Arizona LLC Filing Fee (2026): $50 by Statute, $85 Online, $0 a Year

The bottom line: forming an LLC in Arizona costs $50 or $85 in state fees, and then the state stops charging you. Few states are that cheap to enter and that quiet afterward.

The fine print lives in three places most cost pages skip. One is the gap between the $50 statutory Arizona LLC filing fee and the $85 the online portal shows. Another is a publication rule written around your statutory agent’s address, not your office. The last is a set of keep-alive duties that cost nothing until you ignore them. This guide covers each one with the statute or ACC page behind it.

How much does an LLC cost in Arizona?

People who search “cost to register LLC in Arizona” usually want one number. Here it is. Under A.R.S. §29-3213(A)(1), the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) charges a nonrefundable $50 to file your initial Articles of Organization, the short form that brings the company into existence. That is the Arizona LLC filing fee in full.

What it’ll run you in practice depends on how you file. The ACC’s own FAQ says Articles of Organization can be filed online for $85, which is the $50 fee plus a $35 expedite charge. So a realistic Arizona LLC cost on day one is $50 or $85, before any optional extras.

After formation, the recurring bill is $0. There is one conditional cost, newspaper publication, which applies only when your statutory agent’s street address sits outside Maricopa and Pima counties. To model your own year-one number with extras switched on or off, try our LLC formation cost calculator.

The full Arizona LLC filing fee schedule for 2026

The table collects every state charge an Arizona LLC is likely to meet, from formation through the rare cleanup filing. Amounts come from the statute and the ACC’s LLC fee schedule. Most rows are optional or triggered by a later event.

Two rows matter for nearly everyone: the Arizona LLC filing fee itself, and the publication step, if only to confirm which route applies to you. The rest are a menu you order from only when a situation calls for it.

$50 or $85: why the online price is higher

This is the most common point of confusion on the page, so it deserves a straight answer. The $50 is the statutory Arizona LLC filing fee. The ACC’s fee schedule prices the Articles of Organization at $50 with regular processing and $85 with expedited processing, and the ACC’s Business Services FAQ states plainly that you can file online for $85. The written instructions for the Articles tell the same story from the other side: the filing fee is $50, and you add $35 for expedited processing.

The expedite charge itself is not written into the statute. Section 29-3213(B) leaves the amount to the commissioners, who set it by supermajority vote, and it is always charged on top of the regular fee.

Where you file changed this year, too. On January 12, 2026, the ACC launched the Arizona Business Center, the portal that replaced eCorp. Plenty of guides still send readers to eCorp by name. If a page does, treat its screenshots and walkthrough as out of date, and check its fee figures against the ACC before you rely on them.

So which should you plan on? If you file through the portal, budget $85. The ACC’s FAQ does not describe a $50 online path, so treat $50 as the regular-processing price rather than something the portal offers.

Processing times and the rush tiers

The ACC’s estimates are the useful guide here. Regular processing adds nothing to the Arizona LLC filing fee and typically takes 14 to 16 days. The $35 expedite fee cuts that estimate to typically 3 to 5 days. For most new owners, that difference is the whole speed decision.

When a bank appointment or a signed lease is waiting, Arizona sells three faster tiers, each charged in addition to the Arizona LLC filing fee:

• Next Day, $100. Received by 5:00pm, reviewed by close of business the following business day.
• Same Day, $200. Received by 10:00am, reviewed by close of business that day.
• 2-hour, $400. Received by 3:00pm, reviewed within 2 hours of receipt.

Read the promise carefully. The ACC’s accelerated-services page says these tiers guarantee that your document is examined by the stated time, not that it is approved. There is also a catch for new companies: a formation filing must include the statutory agent’s acceptance, and the clock does not start until that acceptance is in. Paying $400 for a filing that bounces over a missing signature buys you nothing, so collect the acceptance first.

Arizona LLC cost per year: why the meter stops at $0

Here is the number that sets Arizona apart. The Arizona LLC cost per year, in state filing fees, is $0. The ACC’s FAQ answers the annual report question in one line: LLCs are not required to file annual reports, and only corporations are. No report means no report fee and no yearly due date to track. Once the Arizona LLC filing fee is paid, the ACC has nothing to bill you for unless you file something new.

That does not make the company maintenance-free. Two duties run in the background, and both are free as long as you keep up with them:

• Keep a statutory agent on file at all times. The ACC’s FAQ is direct that every LLC must appoint and maintain one, and that failing to do so leads to administrative dissolution, meaning the state ends the company’s legal existence on its own motion.
• Pay any fee the ACC bills you on time. Under A.R.S. §29-3708(A), the grounds for administrative dissolution include not paying a fee or penalty within 60 days after it is due and going without a statutory agent for 60 consecutive days.

