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You create a Hawaii LLC by filing the Articles of Organization for Limited Liability Company, Form LLC-1, with the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Business Registration Division. The fee is $50, and the State Archives adds $1. The registration date is the date the articles are filed under Hawaii Revised Statutes chapter 428. The state's domestic LLC page lists the form and fees, and our Hawaii guide shows how to search the register.
What does it cost to form a Hawaii LLC?
The state total on the form is $51. Fees are not refundable, so check the name before you pay. Extra, optional charges:
- Expedited review: $25 more, when the division offers it.
- Certified copy: $10 plus $0.25 a page.
After you form, an LLC filing online pays $12.50 for each annual report. See the end of this page for when it is due.
How do you file Form LLC-1?
You have four ways: online, by email, by mail or by fax. Online filing runs through Hawaii Business Express. Paper filings must be typed or printed and signed in black ink, on letter-size pages. Email and fax filings need credit card details with them.
The person who signs is the organizer. The organizer can be someone other than a member or manager. That helps if a lawyer or a friend files for you.
Can you ask for a faster review?
Normally yes, for the extra $25. But the division's home page says it is moving to a new computer system and online portal, and that expedited handling is not available at the moment. Read that notice before you plan around a date. Standard filing still works, and the notice says services for filing and for copies and certificates are available.
What name rules apply in Hawaii?
The name must contain Limited Liability Company, L.L.C. or LLC. Limited may be shortened to Ltd. and Company to Co. To hold a name, reserve it online through Hawaii Business Express. A reservation lasts 120 days. Cancelling is done by a letter signed by the applicant, since the division has no form for it. Read our name reservation guide and the name availability guide for the checks to run.
A trade name is a separate matter. A registered entity files Form T-1 to use a name different from its registered name.
Who can be the registered agent?
Hawaii says the agent must be an individual or entity authorized to transact business in the state and physically present there. Read the details on our Hawaii registered agent page. Choose someone who will be at the address during the working week.
How should you set up management?
Choose member-managed or manager-managed before you file, because the choice shapes who can sign contracts. In a member-managed LLC every member can act for the company. The state's FAQ says an LLC's internal workings are governed by an operating agreement. Draft one with our operating agreement guide once the articles are approved. Then request an EIN with our EIN guide.
Owners who live outside Hawaii can form here too. See LLCs for non-residents.
When is the Hawaii annual report due?
Hawaii ties the due date to the quarter you registered in, not to a fixed day for everyone:
- Registered January to March: due by March 31.
- Registered April to June: due by June 30.
- Registered July to September: due by September 30.
- Registered October to December: due by December 31.
You file no report for the calendar year in which you register. A late filing adds $10 for each year delinquent. Never pay a third party that claims to collect the report for the state. The division says it uses none. The annual report deadlines guide compares states.
Weighing nearby options? See the California LLC, Alaska LLC and Oregon LLC guides.
Ready to file? Use the start an LLC form.
After approval, check the rules in our Hawaii business license guide.