How to form an LLC in Nevada (2026)

What are the steps to form an LLC in Nevada?

Forming a Nevada LLC runs from picking an unused name to the first yearly list, and every step goes through the Nevada Secretary of State. Each step's form and fee is listed below.

1. Check that your LLC name is available with the Nevada Secretary of State. You can reserve a name for $25 (reserved for 90 days).
2. Name a registered agent in Nevada: a person or company with a Nevada address who accepts legal papers for the LLC.
3. File the Articles of Organization with the Nevada Secretary of State. The state fee is $75. Filing methods: Online (via nvsos.gov), by mail or in person.
4. Wait for approval. Faster options: 24-hour $125; 2-hour $500; 1-hour $1,000 per item, on top of the filing fee.
5. File the recurring report (Annual List of Managers or Members, filed with the State Business License renewal): due each year, by the last day of the month in which the LLC's organization anniversary falls, fee $150.

The list understates one thing. Step three is really three filings handled together: the Articles of Organization, the initial list of managers or members, and the State Business License. Budget for all three before you file.¹

The other point to plan for is the calendar. The yearly list is due by the last day of the month in which the LLC's organization anniversary falls, not on a fixed statewide date, so two Nevada LLCs formed in different months have different deadlines. If you would rather have a service handle the filings, the Nevada LLC services comparison lists each one's first-year cost in this state.³

What does Nevada collect when you file the articles?

Nevada collects three fees when an LLC is formed: $75 for the Articles of Organization, the Initial List of Managers or Members ($150), and the $200 State Business License fee. The cost tables on this site add only the articles fee, so the other two come on top of their totals.^{1, 2}

The initial list names the people who manage the LLC. The statute says the LLC files it at the time of the filing of its articles of organization. It also allows an alternative due date in some cases, so ask the Secretary of State if you plan to file the list separately.²

The State Business License is a Nevada requirement for the business itself. It is paid at formation and again each year with the annual list, so it belongs in the yearly budget as well as the startup one.

A formation service doesn't remove any of these state fees. A plan priced at zero still leaves you paying the state for all three.

How do you check and reserve a Nevada LLC name?

Check with the Nevada Secretary of State that the name you want is available, then file the articles or pay $25 to hold the name for 90 days. A reservation is a separate filing from the articles.¹

Reserving makes sense if your members, bank or agent aren't lined up yet. If you are ready to file the articles the same day, there is little reason to pay for a hold first.

Who can be a registered agent for a Nevada LLC?

Nevada recognizes a commercial registered agent or a noncommercial registered agent, and either kind needs a street address in the state. The facts we cite don't set out who falls in each category, so ask the Nevada Secretary of State if you are unsure which one you would be.⁴

A registered agent receives lawsuits and state notices on the LLC's behalf. Under NRS 77.300, the agent's address must be "An actual street address or rural route box number in this State", plus a Nevada mailing address if the two differ. A mailing address alone doesn't meet the rule.⁴

Nevada also has a naming option. An entity without a commercial agent may name the title of an office or position with the entity, such as manager, rather than a person's name.⁴

Whoever serves gives the state that Nevada street address, so an owner acting as agent from home gives the home address. A commercial agent gives its own Nevada address instead. Inc Authority includes its agent free for the first year and then renews it at $249/year; Northwest Registered Agent sells its agent service at $125 per year. The registered agent guide explains what an agent does day to day, and Northwest's pricing page lists what it bills after the free year.^{5, 6}

How do you file Nevada's Articles of Organization, and how fast is it?

Online (via nvsos.gov) filing is open, and the form can also go in by mail or in person. The fee schedule we cite lists paid expedite tiers but no standard turnaround, so we don't state a regular processing time.¹

The state sells three expedite levels per item, each on top of the filing fee.¹

1. 24-hour $125¹
2. 2-hour $500¹
3. 1-hour $1,000 per item¹

Because the initial list and business license go in with the articles, ask the Secretary of State how the per-item charge applies to your package before paying for a faster tier.

