Start an LLC in Arizona · All 50 states
Arizona is one of the cheapest states to form and keep an LLC: a $50 filing and no annual report. The tradeoff is that owners go on the public record. Here is the process, the publication rule and who should file here.
By the Lobi Space compliance team. Current as of October 2026. Lobi Space is not a law firm and does not give legal advice; we prepare and file documents at your direction.
Step by step
Five steps from name to EIN. We handle the filing steps for you at your direction, and you keep the decisions.
The name must include "limited liability company", "limited company", "L.L.C.", "L.C.", "LLC" or "LC", and cannot include "association", "corporation" or "incorporated". Banking words need state approval first.
An individual who is a permanent, full time Arizona resident with an Arizona street address, or a business authorized in Arizona. The LLC cannot be its own agent, and the agent accepts the appointment in writing.
File with the Arizona Corporation Commission for $50, or $85 expedited. State whether the LLC is member managed or manager managed and list the people that requires (A.R.S. § 29-3201).
Within 60 days of approval. If your statutory agent's street address is in Maricopa or Pima county, the Commission posts the notice online for you. Elsewhere, publish it in a local newspaper three times in a row.
Arizona does not require an operating agreement, but without one the statute decides voting and exits for you. The IRS issues your EIN for free.
Want the general version first? Read how to set up an LLC and what every formation add-on actually is.
Costs
State fees only: what you pay once, what repeats and what is optional. You also need a registered agent in Arizona. Ours is $95 per entity, per state, per year, through our partner network.
Compare our service fees on formation pricing.
| Item | State cost | How often |
|---|---|---|
| Articles of Organization | $50, or $85 expedited | One time |
| Accelerated review | $100 next day, $200 same day, $400 within 2 hours | Optional |
| Newspaper publication | Set by the newspaper; not needed in Maricopa or Pima county | One time, if required |
| Annual report | None for LLCs | Never |
Privacy
No. A member managed LLC lists the name and address of every member. A manager managed LLC lists every manager plus every member who owns 20% or more of the capital or profits (A.R.S. § 29-3201). The Commission states that names and addresses on filed documents are public record.
The one lever is structure: in a manager managed LLC, members who own less than 20% are not listed.
Federal reporting is not the issue it was: FinCEN's final rule of August 2026 removed beneficial ownership reporting for US companies and US persons. Read what changed in Anonymous LLC in 2026.
Timing
The Arizona Corporation Commission says regular processing typically takes 14 to 16 days and expedited processing, $35 more, typically takes 3 to 5 days.
For more speed it sells accelerated review: next day for $100, same day for $200 if received before 10 a.m., and 2 hour service for $400 between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Names
Registered agent
Ours is $95 per entity, per state, per year.
Is it right for you
Corporations
Arizona corporations file Articles of Incorporation with the Commission and, unlike LLCs, file an annual report every year. The annual report fee for a for-profit corporation is $45, due on the date shown on the corporation's record.
We file corporations too. Pro and Premium include bylaws and initial corporate documents.
Taxes and publication
The Arizona Department of Revenue states that the tax rate on Arizona taxable income is 2.5% for tax year 2023 and beyond.
Publication: Yes. Within 60 days of approval a notice must be published, unless your statutory agent's street address is in Maricopa or Pima county, where the Commission posts it online for you (A.R.S. § 29-3201).
Operating in Illinois
Forming in Arizona does not take your company out of Illinois. If your Arizona company has an office, staff or regular operations in Illinois, it generally has to register in Illinois as a foreign company before it does business here. For an LLC that is the Application for Admission to Transact Business, and the Illinois fee is $150, the same as forming a new Illinois LLC.
After that you pay both states every year: Arizona's own annual costs plus the Illinois annual report, $75 for an LLC. You also need an Illinois registered agent with a street address here. That is the double cost most Illinois founders do not see coming, and it is why a business that only operates in Illinois is usually better off with an Illinois LLC.
If you do form in Arizona and operate here, we can be your Illinois registered agent from our staffed office in Chicago.
We check the name, prepare the filing and send it at your direction. You get the documents and a team that answers the phone.
Filing service packages
One time service fees, prepared by a person you can call. The Arizona state fee is passed through at cost and confirmed in your quote before anything is filed.
plus the Arizona state fee, at cost
Your Arizona LLC or corporation filed, with your EIN, by a team you can call.
Continue with StarterIncluded
plus the Arizona state fee, at cost
Everything in Starter, plus the documents your bank asks for and a registered agent.
Continue with ProIncluded
plus the Arizona state fee, at cost
Everything in Pro, plus your first annual report filed and the documents to run the company.
Continue with PremiumIncluded
All 50 states
Same packages, same team, any state. These are the guides founders ask us about most, with the state fee to file and the yearly cost to keep the company active.
Lobi Space is not a law firm, and no one on our staff, including our notary public, is an attorney licensed to practice law in Illinois. We prepare and file formation documents only at your direction, using the information you give us. We cannot give legal or tax advice, tell you which entity type to choose, or review your situation the way a lawyer would. For those decisions, talk to an Illinois attorney or a CPA.
Notice from our notary public (Illinois law, 5 ILCS 312/3-103)
I AM NOT AN ATTORNEY LICENSED TO PRACTICE LAW IN ILLINOIS. I AM NOT ALLOWED TO DRAFT LEGAL DOCUMENTS OR RECORDS, NOR MAY I GIVE LEGAL ADVICE ON ANY MATTER, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, MATTERS OF IMMIGRATION, OR ACCEPT OR CHARGE FEES FOR THE PERFORMANCE OF THOSE ACTIVITIES.
Sources: Arizona Corporation Commission, checked October 2026. Written by the Lobi Space compliance team, current as of October 2026. State fees and rules change; we confirm the current fee before we file. This page is general information, not legal advice.
From $145 plus the Arizona state fee. A person on our team checks the name, prepares the filing and sends it at your direction.
