First LLC Guide › North Carolina
Starting an LLC in North Carolina: what you should know first
Filing a North Carolina LLC costs $125. The Annual Report costs $200 a year. Our pick is Mainstay Filing; $1,122 covers three years.
By kind of owner
- Side hustle
- Quiet-year cost: $399 in year 2 with Mainstay Filing, including the $200 state report in that year.
- Online business
- Required registered agent. The address has to be a physical registered office in North Carolina. A P.O. box can be added only as a mailing address.
- Startup
- Filing: Articles of Organization (L-01) with the North Carolina Secretary of State. Write the operating agreement before you open the bank account.
- First-time owner
- Report due: April 15.
Questions
Best LLC formation service in North Carolina for a first-time owner?
Mainstay Filing: $324 in year 1 including the $125 filing fee, $399 in year 2.
Sources
- N.C. Gen. Stat. § 57D-2-20 (North Carolina Limited Liability Company Act, Chapter 57D — formation by filing articles of organization); fee set at $125 (recited on the official form; fee schedule in N.C.G.S. § 57D-1-22) (multira state research spine): www.sosnc.gov/webfiles/documents/forms/Business_Registration/limited_liability_companies/articles_of_organization.pdf, checked August 12, 2026
- North Carolina formation fee: Filing fee, official source read 2026-10-01: www.sosnc.gov/fees/by_title/_Business_Registration_limited_liability_companies, checked October 1, 2026
- North Carolina formation fee: Filing fee, official source read 2026-10-01: sosnc.gov/fees/by_title/_Business_Registration/, checked October 1, 2026
- North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division (multira state research spine): www.sosnc.gov/divisions/business_registration/annual_report, checked August 12, 2026
- North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division (multira state research spine): www.sosnc.gov/divisions/business_registration/filing_a_paper_annual_report, checked August 12, 2026
- North Carolina report due date (multira state research spine, due dates verified 714/714): www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/PDF/BySection/Chapter_57D/GS_57D-2-24.pdf, checked August 12, 2026
- North Carolina registered agent statute (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 55D-30): sosnc.gov/divisions/business_registration/registered_agent_links, checked October 20, 2026