Entered both sides
DIY filing or a service: what you keep, what you hand over
Filing yourself and buying the service are not better and worse versions of the same thing. They are a trade: money against time, control against convenience, and a public address against a private one.
The account
Two columns, no total
You pay the state fee and nothing on top of it.
An afternoon reading your state's requirements, and another if the name is rejected.
Your own address on the public record, unless you arrange an agent separately.
Every renewal date is yours to track, for as long as the entity exists.
The state fee, plus a service fee that varies more than the work does.
The form completed for you, from details you supply anyway.
An agent address included for the first year, then charged annually.
Reminders that arrive whether or not you would have remembered.
Ruled off. No balance is struck - which side wins depends on the business asking.
Covered in detail in What Are the Downsides of DIY LLC Filing Versus Using ZenBusiness?.
The figures
What the official sources say
| Jurisdiction | Charge | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal | An EIN is free directly from the IRS | $0 (free) | irs.gov |
| California | Articles of Organization filing fee | $70.00 | ca.gov |
| Statement of Information fee | $20.00 | ca.gov | |
| FTB annual LLC tax | $800 per year | ca.gov | |
| Florida | New LLC total filing cost | $125.00 ($100 filing + $25 registered agent) | fl.gov |
| Annual report fee | $138.75 | fl.gov | |
| Annual report received after May 1 | $538.75 (a $400 late penalty) | fl.gov | |
| Georgia | Articles of Organization fee | $110.00 ($100 filing + $10 service charge) | ga.gov |
| Annual registration fee | $60.00 (online and paper) | ga.gov | |
| Penalty for late filing of annual registration | $25.00 | ga.gov | |
| New York | Articles of Organization filing fee | $200.00 | ny.gov |
| Biennial Statement fee | $9.00 | ny.gov | |
| Annual filing fee on Form IT-204-LL | $25 minimum, up to $4,500 by NY source gross income | ny.gov | |
| Texas | Certificate of Formation filing fee | $300.00 | texas.gov |
| Assumed name certificate fee | $25.00 | state.tx.us |
Asked and answered
Find your question
- What's the difference between filing an LLC myself and using an LLC formation service?
- What are the downsides of DIY LLC filing versus using ZenBusiness?
- What's the difference between filing a California LLC myself and using a service?
- What's the difference between filing on Sunbiz myself and paying a Florida LLC service?
- What's the difference between filing a Georgia LLC myself and using a service?
- What does a New York LLC service handle that I'd have to do myself, like the publication step?
The full list