How much does a business lawyer cost?

By Javi Pérez, independent researcher (not a lawyer)Last reviewed · 13 sources cited below · How we research

General information, not legal advice. Fees and rules change and differ by court and county. Confirm current amounts with the court or a lawyer licensed in your state before you rely on them.

Short answer

The state fee to form an LLC ranges from $50 in Michigan to $200 in New York among the 10 states we verified, but recurring costs can matter more: California charges an $800 annual LLC tax, and New York requires newspaper publication within 120 days. Legal fees depend on the work; at Clio's national average of $349 an hour, a 4-hour custom operating agreement costs about $1,396.

State LLC filing fees

Forming a limited liability company starts with a state filing, usually called articles of organization or a certificate of formation. The state fee is the same whether you file yourself, use a filing service or hire a lawyer. Among the states below it ranges from $50 in Michigan to $200 in New York [5][6].

State filing fees to form a domestic LLC, from statutes and agency rules (checked October 11, 2026)
StateFormation filing feeRecurring or extra state cost
California$70 [1]$800 annual LLC tax, plus an LLC fee once California income reaches $250,000 [2]
Florida$100 articles + $25 registered agent designation = $125 [3]Annual report required; check the Division of Corporations for the current total
Georgia$100 [4]$50 annual registration [4]
Michigan$50 [5]$25 annual statement through Sept. 30, 2027, then $15 [5]
New York$200 [6]Newspaper publication within 120 days of formation [7]
North Carolina$125 [8]$200 annual report [8]
Ohio$99 [9]Not covered here
Pennsylvania$125 [10]Not covered here
Virginia$100 [11]Not covered here
Washington$180 [12]$70 annual report [12]

Fees exclude optional expedite charges, name reservations and registered-agent services. Texas, Illinois, New Jersey and Delaware are not in the table because we could not verify their current fees on an official source; check the Secretary of State's fee page before filing. Fees for corporations differ from LLC fees.

Two state costs people miss

  • California's $800 annual tax. Every LLC organized or doing business in California owes it each year until the LLC is canceled, even with no activity [2]. Over three years that is 3 × $800 = $2,400, far more than the $70 filing fee.
  • New York's publication requirement. Within 120 days of formation, a New York LLC must publish a notice once a week for six weeks in two newspapers chosen by the county clerk and file proof with the Department of State. If it does not, its authority to do business is suspended until it complies [7]. Newspaper charges vary by county.

What a business lawyer actually charges for

The filing itself is clerical. The legal work is in the decisions around it. Most business lawyers bill hourly, though many quote flat fees for formation packages. We have not found a reliable national survey of business formation fees, so the examples below use Clio's national average hourly rate of $349 [13].

  • Entity choice: LLC vs corporation, and tax elections, usually alongside an accountant.
  • Operating agreement: who owns what, how decisions are made, what happens when a member leaves, dies or wants to sell, and how profits are split. This document matters most when there is more than one owner.
  • Contracts: customer terms, supplier agreements, leases, NDAs and contractor agreements.
  • Raising money: investor documents and securities compliance, which is specialist work.
  • Disputes: member disputes, collections and contract breaches, billed like litigation.

Example (two-member LLC in Georgia, hourly illustration): state filing $100 [4] + 4 hours to advise on structure and draft a custom operating agreement (4 × $349 = $1,396) [13] = $1,496 in year one, plus the $50 annual registration in later years [4]. A single-member LLC with a template operating agreement might need only an hour of review: 1 × $349 = $349.

Example (California, first three years): $70 filing [1] + 3 × $800 annual tax [2] = $2,470 in state charges before any legal or accounting fees.

What drives business legal costs up

  • Number of owners. Each additional owner adds negotiation over control, buyouts and deadlock.
  • Outside investors. Different classes of membership interest, vesting and investor rights multiply drafting time.
  • Regulated industries. Licensing, health care, finance and alcohol add compliance work.
  • Multiple states. Operating in another state usually means registering there as a foreign LLC, with its own fees and annual reports.
  • Negotiated contracts. A standard NDA is routine; a contract the other side's lawyer is marking up is not.
  • Intellectual property. Brand and invention protection is separate work; see trademark and patent costs.

