The minimum Arizona LLC cost is $50, which covers the processing fee for filing your LLC formation documents, known as the Articles of Organization.

Having said that, the total cost of forming an Arizona LLC will depend on several factors, including your personal preferences and business needs.

In our How Much Does an LLC Cost in Arizona article, we’ve broken down everything you need to know about the different costs associated with launching and maintaining an LLC.

Arizona LLC Cost

In the table below, you can find a summary of the main requirements of forming an Arizona limited liability company (LLC) and their associated fees.

                                                                   

Requirement	Fee
Articles of Organization	$0-$150
Statutory Agent	$0-$150+
LLC Name	$0-$55
Operating Agreement	$0+
Publication Requirement	$75+

Arizona LLC Filing Fee ($50)

In Arizona, all LLCs are required to submit their Articles of Organization with the Arizona Corporation Commission in order to be registered with the state.

The cost for filing the Articles of Organization is $50; for a foreign LLC registration, this fee increases to $150.

Having said that, if you choose to use an LLC formation service, the cost will be a little higher as it will include a small service fee in addition to Arizona’s state filing fee.

The fees for an LLC formation service can range significantly, but can start from as low as $29, increasing if you decide to purchase any additional offerings.

Keep in mind that when filing your Articles of Organization you will be required to decide between two management structures and attach the relevant form:

• Member-Managed LLCs: Form L010: Member Structure Attachment
• Manager-Managed LLCs: Form L020: Manager Structure Attachment

Note: For more details on the formation process, you can check out our Arizona LLC Formation guide.

Arizona Statutory Agent ($0-$150+)

You will need to appoint a statutory agent — commonly known as a registered agent outside of Arizona — in order to form your LLC.

This is a person or business entity that you must assign to receive tax, legal, and governmental correspondence on behalf of your Arizona Limited Liability Company.

While you can act as your own statutory agent at no extra cost, it’s often recommended to hire a professional service so you avoid any potential penalties or legal issues caused by non-compliance with state regulations.

Professional statutory agent services in Arizona start at around $45, with prices going up to $150 or more depending on the level of service and features offered.

Keep in mind that your statutory agent will need to be physically present in Arizona at their registered location(s) during regular business hours.

Note: All statutory agents must complete and sign Form M002: Statutory Agent Acceptance in order to be approved.

Alternatively, you can find some of the top recommendations for professional RA services in our Best Registered Agent Services of 2024 article.

Naming Your Arizona LLC ($0-$55)

When forming your Arizona LLC, you’ll be required to pick a suitable name that’s available to use.

While registering a name in itself has no cost, there are two potential costs to be aware of when naming your LLC.

Reserving Name

If you’ve chosen a name for your Arizona LLC but are not yet ready to formally register your business, you can choose to reserve it for up to 120 days.

This can be done by visiting the Arizona Corporation Commission’s website and filling out the Application to Reserve Limited Liability Company Name form (L001.005).

Keep in mind that when you reserve a name online you will be given immediate preference and priority over all other paper applications.

The fee for a name reservation is $10 for paper applications and $45 for online applications — which includes a $10 filing fee and a $35 expedite fee.

The expedite fee is mandatory for online reservations since the name is reserved immediately. 

Note: You can use the Arizona Entity Search tool to check the availability of your desired LLC name.

When choosing a name for your LLC, it’s important to select one that corresponds to an available domain. This is because a matching domain ensures consistency between your LLC’s name and its online presence, which helps to strengthen its brand recognition and credibility.

Doing Business As (DBA) Name

If you plan to operate your business under a name that differs from its official one (i.e., the name included in its Articles of Organization), you will need to file a Doing Business As (DBA) name — known as a Trade Name in Arizona.

To file a DBA name, you will need to submit an application online through the Arizona Secretary of State’s office by completing the Trade Name Application.

The filing fee for a DBA name is $10, which secures your trade name for up to five years.

Remember that you will need to wait for approval (generally between two and three weeks) before beginning to use your trade name (e.g., on business cards, signage, promotional materials, etc.).

Note: If your application is rejected, the state will provide a detailed explanation in order to help you address any issues.

Arizona LLC Operating Agreement ($0+)

While not mandatory, it’s good practice for LLCs to have an operating agreement.

This document defines the roles and responsibilities of the members or managers in your LLC and will help prevent and solve any business disputes that may arise later on.

While you can opt to hire an online service or business attorney to draft this document for you (which typically costs at least a few hundred dollars), it’s actually quite straightforward to do it yourself at no extra cost.

It’s also important to note that this doesn’t actually need to be filed with the ArizonaSecretary of State — it’s purely an internal document.

Arizona LLC Publication Requirement

As mandated by A.R.S. § 29-3201, all Arizona LLCs are required to publish a notice following the successful filing of their Articles of Organization.

It’s important not to initiate the publication process until your Articles have been officially approved by the Commission for filing.

