I'm starting a tiny woodworking business from my garage. I see services like ZenBusiness and Northwest charge $39 plus state fees to form an Arkansas LLC. But the Arkansas Secretary of State website makes it look like I can just fill out a form and pay $45. Am I missing something? Is it really that simple, or do these services save you from a nightmare?
LLC Filing
Is it cheaper to form an Arkansas LLC myself instead of using a service?
It's literally that simple. The SOS website has fillable PDFs. You don't need a service for a basic LLC. Save your money.
I used a service for my first LLC and did it myself for my second. The only thing the service did was auto-fill the same info I typed in. If you can read instructions, DIY. The $45 fee is the same either way tbh.
Wait, the state fee is $45? I thought it was $50. Did it go down?
It's $45 online, $50 by mail. You're probably thinking of the mail fee.
I've been lurking here for a while. This thread is exactly what I needed. I was about to drop $200 on a service. Thanks, OP.
The only reason to use a service is if you need a registered agent. But you can be your own RA in Arkansas. So unless you're not comfortable with your address being public, skip it.
Good point. And if you don't want your home add ress on file, you can use a registered agent service for like $50/year. Still cheaper than the formation packages that bundle it.
I don't mind my address being public, it's just a home office. So I'll just file it myself. Appreciate the input.
Just make sure you file the annual franchise tax. That's where people mess up. The state will dissolve your LLC if you forget. But that's not a servic issue, that's just being organized.
Annual franchise tax in Arkansas is $150, right? I heard it's due May 1st.
Yep, $150. And it's not prorated. So if you form in December, you still pay the fuull $150 in May. Something to keep in mind.
So basically the service is just a convenience. For $39, I'd rather spend 20 minutes on the SOS site and buy myself a nice lunch with the savings.