How much does it cost to start an LLC in Arizona?

The Arizona Corporation Commission charges a $50 filing fee for the Articles of Organization. Arizona also charges no annual report fee, so your ongoing state compliance cost is $0 per year, making your total first-year investment just $50 in state fees. For example, an Arizona LLC formed in June and operated through the following June has paid only the initial $50 filing fee to the state. Additional costs may include a registered agent service, a newspaper notice if your statutory agent's street address is outside Maricopa and Pima Counties (currently the two counties where the state posts the notice online for free; Arizona publishes no official price for the newspaper, because under state law the newspaper's own rate card sets it), and optional operating agreement preparation. Exception: LLCs in regulated professions must obtain a separate professional license, which adds to your startup costs. File your Articles of Organization online at azcc.gov to receive immediate confirmation of your submission and avoid delays from mail or in-person processing.

How long does it take to form an LLC in Arizona?

Arizona doesn't commit to a turnaround. Instead the Arizona Corporation Commission publishes the dates it's currently working through, which moves week to week, so the only reliable answer is whatever that page says on the day you file. Because of that, don't plan a launch date around a number you read anywhere else. If your timing is fixed, the published expedite tiers are: $35 for Expedited processing, $100 for Next Day Service (received before 5pm), and $200 for Same Day Service (received before 10am).

Do I need to publish my Arizona LLC formation in a newspaper?

It depends on where your statutory agent is. Arizona law requires that within 60 days after the Commission files your Articles of Organization, a notice of the filing be published for three consecutive publications in a newspaper of general circulation in the county of your statutory agent's street address. But where that county has more than 800,000 people, currently Maricopa and Pima, the law instead has the Commission enter the notice into its own database, and bars it from charging for that. So if your statutory agent's address is in Phoenix or Tucson, you publish nothing and pay nothing. If it is in any of the other 13 counties, you arrange publication with a newspaper in that county. Arizona publishes no official cost figure: state law caps the price at the rate "shown by the local rate card of the newspaper in which publication is to be made", so the newspaper sets it and you should ask for a quote. Filing the Affidavit of Publication with the Commission afterwards is optional (the statute says one "may be filed") and the Commission charges no fee for it, though many filers submit it anyway to keep the record clean.

Can I be my own registered agent in Arizona?

Yes, you can serve as your own registered agent for your Arizona LLC as long as you've a physical Arizona street address, P.O. boxes aren't accepted, and are consistently available during standard business hours to receive legal documents. For example, an Arizona business owner with a Tucson office can list that address and act as their own registered agent without incurring an additional fee. Your registered agent information becomes part of the public record maintained by the Arizona Corporation Commission, so your address will be visible to anyone searching the database. Exception: if you move out of state or can't reliably be present at your address during business hours, you must designate a professional registered agent to remain compliant. Professional services charge a yearly fee that varies by provider. Update any registered agent changes promptly through the Arizona Corporation Commission's online portal.

Should an Arizona LLC have an operating agreement?

This page has not confirmed whether Arizona law requires an LLC to have an operating agreement, so it does not answer yes or no. A written agreement signed by every member is worth having either way. An operating agreement establishes your LLC's ownership percentages, management voting rights, profit and loss allocation, and procedures for member admission or withdrawal. For example, two equal co-founders can use an operating agreement to define what happens if one partner wants to exit, preventing expensive litigation later. Exception: without an operating agreement, Arizona's default LLC rules control your business operations, which may not align with your actual intentions. Single-member LLCs also benefit because a written operating agreement reinforces the legal separation between you and your business, which is especially important if your LLC is ever challenged in court. Draft and sign yours before opening a business bank account.

What taxes does an Arizona LLC pay?

Arizona LLCs don't pay a state franchise tax, which is one of the financial advantages of forming in Arizona. However, LLC members may owe Arizona state income tax on their share of LLC profits. Check the current rate with the state tax agency. Most LLCs are pass-through entities, meaning profits and losses flow directly to members' personal tax returns rather than being taxed at the entity level. For example, if you earn $80,000 in LLC income, you report that on your Arizona individual return. Exception: an LLC that elects to be taxed as a corporation may be taxed differently by Arizona, so check with the state tax agency or a tax professional before electing. Additionally, LLCs selling taxable goods or certain services must register for Arizona Transaction Privilege Tax with the Arizona Department of Revenue. Consult a tax professional to optimize your tax structure.

