Start an LLC in Pennsylvania · All 50 states
Pennsylvania keeps formation simple and, since 2025, adds a short annual report. Here is the process, what it costs, what becomes public and who should form 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 needs a designator such as "company", "limited" or "limited liability company", or an abbreviation. Some words need approval from another agency first.
Either a Pennsylvania street address (a P.O. box alone is not accepted) or a commercial registered office provider, listed by name and county.
Form DSCB:15-8821, with a $125 fee and a docketing statement. It names the organizers, not the members or managers. File online or by mail.
The operating agreement is not filed with the state. The IRS issues your EIN for free.
Starting the year after you form: $7, between January 1 and September 30 for an LLC. From reports due in 2027, an LLC that misses it can be administratively dissolved six months after the due date.
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 Pennsylvania. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate of Organization | $125 | One time |
| Expedited service | $100 same day, $300 within 3 hours, $1,000 within 1 hour | Optional |
| Annual report | $7 | Every year, January 1 to September 30 |
Privacy
At formation, largely yes: the Certificate of Organization names the organizers but not the members or managers, and a commercial registered office provider keeps your own address off it.
Since 2025, though, every annual report must name at least one governor, such as a manager or member depending on how the LLC is run, plus the names and titles of any principal officers, who must be natural persons. So a Pennsylvania LLC puts at least one person on the record every year.
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 Department of State does not list a standard turnaround on its fee page. Expedited service costs extra: $100 for same day if received before 10 a.m., $300 for 3 hour service before 2 p.m., and $1,000 for 1 hour service before 4 p.m. Expedited requests cannot be sent by mail.
Names
Registered agent
Ours is $95 per entity, per state, per year.
Is it right for you
Corporations
A Pennsylvania business corporation files Articles of Incorporation for $125. Its annual report is also $7, but it is due by June 30, not September 30.
We file corporations too. Pro and Premium include bylaws and initial corporate documents.
Taxes and publication
The Pennsylvania Department of Revenue lists the personal income tax rate as 3.07%.
Publication: Pennsylvania has no newspaper publication requirement for LLCs.
Operating in Illinois
Forming in Pennsylvania does not take your company out of Illinois. If your Pennsylvania 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: Pennsylvania'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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania state fee is passed through at cost and confirmed in your quote before anything is filed.
plus the Pennsylvania state fee, at cost
Your Pennsylvania LLC or corporation filed, with your EIN, by a team you can call.
Continue with StarterIncluded
plus the Pennsylvania state fee, at cost
Everything in Starter, plus the documents your bank asks for and a registered agent.
Continue with ProIncluded
plus the Pennsylvania 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: Pennsylvania Department of State, 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 Pennsylvania state fee. A person on our team checks the name, prepares the filing and sends it at your direction.
