New Hampshire LLC Cost and Filing Fees (2026)

Fact-checked by the LegalGlass editorial team against primary sources · Published Aug 6, 2026 · Last updated Aug 6, 2026

A New Hampshire LLC costs $100 to form — the Certificate of Formation (Form LLC-1) filing fee paid to the New Hampshire Secretary of State, filed online through the QuickStart portal. The main ongoing cost is the $100 annual report, due April 1 each year. Name reservation is $15, a federal EIN from the IRS is free, and New Hampshire has no general sales tax.

What a New Hampshire LLC Costs

The price of a New Hampshire LLC breaks into two parts: a one-time formation cost and a recurring annual cost. To create the LLC you file a Certificate of Formation (Form LLC-1) with the New Hampshire Secretary of State, and the filing fee is $100. After that, the LLC owes a $100 annual report every year to stay in good standing. Everything else — a name reservation, a certificate of good standing, a commercial registered agent — is optional or situational. For the full formation walkthrough, see how to form an LLC in New Hampshire.

Because a federal EIN is free directly from the IRS, a bare-bones New Hampshire LLC that you run yourself can cost as little as $100 to launch and $100 a year to maintain. That makes New Hampshire one of the more affordable states for LLC upkeep, and it is helped by the fact that the state levies no general sales tax and no broad income tax on wages. The sections below lay out each fee, who charges it, and how it fits into your overall business tax picture.

It is worth separating the fees you must pay from the ones you might pay. The Certificate of Formation fee and the annual report fee are mandatory for every New Hampshire LLC. The name reservation, foreign registration, and certificate of good standing fees only apply in specific situations, and a commercial registered agent is a service you choose to buy, not a state charge. Budgeting for a New Hampshire LLC is therefore mostly a matter of the two mandatory fees plus whatever optional services fit your situation, and the state charges nothing extra for standard online filing through QuickStart.

New Hampshire LLC Fee Table (2026)

The certificate of good standing fee is set on the Secretary of State's published fee schedule; confirm the current amount there before ordering, rather than relying on a figure that may have changed. Every dollar amount in this table is a state or federal government charge — there are no LegalGlass fees, and you should be wary of third-party sites that mark up these government filings.

The Certificate of Formation Filing Fee

The single unavoidable cost of a New Hampshire LLC is the $100 fee to file the Certificate of Formation, the document that legally creates the company. You file it with the Secretary of State, most easily online through the state's QuickStart business portal, though paper filing is also accepted. The certificate names the LLC, its principal office, its management structure, and its registered agent — New Hampshire requires every LLC to name a registered agent with a physical in-state address on this filing. See our page on New Hampshire articles of organization for how the document is structured; New Hampshire titles it a Certificate of Formation.

You can act as your own registered agent at no charge, or appoint a commercial provider for an annual fee that provider sets. Either way, the $100 state filing fee is the same. Once the Secretary of State accepts the certificate, the LLC exists, and you can move on to obtaining an EIN, opening a bank account, and adopting an operating agreement. New Hampshire does not require you to file the operating agreement with the state, so it adds no filing fee.

Annual Report and Ongoing Costs

The recurring cost that keeps a New Hampshire LLC alive is the annual report, which carries a $100 fee and is due by April 1 each year. You file it with the Secretary of State, again through QuickStart, and it confirms your LLC's address, management, and registered agent. There is no separate franchise tax on the LLC itself, so for most single-member and small multi-member LLCs the $100 annual report is the entire yearly cost of staying in good standing. Our New Hampshire annual report guide covers the filing details.

Missing the April 1 deadline has consequences. The state can assess a late penalty and, if the report stays unfiled, can administratively dissolve the LLC, stripping its good standing and liability protection until it is reinstated. Reinstatement means filing the overdue report plus any additional fee the state charges, so it is far cheaper to file on time. If you decide to close the business instead, review how to dissolve an LLC in New Hampshire, because a formal dissolution stops the annual report obligation and ends the entity cleanly.

Name Reservation, Foreign Registration, and Other Fees

Several optional or situational fees round out the cost picture. Reserving a business name in advance costs $15 and holds the name for 120 days — useful if you are not ready to file but want to lock in a name you have confirmed is available through the New Hampshire business entity search. A reservation is never required to form an LLC; you can simply file the Certificate of Formation with an available name.

