Best LLC Formation Services in Ohio

Ohio has no corporate franchise tax. It runs a Commercial Activity Tax (CAT) instead, and that tax is $0 for businesses grossing $6 million or less as of 2026. Most small LLCs never owe it.

Neighboring states want something from you every year or two. Pennsylvania charges $7 for an annual report, and from the 2027 reports on it will dissolve companies that skip one. Indiana wants a business entity report every other year. The fees are small. The deadlines are the real cost, and Ohio has neither. Your LLC stays active with no further paperwork. Want to file it yourself? Our step by step Ohio LLC guide covers the whole process.

Ohio allows anonymous LLCs and Series LLCs. Want your name off public records? Name a formation service or an attorney as your organizer instead of yourself.

You can hold an LLC name in Ohio for 180 days for $39. Ohio is not the bargain here. Michigan holds a name for the same six months and charges $25. Reserving is optional either way, and the name is yours the moment the state accepts your Articles.

1. Get an EIN from the IRS. You need it to open a business bank account, hire people, and file taxes. It is free and takes about 10 minutes online at irs.gov.
2. Appoint and keep a registered agent. Ohio requires an agent who lives in Ohio, or a business entity cleared to operate here, with a real street address. P.O. boxes are not accepted. We compare the best registered agent services in Ohio separately.
3. Draft an operating agreement. Ohio does not require one. Banks and lenders often ask for it anyway, and it protects your limited liability if the LLC is ever challenged in court.
4. Get a vendor's license if you sell taxable goods or services. Ohio's statewide sales tax is 5.75%. County surcharges push it higher. Once you are licensed, you collect the tax and send it in.
5. Check whether the Commercial Activity Tax applies to you. It starts above $6 million a year in Ohio gross receipts (R.C. 5751.01). Below that, you owe nothing. Most new LLCs never touch it.
6. Skip the federal BOI report. Companies formed in the United States are exempt from beneficial ownership reporting as of March 2025, per FinCEN. If a formation service tries to sell you a BOI filing, you do not need it.

Ohio taxes personal income at a flat 2.75% starting in 2026. The first $26,050 is not taxed. Business income has its own flat 3% rate (R.C. 5747.02). LLC profits pass through to your personal return.

The tax owners ask about most is the Commercial Activity Tax. The CAT starts once Ohio gross receipts pass $6 million a year (R.C. 5751.01). Below that line you owe nothing. Most Ohio LLCs never touch it.

• No Annual Report Costs - Ohio charges nothing to keep an LLC on the books. There is no annual report fee and no biennial report fee. Few states can say that.
• Vendor's License Fee - If you sell taxable goods or services, you need a vendor's license from the Ohio Department of Taxation. It costs $25 in most counties.
• Expedited Filing Adds $100 - The fee sits on the Secretary of State fee schedule, and faster tiers cost more. Standard filings carry no promised date. Buy the expedite only if a deadline depends on it.
• Name Reservation Costs $39 - Not ready to file yet? Holding your LLC name for 180 days costs $39. Several neighboring states charge less.

Here is how Ohio's total state fees compare with every neighboring state once you count the reports they require and Ohio does not.