How to form an LLC in Idaho (2026)

What are the steps to form an LLC in Idaho?

Idaho keeps formation short: a name, an agent, one filing with the Secretary of State, and a yearly report in the month the LLC was born. Each step below shows its form or fee.

1. Check that your LLC name is available with the Idaho Secretary of State. You can reserve a name for $20 online; $40 on paper ($20 + $20 manual processing); reserved for 4 months.
2. Name a registered agent in Idaho: a person or company with an Idaho address who accepts legal papers for the LLC.
3. File the Certificate of Organization to Limited Liability Company with the Idaho Secretary of State. The state fee is $100 online, $120 by paper. Filing methods: Online (SOSBiz), by mail or hand delivery.
4. Wait for approval: Approximately 7 to 10 days from the date of filing. Faster options: Expedited: +$40; same-day: +$100 (paper form).
5. File the recurring report (Annual Report): due each year by the last day of the month in which the LLC was formed.

The name check and the agent can be sorted out in either order, as long as both are settled before you file. The Idaho report isn't tied to a calendar date that's the same for everyone. It falls in your LLC's own formation month, so an LLC formed in spring reports in spring and one formed in autumn reports in autumn.

If you would rather hand the paperwork to a formation service, the Idaho list of LLC services with first-year totals compares each one with the Idaho fee added.

How do you check and reserve an Idaho LLC name?

Search the Idaho Secretary of State business records before filing. If you need time, a name reservation costs $20 online or $40 on paper and holds the name for 4 months.⁴

The paper price is higher for the same reason the formation filing costs more on paper: Idaho adds its manual processing charge to paper forms. Paper forms also have to be typed, since the state's form instructions say the form must be typed.²

A reservation only holds the name; it doesn't form the LLC. It can help when something else, like a partner's sign-off, has to happen before you can file.

Who can be a registered agent for an Idaho LLC?

Idaho lets an LLC name either a commercial registered agent, usually a company that acts as agent for many businesses, or a noncommercial registered agent, such as an owner, relative or friend. The rules sit in Idaho Code § 30-21-404 and § 30-21-403.⁵

The difference shows up on the filing itself. For a commercial agent, the LLC gives only the agent's name. For a noncommercial agent, the LLC lists the agent's name and address, and Idaho law says an address in a filed record must include a street address in this state. A mailbox address on its own won't do.⁵

An owner acting as a noncommercial agent from home puts that home address on the state filing, and each annual report asks for the registered agent information again. Naming a commercial agent means the LLC's filing carries only the agent's name.

Agent prices vary widely. Northwest Registered Agent lists its service at $125 per year and InCorp Services at $129/year. Bizee (formerly Incfile) gives one year of Registered Agent Service for free with any of its formation packages and then charges $149/year. Swyft Filings bills $149 per quarter ($596/year), the highest of the four. The list of plans with a registered agent included and our registered agent guide go further.^{6, 7, 8, 9, 10}

How do you file the Certificate of Organization, and how long does it take?

You file the Certificate of Organization online through SOSBiz or on a typed paper form sent by mail or delivered by hand. The Idaho Secretary of State says filing online is the fastest option, and it lists current processing at approximately 7-10 days from the date of filing.^{1, 2}

• Online (SOSBiz), the lower-cost route¹
• a typed paper form, sent by mail or hand delivery¹

The state calls online the fastest route, and it also skips the manual processing charge.

Paid rush options on the paper form

The paper Certificate of Organization lists two faster tiers: expedited service, which adds $40.00 to the filing fee, and same-day service, which adds $100.00. Our record doesn't say whether SOSBiz offers the same tiers, so ask the Idaho Secretary of State before choosing paper only for speed, since paper also brings the manual processing charge.²

A service's own processing promise is a separate clock from the state's review. A provider may prepare and submit your filing within a day, and the state still works through its queue unless a rush fee is paid. The LLC timeline guide separates the two, and the fastest stated filing list compares providers on their published times.