When you can do it yourself and when to hire

Doing it yourself is often reasonable for a single-owner LLC with no investors, a simple service business, standard templates for routine contracts, and a state whose filing you can complete online.

Hire a business lawyer when you have co-founders, are taking investor money, are buying or selling a business, are signing a lease or contract you cannot afford to lose, or are in a regulated industry.

Questions to ask before hiring

  • Is formation a flat fee, and does it include the operating agreement, EIN and initial resolutions?
  • Are state fees and registered-agent fees included or extra?
  • Do you offer a monthly or subscription arrangement for routine contract review?
  • Who handles the work, and at what hourly rate if it goes beyond the flat fee?

See also hourly vs flat-fee lawyers, employment lawyer cost and the lawyer cost calculator.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to form an LLC?

The state filing fee is the fixed part: $50 in Michigan, $70 in California, $99 in Ohio, $100 in Georgia and Virginia, $125 in Florida (including the registered agent designation), North Carolina and Pennsylvania, $180 in Washington and $200 in New York. Legal help is extra.

Do I need a lawyer to form an LLC?

No state requires one for the filing itself. A lawyer is most useful for multi-owner operating agreements, investor terms and regulated businesses.

Why does a California LLC cost so much more than the filing fee?

California charges an $800 annual tax on every LLC organized or doing business there, due each year until the LLC is canceled, plus an extra LLC fee once California income reaches $250,000.

What is the New York LLC publication requirement?

Within 120 days of formation, a New York LLC must publish a notice for six consecutive weeks in two county-designated newspapers and file proof with the Department of State, or its authority to do business is suspended.

Is an operating agreement required?

Requirements vary by state, but even where it is not legally required, an operating agreement is how owners set rules for control, profits and exits. It matters most when there is more than one owner.

Sources

  1. Cal. Gov. Code §12190 (Secretary of State filing fees) — California (public.law mirror). California LLC articles of organization $70 (checked October 11, 2026)
  2. Limited liability company (LLC) — California Franchise Tax Board. $800 annual LLC tax; LLC fee above $250,000 of income (checked October 11, 2026)
  3. Fla. Stat. §605.0213 (fees) — Florida Legislature. Florida articles $100 plus $25 registered agent designation (checked October 11, 2026)
  4. O.C.G.A. §14-11-1101 (fees) — Justia (Georgia Code mirror). Georgia articles $100; annual registration $50 (checked October 11, 2026)
  5. MCL 450.5101 (LLC filing fees) — Michigan Legislature. Michigan articles $50; annual statement $25 through Sept. 30, 2027 (checked October 11, 2026)
  6. N.Y. Limited Liability Company Law §1101 (fees) — New York State Senate. New York articles of organization $200 (checked October 11, 2026)
  7. N.Y. Limited Liability Company Law §206 (publication) — New York State Senate. Publication in two newspapers for six weeks within 120 days (checked October 11, 2026)
  8. N.C. Gen. Stat. §57D-1-22 (fees) — North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina articles $125; annual report $200 (checked October 11, 2026)
  9. Ohio Rev. Code §111.16 (Secretary of State filing fees) — Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio articles of organization $99 (checked October 11, 2026)
  10. 15 Pa.C.S. §153 (fees) — Justia (Pennsylvania Code mirror). Pennsylvania certificate of organization $125 (checked October 11, 2026)
  11. Code of Virginia §13.1-1005 (fees) — Virginia General Assembly. Virginia articles of organization $100 (checked October 11, 2026)
  12. WAC 434-112-085 (business entity fees) — Washington State Legislature. Washington public organic record $180; annual report $70 (checked October 11, 2026)
  13. Compare Lawyer Rates (2025 Legal Trends Report) — Clio. US national average lawyer hourly rate of $349 (checked October 11, 2026)