5 Best Places For All-In-One LLC Service

Many eager entrepreneurs start wading through the paperwork required for forming their LLC and realize they need professional assistance. There are service companies that offer great service and good values for setting up and maintaining your LLC. In this article, we’ll look at six of the best.

All of these companies can help you with the basics of setting up your LLC. Some of them have more do-it-yourself options for saving money. The pricier options we list here offer all-in-one LLC services. If you need tax or accounting support, some of them offer free advice from a CPA for setting up your books.

Online business formation companies offer different packages at different price points. They give their LLC formation packages different names, but they tend to offer the same groups of services.

Full-Service LLC Review Criteria

The services we checked out for each company included:

• Price. We looked at the minimum cost of forming an LLC, and whether additional services were included in the minimum fee.
• Registered agent. We looked at whether the company will act as your point of contact with the state and federal governments to receive important documents and court service in your behalf, and how much they will charge to do it. Some companies include this cost in your registration fee. One company charges $159 extra starting with the first year you are in operation.
• Operating agreement. The operating agreement is a legal agreement that specifies the names and percentages of ownership for every participant in the LLC. It records procedures for dealing with assets of owners in the event of death or bankruptcy. It lists basic operating procedures for the company. An operating agreement is not needed for approval of the LLC by the state, but it is always a good idea to set up an operating agreement as soon as possible. Almost all of these companies can help you with your operating agreement, but charges ranged from $0 to $99.
• FEIN (federal employer identification number, also known as FEIN or EIN) registration. An EIN for a business is like an SSN (Social Security number) for an individual. It is impossible to set up bank accounts and tax accounts without it. All the companies we reviewed can file your EIN paperwork for you. Sometimes they charge for this service, and sometimes they do not. Fees ranged from $0 to $159.
• Annual compliance notifications. Most states require LLCs to file annual reports to stay active. Every company on this list offers a service that sends you email reminders of annual reports your state requires to keep your LLC in operation. This fee is for the reminder, not for filling out the forms and filing them for you. Among the companies we investigated, the cost of this service ranges from free for life to $320 per year.
• Advisory services. Some companies include tax and accounting advice as part of helping you form your LLC. Usually, the first hour is free.

We looked for hidden fees and common up-sells. We didn’t include any plans with hidden fees, but some plans included operating agreements, EIN registration, and registered agent service with your plan fees and some plans treated these essentials as expensive add-ons. Most attorneys, we should point out, will charge thousands of dollars more than any of these LLC formation packages, plus state fees.

We will start with the most expensive options from our list of reputable online business formation services and work our way down. All plans listed here have valuable features, but some of them aren’t for everyone. Don’t forget that you will always have to pay additional fees directly to the state in which you are forming your LLC.

And because different companies offer different value for various kinds of entrepreneurs, we are including a one- to five-star system for rating value for sole proprietors, partnerships, LLC owners who do not need help filing for state permits and licenses, LLC owners who expect to need help filing for additional state permits and licenses, and LLCs for foreign investors.

Let's start with our pick for the best full-service LLC

1. Nationwide Incorporators

Suitability for:

Sole proprietors: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★                                                                                                     

Partnerships: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

LLC owners who do not need help filing for state permits and licenses: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

LLC owners who Need help filing for state permits and licenses: ★ ★★ ★ ★

LLCs formed with foreign investors: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Pros:

• Only LLC formation service that has every document reviewed by an attorney. They advertise “Services of an Experienced Attorney at Self-Help Prices!”
• Over 20 years of experience in dealing with issues regarding non-resident alien owners, seller’s permits, foreign registration, and owner’s permits.
• Not only allows you to search for business names, holds the one you choose.
• Files with the IRS to get your EIN the same day they get your Articles of Formation back from the state.
• Personalized operating agreement and bylaws, no filled-in forms.
• Unlimited, free ongoing support from an attorney specializing in business formation.

Cons:

• Relatively expensive.
• No ongoing services, such as a registered agent or email reminders of important state filing dates.

Nationwide incorporators is more expensive than many other online LLC formation services, but it is much less expensive than hiring a lawyer to do custom work. Having your LLC handled by Nationwide Incorporators may save you legal expenses down the line because they recognize situations that require special attention in the process of formation. But if you are a US resident running your business alone, you may not need the level of service Nationwide Incorporators offers.