The instrument
One filing, executed two ways
Forming an LLC is the execution of a document. Whether you sign it yourself or instruct someone to prepare it changes the cost and the effort, and changes nothing at all about the entity that results.
Recitals
What is true of both routes
Nothing is published yet. The clauses below hold whichever way the filing is made, and are the ground the write-ups start from.
The document is the same. A formation service submits the articles your state publishes, on the form your state provides. There is no alternative filing available to them.
The state fee is payable either way. It is set by statute and is not discounted for volume, however the filing reaches the office.
A registered agent is required in every state. You may serve as your own where you meet the address requirement. That choice, not the filing, is what most services are really selling.
The obligation continues. The entity must be maintained by a recurring filing for as long as it exists, whoever formed it.
The block above is a form, not a record. No document has been executed and no filing has been made to produce this site.
Standing terms
How this site is written
Not legal advice
This describes what filings require. It is not advice about your circumstances, and nothing here creates a professional relationship.
Nothing is scored
No ratings and no tier boards. Where one route suits a case, it is argued in words.
Requirements are cited
Anything stated about a state's requirements is sourced to the office that publishes it, and dated.
Affiliate links are disclosed
Some links earn a commission. It never decides which route a page recommends, and it is stated wherever it applies.