Form your first LLC for $99 plus the state filing fee.
You give us the facts. We prepare your formation filing (the Articles of Organization in most states) and your Operating Agreement, you read them and sign them, and we file with the state. One flat price from us, and no subscription.
We file in all 50 states. In Virginia, the District of Columbia and Maryland you can pay online today; anywhere else, a person prepares your filing and confirms the total before you pay.
What is included
- Your formation filing (the Articles of Organization in most states) prepared for your state and filed with the state after you sign it.
- An Operating Agreement, member-managed or manager-managed, whichever you tell us on the form.
- An EIN walkthrough so you can get your number straight from the IRS yourself.
- Form 2553 prepared for you, at no extra charge, if you want to make the S corporation election.
Critical BS is not a law firm and does not provide legal or tax advice.
We prepare your formation documents from the facts you give us and file them after you review and sign. We do not choose your structure for you. If you want advice about which choice fits your situation, talk to a licensed attorney or tax professional.
Price
Our fee is $99 for your first formation with us, and $149 for each one after. On top of that you pay your state’s filing fee at cost, with no markup. Where you can pay online today: Virginia $100, District of Columbia $99, Maryland $100. Those are the totals we are charged to file, surcharges included, and we charge you the same. All in, a first formation is $199 in Virginia, $198 in the District of Columbia, and $199 in Maryland. In every other state we confirm the state fee before you pay.
We lock your total the day you order online, or the day we confirm it for states we file by hand. If a state changes its filing fee before you pay, we hold your order and tell you the new total instead of charging you the old one. Once you have paid, your total does not change.
What this price does not cover
Your state charges ongoing fees after formation, such as an annual or biennial report. Those are yours to file and are not part of this price. We say so here because a company is cheaper to start than it is to keep, and you should hear that from us before you buy rather than from the state afterwards.
How long it takes
State processing time is set by the state, not by us. Virginia: online filings are typically processed in a few days. District of Columbia: standard processing is about 5 business days. Maryland: standard filings are reviewed within 6 to 8 weeks. We tell you the day we submit your filing and the day the state accepts it.
Refunds
Refunds: before we start your filing, you get everything back, our fee and the state fee. Once we have submitted your filing, the state fee is spent and cannot be recovered, so the refund is our fee only. After the state accepts your filing, your company legally exists, and there is no refund at that point; closing the company is a separate dissolution filing.
Nothing goes to the state until after you have signed, so up to the moment you sign, cancelling is a full refund. Email admin@criticalbs.com and we will stop the order.
Registered agent
Registered agent: on these filings you or someone you name serves as the registered agent, and the address you give us goes on the filing. The agent’s address has to be in the state you are filing in.
Maryland adds one more rule: the principal office address has to be in Maryland. Both of these stop a filing before it starts, so the form checks them before it takes your order.
Your EIN
Your EIN: we include a step-by-step walkthrough so you can get your EIN yourself directly from the IRS, free, usually in one sitting. If you would rather have company while you do it, we offer a one-on-one Zoom walkthrough for $25 where you drive and we point. Either way the IRS application stays in your hands, because it asks for a Social Security number or ITIN and we never collect one.
The Zoom walkthrough is not sold through this form. If you want it, email admin@criticalbs.com and we will set it up and bill it separately.
Start your filing
About four minutes, one question at a time. We save your answers as you go, so you can finish later from the link we email you. Everything you give us goes onto your documents exactly as you type it, so use legal names and full addresses. You read every document and sign before anything is filed.
Common questions
What happens after I pay? We check your company name against the state’s records, prepare your documents, and email you a private link. You read every document there and type your full legal name to sign. We file after that, and we email you the day we submit and the day the state accepts.
What if my first company name is taken? Give us a backup name on the form and we use it. If both are taken, we email you and wait for a new one. Nothing gets filed until you have signed documents with the name you are getting.
What if something is wrong in my documents? Do not sign. Email admin@criticalbs.com, tell us what is wrong, and we correct it and send a fresh link, which replaces the old one.
Do I have to buy anything else from you? No. Our fee ($99 for your first formation, $149 for each one after) covers preparing your documents and filing them, the state’s fee is passed through at cost, and Form 2553 preparation is included if you ask for it. The one thing we sell on top is the $25 EIN walkthrough, and you do not need it to get your EIN. Your state’s own ongoing fees are separate and are not ours to charge.
Do you need my Social Security number? No, and we have nowhere to put one. The IRS asks for it on the EIN application and on Form 2553, and both of those stay in your hands.