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

The state filing fee is $125 to submit your Certificate of Organization to the Pennsylvania Department of State, and since 2025 Pennsylvania has also required a $7 annual report, filed between January 1 and September 30 each year. No annual report is due in the calendar year you form, so a Philadelphia-based LLC formed in 2026 pays $125 in 2026 and $7 a year from 2027, $153 in state fees through 2030. Additional costs may include a commercial registered office provider (CROP), which charges an annual fee, if you don't list your own Pennsylvania address, operating agreement preparation, and any local business license fees charged by your city or municipality. Exception: the every-ten-years decennial report Pennsylvania used to require was abolished and replaced by this annual report under a 2022 Pennsylvania law. Don't plan around a ten-year cycle. Pennsylvania also imposes a 3.07% flat income tax on LLC business income. File online through the Pennsylvania Department of State to begin formation.

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

Pennsylvania publishes this figure, which many states don't: 2 to 4 days. In the Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations's own words: 2 to 4 days. Expedited service is available on top of that: $100 for Same-day (received before 10:00 a.m.), $300 for 3-hour (received before 2:00 p.m.), and $1,000 for 1-hour (received before 4:00 p.m.). Treat this as a genuine planning figure rather than a guarantee, and confirm it on the Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations's own site before committing to a date.

Do I need to publish my Pennsylvania LLC formation?

No, Pennsylvania doesn't require LLC formation notices to be published in newspapers. Once your Certificate of Organization is filed with the Pennsylvania Department of State and approved, the Department of State has reported a two-to-four-day processing time, your LLC is fully legally formed and authorized to operate without any additional publication steps. For example, a Pittsburgh-based LLC can begin signing leases, hiring contractors, and opening bank accounts as soon as it receives its approval. No newspaper runs required. This saves Pennsylvania LLC owners the newspaper charges that apply in states like New York, which mandates publication in two designated newspapers for 6 consecutive weeks. Exception: Pennsylvania once required newspaper publication for LLCs, but that requirement was repealed and no longer applies to standard LLC formations. Verify with a Pennsylvania attorney if you're forming a specialty entity type, as rules for certain regulated entities may differ.

Can I be my own registered agent in Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania does not require a registered agent, so there is no agent role to fill. What it requires is a registered office, and yes, you can use your own. You can list any Pennsylvania street address, including your home or office, and it need not be your place of business. There is no age, residency, consent-form or business-hours rule. When filing the Certificate of Organization (Form DSCB:15-8821) with the Pennsylvania Department of State, you simply list that address as the registered office. For example, a Lancaster County LLC owner with a stable office location can list that office at no additional cost. Exception: the registered office goes on the public filing, so if you operate from a home office and prefer to keep your residential address off it, list a commercial registered office provider (CROP) from the Department's published list instead. A CROP charges an annual fee, and you should contract with it before you list it.

Does Pennsylvania require an annual report for LLCs?

Yes. A 2022 Pennsylvania law abolished the state's decennial report and replaced it with an annual report, first due in 2025. The fee is $7 and the filing window runs from January 1 to September 30 each year. No report is due in the calendar year the LLC is formed. The Department of State's rule is that a company's first annual report is due the year following its formation, so an LLC formed in 2026 files first in 2027. At $7 a year the ongoing burden is still far below states like Oregon ($100) or North Carolina ($200). Exception: there's no monetary late penalty, but a company that stops filing is subject to administrative dissolution, and reinstatement costs $35 electronically or $40 on paper plus $15 for each annual report not previously paid. Set a recurring reminder before September 30.

What taxes does a Pennsylvania LLC pay?

Pennsylvania LLCs are treated as pass-through entities for federal tax purposes, so business profits and losses flow to each member's personal tax return rather than being taxed at the entity level. Pennsylvania imposes a flat 3.07% state income tax on LLC business income, which members report on their individual Pennsylvania personal income tax returns. The Certificate of Organization is filed with the Pennsylvania Department of State, but tax registration is handled separately through the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue. Exception: if your LLC has elected corporate tax treatment at the federal level, it may be subject to Pennsylvania's corporate net income tax instead of the pass-through rules, so consult a Pennsylvania tax professional before making that election. Local taxes also vary significantly by municipality, so check your city or township's requirements as well.