For LLCs with a statutory agent located in Maricopa or Pima counties, this requirement is met automatically; this is because the Arizona Corporation Commission will publish the notice of your LLC’s formation on its website in the public notice section, which eliminates the need for you to take further action.

On the other hand, if your statutory agent’s address is in any other county, you will need to handle the publication of the notice in a newspaper yourself.

The Arizona Corporation Commission’s approval letter will include instructions on how to publish, as well as where you can do so.

Importantly, the Notice of LLC Formation, which must include the LLC name, the statutory agent’s name and street address, and the principal place of business (if different), is required to be published three times within 60 days of receiving approval from the Arizona Corporation Commission.

The cost for each publication varies depending on the newspaper but is generally around $50.

Note: For a list of newspapers that are approved for publishing these notices, you can refer to the Newspaper List for Publishing page on the Arizona Corporation Commission’s website.

Additional Arizona LLC Formation Costs

On top of the more common fees outlined above, there are a number of additional formation costs that LLCs in Arizona may encounter depending on their circumstances.

We’ve summarized some of these additional costs below:

Expedited Arizona LLC Filing

For LLCs in Arizona looking to fast-track their formation process, the Corporations Division offers expedited filing services.

Having said that, it’s important to understand that these expedited services speed up document review but do not influence or guarantee the approval of your filing.

Here’s a breakdown of the expedited services available and their respective costs:

• 2-Hour Service: Your documents will be processed within 2 hours if they’re received by 3:00 pm. For documents submitted after 3:00pm, processing will occur by 10:00 am of the next business day. The fee for this service is $400
• Same Day Service: Documents received by 10:00 am will be processed by 5:00 pm on the same day. If your documents are submitted after 10:00 am, they’ll be processed by 5:00 pm on the next business day. This service costs $200
• Next Day Service: For documents received by 5:00 pm, processing will be completed by 5:00 pm of the following business day. Submissions after 5:00 pm will be processed by 5:00 pm of the subsequent business day. The fee for next day service is $100

Note: If the filing requires a statutory agent acceptance, the Same Day/Next Day clock will not start until the statutory agent has accepted the appointment.

Certificate of Good Standing

An Arizona certificate of good standing is a document often required to open a business bank account, or by lenders in order to check that your LLC is properly registered and legally authorized to conduct business with the state.

You can request a certificate of good standing for your LLC by logging onto the Arizona Corporation Commission’s eCorp system.

Once there, you will need to go to Online Services, then Service Requests, and select the option to request a Certificate.

The service costs $10, and you should expect to receive your certificate within 15 business days of submitting your request.

Certified Copies of Business Documents

You may need certified copies of your business documents if you’re dealing with financial institutions, regulatory bodies, or are involved in legal proceedings.

You can obtain certified copies of your business documents by submitting a Records Request Form to the Arizona Corporation Commission.

For LLCs, the fee for a certified copy is $15 per document, plus an additional 50 cents per page.

Cost to Maintain an LLC in Arizona

In addition to the cost of forming an LLC in Arizona, there are also several ongoing costs you’ll be responsible for paying each year.

We’ve outlined these recurring costs associated with maintaining an Arizona LLC below.

Transaction Privilege Tax

Arizona imposes a Transaction Privilege Tax (TPT) on retailers for the privilege of conducting business within the state.

Before your LLC can commence operations, you will have to submit an Arizona Joint Tax Application (JT-1) to the Department of Revenue (if applicable).

This submission comes with a variable filing fee, which ranges from $1 to $50, depending on the location of your LLC.

If your LLC operates in multiple locations or engages in various activities, you will be able to either manage taxes for each location individually or opt for a consolidated license that enables reporting of aggregate sales, with each location requiring a $12 license fee.

Note: For a detailed overview of all business activities and industries subject to TPT and their specific tax rates, we recommend referring to the Department of Revenue’s Tax Rate Tables.

Statutory Agent Maintenance

If you decide to take advantage of a professional statutory agent in order to handle your legal documents, you’ll be required to pay an annual fee in return for their services. This fee commonly ranges between $45 and $300 depending on the provider and features you select.

While you’re not required to use a professional statutory agent service, it’s highly recommended.

Taxes

In addition to the federal taxes your LLC is required to pay regardless of the state it’s based in, there are a variety of state-specific taxes in Arizona you need to be aware of, including:

• Sales tax
• Employment taxes
• Business privilege taxes
• Property taxes

Additionally, there are various local taxes your LLC may need to pay depending on the municipality or county it’s based in, such as:

• Sales and use taxes
• Property tax

Arizona vs Other States

Arizona stands out for its LLC formation benefits with a straightforward filing process and minimal annual compliance fees.

Additionally, the state’s unique requirement for LLCs to publish their formation underscores its commitment to transparency in business operations.

Having said that, it’s important to understand that the best state to form your LLC will generally be the one in which you plan to primarily operate your business from.

This is because this makes it far easier to stay legally compliant on a number of levels, including taxation, licensing, and filing requirements, as you’ll only need to deal with one state’s set of rules.