Over the past two decades, Oregon has enjoyed rising popularity with young professionals. Its pleasant climate and desirable location in the western United States have drawn people from all walks of life to the state. A favorable business climate has developed, and now is a great time to get started by forming your own LLC in the state.
First, though, you have to get started. That means you will have to put down some money. That might sound ominous, but it’s relatively painless if you know what you’re doing. We’re here to help you figure out where you need to spend your money, as well as optional purchases you’ll want to make that can make your life easier, both now and in the future.
This article will help you make a budget for starting an LLC in Oregon.
We’ll cover:
- The required costs for every LLC
- Extra costs we recommend you incur
- The different ways you can form your LLC, as well as the pros and cons of each
Total Minimum Oregon LLC Cost – $100
Forming an LLC in Oregon only requires that you file articles of organization, which will cost you $100. Though many states require a separate statement appointing a registered agent, in Oregon, you will do that in your LLC’s articles.
Click here for a current fee schedule from the Oregon Secretary of State.
Last updated:
Sep 2024
Start your LLC the easy way
Forming your LLC is a checkbox that needs to be ticked. Easy, fast and worry-free. We reviewed the 13 most popular LLC formation services to figure out who truly understands what new founders need. Our recommendation:
We don’t make up scores.
Read our full review of Northwest
Best LLC Service 2024 
- Formed 1,000,000+ LLCs
- $29 formation includes registered agent service
- Fast formation & same day filing
- Exceptional customer reviews
Last updated:
Sep 2024
How Much it Costs to Start an Oregon LLC
Of course, there’s quite a bit more to starting your company than just filing a legal document. There are several things you need to consider, and all of them cost money. While you probably want to save as much money as possible, this section will outline the costs you need to think about incurring if you want to have the best start you can have.
Articles of Organization Filing Fee – $100
Of all your LLC’s legal papers, this one is the most important. Articles are like an LLC’s birth certificate. Without articles of organization, the company doesn’t exist in any sense. Once they have been filed, it can do business, pay taxes, and take any other legal action. Thus, you need to make sure your LLC’s articles are done first and done right.
This isn’t as tough as it sounds. While you can draft the Oregon LLC articles from scratch if you want, there’s no need. Oregon provides a basic fill-in-the-blank form with all the details you need. Though you can file them by mail, we recommend using the Secretary of State’s online system.
If you have a complicated business or ownership structure, you may need an attorney to draft your Oregon LLC articles of organization. In most cases, though, the form above should be fine.
Oregon LLCs – Optional Costs to Consider
$100 may be all you need to get your LLC running. That doesn’t mean, though, that you shouldn’t plan on spending more. There are many other costs you should also plan for to give your LLC the best start it can get.
Expedited Shipping Fees – varies
Processing time for LLC filings in Oregon is much shorter than in some other states. If you file your articles online, they will be processed either on the same or next business day. Filing by mail is slower and will add a week to the process.
If you must use the mail and need expedited service, the Secretary of State recommends paying for expedited delivery using Federal Express (FedEx). FedEx costs depend upon many factors, including where you need the filed articles sent to and from. So, if this service is necessary for your LLC, you should contact FedEx for a quote.
Business License – varies
Oregon does not have a statewide business license requirement. Your city or county, though, may require your LLC to get one. The City of Salem, for example, requires certain kinds of businesses to have licenses. In most cases, Salem charges both an application fee and an annual fee, and combined, those fees can run from about $20 to hundreds of dollars.
Registered Agent Fee – about $100 per year
When you file your articles, you’ll have to name your LLC’s registered agent so that the state and the public can timely communicate with your Oregon limited liability company. This is important if someone decides to sue your LLC. That may not sound like fun, but it is critical to the life of your business that you know exactly when this happens.
Because your agent’s details are included in your articles, you don’t pay an extra fee to the state to name an agent. Still, you should think about hiring a company to serve as your company’s agent.
Many owners are tempted to serve as their LLCs’ agents. This is not a good idea. It involves making your address public and always being available just in case someone wants to sue your company.
It’s an easier and more cost-efficient plan to hire an Oregon registered agent service for your LLC. These registered agent companies usually charge $100 per year and take care of all your agent needs. It’s money well spent.
Check out our Best Registered Agent Services article for some of our recommendations.