Start Your Pennsylvania LLC in 7 Simple Steps

Form your limited liability company quickly with our complete guide to Pennsylvania's streamlined LLC process.

By Edmond Hui · Last updated: October 2026

Filing an LLC in Pennsylvania costs $125 upfront, takes 2 to 4 days, and has an annual report due September 30 ($7). See breakdown below.

Pennsylvania replaced its decennial report with a $7 annual report in 2025

Pennsylvania does have a recurring state filing, but at $7 a year it's one of the lightest in the country, and none is due in the calendar year you form.

Source: MyStateLLC 50-state analysis 2026

Read this guide for another state:

Choosing an LLC formation service for Pennsylvania?

We compared Northwest Registered Agent, Bizee, ZenBusiness and LegalZoom, the formation services we partner with, on 3-year cost, BBB rating and Trustpilot score.

Compare Services →

$39 with Northwest, plus your $125 state fee. Northwest's $39 includes a year of commercial registered office provider (CROP) 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 commercial registered office provider (CROP) service. After year one, that service is $125/yr. That enrolls you by default in annual report filing at $100 plus state fees, charged automatically to your saved payment method and cancellable any time.

Forming in Pennsylvania? Compare the best LLC services in Pennsylvania.

Prefer to file directly? File yourself at the Secretary of State → ($125 state fee, no service fee)

Not sure which service is right? Compare formation services →

Quick Facts

State filing fee	$125
Processing time	2 to 4 days
Annual report due	September 30
Annual report fee	$7
State income tax	Members pay Pennsylvania's flat 3.07% on pass-through profits

Source: Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations (verified July 2026)

Step diagram for forming an LLC in Pennsylvania, showing the 7 required steps, $125 state filing fee, $7 annual report. — The 7 steps to form an LLC in Pennsylvania, with the state's own filing fee and annual report cost. Source: Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations, verified July 2026.