Start Your Arizona LLC in 7 Simple Steps

Form your Arizona Limited Liability Company quickly and affordably with our comprehensive guide. Get started today for just $50 in state fees.

By Edmond Hui · Last updated: October 2026

Filing an LLC in Arizona costs $50 upfront and has no annual report fee. Arizona processes filings from a live queue with no fixed turnaround. See breakdown below.

Arizona publishes no fixed LLC processing time. It posts the dates it's currently working through, so the figure moves week to week

That rolling queue is the Arizona Corporation Commission's own measure, and it's the only honest answer: any specific day count copied out of it's stale within a week. Check the agency's processing-dates page on the day you file rather than trusting a number quoted elsewhere. Paid options are published and fixed: $35 for Expedited processing, $100 for Next Day Service (received before 5pm), and $200 for Same Day Service (received before 10am).

Source: MyStateLLC 50-state primary-source processing verification, July 2026

Read this guide for another state:

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$39 with Northwest, plus your $50 state fee. Northwest's $39 includes a year of registered agent service.

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Form your LLC with Northwest ($39 + state fee)Includes a year of registered agent service. After year one, registered agent service is $125/yr.

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Quick Facts

State filing fee	$50
Processing time	Live queue, no fixed turnaround
Annual report due	None required
Annual report fee	$0
State income tax	Yes. Members pay state income tax on pass-through profits. Check the current rate with the state tax agency.

Source: Arizona Corporation Commission (verified July 2026)

Step diagram for forming an LLC in Arizona, showing the 7 required steps, $50 state filing fee, $0 annual report. — The 7 steps to form an LLC in Arizona, with the state's own filing fee and annual report cost. Source: Arizona Corporation Commission, verified July 2026.

How to Form an LLC: Step-by-Step

1
Choose Your Arizona LLC Name
Select a unique name that includes 'LLC' or 'Limited Liability Company' and isn't already taken in Arizona. Search the Arizona Corporation Commission database to verify availability and reserve your name if needed.
How to search Arizona's business entity records →
Pro tip: Reserve your name for 120 days for $10 if you're not ready to file immediately.
2
Appoint a Registered Agent
Choose someone with an Arizona address to receive legal documents for your LLC. This can be yourself, a friend, or a professional service. Your registered agent must be available during business hours and have a physical address in Arizona.
Arizona registered agent rules, costs and options →
Pro tip: Professional registered agents provide privacy by keeping your home address off public records.
3
File Articles of Organization
Submit Form L010 (the Articles of Organization) to the Arizona Corporation Commission with the $50 filing fee. You can file online, by mail, or in person. Include your LLC name, registered agent information, and management structure.
What You File in Arizona
In Arizona, the formation document is the Articles of Organization (Form L010), filed with the Arizona Corporation Commission, Corporations Division. The state filing fee is $50. Arizona lets you fill in and file the Articles of Organization online. The state's published processing time: Live queue, no fixed turnaround. The form itself requires the LLC's name, the registered agent's name, the registered office address, the principal office address, a mailing address, the organizer's name and whether the LLC is member-managed or manager-managed. The registered agent's consent goes on a separate document, the Statutory Agent Acceptance (Form M002), which every LLC must also file. Arizona also requires, with the Articles of Organization or after it: Member Structure Attachment (Form L041) or Manager Structure Attachment (Form L040). Every line of the Articles of Organization, field by field →
Processing Times
- Online: Not fixed, the Arizona Corporation Commission posts the dates it's currently processing rather than a turnaround, and that moves week to week
- Mail: Not published, Arizona Corporation Commission states no standard turnaround for mailed filings, and every state that comments says mail is slower than online
- Expedited: $35 for Expedited processing, $100 for Next Day Service (received before 5pm), $200 for Same Day Service (received before 10am), and $400 for 2-Hour Service (available 8am-3pm)
Pro tip: Online filing through the Arizona Corporation Commission website is the fastest option with immediate confirmation.
4
Create an Operating Agreement
Draft an operating agreement outlining ownership percentages, management structure, and operating procedures. This page has not confirmed whether Arizona law requires an LLC to have an operating agreement. A written agreement signed by every member is worth having either way: it records who owns what share, who makes decisions and how profits are divided.
Arizona LLC operating agreement: what to include →
5
Get an EIN from the IRS
Apply for an Employer Identification Number directly from the IRS website. Most banks ask for this federal tax ID to open a business bank account, and the IRS requires one if the LLC hires employees, owes certain employment or excise taxes, or is taxed as a partnership or corporation. The process takes just a few minutes online.
How to get your LLC's EIN from the IRS, free →
6
Open a Business Bank Account
Separate your personal and business finances by opening a dedicated business bank account. Bring your Articles of Organization, EIN confirmation, and operating agreement. This step matters for maintaining your LLC's liability protection.
Business bank accounts for Arizona LLCs →
7
Obtain Required Business Licenses
Research and apply for any industry-specific licenses or permits required for your business type. Arizona requires various licenses depending on your profession, from contractor licenses to food service permits. Check with Arizona Department of Revenue and local municipalities.
Does your Arizona LLC need a business license? →

