How Much Does It Cost to Start an LLC in Utah?

The cost to start an LLC in Utah is $59 for the Certificate of Organization, the one mandatory state fee that legally creates your company.1Utah Department of Commerce. Fiscal Year 2026 Fee Schedule Effective July 1, 2025 After that, you’ll owe $18 every year to keep it in good standing, and depending on choices like a professional registered agent or an attorney-drafted operating agreement, your first-year total will usually land somewhere between $59 and about $400.

The $59 Certificate of Organization

Filing the Certificate of Organization with Utah’s Division of Corporations and Commercial Code is the only payment required to form your LLC. The fee is $59 and is nonrefundable whether the Division approves or rejects your filing.1Utah Department of Commerce. Fiscal Year 2026 Fee Schedule Effective July 1, 2025 You can submit online through the Division’s Business Registration portal and pay by credit card. Most online filings are approved instantly; those flagged for manual review take two to four business days.2State of Utah. CORP Home

Reserving a Name: $22, and Usually Skippable

If you’ve picked a name but aren’t ready to file yet, you can hold it for 120 days by submitting an Application for Reservation of Business Name with a $22 nonrefundable fee.3Utah Department of Commerce. Application for Reservation of Business Name If you’re ready to file your Certificate of Organization now, there’s no reason to pay the $22. The Division’s online name database is free to search, and once your Certificate is filed, the name is yours. Reservation is a holding pattern, nothing more.

Registered Agent: Free or $50–$300 a Year

Utah requires every LLC to name a registered agent with a physical street address in the state to receive lawsuits and official notices. You can serve as your own agent at no cost, and plenty of single-member LLCs do. The trade-off: your address becomes part of the Division’s public records.

If keeping your home address off public filings matters to you, a professional registered agent service will list its address in place of yours. Those services typically run $50 to $300 per year depending on the provider and what they bundle in. It’s a recurring expense, so factor it into your annual budget, not just year one.

Annual Report and Other Ongoing State Fees

Every Utah LLC must file an annual report in the anniversary month of its formation. The fee is $18, and ignoring the deadline can eventually trigger administrative dissolution of the company.1Utah Department of Commerce. Fiscal Year 2026 Fee Schedule Effective July 1, 2025 The amount is small enough that people forget to track it. Put it on the calendar anyway.

A few other state fees come up occasionally during the life of an LLC:

Reinstatement is far pricier than the $18 report that would have prevented it, which is the real reason to put the annual deadline on your calendar.

Operating Agreement: $0 to About $2,000

Utah doesn’t require you to file an operating agreement with the state, so there’s no state fee tied to it. You can draft one yourself for free, and for a straightforward single-member LLC that’s often enough. Without one, Utah’s default LLC rules fill in the gaps, and those defaults may not reflect what you and any co-owners actually want.5Utah Legislature. Utah Code 48-3a-112 – Operating Agreement Scope, Functions, and Limitations

Multi-member LLCs with meaningful assets or complicated profit splits should think about having an attorney draft one. Custom operating agreements from a lawyer typically run $500 to $2,000 depending on complexity.

Federal Costs: EIN Is Free, Tax Election Can Save Money

Most LLCs need a federal Employer Identification Number. The IRS issues EINs at no cost through its online application, which takes about ten minutes.6Internal Revenue Service. Get an Employer Identification Number Third-party sites charge up to $300 for the same service, and the FTC has publicly warned consumers about operations that pose as the IRS.7Federal Trade Commission. FTC Warns Operators of Websites That Charge for an Employer Identification Number and Claim Affiliation with the IRS If a site asks for payment to get you an EIN, close the tab.

By default, the IRS treats a single-member LLC as a sole proprietorship and a multi-member LLC as a partnership, with profits flowing through to the owners’ personal returns and subject to self-employment tax.8Internal Revenue Service. Single Member Limited Liability Companies You can elect corporate tax treatment by filing IRS Form 8832 (C corp) or Form 2553 (S corp).9Internal Revenue Service. About Form 8832 Entity Classification Election An S corp election can lower self-employment tax for owners who pay themselves a reasonable salary, but whether it pencils out depends on your income. Worth modeling with a tax professional before you commit.

What You Don’t Owe: Beneficial Ownership Reporting

The federal Corporate Transparency Act originally required most new LLCs to file a Beneficial Ownership Information report with FinCEN. As of March 2025, an interim final rule exempts all U.S.-formed entities from this requirement, and FinCEN will not enforce BOI reporting penalties against domestic companies or their owners.10Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. Beneficial Ownership Information Reporting If a service tries to charge you for a BOI filing, you don’t currently owe one. Check FinCEN’s site periodically in case the rules shift.

Local Business License

Most Utah municipalities require a general business license, and the fees vary widely by city and by industry. There’s no statewide number to quote. Call your city or county clerk’s office before you plan your budget, because the local license is often the cost that surprises new owners.

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