not included on Basic |
| Tailor Brands Lite | $0 + state fee | 14 business days | Not included on Lite |
*Plan features and processing times change frequently; confirm current details directly with each company before filing, since basic-tier inclusions are the first thing formation companies tend to adjust. Our Business section covers more of the practical decisions that come before and after this one.
Practical Takeaways
Comparing the state filing fee first, before comparing formation companies, usually matters more to the final price — the $465 spread between Montana and Massachusetts dwarfs any difference between one $0-service-fee company and another. This single comparison is the most practical step in the entire how to get an llc for free process.
Reading exactly what renews after year one, especially registered agent service, avoids the most common complaint about “free” LLC formation: a surprise charge showing up twelve months after what felt like a $0 setup.
For anyone still deciding whether an LLC is the right structure at all, it’s worth weighing the fully free alternative first — our list of sole proprietorship business examples covers when skipping formal registration entirely still makes sense for a small, low-risk business.
Once the decision is made, understanding the realistic filing timeline helps set expectations beyond the cost question alone — our breakdown of how long it takes to set up an LLC walks through state-by-state processing times that apply regardless of which $0-service-fee company is used.
Solo founders specifically should also understand what the LLC structure itself changes before filing — our guide to what a single-member LLC actually is covers the liability and tax basics a formation company’s checkout page won’t explain.
People Also Ask
How do I get an LLC for free?
The short answer to how to get an llc for free is to use a formation company offering a genuine $0 service-fee basic plan — ZenBusiness, Bizee, Inc Authority, LegalZoom, Swyft Filings, and Tailor Brands all currently offer one — and you’ll only pay your state’s mandatory filing fee, which ranges from $35 to $500.
Is there any state with a $0 LLC filing fee?
No — every US state charges a filing fee to form an LLC, ranging from Montana’s $35 (the lowest) to Massachusetts’s $500 (the highest), with a 2026 national average of $132, which is why how to get an llc for free always means a $0 service fee, never a $0 state fee.
What’s the cheapest state to form an LLC in 2026?
Montana, at $35, followed by Kentucky at $40 and Arkansas at $45, though Arkansas also charges a separate $150 annual franchise tax that affects the true long-term cost.
What’s the most expensive state to form an LLC?
Massachusetts, at $500, is the most expensive, followed by Nevada at $425 and Tennessee and Texas, both at $300.
Is getting an EIN free?
Yes, always — applying directly through the IRS website costs nothing regardless of which formation path is used, so any service charging specifically for EIN acquisition is charging for convenience rather than a cost it actually incurs.
What’s the catch with “free” LLC formation services?
The company profits from what comes after formation — registered agent renewals (often $100-300 a year after a free first year), operating agreement templates, compliance monitoring, and various add-on services — not from the filing itself.
Which free LLC service is actually the best value?
Bizee and Inc Authority currently stand out by including a free first year of registered agent service on their $0 basic plans, while companies like ZenBusiness, LegalZoom, and Swyft Filings typically reserve that perk for a higher-tier plan — a meaningful difference when comparing how to get an llc for free beyond just the headline price.
Do I still need a registered agent if I use a free LLC service?
Yes — every state requires a registered agent regardless of which formation path is used; a $0-service-fee company either includes one for a limited time or expects you to name yourself or another party at no extra state cost.
Is DIY filing cheaper than using a free LLC formation service?
Rarely by much — filing directly with the state costs exactly the state fee with no service markup, but a $0-service-fee company charges the identical state fee while adding error-checking and a bundled registered agent, often at no extra cost for the first year.
Does forming an LLC in a cheap state like Montana save money if I live elsewhere?
Usually not — operating in a state other than where the LLC is formed typically requires registering as a foreign LLC in your home state too, adding a second filing fee and registered agent requirement that erases most or all of the original savings.
The Bottom Line
How to get an llc for free comes down to one honest distinction: the state’s filing fee, somewhere between $35 and $500 depending on where you file, is never avoidable, but the service fee that companies like ZenBusiness, Bizee, and LegalZoom normally charge genuinely can be $0 through their basic plans.
Comparing the state fee first, checking exactly what a formation company’s free tier includes for year one versus what renews as paid, and remembering that an EIN is always free from the IRS directly covers nearly every real cost decision in this process. Revisiting how to get an llc for free each time plans change is worth it too, since formation companies adjust their basic-tier inclusions often. For more business formation guides built the same way, visit Snoopstats.
