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Vermont puts its LLC fees in a statute, so the numbers are easy to check. 11 V.S.A. section 4012 lists articles of organization at $155 and the annual report of a domestic LLC at $45. The filings go through the Secretary of State's Business Services Division and its online system at bizfilings.vermont.gov. Our Vermont business guide covers the search tool and certificates.
What will my Vermont LLC be called?
A Vermont LLC name must contain "limited liability company" or "limited company," or the abbreviation "L.L.C.," "LLC," "L.C." or "LC." "Limited" may be shortened to "Ltd." and "company" to "Co." A low-profit LLC uses "L3C" instead.
The name also has to be distinguishable in the Secretary of State's records from every other entity incorporated, organized or authorized in Vermont, and from reserved names. You can get around a clash in two ways. The other user consents in a signed record and undertakes to change its name. Or you deliver a certified copy of a final court judgment that gives you the right to the name. Planning a postsecondary school? The statute says you need approval from the State Board of Education before registering the name.
To hold a name while you prepare, apply for a reserved name. The fee is $25 and the hold lasts 120 days. Our name reservation guide and LLC name check guide help you decide.
How do I file the articles?
Prepare the name, a designated agent and a designated office. Then file the articles through the Business Services Division and pay the $155 fee. The pages we reached do not give a processing time, and they do not show the form's field list, so read the filing screen before you pay.
Changes later cost money. An amendment of the articles is $35. A restatement is $25. A statement of change of designated agent or office is $35, capped at $1,000 per filer in a calendar year. If your agent quits, the agent's statement of resignation has no fee. Our Vermont registered agent section explains the rules.
What should I do once approved?
Write an operating agreement and get an EIN. Use our operating agreement template guide and our EIN guide. Keep the template generic, and have a Vermont lawyer check anything unusual.
What does a Vermont LLC pay each year?
A domestic LLC files an annual report at $45. A foreign LLC registered in Vermont pays $170. Our annual report deadlines guide covers calendars across states. The statute we read lists the fee but not the due date, so check your entity's record.
Other fees from the same statute may matter later:
- Certificate of existence or authorization: $35
- Reinstatement: $35
- Articles of termination: $20
- Certificate certifying a filed document: $25
Does the Secretary of State get involved in lawsuits?
The statute sets a $35 fee each time process is served on the Secretary of State under the LLC chapter. The party who causes the service can recover that fee as costs if it wins the case. That is one reason to keep the designated agent and office current, using the $35 change filing.
What is different about Vermont?
A domestic LLC pays $155 to form and $45 a year. A foreign LLC pays $155 to register and then $170 a year, so the home state of the LLC changes the yearly bill. See foreign LLC registration if you already formed elsewhere, and compare totals in LLC fees by state.
If you are weighing Vermont against a neighbour, our guides for New Hampshire, Massachusetts and New York use the same layout.
Next step: the start an LLC form.