Operating Agreement – varies
An operating agreement sets down the rules of your LLC. It says how the people in charge should do their jobs, when meetings must be held, how members can enter and exit the company, and almost any other matter you might need to address.
Oregon won’t force your LLC to have an operating agreement if you don’t want one. State law even allows oral operating agreements in addition to written ones. We strongly recommend, though, that you have a written contract. Without one, you have much less control over your company if and when something unexpected happens.
If you choose to have an LLC operating agreement, you don’t have to file it with the state. You can write it yourself, but unless you are a lawyer or know exactly what it’s supposed to look like, we don’t recommend that option.
A lawyer would likely charge you by the hour for drafting an Oregon LLC operating agreement. While that contract would likely be a good one, that could also run you at least a few hundred dollars, and probably well over a thousand in a major city like Portland. If you use an LLC formation service, you can have a good agreement drafted, though, for as little as $39.
DBA Fee – $50 every two years
After filing their Oregon articles of organization, many LLC owners find that the legal name of your LLC does not quite serve their needs. The name might be hard to remember, sound too much like that of another company, or need to reflect a change in management or ownership.
These are common problems. All you’ll need to do is apply for an assumed name or DBA (“doing business as”) name for your LLC.
Getting a DBA is easy. All you have to do is submit an Assumed Business Name registration form by mail or online with the Secretary of State. Either way, the fee is $50. The filing is good for two years. After that time has passed, you will need to file a renewal.
Name Reservation Fee – $100
Maybe you have a good plan and the perfect business name for your company, but you’re not ready to start just yet. If you want to make sure that you can use a certain name when you are ready, you can file an Application for Name Reservation with the Secretary of State for $100. If you want a confirmation copy of your reservation, you need to pay an extra $5.
Once filed, a reservation is good for 120 days.
Domain Name – about $20 per year
In this day and age, small businesses need a presence on the Internet. The first step in creating a good website is to get your own domain name. While this might have been pricey in the past, it is now very affordable.
You should secure your domain name as soon as possible, even if you don’t have plans for a website right now. If you don’t, a competitor could buy your ideal domain and its variations to block you from using them. Domain squatters also sift through newly registered LLC names and will buy their domains only to relist them with huge markups.
In general, a domain ending in .com will be more expensive than a .net or .info domain, and some names will likely be taken, meaning you will have to do some searching (and maybe compromising).
A domain name from GoDaddy.com or a similar registrar may cost you between $20 and $50 per year, with regular specials and sales where you can get substantial discounts.
Registering with the State Employment and Tax Offices – Free
All LLCs should register for a business identification number (BIN). This is necessary if you have or plan to hire employees, but it will also help your LLC make tax payments to the state online.
Getting a Federal Employer Identification Number (“EIN”) – Free
An EIN is a number created and assigned by the Internal Revenue Service to a business for paying taxes. (Think of an EIN as a social security number for a business.) Some LLCs need them, and some don’t.
Regardless of whether the IRS says you need one, we recommend getting an EIN. Many banks won’t allow your company to have its own business bank account without one. Having an EIN can also simplify the process of getting credit.
You can apply online and get an EIN for free in minutes, or you can apply for one through the mail or fax. Whatever you do, don’t pay someone else to get an EIN for you. It’s too easy to pay someone else to do it unless it is part of a broader service package.
Foreign LLC Qualification Fees – about $100 per extra state
If your business takes off, congratulations! You may soon start thinking about expanding to new locations. If one of those places is in another state, you’ll have to pay for the privilege of doing business there. You won’t have to re-form your business, but you will have to register as a foreign limited liability company with the Secretary of State there and pay some extra fees.
The exact fees will depend on the state in which you are registering. As a rule of thumb, expect to pay about $100 in filing fees to register your LLC in another state.
Writing Formation Costs Off
Because it takes money to start your business, you can write off many, if not all, of your startup costs on your taxes for a deduction. The IRS has a lot of guidance on this matter, and you should compare your specific costs to the materials on the IRS website.
Though the IRS allows these deductions, guidance from the state indicates that these deductions do not flow through to an Oregon state income tax return.
Keep in mind that, in most cases, an LLC is taxed by the IRS as a pass-through entity. Generally speaking, LLC owners can deduct up to $5,000 of their business startup expenses in the first year.