What does an Idaho LLC cost in the first and second year?

In the first year, an Idaho LLC costs the $100 online filing fee (or $120 by paper), plus any plan, rush fee or agent you pay for. The second year depends on plan and agent renewals.²

The table lists each provider's first-year total in Idaho with the plan we compare. Rows follow our rating, with ties in the editorial order set out in how we rate.

First year: state filing fee plus the provider's compared plan. Second year: the recurring state fee plus the plan's renewal, if it renews.

Totals are our arithmetic on the published figures. Registered agent renewals are extra unless a plan includes the agent. Try other plans in the calculator.

The second-year column reads "Can't total" for every row. The state record behind this page has no fee figure for the Idaho annual report, so there is nothing verified to add for year two, and we won't put in an estimate.

The first-year spread is wide. Inc Authority Free LLC comes to $100, the online state fee and nothing more, but its included agent renews at $249/year after the first year. Northwest Registered Agent totals $139, and Tailor Brands Elite totals $349. The Inc Authority pricing page, Northwest pricing page and Tailor Brands pricing page list what renews and when.¹¹

Totals here assume online filing. Filing on paper adds the $20 manual processing fee to any row. To try other plans or a rush fee, use the LLC cost calculator, or see the national LLC cost guide for how Idaho compares with other states.²

What does an Idaho LLC file after it is formed?

An Idaho LLC files an Annual Report with the Idaho Secretary of State every year. It must arrive not later than the close of business on the final day of the applicable month, where the applicable month is the one in which the LLC's formation took effect (Idaho Code § 30-21-213(c)).^{3, 12}

The report confirms the entity's name and home jurisdiction, the registered agent information, the principal office street and mailing addresses, and the name of at least one governor. "Governor" is the statute's word, and the record behind this page doesn't define it, so the Idaho Secretary of State's report instructions are the place to check whose name to give.¹²

The Secretary of State pages behind this record don't publish a late fee. The risk is bigger than a fee: failure to file by the due date is grounds for administrative dissolution. That makes the formation month worth putting in a calendar the day the approval arrives.¹³

Some providers will file the report for you, and the terms differ.

• Tailor Brands includes annual compliance report filing and updates on Essential and Elite, but not on Lite.¹⁴
• ZenBusiness's Worry-Free Compliance, which files state-required annual reports, is included in Pro and Premium.¹⁵
• Northwest Registered Agent charges $100 + state fees for its renewal service, billed at filing.¹⁶
• LegalZoom lists a one-time annual report filing at $99 + state filing fees.¹⁷

The annual report guide explains how report filing differs from a reminder, and the package contents guide shows which plan items are filings and which are alerts.

How do you change an Idaho registered agent later?

You change an Idaho registered agent by filing a Statement of Change of Registered Office or Registered Agent, or Both with the Idaho Secretary of State. It costs $0 online or $20 by paper, so SOSBiz is the free route.^{1, 18}

Make the change before you cancel the old service. An Idaho LLC with no registered agent in the state for 60 consecutive days gives the Secretary of State grounds to start administrative dissolution (Idaho Code § 30-21-601).¹³

Agents can resign, too. Under Idaho Code § 30-21-410, the resignation takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on the 31st day after filing, or earlier when a new agent is designated, and the agent must promptly notify the entity. That window is the time to name a replacement.¹⁹

What if your LLC was formed in another state?

An LLC formed elsewhere registers to do business in Idaho with a Foreign Registration Statement. The fee is $100 online or $120 on paper, the same split as a new Idaho LLC.²⁰

It also names a registered agent in Idaho. Because forming a new Idaho LLC and registering an existing one cost the same here, the choice turns on where the business operates and how it is taxed, which is a question for an accountant or lawyer. The foreign LLC guide covers the idea, and the state fees table compares Idaho with neighbors such as Washington, Oregon, Utah and Montana.