How to Form an LLC: Step-by-Step

1
Choose Your Pennsylvania LLC Name
Select a unique name ending with 'LLC,' 'L.L.C.,' 'Limited Liability Company,' or approved abbreviations. Search Pennsylvania's business name database to ensure availability and avoid conflicts with existing businesses.
How to search Pennsylvania's business entity records →
Pro tip: Reserve your name for 120 days with a $52 filing if you're not ready to form immediately.
2
Choose a Registered Office
List a registered office in Pennsylvania: a Pennsylvania street address, or a commercial registered office provider (CROP) plus a county of venue. Pennsylvania does not require a registered agent.
Every Pennsylvania LLC must have and continuously maintain a registered office in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania does not require a registered agent: the Department of State says many states require one and Pennsylvania does not. You meet the requirement in one of two ways. You can list a Pennsylvania street address (a post office box alone is refused). Any Pennsylvania street address works, including your home, and it need not be your place of business. Or you can list a commercial registered office provider (CROP) plus a county of venue. The provider must be on the Department of State's published list, and you should contract with it before you list it. A CROP charges an annual fee. There is no age, residency, consent-form or business-hours rule, and nobody is appointed to a role: you simply list an address. The registered office goes on the public filing, so a CROP mainly keeps your home address off the registered office line rather than protecting your identity. Pennsylvania's annual report names at least one governor (a member or manager with management responsibility).
What to Fill In
- Registered office street address in Pennsylvania (a post office box alone is not acceptable)
- Or, in place of an address: the name of a commercial registered office provider (CROP) on the Department of State's list
- County of the registered office (with a CROP, the county of venue)
Common Rejection Reasons
- Registered office is a post office box alone
- Registered office address is outside Pennsylvania
- The commercial registered office provider named isn't on the Department of State's list
- Registered office street address is incomplete (missing suite or unit number for a multi-tenant building)
Processing Times
- Online: The registered office is part of your Certificate of Organization filing, no separate processing time
- Mail: Same as the formation document. The registered office is reviewed with the full filing
After Approval
If you listed a CROP, complete its onboarding and set up document forwarding preferences. Keep your registered office current. To change it, file Form DSCB:15-1507/5507/8625/8825 ($5), use an annual report update on Form DSCB:15-146(f) ($0, available once that year's annual report has been filed), or file a certificate of amendment on Form DSCB:15-8622/8822 ($70). The Department of State can deliver its notices, including any dissolution notice, to the registered office.
Pro tip: Any Pennsylvania street address works, including your home, but the registered office goes on the public filing. A CROP lets you list the provider instead of your own address, for an annual fee.
3
File Certificate of Organization
Submit your Certificate of Organization to the Pennsylvania Department of State with the $125 filing fee. Include your LLC name, registered office, and organizer details. Filing can be completed online or by mail.
What You File in Pennsylvania
In Pennsylvania, the formation document is the Certificate of Organization (Form DSCB:15-8821), filed with the Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations. The state filing fee is $125. Pennsylvania lets you fill in and file the Certificate of Organization online. The state's published processing time: 2 to 4 days. The form itself requires the LLC's name, the organizer's name and the county. Pennsylvania also requires, with the Certificate of Organization or after it: Docketing Statement (DSCB:15-134A). Every line of the Certificate of Organization, field by field →
Processing Times
- Online: A two-to-four-day processing time. The state doesn't split this by filing channel
- Mail: Not published, Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations states no standard turnaround for mailed filings, and every state that comments says mail is slower than online
- Expedited: $100 for Same-day (received before 10:00 a.m.), $300 for 3-hour (received before 2:00 p.m.), and $1,000 for 1-hour (received before 4:00 p.m.)
Pro tip: Online filing through the Pennsylvania Department of State website is faster and provides immediate confirmation.
4
Create an Operating Agreement
Draft an operating agreement outlining ownership percentages, management structure, and operational procedures. This page has not confirmed whether Pennsylvania 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.
Pennsylvania LLC operating agreement: what to include →
Pro tip: Even single-member LLCs benefit from operating agreements to maintain separation between personal and business assets.
5
Obtain an EIN from the IRS
Apply for an Employer Identification Number through the IRS website or by phone. 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.
How to get your LLC's EIN from the IRS, free →
Pro tip: Apply online at irs.gov for immediate EIN issuance during business hours.
6
Open a Business Bank Account
Establish business banking with your Certificate of Organization, EIN, and operating agreement. Keeping business and personal finances separate helps maintain your LLC's liability protection.
Business bank accounts for Pennsylvania LLCs →
Pro tip: Shop around for business accounts with low fees and features that match your transaction volume needs.
7
Obtain Required Business Licenses
Research and acquire necessary federal, state, and local licenses for your industry. Pennsylvania licensing requirements vary by business type and location, so check with relevant agencies and municipalities.
Does your Pennsylvania LLC need a business license? →
Pro tip: Visit the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry website for industry-specific licensing guidance.

Forming as a veteran? Pennsylvania waives the LLC formation filing fee for qualifying veteran-owned small businesses. Who qualifies and how to claim it →