Watch: How to Start an LLC in Arizona (2026): Step-by-Step Guide

This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. It reports what each Secretary of State publishes for forming an LLC, with the sources this page cites. It cannot tell you what your own filing needs: fees and forms change between our reviews, several occupations cannot use an ordinary LLC at all and must use a professional entity, and your city or county may require a registration of its own. Confirm the current fee and form with the filing office named on this page before you send anything.

Frequently Asked Questions

: The Arizona Corporation Commission charges a $50 filing fee for the Articles of Organization. Arizona also charges no annual report fee, so your ongoing state compliance cost is $0 per year, making your total first-year investment just $50 in state fees. For example, an Arizona LLC formed in June and operated through the following June has paid only the initial $50 filing fee to the state. Additional costs may include a registered agent service, a newspaper notice if your statutory agent's street address is outside Maricopa and Pima Counties (currently the two counties where the state posts the notice online for free; Arizona publishes no official price for the newspaper, because under state law the newspaper's own rate card sets it), and optional operating agreement preparation. Exception: LLCs in regulated professions must obtain a separate professional license, which adds to your startup costs. File your Articles of Organization online at azcc.gov to receive immediate confirmation of your submission and avoid delays from mail or in-person processing.
: Arizona doesn't commit to a turnaround. Instead the Arizona Corporation Commission publishes the dates it's currently working through, which moves week to week, so the only reliable answer is whatever that page says on the day you file. Because of that, don't plan a launch date around a number you read anywhere else. If your timing is fixed, the published expedite tiers are: $35 for Expedited processing, $100 for Next Day Service (received before 5pm), and $200 for Same Day Service (received before 10am).
: It depends on where your statutory agent is. Arizona law requires that within 60 days after the Commission files your Articles of Organization, a notice of the filing be published for three consecutive publications in a newspaper of general circulation in the county of your statutory agent's street address. But where that county has more than 800,000 people, currently Maricopa and Pima, the law instead has the Commission enter the notice into its own database, and bars it from charging for that. So if your statutory agent's address is in Phoenix or Tucson, you publish nothing and pay nothing. If it is in any of the other 13 counties, you arrange publication with a newspaper in that county. Arizona publishes no official cost figure: state law caps the price at the rate "shown by the local rate card of the newspaper in which publication is to be made", so the newspaper sets it and you should ask for a quote. Filing the Affidavit of Publication with the Commission afterwards is optional (the statute says one "may be filed") and the Commission charges no fee for it, though many filers submit it anyway to keep the record clean.
: Yes, you can serve as your own registered agent for your Arizona LLC as long as you've a physical Arizona street address, P.O. boxes aren't accepted, and are consistently available during standard business hours to receive legal documents. For example, an Arizona business owner with a Tucson office can list that address and act as their own registered agent without incurring an additional fee. Your registered agent information becomes part of the public record maintained by the Arizona Corporation Commission, so your address will be visible to anyone searching the database. Exception: if you move out of state or can't reliably be present at your address during business hours, you must designate a professional registered agent to remain compliant. Professional services charge a yearly fee that varies by provider. Update any registered agent changes promptly through the Arizona Corporation Commission's online portal.
: This page has not confirmed whether Arizona law requires an LLC to have an operating agreement, so it does not answer yes or no. A written agreement signed by every member is worth having either way. An operating agreement establishes your LLC's ownership percentages, management voting rights, profit and loss allocation, and procedures for member admission or withdrawal. For example, two equal co-founders can use an operating agreement to define what happens if one partner wants to exit, preventing expensive litigation later. Exception: without an operating agreement, Arizona's default LLC rules control your business operations, which may not align with your actual intentions. Single-member LLCs also benefit because a written operating agreement reinforces the legal separation between you and your business, which is especially important if your LLC is ever challenged in court. Draft and sign yours before opening a business bank account.
: Arizona LLCs don't pay a state franchise tax, which is one of the financial advantages of forming in Arizona. However, LLC members may owe Arizona state income tax on their share of LLC profits. Check the current rate with the state tax agency. Most LLCs are pass-through entities, meaning profits and losses flow directly to members' personal tax returns rather than being taxed at the entity level. For example, if you earn $80,000 in LLC income, you report that on your Arizona individual return. Exception: an LLC that elects to be taxed as a corporation may be taxed differently by Arizona, so check with the state tax agency or a tax professional before electing. Additionally, LLCs selling taxable goods or certain services must register for Arizona Transaction Privilege Tax with the Arizona Department of Revenue. Consult a tax professional to optimize your tax structure.

