Vermont LLC Cost and Filing Fees (2026)
A Vermont LLC has two required state costs: a one-time fee to file Articles of Organization with the Vermont Secretary of State, and a recurring annual report due within three months after the LLC's fiscal year end on record. Vermont publishes both amounts on its Secretary of State fee schedule - confirm the current figures there, because Vermont adjusts them by statute. A federal EIN is always free.
Quick Answer
- Formation document
- Articles of Organization, filed with the Vermont Secretary of State
- Formation fee
- See the Secretary of State fee schedule (confirm current amount)
- Annual report
- Required every fiscal year; fee on the same schedule
- Report deadline
- Within three months following the fiscal year end on record
- Filing method
- Online preferred; no extra fee for filing online
- Mail processing
- Allow 7-10 business days for filings received by mail
- EIN
- $0 - free from the IRS
The One-Time Formation Cost
The single required upfront cost of a Vermont LLC is the fee to file Articles of Organization with the Vermont Secretary of State. That filing is the legal act that creates the LLC under Vermont's Limited Liability Company Act, Title 11, Chapter 25 of the Vermont Statutes. Until the Secretary of State accepts it, the LLC does not exist.
Vermont sets its business filing fees by statute and publishes them on the Secretary of State's fee schedule. Because the Legislature revises them periodically, the responsible practice is to read the current amount off that schedule at the moment you file rather than trusting a figure quoted in a blog post. If a source gives you a number without linking the state's own schedule, treat it as unverified.
The Secretary of State prefers online filing and charges no extra fee for filing online. Paper filings are accepted but slower - allow 7 to 10 business days for processing filings received by mail. Filing online is therefore both faster and no more expensive. For the step-by-step process, see how to form an LLC in Vermont.
The Recurring Annual Report
Vermont's recurring state cost is the annual report. The Secretary of State requires an LLC to renew its business registration each fiscal year by filing an annual report within the first three months following the fiscal year end on record for the company. Corporations get two and a half months; LLCs get three.
Note that the deadline keys to your fiscal year end as recorded with the state, not to a single statewide date. An LLC on a calendar year and an LLC on a June fiscal year have different deadlines. Check the fiscal year end shown on your entity record and count three months from it.
The annual report fee is published on the same Secretary of State fee schedule as the formation fee, and Vermont charges a separate late fee if the report is filed after the deadline. Missing the report repeatedly leads to administrative termination, which does not cancel the LLC's debts and requires a reinstatement filing to cure. See the Vermont annual report guide for the mechanics.
Registered Agent Cost
Every Vermont LLC must continuously maintain a registered agent with a Vermont street address where legal process can be served during business hours. This is a legal requirement, not an optional service, and losing the agent is a compliance failure in its own right.
The cost depends on who serves. If you live in Vermont and are willing to have your street address appear on the public record and to be available during business hours, you can act as your own agent at no charge. If you live out of state, or you want the address kept private, you hire a commercial registered agent, which charges an annual fee that the state does not set.
That distinction matters when comparing "Vermont LLC cost" quotes online. Much of the difference between a low headline number and a high one is a bundled year of registered-agent service plus a provider's own service fee, not a Vermont charge. See Vermont registered agent requirements and the national registered agent guide.
Vermont Taxes an LLC May Owe
Filing fees are not the whole cost of running a Vermont LLC. The Vermont Department of Taxes administers a business entity income tax that applies to pass-through entities such as LLCs taxed as partnerships and S corporations, and Vermont imposes a minimum amount on entities within its scope. Confirm the current minimum and the filing requirement with the Department of Taxes, since the figure is set by statute and changes.
Separately, an LLC that sells taxable goods or taxable services in Vermont must register for and collect sales and use tax, and an LLC with employees must register for Vermont withholding. Vermont also has a meals and rooms tax that catches restaurants, caterers, and short-term lodging operators. Each registration carries its own return schedule.
Federally, the LLC is taxed by its IRS classification - disregarded entity, partnership, or corporation by election. Members active in the business owe self-employment tax on their share of business earnings. See business tax filing and S-corp vs LLC before choosing a classification.
Optional and Third-Party Costs
Several Vermont charges are optional and depend on your circumstances. Name reservation holds a name before you file, which is useful only if formation is weeks away. A certificate of good standing or status is needed when a bank, lender, or another state's filing office asks for proof the LLC is current. Certified copies of filed documents serve the same evidentiary purpose.
Amendments cost money too. Changing the LLC name, the registered agent, or other information in the Articles of Organization requires an amendment filing with its own fee. So does registering the Vermont LLC to do business in another state, where that state charges its own foreign-qualification fee.
None of these are required to keep a basic Vermont LLC in good standing. The only mandatory recurring items are the annual report and a registered agent. Everything else is situational, and each amount appears on the Secretary of State's fee schedule.
