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How to start an LLC in New Hampshire

Every step to form your LLC in New Hampshire, with the state's fees and the official page for each. Checked against the state's own pages on September 30, 2026.

Filing fee
$100
Regular report
$100
What you file
Certificate of Formation
Where
The New Hampshire Secretary of State

Get the free checklist It follows these steps with you, for your business, and keeps track of what's done.

What an LLC costs in New Hampshire

Filing Certificate of Formation with the New Hampshire Secretary of State$100
The regular report that keeps it in good standing$100
An EIN from the IRSFree
A registered agentFree if you're your own; a service charges a yearly fee

The state's fees only. Card or handling fees, a registered agent service, local licenses and taxes come on top where they apply. Checked against official sources on September 30, 2026. It's general information, not legal or tax advice.

Step by step

In the order most owners do them. Each step says where it happens and links to the official page.

  1. With the state

    Check your name is free

    Search the New Hampshire Secretary of State's business records to check no business already uses your name, or one too close to it. An LLC's name must also end with "LLC" or a similar ending.

    Search business names (opens the official site)

  2. Your records

    Choose a registered agent

    Every LLC and corporation in New Hampshire needs a registered agent: a person or company with a street address in New Hampshire who receives legal papers and state notices for it. You can be your own, or pay a registered agent service.

  3. With the state

    File your Certificate of Formation

    File it with the New Hampshire Secretary of State; you can file online through QuickStart. The state's fee is $100. Once it's filed, your business exists.

    File online (opens the official site)

  4. Your records

    Write an operating agreement

    It sets out who owns the LLC, how decisions are made and what happens if someone leaves. It isn't filed with the state: keep it with your records. A lawyer can help you write one.

  5. With the IRS

    Get an EIN from the IRS

    An Employer Identification Number is your business's tax number, for taxes, hiring and a bank account. Apply once your Certificate of Formation are filed. It's free from the IRS: with a Social Security number or ITIN, you can apply on the IRS's own site and get it at once. Watch out for look-alike sites that charge for it.

    Apply for an EIN on IRS.gov (opens the official site)

  6. With the state

    Register for state taxes

    If you'll serve taxable meals, rent rooms or rent vehicles, you need a meals and rentals license from the New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration before you start. Businesses whose income is above the state's thresholds file Business Profits Tax and Business Enterprise Tax returns with the department, on Granite Tax Connect. Employers also file reports and pay unemployment contributions to New Hampshire Employment Security.

    Register for state taxes (opens the official site)

  7. City or county

    Check local licenses and permits

    Ask your city or county what your business needs: a business license, permits, or zoning approval to work from home. Some trades also need a state license.

  8. Your records

    Open a business bank account

    Keep the business's money apart from your own: it keeps your records clear at tax time, and keeps the LLC separate from you. Banks usually ask for your filed Certificate of Formation and your EIN.

  9. With the state

    Put the yearly report in your calendar

    Every LLC in New Hampshire files an annual report with the Secretary of State between January 1 and April 1 each year, starting the year after it's formed (an LLC formed in December starts a year later). The fee is $100; a report filed after April 1 costs $50 more. The state can dissolve an LLC that misses its report two years in a row.

    About annual reports (opens the official site)

Questions about an LLC in New Hampshire

How much does it cost to start an LLC in New Hampshire?

The state's fee to file Certificate of Formation is $100. To stay in good standing, it also files a regular report, which costs $100. An EIN from the IRS is free.

Does New Hampshire require a yearly report for an LLC?

Yes. New Hampshire asks every LLC for a regular report to stay in good standing. It costs $100, and the step below says when it's due and where to file it.

Can I form an LLC in New Hampshire myself?

Yes. You file Certificate of Formation with the New Hampshire Secretary of State and pay the state's fee, and the steps above show where. You don't need a lawyer, though one can advise on your situation. PressUp's free checklist follows these steps with you.

Is this legal or tax advice?

No. PressUp isn't a law firm or an accountant. This guide is general information from New Hampshire's official pages, checked on September 30, 2026. For advice about your own situation, ask a lawyer or an accountant.

Where this comes from

New Hampshire's official pages, read on September 30, 2026:

LLC guides for other states