Formed your LLC with LegalZoom, ZenBusiness, or similar? Here's what's still on you

This guide is general compliance education. It is not legal, tax, or accounting advice. Confirm requirements with the agencies that apply to your LLC, and with a qualified adviser when your situation is complex.

Steps at a glance

1. Find your order confirmation

List what you actually bought and what the formation service promised to handle.

2. Confirm your registered agent

Check who the agent is, how official notices reach you, and when any paid service renews.

3. Calendar your annual or biennial report

Verify the due date with every state where the LLC is formed or registered.

4. Get an EIN if you still need one

Eligible applicants can apply directly with the IRS for free.

5. Sign and store your operating agreement

Make sure the final agreement reflects the LLC's real ownership and decision rules.

6. Check licenses, permits, and tax registrations

Formation does not automatically authorize every business activity or complete every tax registration.

7. Route reminders to an inbox you read

Confirm that state, agent, tax, and service notices reach the right person.

Who this guide is for

You formed an LLC through an online formation service such as LegalZoom, ZenBusiness, Northwest, Bizee, Tailor Brands, or Atlas, and the state approved it. This guide covers the handoff: what the service typically took care of, and the ongoing part that's yours. For the full first-90-days walkthrough, including banking and bookkeeping, see What to do after you form an LLC.

What does a formation service typically handle?

Online formation services generally focus on getting the entity created:

• Filing your formation document. For an LLC, that's typically the articles of organization, although names vary by state, filed with your state's business filing office.
• Optional extras you selected. These may include registered agent service, EIN help, an operating agreement template, or annual report or compliance services.

What's included differs and changes over time. The reliable record of what you got is your own order confirmation, receipt, or account dashboard. Pull it up before you go further.

Typically handled by the service vs. still on you

This reflects what's typical, not what's guaranteed. Your order is the final word.

Item	Often handled by the service	Usually still on you
Formation document	Yes, the core service	Saving the approved copy; checking the state record
Registered agent	Only if selected	Knowing who it is, when it renews, how notices reach you
EIN	Only if selected	Getting one if needed, free from the IRS
Operating agreement	Sometimes a template	Customizing, signing, and storing it
Annual or biennial report	Only if you bought that service	Knowing the due date; confirming it was filed
Licenses and permits	Not usually	Finding what your city, county, and state require
Tax registrations	Not usually	Registering where your activity requires it
Foreign qualification	Only if ordered separately	Noticing when you do business in another state
Good standing	Not usually	Keeping filings, fees, and agent details current

What's still on you after an online formation?

Here's the core checklist. Each item links to a deeper guide.

Annual report or renewal with your state

Many states require LLCs to file an annual or biennial report. Due dates and fees vary: some states use one date for everyone, while others tie the deadline to the formation anniversary. Utah, for example, ties the LLC renewal to the registration anniversary. See the Utah LLC annual report guide for a worked example, and Annual reports for the general picture.

If you didn't buy an annual report service, assume this one is yours. If you did, confirm each year that it was filed.

Registered agent

Most LLCs must keep a registered agent with a qualifying in-state address. If you chose your formation service as your agent, confirm the renewal terms: does it auto-renew, or will it lapse? If the agent service ends and no one replaces it, the state may treat the LLC as out of compliance. Rules vary by state, so check with your Secretary of State or equivalent filing office.

EIN

If you didn't get an Employer Identification Number during formation and your LLC needs one, you can apply directly with the IRS. The IRS says there is no fee for an EIN. Walkthrough: How to get an EIN.

Operating agreement

If your order included a template, it is a starting point. Make sure the final version reflects real ownership and decision rules, gets signed by the members, and is stored with your formation records. More: Operating agreement.

Business licenses and permits

Forming an LLC is not permission to operate. Licenses and permits depend on what you do and where, at the city, county, state, and sometimes federal level. Start with Do I need a business license?.

Tax registrations

Depending on your activity and location, you may need a seller's permit or sales tax account, employer withholding accounts, or other state tax registrations. See Business tax registration and Do I need a seller's permit?.

Federal items, including BOI reporting

Federal obligations depend on your tax classification, employees, and industry. See Federal compliance requirements.

Beneficial ownership information reporting, as of October 6, 2026: FinCEN's BOI page says a final rule issued August 11, 2026, and effective August 14, 2026, exempts U.S. companies from BOI reporting. Under that rule, companies created in the United States are no longer required to file BOI reports. Only certain foreign companies registered to do business in the United States must report. See FinCEN's press release and BOI FAQs.

If an old reminder or a letter tells you to file a BOI report for a U.S. LLC, check fincen.gov first. FinCEN has warned about fraudulent BOI-related mail and says there is no fee to file BOI directly with FinCEN.

Foreign qualification

If you start doing business in another state, you may need to register there too, which usually means another agent and another set of reports. See Foreign qualification.

Good standing

Good standing, or active status depending on the state, usually means your LLC is current on state requirements such as reports, fees, and a valid registered agent. Missed filings can affect it. Banks, lenders, and other states may ask for proof. See Certificate of good standing.

If you bought an add-on, check these three things

Before you count on a registered agent, annual report, or compliance add-on, confirm:

1. What it covers. Does it file the report for you, or only send reminders? Does it cover one state or several?
2. When it renews. Note the renewal date and whether it auto-renews. If it lapses, the task comes back to you.
3. Where the reminders go. Notices go to the email and mailing address on the account. If that's an old email or a co-founder's inbox, update it. Some states also send renewal notices to the registered agent on file. Utah says it does this, so make sure your agent forwards mail promptly.

What the state requires, what we remind you about, and what you verify

• What the state requires: Each state where your LLC is formed or registered sets its own report deadlines, fees, and agent rules. Check your Secretary of State or equivalent filing office.
• What Startup To Corporate reminds you about: Deadlines, records, and follow-up tasks, kept in one place. We don't file anything for you or act as your registered agent today. We keep your deadlines and records in view.
• What you verify: You or your adviser confirm the rules with the official agency and complete the filings.

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Build your calendar

Put every recurring item on one calendar—report due dates, agent renewal, license renewals, and tax dates—with reminders about 30 days ahead. See Business compliance calendar and Business deadlines.

Checklist: after an online LLC formation

• Order confirmation found; list of purchased services written down
• Approved formation document saved; state business record checked
• Registered agent confirmed, plus renewal date and auto-renew status
• Annual or biennial report due date on the calendar, with a reminder
• EIN obtained if needed; IRS confirmation saved
• Operating agreement customized, signed, and stored
• Licenses and permits identified for your activity and location
• Tax registrations, such as a seller's permit, reviewed
• BOI status checked on fincen.gov; U.S. companies are exempt as of October 6, 2026
• Account and agent emails point to an inbox you read
• Multi-state activity reviewed for foreign qualification

See what's still open for your LLC

The free checkup asks a few questions about how and where your LLC was formed, then gives you an immediate readiness score and a prioritized list of items to review. You don't need to enter an email to see your results. Learn what the readiness score means.

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The bottom line

Your formation service helped you get the LLC created. Staying current—reports, registered agent, licenses, taxes, and records—is the ongoing part. Check your order, confirm when add-ons renew, and put the rest on your own calendar.

Last verified: October 6, 2026. Confirm current requirements, fees, and deadlines with the agency that administers each filing.