A provider's own speed claim covers its side of the work, such as preparing and submitting the filing. The state's review runs on its own clock unless someone pays for an expedite tier. The LLC timeline guide separates the two, and the fastest stated filing list compares providers on their published times.

What does a Nevada LLC cost in its first and second year?

In year one a Nevada LLC pays the $75 articles fee, the Initial List of Managers or Members ($150) and the $200 State Business License fee, plus any plan, agent or expedite charge. From year two the state side is the $150 annual list fee and the $200 State Business License fee, plus plan and agent renewals.^{1, 2, 3, 7}

The table pairs each provider's compared plan with Nevada's figures. Rows follow our rating, highest first, with ties in our editorial order (how we rate explains it).

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.

Read the columns with care. The first-year column adds only the articles fee to each plan, so the initial list and business license collected at formation come on top of every figure in it. The second-year column counts the $150 list fee and the plan's renewal, but not the yearly business license fee paid with the list.³

The low end shows how that plays out. Inc Authority lists its Free LLC plan, so its first-year figure here is $75, the articles fee and nothing else; its agent then renews at $249/year. Northwest Registered Agent comes to $114 for year one, and its included registered agent renews at $125/yr after year 1. At the other end, a plan that renews each year, such as ZenBusiness Premium, shows $449 for year two. The Inc Authority profile and the ZenBusiness profile list what each plan leaves out.^{5, 8}

The LLC cost calculator lets you add your own plan and expedite choice. For the same question across states, see the national LLC cost guide and the list ranked by cost across both years.

What does a Nevada LLC file each year?

Every year a Nevada LLC files the Annual List of Managers or Members with the Nevada Secretary of State, due by the last day of the month in which the LLC's organization anniversary falls, with the $150 list fee and the $200 State Business License fee. The two are filed together.^{1, 3, 7}

The list asks for the names and addresses of managers or managing members, so those details go to the state again each year. Our facts don't say how the state displays them, so ask the Nevada Secretary of State if owner privacy is a concern.⁷

Missing the deadline adds a $75 late fee on the list and a $100 State Business License late fee. If the charter is revoked, reinstatement costs $300, plus each missed annual list fee and $75 late penalty, and a charter revoked for 5 consecutive years cannot be reinstated.^{1, 2}

Nevada's Commerce Tax applies only if Nevada gross revenue exceeds $4 million in a fiscal year. The state's page describes it for businesses in general rather than naming LLCs, so ask an accountant whether it reaches your company.⁹

Formation services handle this list in different ways. LegalZoom lists a Compliance Filings subscription with initial report filing and auto-filing of annual reports, which starts at $199/year. For annual report filing, Northwest Registered Agent charges $100 + state fees, charged at filing, and InCorp Services charges $89 + state fees. The provider pages we cite don't say whether these prices cover the Nevada business license renewal as well, so ask. The annual report guide explains the difference between a service that files and one that only reminds.^{10, 11, 12}

How do you change a Nevada registered agent?

You change a Nevada registered agent by filing the Change of Registered Agent by Represented Entity with the Nevada Secretary of State, for $60. The filing names the new agent and its Nevada address.^{1, 13}

Order the steps so there is no gap. File the change first, then cancel the old agent service once the state shows the new agent.

An agent can also step down on its own. Its resignation takes effect on the earlier of the 31st day after filing or appointment of a new agent, and the agent must promptly notify the entity of the filing date. An LLC that hasn't filed a change naming a new agent by then is in default and subject to charter revocation. The guide to cancelling or switching a service covers the provider side of a change.^{2, 14}

What if the LLC was formed outside Nevada?

An LLC formed in another state registers in Nevada for $75. The same list and license charges apply (plus $150 initial list and $200 State Business License).¹

The foreign registration fee matches the cost of forming a new Nevada LLC, but the list and license fees apply either way. Which route fits depends on where the business operates and is a question for an accountant or lawyer. The foreign LLC guide explains registration, and the state fees table compares Nevada with neighbors such as Arizona, Utah and California.