I'm in Texas and want to set up an Alaska LLC for a small online retail thing. The filing fees look decent and no state income tax is appealing. Has anyone here done this from out of state? Did you need a registered agent there? Any gotchas with the biennial report? Appreciate any firsthand stories.
LLC Formation
Has anyone formed an Alaska LLC while living in another state?
i did it from California about 2 years ago. Super easy. Just used a registered agent service in AK, filed online, paid the $250. Biennial report is due Jan 2 of odd years, don't forget it or you get hit with a $37.50 late fee.
Why Alaska though? If you're in TX, just form a TX LLC. No state income tax there either. Unless you really need that AK privacy or something.
Fair point, but I've heard Alaska is more lenient on some things and I like the idea of not having my name on a public list. TX requires member info on the formation docs, I think.
Yeah, AK doesn't ask for member names on the articles. But you still need a registered agent with a physical AK address. I use a $50/yr service.
Be careful: if you're running the business frok Texas, you'll likely need to foreign-qualify in TX anyway. So you end up paying both states' fees. Not always worth it.
This. I looked into it and the double filing fees plus registered agent costs ate up any savings. Unless you have a specific reason, just go local.
SkepticalSue is right. I have a WY LLC for privacy and still had to register in CA. It's a pain but doable. The privacy might be worth the hassle for some.
Thanks, I didn't think about foreign qualification. So if I sell online to customers nationwide, do I still need to register in TX? My office is my apartment.
Generally yes, if you're physically operating from TX. But consult a lawyer. I'm just a random on a forum.
Actually, for online retail, some people argue you don't need to foreign qualify if you have no physical presence in other states. But your home state is different. You're living there, so it's your principal place of business.
Just file a TX LLC and save yourself the headache. The privacy thing is overblown unless you're a celebrity.
Or use a holding company structure. But that's more cost. For a small online shop, keep it simple.