Forming an LLC in New Jersey
New Jersey registered agent representation, billed at $99 per year. Includes the office address on your filings, same-day scanning of legal mail, and reminders for state deadlines.
A New Jersey LLC comes into existence through one filing: the Certificate of Formation, delivered to the Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services (DORES) with the state's $125 fee. Keep an agent on file, file a $75 report each year, and the entity stays healthy. Below: the steps, the money, and where we fit.
Launch Your New Jersey LLC — $199
We prepare the Certificate of Formation and file it with DORES for $199, then track it through to approval.
The New Jersey LLC, Briefly Explained
Limited personal liability plus pass-through taxation, minus corporate formality. That trade is why New Jersey freelancers, shop owners, and property investors default to the LLC: formation is a single filing and the yearly upkeep is one report.
New Jersey LLC Filing Fee
$125. That is the official fee DORES collects for a Certificate of Formation, and it is the only state charge at formation.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Our formation service | $199, one-time |
| State fee, Certificate of Formation (DORES) | $125, one-time |
| Registered agent (every NJ LLC needs one) | $99/year |
| Annual report, to the state | $75/year |
$199 buys the filing work. The $125 goes straight to DORES. The agent plan is its own $99/year product.
New Jersey's Certificate of Formation (No Form Number)
Do not hunt for a form number; New Jersey does not assign one to LLC formation. The Certificate of Formation is created through the DORES online Business Formation service, or on the unnumbered Public Records Filing for New Business Entity pages of the state's registration package if you go the paper route.
The authority is N.J.S.A. 42:2C-18, which reads: "One or more persons may act as organizers to form a limited liability company by signing and delivering to the filing office for filing a certificate of formation." Name, registered office street address, agent for service of process, organizer signature. That is the filing.
Six Steps to a New Jersey LLC
- Name it. LLC designator required, and the name cannot collide with an entity already in the state's records. Run the DORES entity search before anything else. Bank, insurance, trust, and government-sounding words are off the table without separate approval.
- Line up the registered agent. New Jersey street address, reachable in business hours, listed in the public record for the LLC's whole life. Our office takes that slot so your address stays out of the database.
- File the Certificate of Formation with $125. Online through the DORES Business Formation service, or by paper via the Public Records Filing pages. The state does not promise a turnaround; current processing times live on the DORES site.
- Write the operating agreement. The state never asks for it. Banks, partners, and judges will. Ownership, profit splits, decision rights, exits: settle them on paper or New Jersey's statutory defaults settle them for you.
- Get the EIN. Free at IRS.gov, roughly ten minutes, issued on the spot. Anyone charging for this is reselling a free government service.
- Keep it standing. Agent always on file. The $75 annual report filed online by the end of your anniversary month, every year; two straight missed years invites revocation. Separate bank account, separate books. Taxes on time.
Outsource it for $199. We prepare and file the New Jersey Certificate of Formation on your behalf.
The Registered Agent Requirement
No New Jersey LLC is exempt. The agent must:
- Hold a street address in the state (a PO Box alone fails the requirement)
- Be available through the working day for legal service
- Relay lawsuits, tax letters, and state notices fast enough to protect your deadlines
Serving as your own agent is lawful for NJ residents and terrible for privacy: the address goes into DORES's public records, searchable by anyone.
Our agent plan runs $99 a year. Our office appears in the record; your address does not.
Questions People Ask
How much does it cost to form an LLC in New Jersey?
$125 in state fees for the Certificate of Formation, then $75 a year for the annual report.
How long does it take to form an LLC in New Jersey?
The state publishes no guaranteed timeline. Current processing estimates are posted on the DORES filing portal, and filing online avoids mail time entirely.
Does New Jersey require an annual report?
Yes. $75 a year, filed online, due by the last day of your formation anniversary month.
Do I need a registered agent for my New Jersey LLC?
Yes, at a New Jersey address, for as long as the LLC exists.
Can I form an LLC in New Jersey if I live in another state?
Yes. Residency is not a requirement for owners. A New Jersey registered agent is, and that is exactly what we provide.
File Your New Jersey LLC Today
The DIY route runs through the DORES Business Formation service with $125 to the state, agent requirement included either way. Or hand us the whole filing.
We act as the registered agent listed on your filing: public address, same-day scanning, deadline reminders, at $99 annually as its own line item.
Looking only for the agent? Our registered agent service is $99/year.
Curious about other parts of New Jersey LLC formation or our registered agent product? Browse our FAQ or use the contact form.
Ready to get started?
Lock in agent representation for the annual rate — address, scans, deadline reminders.