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US state guide

Tennessee LLC Formation & Ongoing Filing Guide

Plan a Tennessee LLC: formation steps, registered agent, state costs, record keeping and the annual obligations to check before you start.

Start with the business you will actually run

A Tennessee LLC should be considered alongside where the owners live, where work happens and where staff, stock or premises will be located. Choosing a formation state does not remove registration or tax obligations elsewhere. Build a short fact sheet before comparing state fees.

What deserves attention in Tennessee

Check both the entity filing calculation and the applicable franchise and excise tax rules with a qualified adviser.

Check the current official instructions before submitting a name or formation document. A fee table cannot account for expedited handling, professional licensing, publication or every activity-specific charge. Our comparison tool uses only fee entries with a recent review date.

A practical formation checklist

  1. Check the proposed company name and the state’s entity naming requirements.
  2. Confirm the registered agent and the addresses needed for the application.
  3. Record the owners, management arrangements and business activity accurately.
  4. Review the formation document before it is submitted.
  5. Retain accepted documents and prepare an operating agreement.
  6. Arrange the EIN and identify the federal, state and home-country filings relevant to the company.

Budget beyond the first filing

Keep government charges, preparation fees and commercial renewals separate. An initial formation total is not the company’s complete annual operating cost. Ask what the registered agent and address cost after the first year, and whether tax preparation, bookkeeping, licences or additional-state registration are outside the package.

Keep a record of what changes

Owner contributions, transfers, changes to the agent and new operating locations can affect the company’s filing needs. Give each deadline a responsible person and keep proof of completion. Revisit the plan when the facts change instead of reusing a checklist indefinitely.

Official information

Check the official Tennessee source before relying on a fee or submission instruction. For your tax position, consult a qualified adviser with the complete ownership and activity facts.

Does forming here remove obligations in another state?

No. Operating activity, staff, premises and other facts may create obligations elsewhere. Review the full operating footprint before choosing a formation state.

Is the state filing fee the complete first-year cost?

No. Preparation fees, address services, registered-agent services, tax work and any additional government requirements should be compared separately.

Tennessee

Understand the complete cost.

Base state filing fee$300
Formation service fee$79

Card, expedited, publication and other applicable costs are confirmed separately. Registered-agent and address renewals are separate from government fees.

Formation and annual report: $50 per member, minimum $300 and maximum $3,000. Displayed fees cover up to six members. More than six members require a written formation quote. Franchise/excise taxes are separate.

State renewal / ongoing filings

$300 annually minimum

First day of the fourth month after fiscal year-end; April 1 for a calendar-year LLC.

Formation and annual report: $50 per member, minimum $300 and maximum $3,000. Displayed fees cover up to six members. More than six members require a written formation quote. Franchise/excise taxes are separate.

Future state charges are not included in today’s formation total. Private registered-agent renewals, taxes, publication, licences and payment charges may be separate.

Official renewal source ↗
Official state source ↗