How Much Does an LLC Cost in Indiana

How Much Does an LLC Cost in Indiana?

An Indiana LLC costs $95 to form online (about $97.04 with the card surcharge) or $100 by mail, then roughly $16 per year for the biennial $32 Business Entity Report if you file everything yourself. The Employer Identification Number (EIN), a do-it-yourself operating agreement, and self-appointed registered agent service all cost $0. The table below lists every fee, its frequency, and the source.

What Is the LLC Filing Fee in Indiana?

The Indiana LLC filing fee is $95 online through INBiz, Indiana’s business portal, or $100 by mail or in person, paid one-time to the Indiana Secretary of State. Online payments add a card processing fee of the greater of $1 or about 2.15% of the transaction, which brings the true online total to roughly $97.04 per the INBiz fee calculator.

Indiana calls this document the “Articles of Organization.” Some states use “Certificate of Formation” for the same filing, which is why searchers look up both terms. In Indiana, the correct name is Articles of Organization. The $95 online fee is the $75 statutory base fee plus a $20 Enhanced Access surcharge, per the INBiz filing schedule. No expedited filing option exists in Indiana, so paying more does not buy faster processing.

How Much Does a Registered Agent Cost in Indiana?

A registered agent costs $0 if you serve as your own, or roughly $100 to $300 per year for a commercial service, with some providers starting near $99 annually. Every Indiana LLC must name a registered agent with a physical Indiana address, available during business hours to receive legal documents.

Acting as your own agent saves money but puts your address on the public record and ties you to business-hours availability. A commercial service keeps your address private and forwards documents. Weigh the privacy tradeoff against the recurring cost before deciding.

What Does the Indiana Business Entity Report Cost?

The Business Entity Report costs $32 online or $50 by paper, filed every two years, not annually, per the Indiana Secretary of State. It is due by the end of the LLC’s anniversary month. Because it is biennial, the true annualized cost is only about $16 per year online. This is the single fact most other guides get wrong.

Indiana law sets this schedule under the Uniform Business Organizations Code, which requires a report every two calendar years. There is no flat late fee. The real risk is administrative dissolution: the Secretary of State can begin dissolving your LLC if the report is more than 120 days overdue, after written notice and a cure period. Reinstatement then requires a tax clearance that takes four to six weeks.

How Much Does an Operating Agreement Cost in Indiana?

An operating agreement costs $0 with a do-it-yourself template or about $520 to $750 flat for attorney drafting, more if your ownership structure is complex. Indiana does not legally require an operating agreement, but having one strengthens the liability separation between you and your LLC.

Many platforms offer free Indiana-specific templates. If your LLC has multiple members or unusual profit splits, attorney review is worth the cost. See our guide to operating agreement requirements by state for what your agreement should cover.

How Much Does an EIN Cost for an Indiana LLC?

An EIN costs $0 directly from the IRS and is issued online in minutes. The IRS explicitly warns that third-party sites charging a fee for an EIN are not the official source. This is the most common avoidable fee for new LLC owners.

Apply through the free IRS EIN application. Skip any service that charges for the number itself. If you want help preparing the underlying Form SS-4 correctly, see our EIN for LLC guide.

What Does It Cost to Register an LLC Name in Indiana?

Registering your LLC name costs $0, because the name registers automatically when you file the Articles of Organization. There is no separate name registration fee. An optional name reservation costs $10 and holds your chosen name for a renewable 120-day period before you file.

Name reservation is only useful if you need to lock a name before you are ready to form. Under Indiana Code § 23-0.5-9-36, the electronic reservation fee is $10. Most founders skip it and file directly.

How Much Does a DBA Cost in Indiana?

A DBA (Doing Business As) costs $20 online or $30 by mail in Indiana. The filing is called a Certificate of Assumed Business Name and is submitted to the Indiana Secretary of State. For LLCs, it is a one-time fee that never expires and never needs renewal.