What Vermont Charges and When
The table below lists the charges a Vermont LLC encounters and who sets each one. Dollar amounts are deliberately not reproduced here: Vermont sets them by statute and revises them, and the Secretary of State's fee schedule is the only source that is current by definition.
| Item | Who sets it | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Articles of Organization | Vermont Secretary of State | One-time, at formation |
| Annual report | Vermont Secretary of State | Within 3 months after fiscal year end |
| Late fee on the annual report | Vermont Secretary of State | If filed after the deadline |
| Foreign LLC registration | Vermont Secretary of State | Out-of-state LLC operating in Vermont |
| Name reservation | Vermont Secretary of State | Optional, before filing |
| Certificate of good standing / certified copy | Vermont Secretary of State | Optional, on request |
| Articles of amendment | Vermont Secretary of State | When entity information changes |
| Business entity income tax | Vermont Department of Taxes | Annually, per Department rules |
| Commercial registered agent | The provider, not the state | Annually, if you hire one |
| Federal EIN | IRS | Free, one-time |
Read the fee schedule once, write the two mandatory numbers into your budget, and ignore the rest until a specific need arises.
Budgeting a Vermont LLC Year by Year
Year one is the formation fee plus whatever a registered agent costs you - zero if you serve as your own. Every year after is the annual report fee plus the agent. Neither amount scales with revenue, so a dormant Vermont LLC and a busy one carry the same state filing cost.
What does scale is tax. Vermont's business entity income tax and any sales or withholding obligations follow activity, so an operating LLC should budget for those separately from the Secretary of State's fees. Treat them as two different lanes: entity compliance with the Secretary of State, tax compliance with the Department of Taxes.
If cash is tight, prioritize the two items that keep the entity alive - the registered agent and the annual report. A late business license can be cured; a terminated entity requires reinstatement and can leave a gap in your liability protection. Compare Vermont against other states with how much an LLC costs.
Cost of Closing a Vermont LLC
Ending the LLC has its own cost. Vermont requires articles of termination (or the equivalent dissolution filing) with the Secretary of State, with a fee on the same schedule. Before the state will accept it, the entity generally needs to be current on its annual reports, so a company that stopped filing years ago must catch up before it can close cleanly.
The larger cost is usually wind-up rather than filing: settling creditors, filing final Vermont and federal returns, closing tax accounts with the Department of Taxes, and closing the federal account tied to the EIN with the IRS. Distributing assets to members before creditors are paid can expose those members personally.
Simply abandoning the LLC is the expensive option. Administrative termination leaves unresolved tax and creditor obligations, and reinstating later costs more than closing properly. See how to dissolve an LLC in Vermont and the national dissolution guide, and check your entity status before you begin.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a Vermont LLC cost?
A Vermont LLC costs a one-time Articles of Organization fee set by the Vermont Secretary of State, plus an annual report fee each fiscal year. Both amounts are published on the Secretary of State's fee schedule and are revised by statute, so confirm the current figures there. A federal EIN is always free.
When is the Vermont LLC annual report due?
Within the first three months following the LLC's fiscal year end as recorded with the Vermont Secretary of State. The deadline keys to your own fiscal year, not to a single statewide date, so check the fiscal year end on your entity record and count three months forward.
Does Vermont charge extra to file online?
No. The Vermont Secretary of State treats online filing as the preferred method and charges no extra fee for it. Paper filings are accepted but slower - allow 7 to 10 business days for processing filings received by mail. Filing online is faster at the same price.
Does a Vermont LLC need a registered agent?
Yes. Every Vermont LLC must continuously maintain a registered agent with a Vermont street address where legal process can be served during business hours. You may act as your own agent if you have a Vermont street address; a commercial agent charges an annual fee the state does not set.
Does a Vermont LLC pay state tax?
The Vermont Department of Taxes administers a business entity income tax that reaches pass-through entities such as LLCs taxed as partnerships, with a statutory minimum. Sales and use tax, withholding, and meals and rooms tax apply based on activity. Confirm current amounts with the Department of Taxes.
What happens if a Vermont LLC misses its annual report?
Vermont charges a late fee, and continued non-filing leads to administrative termination of the LLC. Termination does not cancel the LLC's debts or tax obligations, and reinstating costs more than filing on time. Keep the registered agent address current so state notices reach you.
Related
- How much does an LLC cost? (cluster hub)
- How to form an LLC in Vermont
- Vermont registered agent
- Registered agent requirements
- How to get an EIN
- Business tax filing
- How to dissolve an LLC
More Vermont business guides
Form an LLC in Business License in Annual Report DBA Filing Registered Agent Business Entity Search Dissolve an LLC in Get an EIN in Start a Business in Sole Proprietorship in Foreign LLC in Single-Member LLC in S-Corp Election in Self-Employment Tax in Trademark a Name in
Sources
- Vermont Secretary of State - Fees and Statutes (business filing fee schedule).
- Vermont Secretary of State - Limited Liability Company (online filing preferred; no extra fee online; 7-10 business days by mail).
- Vermont Secretary of State - Annual / Biennial Reports (LLC report due within three months following fiscal year end).
- Vermont Secretary of State - Business Filings.
- Vermont Statutes - Title 11, Chapter 25 (Vermont Limited Liability Company Act).
- Vermont Statutes - 11 V.S.A. 4012.
- Vermont Department of Taxes - Business Entity Income Tax.
- Vermont Department of Taxes - Start or Buy a Business.
- IRS - Limited Liability Company (LLC).
- IRS - About Form 1065.
- IRS - Get an Employer Identification Number (free).
- IRS - About Schedule SE (Form 1040).
- Legal Information Institute - Limited liability company (LLC).
- Legal Information Institute - 26 CFR 301.7701-3.
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 Vermont Secretary of State and the Vermont Department of Taxes before acting.