Ohio business services: statutory agent, formation, and state filings

What does an Ohio business file, from formation to dissolution?

An Ohio LLC or corporation touches the Secretary of State at a handful of predictable points: when it picks a name, when it forms, when it names a statutory agent, when something in its articles changes, when someone asks for proof it exists, and when it closes. The IRS comes in early, for the EIN and any tax election. This page walks through that lifecycle in order and shows which of our services fits each step.

Each service is a flat fee, with the state's own fee listed beside it. We prepare and file at your direction. We are not a law firm or accounting firm, so choices like entity type or tax election belong with your attorney or accountant.

Ordering works the same way for every add-on. We review your order, confirm the state fee, and email you a secure card payment link before we file. Statutory agent service is the exception: you start it in the portal by creating an account, adding the business, e-signing the consent, and paying $49 by card.

How do you choose and reserve an Ohio business name?

The name has to be available on the Ohio record and carry the right ending, such as LLC or Inc. The first check is a search on Ohio Business Central, which we run for every formation and name reservation order.

If you have picked a name but are not ready to file, a name reservation holds it for 180 days. The state fee is $39 (ORC 111.16(S)(1)), and our Name Reservation service is $50. Plenty of founders skip it and file the articles right away; a reservation earns its keep when you need time to line up partners, financing, or a lease first.

Before you settle on a name, say it out loud, type it into a search engine, and check that the matching web address is free. Write it exactly as you will file it, ending included. We confirm the name is available and meets the naming rules before anything is filed, and if your first choice is taken, a formation order can carry a second and third choice.

How do you form an Ohio LLC, corporation, or nonprofit?

Forming an Ohio entity means filing articles with the Secretary of State: Articles of Organization (Form 610) for an LLC, Articles of Incorporation (Form 532A) for a for-profit corporation, or Form 532B for a nonprofit corporation. The standard state fee is $99 (ORC 111.16(A) and (F)); a corporation that authorizes more than 990 shares pays more.

Our Business Formation service is $100 plus that state fee. We check the name, prepare the articles, file them online naming us as statutory agent, and put the filed articles and receipt in your portal with a next-steps checklist. We do not draft operating agreements or bylaws; those internal documents are for you and your attorney.

To start a formation, we need two or three name choices in order of preference, the entity type, the principal office address, and the organizer or incorporator's name and address. Corporations also give the number of authorized shares and the purpose clause. Expedited state processing is available for an added state fee.

Already formed in another state?

An out-of-state LLC or corporation registers in Ohio instead of forming here: Form 617 for a foreign LLC or Form 530A for a foreign for-profit corporation, $99 in state fees (ORC 111.16(F), (I)(1)). Our Foreign Business Registration service is $100, and you will need a certificate of good standing from your home state. Whether your activity counts as doing business in Ohio is a question for your attorney.

Why does every Ohio entity need a statutory agent?

Ohio law requires every LLC, corporation, and nonprofit to keep a statutory agent in Ohio (ORC 1706.09, 1701.07, 1702.06). The agent is the entity's official address for lawsuits and state mail. It must be an Ohio resident or a qualified business with an Ohio business address, at a street address rather than a P.O. box, and the agent signs a written acceptance that is filed with the articles (ORC 1706.09(B), (C)).

Our Statutory Agent Service is $49 per business per year. Our address, 3416 Erhart Road in Litchfield, goes on the public record instead of your home address. Documents are scanned and published to your portal the same business day, and service of process notifies every authorized contact and escalates to a phone call if nobody acknowledges it.

You can be your own agent if you have an Ohio street address and are reliably there during business hours. Most owners use an agent service instead, to keep a home address off the public record and to avoid missing a process server who arrives while they are out on a job.

Changing agents later is a Statutory Agent Update (Form 521), with a $25 state fee (ORC 111.16(R)(1)). We prepare and file it after you e-sign the consent. Letting the agent lapse has consequences: the Secretary of State sends notice, and if the default is not cured within 30 days, the entity's articles are cancelled (ORC 1706.09(L), 1701.07(M)).

When do you need an EIN or an S-corp election?