If an Arizona LLC does get dissolved this way, the ACC allows reinstatement only if the dissolution happened within the last 6 years, and the reinstatement fee is $100 plus any past-due filings or fees. Staying current costs nothing. Letting it lapse is where the money goes.

The Arizona LLC publication requirement: your agent’s county decides

This is the step that catches new owners, and most summaries describe it loosely. The rule sits in A.R.S. §29-3201(G). Within 60 days after the ACC files your Articles of Organization, one of two things has to happen:

1. Newspaper route. A notice of the filing is published in a newspaper of general circulation in the county of the statutory agent’s street address, for three consecutive publications.
2. Database route. If the statutory agent’s street address is in a county with a population of more than 800,000, the ACC enters the approval into its own database instead.

Notice what the statute keys on: the statutory agent’s street address. Not your storefront, not your home office. The ACC’s instructions name the counties that clear the population bar in practice: if your agent’s street address is in Maricopa or Pima County, the notice goes up on the ACC website automatically. Outside those two counties, you publish in a newspaper.

The database route is free. A.R.S. §10-130(B) bars the Commission from charging any entity for that posting and requires it to stay up for at least 90 days. The newspaper route has a real cost, but no official source sets it, because each paper prices its own legal notices. Get a quote before you commit, and confirm the paper runs the notice three times in a row, not once. Some online summaries describe a single notice; the statute says three consecutive publications.

Timing matters in one more way. Do not publish before approval. After your filing is approved, the ACC sends a letter telling you whether publication is required, and the ACC’s FAQ adds that the deciding factor typically depends on the county where the business or statutory agent is located. The affidavit of publication, the sworn proof that the notice ran, may be filed with the ACC but does not have to be. If you skip that filing, keep the affidavit with your company records.

Who can serve as your statutory agent

A statutory agent is Arizona’s term for what most states call a registered agent: the person or company that accepts legal papers and official notices on the LLC’s behalf. Under A.R.S. §29-3201(B)(3), your Articles must list the agent’s name and both a street address and a mailing address in Arizona.

A.R.S. §29-3115 sets who qualifies. The agent needs an Arizona place of business or residence, and can be an Arizona-resident individual or an authorized business entity. You, a co-owner, or a friend who lives in Arizona can generally fill the role at no cost. A commercial agent charges its own price, which the state does not set and which sits outside the Arizona LLC filing fee.

The appointment also has to be accepted. Under §29-3115(A), it is not effective until the agent signs a record accepting it. That signature is the same acceptance the accelerated-service tiers wait on, so get it before you file.

Because the agent’s street address also decides the publication route, picking an agent is a two-part choice: who will reliably receive your mail, and which county that address sits in. Choose for reliability first. Whichever address you list, the statute’s rule for that county applies.

Your year-one Arizona LLC calendar

Your first year starts with the Arizona LLC filing fee and goes quiet fast. Copy the block below into your notes and fill in your own dates as they land.

Before filing: Optional name reservation, $10 ($45 expedited), held 120 days. Line up a statutory agent with an Arizona street address and get the signed acceptance.
Filing day: Submit Articles of Organization to the ACC through the Arizona Business Center. Arizona LLC filing fee: $50 regular (typically 14-16 days) or $85 expedited (typically 3-5 days). Rush tiers: +$100 next day, +$200 same day, +$400 two-hour.
Approval: Read the ACC approval letter. It says whether you must publish. Do not publish before approval.
Within 60 days of approval: Agent's street address in Maricopa or Pima: the ACC posts the notice to its database for free (up for at least 90 days). Anywhere else: newspaper of general circulation in the agent's county, three consecutive publications. Keep the affidavit of publication.
Same month: Get your EIN free at irs.gov.
Any change of statutory agent or principal address: statement of change, $5, within 30 days.
Every year: $0 to the ACC. No annual report. Confirm your statutory agent is still active.

About that EIN, the federal tax ID your LLC uses for banking and taxes: the IRS issues it at no charge, and its EIN page warns, “You never have to pay a fee for an EIN.” A site that charges for one is reselling a free service. If you plan to sell taxable goods or services, Arizona’s transaction privilege tax (TPT) license from the Department of Revenue is a separate step, so check it before your first sale.

Optional costs: name holds, certificates, and later filings

None of these belong in a basic budget. Each earns its place only when a specific need shows up.

