When you form your LLC in Alabama, you’ll have to pay certain costs to officially register your business with the state.

In addition to formation and ongoing costs, there will be business expenses like using a registered agent service, building a website, getting business insurance, and so on. So, what’s the total Alabama LLC cost?

In this guide, we break down the costs associated with forming your LLC, from the Alabama LLC filing fee to LLC upkeep prices and other business expenses.

Cost of Forming an LLC in Alabama

When forming your limited liability company (LLC), there are a few different costs that you may incur. These include the filing fee, LLC formation service cost, operating agreement draft, and registered agent costs.

Alabama LLC Filing Fee

To form an LLC, you must file a Certificate of Formation with the Alabama Secretary of State. The filing fee for the Alabama Certificate of Formation is $200. You will commonly see this fee referred to as the “state fee” or “filing fee.”

Alabama also requires LLCs to reserve their name prior to registering with the state (if filing by mail) or at the time of registration (if filing online). The fee for a Name Reservation Certificate is $25.

If you choose to use an LLC formation service, you will pay the $200 state fee on top of their service fee. Generally, these service fees start around $29 and increase depending on additional services you purchase.

Note: If you are interested in forming a foreign LLC, you will be required to pay $156 (online) or $150 (mail) instead.

For more details on the formation process, check out our Alabama LLC Formation guide.

Alabama Registered Agent and Registered Office

Every Alabama LLC is required to appoint a registered agent. A registered agent is a person or entity you assign to receive tax forms, legal documents, or government correspondence on your LLC’s behalf. Registered agent services can cost around $130 per year or more.

Your registered agent can be:

• A registered agent service (most common)
• Yourself (not recommended)
• Another member of the LLC
• A business attorney

Alabama LLC Operating Agreement

An operating agreement defines the roles and responsibilities of the LLC members or managers and will help prevent and solve any business disputes that may arise later on.

The costs associated with the operating agreement come in the drafting of the document. For single member LLCs and simple multi-member LLCs, most people choose to create the document themselves.

You don’t need to file this document with the Alabama Secretary of State. Using a free operating agreement template or document builder, that means your total cost would be $0.

Optional Alabama LLC Formation Costs

Along with the fees associated with forming an LLC, there are several optional LLC formation costs that you may encounter.

• Reserve a Name for Your LLC – Before registering your Alaska business name, you must first check to ensure it’s unique by doing a business entity name search. The $30 name reservation fee is only necessary if you aren’t forming right now, but still want to reserve the name.
• Doing Business As (DBA) Name – If you’re distinguishing your business under another name, you’ll need to check the state database to confirm that your name is unique. The filing fee for a DBA or trade name in Alabama is $30.
• Certified Document Copies – Certified copies in Alabama verify that all of your documents are correct. The fee for requesting a certified copy is $10 per document.
• Certificate of Compliance – A Certificate of Compliance (often called a Certificate of Good Standing in other states) is a legal document that states your business was registered correctly and is authorized to conduct business in Alabama. The fee for requesting a Certificate of Compliance is $14.

Alabama LLC Cost and Fees Over Time

There are a few things you need to address to keep your LLC in good standing with the state year after year. Each of these comes with costs and fees.

Annual LLC Fee Alabama

Every year, you must submit a Business Privilege License with the Alabama Department of Revenue to keep your Alabama LLC in good standing. You’ll also need to pay the Business Privilege Tax. The fees for the tax start at $100 and the license fees are determined by the county you live in. (Note that some counties do not charge for licenses).

The rates for the business privilege tax are based on your federal taxable income apportioned to Alabama. Rates range from $.25 – $.75 per $1,000 of net worth. When you renew your business privilege license and how much you pay for it will depend on your county.

Registered Agent Fee

If you use a professional registered agent service, you will pay their fee annually. Pricing will depend on the service provider that you use, but usually costs around $130/year. Using a registered agent service will save you time and the hassle of handling important legal documents and filings for the long term.

If you act as your own registered agent there are no maintenance fees. However, for privacy and compliance purposes, we don’t recommend being your own registered agent.

General Costs of Running a Business

Operating a business will obviously come with more than just LLC costs. These are a few of the expenses that you may run into.

Business Bank Account

An LLC separates your personal assets from your business assets. This separation is called the corporate veil. That corporate veil ensures that if your business is sued or incurs debts, your personal assets will be protected from any liabilities.

Commingling (mixing) your personal bank account with your business can pierce your LLC’s corporate veil, which means you are no longer protected by the separated entity of your LLC.

Using a separate bank account to accept payments and pay business expenses is the only way to prevent commingling funds and piercing the corporate veil.

Business Permits and Licenses

Depending on the type of business you operate, your business may need the proper permits and licenses to legally operate in Alabama.

Alongside the permits required, your business may require industry-specific licenses to operate legally. Examples include business licenses like the Alabama real estate license, Alabama insurance license, Alabama adjuster license, and so on.

Business Website

Every business needs a website. There’s no better way to get in front of your customers, build your brand, and grow your business.

Fortunately, the cost and difficulty of creating a business website have come down over the years. Websites are now simple to build and cheap to keep up.

Business Insurance

Having the proper insurance coverage can potentially save your entire business if there is a loss, accident, or lawsuit.

A few of the most common business insurance policies include:

• General liability insurance – Protects against claims of personal injury, physical injury, property damage, and more. This is the most common of all business insurance policies. Learn more about general liability insurance.
• Professional Liability Insurance – Protects against claims of inaccurate or negligent work. It’s most common in the “professional” space where businesses offer services or advice to other businesses or consumers. Learn more about professional liability insurance.
• Commercial Workers’ Compensation Insurance – This type of insurance protects your employees from on-the-job injuries or illnesses. This coverage is required if you have one or more employees. Learn more about Workers’ Compensation insurance.

The cost of business insurance varies widely based on business type, size, location, and other factors. Getting a quote is the only way to understand the actual cost of insurance for your LLC.