If your LLC was formed in another state and you want to do business in New Hampshire, you register as a foreign LLC for a $100 fee. That is the same amount as domestic formation. If you operate under a different public name, you may also file a trade name, which is separate from a New Hampshire DBA filing, and if you want to protect a brand name nationally, look at a federal trademark rather than a state name filing. Compare New Hampshire's totals with other states through our how to form an LLC hub before you decide where to organize.

New Hampshire Business Taxes and No Sales Tax

New Hampshire's tax structure is unusual and affects the true cost of running an LLC. The state has no general sales tax and no broad personal income tax on wages; its Interest and Dividends Tax, which once taxed certain investment income, was fully repealed effective 2025. That means a small New Hampshire LLC often faces no state-level tax on its ordinary operating income beyond the two business taxes described next. For how pass-through income is reported, see New Hampshire LLC tax filing.

Businesses that grow past certain thresholds can owe two taxes administered by the New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration: the Business Profits Tax (BPT), levied on taxable business income, and the Business Enterprise Tax (BET), levied on the enterprise value tax base of wages, interest, and dividends paid. Each applies only once a business exceeds the filing thresholds the Department sets, which are adjusted periodically, so a very small LLC may owe neither. Because those thresholds change, confirm the current figures with the Department of Revenue Administration rather than assuming last year's numbers. Owners weighing an S-corp versus LLC structure or a registered agent arrangement should factor these business taxes into the total cost of operating in the state, alongside any local business license requirements. For a very small LLC below the thresholds, the practical annual cost in New Hampshire often remains just the $100 report, which is part of what makes the state attractive to cost-conscious founders comparing where to organize.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to form an LLC in New Hampshire?

The core cost is $100, the filing fee for the Certificate of Formation (Form LLC-1) paid to the New Hampshire Secretary of State and filed online through the QuickStart portal. A federal EIN from the IRS is free, so many owners spend only $100 to start.

What is the New Hampshire LLC annual report fee?

New Hampshire charges a $100 annual report fee, due by April 1 each year and filed with the Secretary of State. Missing the deadline can lead to late penalties and eventual administrative dissolution of the LLC.

Does New Hampshire have a sales tax or income tax on my LLC?

New Hampshire has no general sales tax and no broad personal income tax on wages; its Interest and Dividends Tax was fully repealed in 2025. Businesses may still owe the Business Profits Tax and Business Enterprise Tax once they exceed the filing thresholds.

How much is a New Hampshire name reservation?

Reserving an LLC name costs $15 and holds the name for 120 days with the Secretary of State. It is optional; you do not need a reservation to file your Certificate of Formation.

Do I need a registered agent, and does it cost extra?

Yes. New Hampshire requires every LLC to name a registered agent on the Certificate of Formation. You can serve as your own agent at no cost, or hire a commercial registered agent for an annual fee set by that provider.

Related

• How to form an LLC (cluster hub)
• How to form an LLC in New Hampshire
• How to get an EIN
• Business tax basics
• Vermont LLC cost (sibling)
• Maine LLC cost (sibling)

Sources

1. New Hampshire Secretary of State — Corporation Division Forms and Fees (Certificate of Formation, $100).
2. New Hampshire Secretary of State — QuickStart Business Portal (online filing).
3. New Hampshire Secretary of State — Annual Reports ($100, due April 1).
4. New Hampshire Secretary of State — Name Availability and Reservation ($15, 120 days).
5. New Hampshire Secretary of State — Foreign Registration ($100).
6. New Hampshire Secretary of State — Certificates of Good Standing (fee schedule).
7. New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration — Business Profits Tax.
8. New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration — Business Enterprise Tax.
9. New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration — Interest and Dividends Tax (repealed 2025).
10. IRS — Get an Employer Identification Number (free EIN).
11. IRS — Limited Liability Company (LLC).
12. New Hampshire General Court — RSA Chapter 304-C, Limited Liability Companies.
13. Justia — New Hampshire RSA Chapter 304-C (LLC Act).
14. Cornell LII — 26 CFR 301.7701-3 (entity classification election).
15. U.S. Small Business Administration — Choose a Business Structure.

LegalGlass provides general information for educational purposes and is not a law firm or a substitute for advice from a licensed attorney or tax professional. Laws, fees, and thresholds change; verify current requirements with the New Hampshire Secretary of State, the New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration, and the IRS before acting.