Sources

11 documents

Each entry below is a document recorded in our verified Arizona sources, and each entry says what the document is. Some statutory text is read from an accurate mirror rather than from the state's own host, and those say so. Where we hold the citation but no stable public link, the citation is printed on its own rather than pointed at a guessed address.

Arizona statute: A.R.S. § 29-3201(G) (newspaper publication)
Arizona statute: A.R.S. § 39-221 (legal notice rates)
Arizona statute: A.R.S. § 10-130(B) (no charge for database notice)
Arizona statute: A.R.S. § 39-221(A) (legal notice rates)
Arizona statute: Arizona Revised Statutes Chapter 29 (LLC law)
azcc.gov/corporationsArizona Corporation Commission: business entity filings
azcc.gov/docs/default-source/corps-files/fee-schedules/fee-schedule-llcs.pdfArizona LLC filing fees
azleg.gov/ars/29/01103.htmArizona statute: annual report exemption
azleg.gov/arsDetail/?title=29Arizona statute: annual report exemption
azleg.gov/ars/42/05005.htmArizona statute: Transaction Privilege Tax License Renewal
azdor.gov/transaction-privilege-tax/tpt-license/renewing-tpt-licenseArizona Department of Revenue: file the Transaction Privilege Tax License Renewal

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Ready to Form Your Arizona LLC?

$39 with Northwest, plus your $50 state fee. Northwest's $39 includes a year of registered agent service.

Affiliate disclosure: We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Form your LLC with Northwest ($39 + state fee)Includes a year of registered agent service. After year one, registered agent service is $125/yr.

Prefer to file directly? File yourself at the Secretary of State → ($50 state fee, no service fee)

Not sure which service is right? Compare formation services →

Edmond Hui · Founder, MyStateLLC

Edmond Hui is a software engineer and serial entrepreneur based in New York who has founded multiple online businesses across e-commerce, media, and information publishing. Before transitioning into tech, he spent years as a commercial real estate professional closing deals totaling over 100,000 square feet, giving him firsthand experience with business formation and entity structuring. He built MyStateLLC to provide the free, state-specific LLC guidance he wished existed when forming his own companies.

How we check facts

Quick Facts

How to Form an LLC: Step-by-Step

Choose Your Arizona LLC Name

Appoint a Registered Agent

File Articles of Organization

What You File in Arizona

Processing Times

Create an Operating Agreement

Get an EIN from the IRS

Open a Business Bank Account

Obtain Required Business Licenses