North Carolina LLC Cost: Average Fees Explained

North Carolina's filing fee is mid-range, but the yearly report is not. The annual report costs more than the original filing, which makes the ongoing price the number to plan around.

Fees on this page come from the sources named in each table and were checked on Oct 11, 2026. Confirm current amounts with the North Carolina Secretary of State before you pay.

Every North Carolina LLC files an annual report, and the fee is higher than the formation fee. Paper filing costs $200/yr. Filing online costs $203/yr, per Inc Authority.

The online figure is slightly higher than the paper one, which may reflect a processing fee. Check the current fee and due date with the Secretary of State, since missing them can put your good standing at risk.

Articles of Organization cost $125. Other filings are optional.

A name reservation lasts 120 days and costs $30. A county-filed assumed business name certificate, or DBA, costs $26. Changing your registered agent with a Statement of Change costs $5, and a Certificate of Existence costs $15.

Faster handling costs extra: $100 for 24-hour service and $200 for same-day, per TRUiC. These sit on top of the filing fee. Standard processing makes the same LLC, so rush only when something is waiting on it.

An LLC formed elsewhere that wants to operate in North Carolina pays $250 to register. That is twice the formation fee for a domestic LLC.

Reinstating a dissolved LLC costs $100, per Inc Authority, and the source says an additional charge applies for each missed year. Reinstatement is why skipping the annual report becomes expensive, and it is the main reason to treat the yearly filing as a fixed cost.

North Carolina requires a registered agent with a street address in the state. You can serve as your own agent if you live there and are reachable during business hours. A commercial agent typically costs $100 – $300/yr, per Inc Authority.

Most sources agree on the filing fee.

Four sources land at the same base figure. The formation service figure is a little higher and may include a processing fee. If a quote beats the state fee on paper, check what it leaves out.

Filing fees are only part of the cost of running an LLC. North Carolina has its own tax rules, and federal obligations apply wherever you form. A cost guide cannot tell you what your LLC owes, so consult a licensed CPA, especially in your first year.

If you have co-owners, a licensed attorney can draft an operating agreement that records ownership and decision rules.

Because the annual report exceeds the original filing fee, a North Carolina LLC with little or no income still carries a fixed yearly cost. For a side project or a holding entity, that may change whether an LLC is worth forming, or worth keeping.

If you decide to close an LLC, ask a licensed attorney how to dissolve it properly. Letting it lapse can lead to the reinstatement costs listed above if you later change your mind.

Ask any formation service whether its price includes the state fee, a registered agent, and annual report reminders. A quote that beats the state fee on paper is usually leaving something out, and the agent fee after the first year is the item most often missed. Compare the total for the first two years, not the first-year price alone.

Mark the annual report due date on the day you form, and confirm it with the Secretary of State. File on time even if the LLC earned nothing, since the filing is separate from income. Keep your registered agent's address current too, because state notices go through that agent.

If you change agents, the Statement of Change fee is small. That makes it worth correcting a stale address right away instead of waiting for a missed notice.