Example:
Oren wants to open up a sandwich food truck in Salem, Oregon. He will work the whole operation himself, without any employees. As soon as the idea occurred to him, he reserved the name “Oren’s Original Sandwiches, LLC” with the state. A week later, he filed his articles of organization online.
After filing his articles, Oren wanted the shorter name “Oren’s Originals” painted on this side of his food truck, so he applied for that DBA.
The city required Oren to pay several fees to apply for and obtain his business license, in the total amount of $117.50.
Oren also chose to have an LLC formation service help him with an operating agreement. He also hired a registered agent company and obtained a web domain so he could advertise where his truck was going to be on any given day.
Oren’s LLC formation costs are as follows:
- Oregon Name Reservation fee: $100
- Oregon Articles of Organization filing fee: $100
- Oregon DBA fee: $50
- Salem business license fees (mobile food unit): $117.50
- Registered agent service fees: $100
- Operating Agreement: $39
- Web domain costs: $50
Oren has elected to have his LLC taxed as a pass-through entity. This means that he will claim both his business income and deductions on his federal tax return.
Oren’s startup costs, which will form his deduction, total $556.50. His taxable income before the deduction was $30,000, which puts Oren in the 12% federal income tax bracket.
With the deduction, Oren’s taxable income will be reduced to $29,443.50. That saves him $66.78.
Keep in mind that if Oren had more than $5,000 in expenses, he would likely be able to claim those, but he could not deduct them all in the first year.
Cheapest Way to Start an LLC in Oregon
Now that you know all the basic costs, it’s time to shop around. Not every business needs to be formed in the same way, and you can save both time and money by picking the best option for you.
Formation Service – $39 + state fees
A business formation service is a popular and inexpensive way for new LLC owners to get started.
These companies are dedicated to helping entrepreneurs bring their visions to life. They have not only the knowledge of all the state laws you need to know, but also forms, documents, and procedures to make your life as easy as possible.
Pros
Formation services are quick and complete ways to handle formation needs for most LLCs.
- They’re easy. In most cases, a formation service will have helped hundreds of people through the exact process you are struggling with now. They have all the documents, information, and expertise you need right on hand.
- They don’t cost much. Because formation services have such a large volume of business, they don’t have to charge their clients that much money.
- They’re reliable. All of the formation services’ products and procedures have been tested hundreds of times over in the real world. That kind of experience should give you peace of mind and confidence going forward.
- They’re fast. Formation services have seen almost every business formation situation already. Chances are, they have many solutions for you that are ready right now before you even know you need them.
Cons
While formation services can be great for most people, they are not always the best choice. Some cons for these services are:
- They’re not the best solution for complex LLCs. If you are forming a complicated company or one in a heavily regulated industry, you will have concerns that probably need more focused expertise in that area of business.
- Even if a formation service is a good fit, you can expect upselling. Formation services have to make money too, and some of them may pressure you to buy formation products you don’t need. Even when you are using a formation service, you need to be a smart and informed consumer.
Using a professional LLC formation service can be a great way to set up a business. Check out our Best LLC formation services article for some of our suggestions.
Attorney
Attorneys are licensed, reliable, and powerful resources for business formation. They are also quite expensive. Consider Oren, the food truck owner discussed in the example above. Oren doesn’t have a lot of money, and a business lawyer would cost him hundreds of dollars per hour. This is not an effective use of Oren’s resources.
A business owner with more money than Oren, though, could benefit from having an attorney if their business was at all complicated. For that reason, some owners choose to go this route.
Pros
Despite the expense, sometimes hiring a lawyer is the best choice.
- Lawyers help you manage risk. An LLC with complicated legal issues needs a lawyer. Let’s say that instead of a food truck, Oren wanted to open a cannabis dispensary. Because of the unique issues with federal law, Oren should have an attorney look over all his business plans in that case.
- Lawyers offer more customization when you need it. Do you need specific things put in an operating agreement? Is your company going to have a unique ownership structure? You may need an attorney to make sure these issues are handled properly.
Cons
For most people, getting an attorney comes with considerable downsides that outweigh any benefits.
- Lawyers cost more than any other option. The price tag alone should convince you that if you don’t need a lawyer, it’s not worth hiring one.
- Finding a lawyer takes a long time. Getting a lawyer who specializes in what you need, costs what you’re willing to pay, and can work with you well is a tall order.
