Articles of Organization
The state filing that creates the LLC — called a certificate of formation in some states. Filed with the secretary of state; it does not set ownership or voting rules.
Choose a formation state →
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Every LLC lives on two documents: the public filing that creates it, and the operating agreement that governs who owns it, who runs it, and how money moves. Both, for every state.
Pick the job, then the state — you will land on the exact state page.
They are bought together so often that we discount the pair — but each performs a different legal job.
The state filing that creates the LLC — called a certificate of formation in some states. Filed with the secretary of state; it does not set ownership or voting rules.
Choose a formation state →The owners’ contract for ownership percentages, voting, management, and distributions. Not filed with the state. Works for single-member and multi-member LLCs.
Member-managed or manager-managed? →Add the formation packet and an operating agreement to your cart together and the pair discount applies automatically — $19.98 becomes $14.99.
Start with your state →Not forming an LLC? Partnerships, joint ventures, and DBAs live in the neighboring Business Ventures category.
Browse Business Ventures →The one structural choice every LLC makes. The packets are different documents — pick the one that matches who actually runs the company.
Every owner helps run the company. Works for single-member and multi-member LLCs — the agreement adapts to one owner or many.
Browse member-managed states →Appointed managers run daily operations while members stay passive. A manager can be a member or an outsider.
Browse manager-managed states →Want the clause-by-clause breakdown before you choose?
Compare both structures side by side →All 154 state pages are linked below. JavaScript is not required.
Almost always, yes. The articles (called a certificate of formation in some states) are the public filing that creates the LLC. The operating agreement is the owners’ internal contract for ownership, voting, management, and money — it is not filed with the state. Banks routinely ask for an operating agreement to open a business account, and courts look to it when owners disagree.
Yes. The member-managed operating agreement works for single-member and multi-member LLCs — it adapts to one owner or many. A written agreement matters even for one owner: it documents that the LLC is run as a separate entity, which supports limited-liability protection.
In a member-managed LLC, every owner takes part in running the company — the default for most small LLCs. In a manager-managed LLC, appointed managers run daily operations while the members stay passive; a manager may be a member or an outsider. The two packets are different documents, and your formation filing should match your choice when the state asks for a management election.
For the articles, choose the state where you want to form the LLC. For the operating agreement, choose the state whose law will govern it — usually the same state. Forming in one state and operating in another often requires a later foreign-qualification filing.
No. We sell prepared documents, support, and lifetime updates if we replace a form. You file the articles with the state yourself and pay the state’s filing fee separately.
Most LLCs need a federal Employer Identification Number to open a bank account or hire employees. The IRS issues EINs free at irs.gov — you never need to pay a third party for one.