• Name reservation, $10. Under A.R.S. §29-3113(A), the ACC holds a reserved name for your exclusive use for 120 days. Worth it if your filing date is weeks away; pointless if you file this week.
• Certificate of Good Standing, $10 or $45. Regular processing is $10 and typically takes 7 to 10 business days. Ordered online with the expedite fee, it’s $45 total and produced instantly. Banks and other states’ filing offices are the usual reasons to order one.
• Statement of change, $5. A.R.S. §29-3202(C) requires an amendment or a statement of change within 30 days after you change your statutory agent or principal address.
• Amendment to the Articles, $25. Used when the Articles of Organization themselves need updating.
• Foreign LLC registration, $150. This applies to an LLC formed in another state that registers to do business in Arizona ($185 with expedited processing), not to a company formed here.

Most owners never order more than one of these in the first year. Add them to your worksheet only when a bank, a landlord, or a change in the business asks for one; the Arizona LLC filing fee stays the anchor either way.

How Arizona compares with other states

On formation price alone, Arizona is near the bottom. Across all 50 states, the average LLC filing fee is about $122 and the median is $100, according to our verified LLC filing fees by state table. The AZ LLC filing fee of $50 sits well under both.

The yearly side is where Arizona really separates. Nine states charge $0 in recurring report fees: Arizona, Idaho, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, Ohio, South Carolina, and Texas. Texas is on that list too, with a very different entry price, covered in our Texas LLC filing fee breakdown. Arizona pairs a below-median entry fee with a $0 recurring state bill, and that pairing is the real story here.

The cheapest path is short. File the Articles yourself and accept regular processing if your timeline allows. Use an Arizona-based agent you trust, and know which county that address puts you in. Take the free EIN. Skip the name hold and the certificate until someone asks. Do that, and the Arizona LLC filing fee is close to the whole bill: $50 at the floor, $85 through the portal, and nothing to the ACC in the years after.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to form an LLC in Arizona?

The state charges $50 to file Articles of Organization with the Arizona Corporation Commission; that is the Arizona LLC filing fee set by A.R.S. §29-3213. If you file online, the ACC says the price is $85, which is the $50 fee plus the $35 expedite charge. Faster tiers cost $100 (next day), $200 (same day), or $400 (two-hour) on top of the filing fee. The only other cost many owners face is newspaper publication, which applies when your statutory agent’s street address is outside Maricopa and Pima counties. A free EIN from the IRS and no annual report keep the rest of year one inexpensive.

Is the Arizona LLC filing fee $50 or $85?

Both numbers are correct, for different routes. The statute sets the Arizona LLC filing fee at $50, and the ACC’s fee schedule lists $50 with regular processing and $85 with expedited processing. The ACC’s own FAQ says you can file Articles of Organization online for $85, so if you use the Arizona Business Center portal, budget $85. Regular processing typically takes an estimated 14 to 16 days, while the expedited route typically takes 3 to 5 days, according to the ACC.

Does an Arizona LLC have to file an annual report?

No. The Arizona Corporation Commission says LLCs are not required to file annual reports; only corporations are. That makes the recurring state cost for an Arizona LLC $0 a year. The ongoing duties are free but real: keep a statutory agent on file at all times and pay any fee the ACC bills within 60 days of its due date. Under A.R.S. §29-3708, going 60 consecutive days without a statutory agent is a ground for administrative dissolution. Reinstatement is possible within 6 years of dissolution and costs $100 plus any past-due items.

Do I have to publish my Arizona LLC in a newspaper?

It depends on the county of your statutory agent’s street address, not your business address. Under A.R.S. §29-3201(G), if that county has more than 800,000 people, the ACC posts notice of your approval in its database for free; the ACC names Maricopa and Pima as those counties. Anywhere else, you publish a notice in a newspaper of general circulation in the agent’s county for three consecutive publications, within 60 days after the ACC files your Articles. Wait for the ACC approval letter, which tells you whether publication is required, before you publish.

How long does it take to get an LLC approved in Arizona?

The ACC estimates regular processing at typically 14 to 16 days, with no extra fee beyond the $50 Arizona LLC filing fee. Paying the $35 expedite fee shortens the estimate to typically 3 to 5 days. For urgent filings, Next Day service costs $100 (received by 5:00pm), Same Day costs $200 (received by 10:00am), and 2-hour service costs $400 (received by 3:00pm), each on top of the filing fee. These tiers guarantee that the ACC examines your document by the stated time, not that it approves it, and the clock starts only once your statutory agent’s acceptance is included.

ClearLegalTips

ClearLegalTips is an independent publisher of plain-English legal guides, free document templates, and cost calculators for common U.S. legal tasks. Every article is reviewed by founder and editor Fatih Öztürk and fact-checked against official sources: statutes, court fee schedules, and government filing pages. Not a law firm; nothing here is legal advice.