How Much Does It Cost To Start A Tennessee LLC?

The first step in forming an LLC in Tennessee is to make sure your business name is available. To form an LLC, your organization’s name must include either “Limited Liability Company,” “LLC,” “L.L.C.,” “LC,” or “L.C.” in its title. You cannot include anything else related to a government entity (e.g., “State Department,” “Treasury,” “FBI,” etc.) or include the word “corporation,” “incorporated,” or any of their abbreviations.

Run a name search on the Secretary of State’s website. If it’s available there, check with the Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS) database. If your business name is available for both, you can opt to reserve your business name for a $20 filing fee. This ensures your chosen LLC’s name is reserved for 120 days, which should be more than enough time to gather everything else you need to start your LLC. 

Did you reserve a business name that’s great for official documents, but it’s not something you want to use in everyday conversation? If so, you can also file for a “Doing Business As” (DBA) name, which you can use to establish brand identity and name recognition. DBA filing costs can vary depending on where you live. For example, to file a DBA in Knox County, it’ll cost you $15.

We also recommend looking up the URL availability of your organization’s name. Getting a domain name that matches your LLC’s name will help your target audience find you online.

Filing your Articles of Organization in Tennessee can get expensive, but it’s required, since these are the legal documents that help make your LLC official. Your Articles of Organization include:

In Tennessee, your LLC filing fee will cost you anywhere from $307 to $3,000, depending on how many members your LLC has. In general, it will cost you $50 for every LLC member you have, but does not go below $307. If you have one member or six, it’ll cost you $307. If you have 20 members, it’ll cost you $1,000. 60 members is $3,000. 150 members, since $3,000 is the maximum, will also cost you $3,000

Your registered agent is someone with a physical address (not a P.O. Box) who accepts all legal and government correspondence for your LLC. It can be one of your LLC members or partners, or a business entity authorized to do business in Tennessee. 

Your registered agent’s address becomes public record once you obtain your LLC license. For privacy reasons, many LLC owners use a business entity as their registered agent. Whatever your selection may be, it won’t cost you anything.

Regardless of what business entity you choose, you will likely have to obtain business permits and licenses to operate in Tennessee. Which ones you’ll require depends on your industry and location. In some cases, you may need local, state, and federal permits/licenses to legally operate in Tennessee.

For further research, here are a few documents that will give you an idea of what licenses and permits you may need to obtain, and how much they are.

You can also check the One-Stop Licensing App to see what other licenses you may need. Their total costs will vary.

Your operating agreement defines the rights, powers, duties, obligations, and liabilities of your LLC’s members between themselves and your LLC. Think of it as your company’s constitution. While you’re not required to have an operating agreement in Tennessee, it’s free to create and it’s good to have. Without one, if a legal or financial dispute ends up in court, a judge or jury will be responsible for finding a viable solution, which may not be in your LLC’s best interest—or yours, for that matter. 

Your operating agreement should include:

Each of your LLC members should read over and sign your operating agreement. Once you do, you’re that much more official. 

Your EIN is a nine-digit number assigned to you by the IRS and identifies your LLC for tax purposes. It’s free and essential for operating in Tennessee. You can’t hire employees, file taxes, or open your business bank account without one.

Once your Tennessee LLC is up and running, you are required to file an annual report and pay a $300 filing fee if you have one to six members, and $50 for each additional member. To file your report, you need to include:

Usually, your annual report is due by April 1st, and the Secretary of State’s office will send you a reminder in advance.

There are plenty of great reasons to start an LLC in general, but Tennessee comes with some added bonuses.

Compared to if you start an LLC in Florida, or if you are at the LLC California costs, Tennessee can be more expensive because your filing fee and annual report are $307 and $300 respectively, plus an additional $50 per member.