How Much Does an LLC Cost in New Jersey

The minimum New Jersey LLC Cost is $125, which covers the processing fee for filing your LLC formation document (known as a Certificate of Formation).

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

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

LLC Cost in New Jersey

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

                                                         

Requirement	Fee
Certificate of Formation	$125+
Registered Agent	$0-$130+
LLC Name	$0-$100
Operating Agreement	$0+

New Jersey LLC Filing Fee ($125+)

In order to be registered in New Jersey, all LLCs are required to file specific formation documents with the NJ Division of Revenue. For domestic entities, this document is the Certificate of Formation, while foreign entities must submit a Certificate of Authority instead.

Regardless of whether you’re filing as a domestic or foreign business entity, it will cost $125 if you decide to submit either one of these documents by yourself.

However, 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 New Jersey’s state filing fee.

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

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

New Jersey Registered Agent ($0+)

As part of the process of filling out either your Certificate of Formation or Authority, you’ll be required to appoint a registered agent. This is a person or entity that you must assign to receive tax, legal, and governmental correspondence on behalf of your New Jersey LLC.

While you can act as your own registered agent at no 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.

Some small business owners choose to hire a registered agent service in order to protect their privacy; this is because your LLC’s registered agent’s information will become publicly searchable.

While the cost you pay for these services will depend on the provider you choose, they typically charge around $130+ per year.

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

Naming Your New Jersey LLC ($0-$100)

When forming your New Jersey 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’re not looking to form an LLC at the moment but know which name you would like to use for your business, you can safeguard it for later by filing an application to reserve a business name with the state’s Department of the Treasurer. 

This will reserve your name of choice for up to 120 days, and can be done either online or by mail (a $50 cost is associated with this). 

Note: To make sure your desired name is available for use, you can complete a Business Entity Name Search on the New Jersey Department of the Treasury website. 

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 want to operate your New Jersey business under a name other than the one it’s currently legally registered as, you’ll need to obtain a Doing Business As (DBA) name, which is also known as an “alternate name” in the state.

In order to secure a DBA name for your New Jersey LLC, you can file a Registration of Alternate Name with the New Jersey Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services and pay a $50 filing fee.

Note: Alternate names are valid for five years before they must be renewed, which also costs $50.

New Jersey LLC Operating Agreement ($0+)

While not mandatory, it’s good practice for New Jersey 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 New Jersey Secretary of State — it’s purely an internal document.

Additional New Jersey LLC Formation Costs

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

We’ve summarized some of these additional costs below:

Expedited New Jersey LLC Filing

The New Jersey Secretary of State’s Department of the Treasurer can take between one and two days to process online filings and up to fifteen business days for paper filings.

However, you can request for your LLC’s Certificate of Formation/Authority to be processed more quickly than this if you’re willing to pay extra for one of the following expedited filing services:

• Same-day: $50 (fax filings only)
• Two hour: $500 (in-person filings only)
• One hour: $1,000 (in-person filings only)

Note: The fees for expedited filings are identical for domestic and foreign entities.

Local Business Licenses

In order to comply with the local-level regulations of your city and county, your business may be required to obtain some local business licenses. While very few municipalities impose a general licensing requirement for businesses operating within their limits, your LLC might need a municipal license if it’s involved in certain activities.

For example, in the city of Newark over 30 different types of business activities are regulated with licenses that vary between $10 and $1500 in cost — including pool billiard parlors, public garages, and food vending machines.

This is generally reflective of the licensing situation in most New Jersey municipalities, with business licenses typically ranging from as low as $50 all the way up to $1000.

However, for a more exact estimation of how much your business may need to pay, you’ll need to contact your local county clerk’s office.

New Jersey Standing Certificate

A New Jersey Standing Certificate 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 New Jersey Standing Certificate online using the NJ Division of Revenue’s Business Records Service and choosing between one of the following offerings:

• Short Form Standing Certificate: $50
• Long Form Standing Certificate: $100

Note: To find out more about the information that appears on both of these documents, refer to the Public Records Guide.

Cost to Maintain an LLC in New Jersey

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

We’ve outlined these recurring costs associated with maintaining a New Jersey LLC below.

Annual Report

In order to keep your LLC in good standing with the state, it will need to submit an annual report to the NJ Department of the Treasury each year by the end of the month in which it was initially formed.

Filing this report costs $75 and can be submitted through New Jersey Annual Reports and Change Services online portal.

The responsibility to file falls on the business, even if you fail to receive any notification from the State. Failure to file can result in the revocation of your business.

Registered Agent Maintenance

If you decide to take advantage of a professional registered 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 $35 and $300 depending on the provider and features you select.

While you’re not required to use a professional registered agent service, it’s highly recommended for most small LLC owners.

Taxes

In addition to the federal tax obligations your LLC owes to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), there are a variety of state-specific taxes in New Jersey 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

New Jersey vs Other States

When it comes to selecting the cheapest state in which to form and run an LLC, New Jersey is neither here nor there. Not only is its initial minimum startup fee of $125 relatively standard, its ongoing costs of at least $50 are quite steep compared to popular alternatives.

As an example, there are a number of popular states for business formation with lower filing fees, including California ($70), Delaware ($95), and Wyoming ($100).

However, even states with higher initial startup fees, such as New York ($200) often represent a better option due to their low ongoing costs. In New York, for example, LLCs are only required to pay a biennial fee of $20, which is nothing compared to the annual $50 fee in New Jersey.

Ultimately, however, the best state to form your LLC will be one in which you plan to primarily operate your business from.

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.