Watch: How to Start an LLC in Pennsylvania (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 state filing fee is $125 to submit your Certificate of Organization to the Pennsylvania Department of State, and since 2025 Pennsylvania has also required a $7 annual report, filed between January 1 and September 30 each year. No annual report is due in the calendar year you form, so a Philadelphia-based LLC formed in 2026 pays $125 in 2026 and $7 a year from 2027, $153 in state fees through 2030. Additional costs may include a commercial registered office provider (CROP), which charges an annual fee, if you don't list your own Pennsylvania address, operating agreement preparation, and any local business license fees charged by your city or municipality. Exception: the every-ten-years decennial report Pennsylvania used to require was abolished and replaced by this annual report under a 2022 Pennsylvania law. Don't plan around a ten-year cycle. Pennsylvania also imposes a 3.07% flat income tax on LLC business income. File online through the Pennsylvania Department of State to begin formation.
: Pennsylvania publishes this figure, which many states don't: 2 to 4 days. In the Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations's own words: 2 to 4 days. Expedited service is available on top of that: $100 for Same-day (received before 10:00 a.m.), $300 for 3-hour (received before 2:00 p.m.), and $1,000 for 1-hour (received before 4:00 p.m.). Treat this as a genuine planning figure rather than a guarantee, and confirm it on the Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations's own site before committing to a date.
: No, Pennsylvania doesn't require LLC formation notices to be published in newspapers. Once your Certificate of Organization is filed with the Pennsylvania Department of State and approved, the Department of State has reported a two-to-four-day processing time, your LLC is fully legally formed and authorized to operate without any additional publication steps. For example, a Pittsburgh-based LLC can begin signing leases, hiring contractors, and opening bank accounts as soon as it receives its approval. No newspaper runs required. This saves Pennsylvania LLC owners the newspaper charges that apply in states like New York, which mandates publication in two designated newspapers for 6 consecutive weeks. Exception: Pennsylvania once required newspaper publication for LLCs, but that requirement was repealed and no longer applies to standard LLC formations. Verify with a Pennsylvania attorney if you're forming a specialty entity type, as rules for certain regulated entities may differ.
: Pennsylvania does not require a registered agent, so there is no agent role to fill. What it requires is a registered office, and yes, you can use your own. You can list any Pennsylvania street address, including your home or office, and it need not be your place of business. There is no age, residency, consent-form or business-hours rule. When filing the Certificate of Organization (Form DSCB:15-8821) with the Pennsylvania Department of State, you simply list that address as the registered office. For example, a Lancaster County LLC owner with a stable office location can list that office at no additional cost. Exception: the registered office goes on the public filing, so if you operate from a home office and prefer to keep your residential address off it, list a commercial registered office provider (CROP) from the Department's published list instead. A CROP charges an annual fee, and you should contract with it before you list it.
: Yes. A 2022 Pennsylvania law abolished the state's decennial report and replaced it with an annual report, first due in 2025. The fee is $7 and the filing window runs from January 1 to September 30 each year. No report is due in the calendar year the LLC is formed. The Department of State's rule is that a company's first annual report is due the year following its formation, so an LLC formed in 2026 files first in 2027. At $7 a year the ongoing burden is still far below states like Oregon ($100) or North Carolina ($200). Exception: there's no monetary late penalty, but a company that stops filing is subject to administrative dissolution, and reinstatement costs $35 electronically or $40 on paper plus $15 for each annual report not previously paid. Set a recurring reminder before September 30.
: Pennsylvania LLCs are treated as pass-through entities for federal tax purposes, so business profits and losses flow to each member's personal tax return rather than being taxed at the entity level. Pennsylvania imposes a flat 3.07% state income tax on LLC business income, which members report on their individual Pennsylvania personal income tax returns. The Certificate of Organization is filed with the Pennsylvania Department of State, but tax registration is handled separately through the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue. Exception: if your LLC has elected corporate tax treatment at the federal level, it may be subject to Pennsylvania's corporate net income tax instead of the pass-through rules, so consult a Pennsylvania tax professional before making that election. Local taxes also vary significantly by municipality, so check your city or township's requirements as well.

Sources

5 documents

Each entry below is a document recorded in our verified Pennsylvania 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.

Pennsylvania law: Act 122 of 2022 (annual report replaced decennial report)
pa.gov/agencies/dos/programs/businessPennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations: business entity filings
pa.gov/agencies/dos/programs/business/fees-and-paymentsPennsylvania LLC filing fees
pa.gov/agencies/dos/programs/business/types-of-filings-and-registrations/annual-reportsPennsylvania agency guidance: Annual Report
pacodeandbulletin.gov/Display/pabull?file=%2Fsecure%2Fpabulletin%2Fdata%2Fvol54%2F54-50%2F1793.htmlPennsylvania agency guidance: Annual Report

More for Pennsylvania LLCs

Start and set up

Taxes, money and growth

Stay compliant

Operate in other states

Compare structures

By owner type

By profession

Ready to Form Your Pennsylvania LLC?

$39 with Northwest, plus your $125 state fee. Northwest's $39 includes a year of commercial registered office provider (CROP) service.

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

Prefer to file directly? File yourself at the Secretary of State → ($125 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 Pennsylvania LLC Name

Choose a Registered Office

What to Fill In

Common Rejection Reasons

Processing Times

After Approval

File Certificate of Organization

What You File in Pennsylvania

Processing Times

Create an Operating Agreement

Obtain an EIN from the IRS

Open a Business Bank Account

Obtain Required Business Licenses