- Lawyers also take longer to form a business than a formation service. Because lawyers are also very caring people, they will generally take much longer to form your company than non-lawyers would. Fortunately, most people don’t need a lawyer. In 90% of cases, a formation service will do just fine.
Do it Yourself
Many people, after searching the Internet for the information they need, decide to try forming their new LLCs themselves. This process can give you a lot of personal expertise, but remember that time is money. If you are spending hours on formation, that’s time you’re not spending on the substance of your business.
In most instances, then, it is more cost-effective to just pay an LLC formation service, with confidence that everything has been done correctly, rather than try to reinvent the wheel yourself.
Pros
- Personal knowledge. A DIY business owner will learn a lot about the process while forming their own business, and they probably will retain that knowledge for years to come.
- It costs less upfront. If you don’t figure out the value of your time, a DIY solution is the cheapest option.
Cons
- You’re losing money when you consider how much time it takes to DIY. If you figure out that your time is worth $30 per hour, and you take 20 hours to complete your business formation, you have essentially spent $600 on business formation.
- There’s the risk of making a mistake. DIY business owners can easily make a mistake with all the paperwork that then costs them more time and money.
- It’s a headache. State workers are very helpful, capable people. But they will also tell you that the laws and rules governing business formation are not easy, and they follow those rules for a living. It’s going to be even harder for you.
Annual Oregon LLC Fees: How Much Will it Cost to Maintain your LLC?
Even after you’ve formed the LLC, there are annual costs for which you will have to budget. These include both government fees and amounts paid to third parties, like:
- Local Business License, depending on exact location: $10 and up (into the hundreds of dollars) every year
- Annual report fee: $100
- Registered agent service fee: $100
- Domain name: $20
In Oregon, annual reports are due on your LLC’s formation anniversary. You can file it starting 45 days before that anniversary. Although Oregon does not have a late fee, if your report is 45 days late, your LLC might be dissolved or revoked by the state. So, make sure you file your report and pay the $100 fee on time!
Also, keep in mind that any small business should have an accountant. Costs for accounts vary significantly, but you should spend an average of $2,000 to $3,000 per year on an accountant in most cases.
How Much are LLC Taxes in Oregon
How your LLC is taxed depends on how you characterize it with the IRS. If the IRS treated your LLC as a pass-through business entity, Oregon will do so too, and will not tax your LLC’s income directly. Instead, you pay taxes on the money that you get from your business.
If your LLC elects a different tax treatment (e.g., as an S Corporation or partnership), then your LLC will need to pay taxes according to its income. Consult an Oregon accountant for further details.
You will, however, have to pay other taxes associated with your business. For example, if your LLC hires workers, you will have payroll taxes. Unlike many other states, Oregon does not have a sales and use tax, and the majority of businesses will not have to worry about paying those types of taxes.
Oregon LLC Formation Costs Quick Links
- 2021 Oregon Individual Income Tax Guide
- City of Salem — Business License Fees
- City of Salem — Licenses
- IRS — apply for an EIN online
- IRS — information regarding the federal tax treatment of LLCs
- Secretary of State — Name Reservation Form
- Secretary of State — Articles of Organization Form
- Secretary of State — Processing Time
- Secretary of State — Business License Directory
- Secretary of State — Business Name Search
- Secretary of State — DBA Form
- Secretary of State — Fee Schedule
- Secretary of State — Oregon Business Registry
- Secretary of State — Start a Business Guide
- State of Oregon — Payroll Taxes
- State of Oregon — Sales Tax
- State of Oregon — Tax Payment System
- State of Oregon — Understand Your Tax Obligations
Oregon LLC Formation Costs FAQs
-
How much does it cost to start an LLC in Oregon?The minimum cost is $100. You must pay at least this amount to file your LLC’s articles of organization with the state.
-
What is the cheapest way to start an LLC in Oregon?
A do-it-yourself approach will have the lowest price tag, but it isn’t the cheapest in terms of your time. The best balance of price and time, for most people, is to use a formation service.
-
Do I need to hire an attorney to form an LLC in Oregon?
No. Most people will not need to invest the considerable expense and time of hiring a lawyer. A formation service or a DIY approach will work for most business owners.
-
Can I pay to form an LLC more quickly in Oregon?
Yes. Formation services will generally complete formation tasks faster than business owners acting on their own. The state itself does not offer quicker processing, though mailing can be sped up by using a faster delivery service such as FedEx.
