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How to start an LLC in Pennsylvania

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

Filing fee
$125
Regular report
$7
What you file
Certificate of Organization
Where
The Pennsylvania Department 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 Pennsylvania

Filing Certificate of Organization with the Pennsylvania Department of State$125
The regular report that keeps it in good standing$7
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 Pennsylvania Department 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

    Pennsylvania doesn't use registered agents. Instead, you give a registered office: a street address in Pennsylvania (not a P.O. box), or the name of a commercial registered office provider you have a contract with, plus the county. Only providers on the Department of State's list can be named.

  3. With the state

    File your Certificate of Organization

    File it with the Pennsylvania Department of State; online through Business Filing Services is fastest, with an account on their site and payment by card. The state's fee is $125, waived for small businesses owned by veterans or reservists who send proof of status, and a docketing statement, which is free, goes with it. 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 Organization 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 sell taxable goods or services, or hire employees, register with the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue through myPATH's Pennsylvania Online Business Tax Registration; the sales tax license is free. Employers use the same registration for employer withholding and for unemployment compensation, which the Department of Labor & Industry runs; new employers register for it within 30 days after employees first work for them.

    Register for state taxes (opens the official site)

  7. City or county

    Check local licenses and permits

    Pennsylvania has no general business license. Some activities need a state license or registration (for example, home improvement contractors register with the Attorney General), and your township, borough or city may need its own registrations, permits or zoning approval. The PA Business One-Stop Shop (1-833-722-6778) can help you find what applies to you.

    Find your local requirements (opens the official site)

  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 Organization and your EIN.

  9. With the state

    Put the yearly report in your calendar

    Every LLC in Pennsylvania files an annual report with the Department of State by September 30 each year, starting the year after it's formed; filing opens January 1. The fee is $7. Starting with the reports due in 2027, an LLC that doesn't file can be administratively dissolved six months after the deadline, and while it's dissolved, another business can take its name. An LLC formed to provide certain licensed professional services (a restricted professional company) also files a Certificate of Annual Registration by April 15 each year, with a separate fee of at least $500.

    About annual reports (opens the official site)

Questions about an LLC in Pennsylvania

How much does it cost to start an LLC in Pennsylvania?

The state's fee to file Certificate of Organization is $125. To stay in good standing, it also files a regular report, which costs $7. An EIN from the IRS is free.

Does Pennsylvania require a yearly report for an LLC?

Yes. Pennsylvania asks every LLC for a regular report to stay in good standing. It costs $7, and the step below says when it's due and where to file it.

Can I form an LLC in Pennsylvania myself?

Yes. You file Certificate of Organization with the Pennsylvania Department 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 Pennsylvania's official pages, checked on September 30, 2026. For advice about your own situation, ask a lawyer or an accountant.

Where this comes from

Pennsylvania's official pages, read on September 30, 2026:

LLC guides for other states