You need a DBA only if your LLC operates under a name different from its legal name. If you trade under your official LLC name, you can skip this entirely.

What Does a Registered Retail Merchant Certificate Cost in Indiana?

A Registered Retail Merchant Certificate costs about $25 and is valid for two years, issued by the Indiana Department of Revenue. Any Indiana LLC that sells taxable goods and collects sales tax must hold one before making sales.

This is Indiana’s version of a seller’s permit. The certificate renews on a two-year cycle, so the annualized cost is roughly $12.50 per year for sellers. LLCs that do not collect sales tax do not need it.

What Business and Professional License Fees Apply to Indiana LLCs?

Indiana has no statewide general business license, so most LLCs pay $0 at the state level for general operation. Costs come from local permits and profession-specific licenses. Local city and county permits vary by jurisdiction and industry, while state board licenses run from $25 to more than $1,000. The table below shows representative examples.

Check with your city and county for local requirements before you open. Regulated fields such as healthcare, construction, and financial services carry their own board fees and renewal cycles.

How Much Does It Cost to Maintain an LLC in Indiana Each Year?

Annualized maintenance runs roughly $16 to $330 per year, depending on whether you hire a registered agent. The floor is about $16 per year for the biennial report if you handle everything yourself. The table below shows the recurring costs.

If you are your own agent and do not sell taxable goods, your only mandatory recurring cost is the biennial report.

What Is the Cheapest Way to Form an LLC in Indiana?

The cheapest way to form an Indiana LLC costs about $97 total: file the Articles of Organization online yourself for $95 plus the ~$2 card fee, act as your own registered agent for $0, use a free operating agreement template, and get your EIN free from the IRS. That is the complete legal minimum to form and operate.

You skip no legal requirement by going this route. The only ongoing cost is the ~$16-per-year biennial report. Everything beyond that is optional or profession-specific.

What Hidden Fees Should Indiana LLC Owners Watch For?

The fees people miss are the online card surcharge, recurring agent renewals, the forgotten biennial report, and paid-EIN middlemen. None are hidden by the state, but all are easy to overlook when budgeting. The table below lists each one and why it slips through.

The biennial report carries the biggest downside. Miss it long enough and Indiana can administratively dissolve your LLC, after which reinstatement adds fees and a four-to-six-week tax clearance.

How Much Do LLC Formation Services Cost in Indiana?

Third-party formation platforms charge their own service fee on top of the $95 state fee, typically bundling registered agent service, EIN filing, and operating agreement templates. Prices vary widely by provider and package. Some bundle first-year registered agent service, then renew that piece at a higher annual rate.

Do-it-yourself filing through INBiz is fine if you are comfortable with the paperwork and available as your own agent. A service earns its fee when you want privacy, deadline tracking, and a single point of contact. Watch for upsells on items you can get free, such as the EIN. Compare what is bundled against what you would pay separately before committing.

Is Indiana a Good State to Form an LLC?

Yes, Indiana is a low-cost state for LLCs that actually operate there. Its $95 formation fee, absence of a franchise tax, and biennial $32 report undercut most states on recurring cost. The table below compares Indiana with three other states; verify each figure against the state before relying on it.

Forming in your home state is usually best. Registering in Indiana while operating elsewhere triggers foreign qualification costs and a second registered agent. Compare options in our guide to the best state to start an LLC.

How Commenda Helps You Form an Indiana LLC

Commenda’s incorporation service handles your Indiana LLC end to end: Articles of Organization filing, EIN setup, registered agent service, and compliance deadline tracking so the biennial report never lapses. You get certainty that every filing is handled, not a pile of reminders and spreadsheets.

Start with our US LLC registration page to form the entity, then use entity management to keep every ongoing filing on schedule. Confirm your name is available with the company name checker, and track every due date with the compliance calendar.

Book a demo to get a flat, all-in quote for your Indiana LLC formation.