Right after formation, in most cases. Banks, payroll providers, and licensing offices ask for an EIN before anything else. The IRS issues EINs free on its website. Our Tax ID (EIN) service is $50 for an online application, usually returned the same business day, or $200 when the responsible party has no SSN or ITIN and the IRS requires a paper Form SS-4.

An S-corporation election is a federal tax choice. It changes how the IRS taxes the entity, not what the entity is under Ohio law. It must be filed within 2 months and 15 days of the start of the tax year it covers. Our S-Corp Election service is $100: we prepare Form 2553, collect shareholder signatures, and file it. Whether the election saves you money is your accountant's call, so ask them first.

Both services end with a letter in your portal: the IRS confirmation letter (CP 575) that shows your EIN, and, about 60 days after an S-corp election, the IRS acceptance letter (CP 261). Banks and accountants ask for both, so it helps to know where they are.

Does an Ohio LLC need a DBA or trade name?

Only if it does business under a name other than its exact registered name. If your LLC is "Litchfield Carpentry LLC" and the truck, the website, and the invoices all say "Litchfield Carpentry LLC," you do not need one. If the truck says "Medina Deck Works," that brand name is what a trade name or fictitious name registration is for.

The state fee is $39 (ORC 111.16(S)(2)), and renewing the registration later costs $25 (ORC 111.16(S)(3)). Our Trade Name (DBA) Registration service is $50. We check availability, tell you whether a trade name or fictitious name filing fits, and file it. Whether a registration gives you rights against someone else using the name is a question for your attorney.

Sole proprietors use trade names too. A sole proprietor who works under any name other than their own personal name can register it, and we file for them the same way, using the owner's name in place of an entity number.

What Ohio business filings are needed after you form?

Not many. Ohio LLCs and for-profit corporations do not file annual reports, so the main ongoing state requirement is keeping a statutory agent on the record. Ohio nonprofit corporations are different: most must file a statement of continued existence every five years, or the Secretary of State cancels their articles (ORC 1702.59).

Beyond that, filings follow changes. When something in the filed articles changes, such as the entity's name, purpose, or authorized shares, the record is updated with a certificate of amendment. The state fee is $50 (ORC 111.16(P)), more for corporations adding shares, and our Amendment to Articles service is $75. An agent change is not an amendment; it goes through the Statutory Agent Update instead.

Mail from the state still arrives between those events. When the Secretary of State or the Ohio Department of Taxation writes to your entity at our address, we scan it and flag it for attention the day it arrives, so a notice does not sit in an envelope while a deadline runs.

Some records are kept rather than filed. Our Corporate Book ($60) is a binder for the articles, operating agreement or bylaws, ownership certificates, ledger, and minutes. Our Corporate Seal ($40) is an embosser for the banks and overseas parties that still ask for a seal; Ohio does not require one.

How do you prove an Ohio entity is active, at home and abroad?

A certificate of good standing is the Secretary of State's statement that the entity exists and is active. Banks ask for one at account openings and loan closings, and other states ask for one when you register there. The state charges $5 for the sealed certificate (ORC 111.16(K)(1)). Our Certificate of Good Standing service is $25; we order it, check the details, and upload it to your portal.

Foreign banks, registries, and courts usually want more: a certified copy of the Ohio filing with an apostille from the Ohio Secretary of State, accepted in countries that belong to the Hague Apostille Convention. Our Apostille service is $300 with the state fees included, and typically takes one to two weeks. Countries outside the convention need consular legalization instead, and we tell you which applies.

How do you close an Ohio LLC or corporation?

Stopping operations does not end the entity on the state record. An LLC files a certificate of cancellation, a corporation files a certificate of dissolution, and an out-of-state entity surrenders its Ohio registration. The state fee is $50 (ORC 111.16(N)). Our Dissolution and Cancellation service is $75.

Some dissolutions require a certificate or affidavit about state taxes. We tell you what the form asks for; your accountant handles the tax filings themselves. Keep your statutory agent in place until the state records the dissolution, then cancel it, so nothing served on the entity in the meantime goes unseen. Questions about which filing comes next: (877) 908-6122, Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM ET.