Learn the steps to form an LLC in Indiana – from choosing your name to filing your Articles of Organization. $1 + $95 state fee. Start today.
Start your U.S. business journey today. Form your company with confidence and let Brio handle the paperwork.
Filing fee: $95 online (Articles of Organization); $100 by mail
Processing time: Same day to 1 business day online; about a week by mail
State agency: Indiana Secretary of State (INBiz online portal)
Business entity report due: Every two years in your LLC’s anniversary month — $32 online. No late fee, but miss it and the state can begin dissolving your LLC about 60 days after the due date.
State tax rate: Flat 2.95% income tax on pass-through income (2026) plus a county income tax of roughly 0.5-3%, and 7% statewide sales tax; no franchise tax and no general state business license
Start your U.S. business journey today. Form your company with confidence and let Brio handle the paperwork.
Forming an LLC in Indiana takes 5 steps: choose and check your business name, appoint a Registered Agent with a physical Indiana address, file Articles of Organization online or by mail, draft an operating agreement, and get an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS. The state filing fee is $95 online.
Indiana has one of the lowest state income tax rates in the country: pass-through LLC income is taxed at a flat 2.95% (2026) — and the rate is scheduled to keep stepping down — with no franchise tax or annual LLC tax on top. Counties add a local income tax of roughly 0.5-3%, but even combined, the burden stays light. An LLC gives you personal liability protection and pass-through taxation without the administrative overhead of a corporation.
Ongoing paperwork is lighter than most states, too: instead of an annual report, Indiana requires a business entity report only once every two years — $32 online — and there’s no general state business license. Everything from formation to tax registration happens in one place, the state’s INBiz portal, which keeps the whole process manageable without an attorney.
Unlike some states, Indiana doesn’t require you to reserve your name before filing — you simply claim it when you file your Articles of Organization. If you’re not ready to file yet, you can optionally reserve a name through INBiz. The fee is $10, and the reservation holds your name for 120 days (renewable for additional 120-day periods).
Your LLC name must be distinguishable from other registered businesses in Indiana and must include “Limited Liability Company,” “L.L.C.,” or “LLC.” Words that imply banking, insurance, or another regulated activity need approval from the relevant regulator. Check the INBiz business name search before you file to avoid a rejection.
Every Indiana LLC must have a registered agent — a person or entity designated to receive legal notices and government documents on behalf of the business. The agent must have a physical street address in Indiana (a P.O. box doesn’t count) and be available during regular business hours. Indiana also requires the filing to state that the agent has consented to the appointment.
You can serve as your own registered agent if you have a physical Indiana address and can be there during business hours. Many business owners use a professional registered agent service instead — it keeps your personal address off public records and ensures someone is always available to receive documents.
The Articles of Organization is the document that legally creates your Indiana LLC. You file it with the Indiana Secretary of State through the INBiz portal. Online filing is the fastest and cheapest option — $95, usually approved the same day or within one business day. You can also mail State Form 49459 with a $100 fee, which takes about a week of processing plus mail time.
The Articles must include your LLC’s name, the principal office address, your registered agent’s name and Indiana street address (with a statement of the agent’s consent), whether the LLC is managed by members or managers, and its duration. Indiana offers no paid expedited service — none is needed, since online filings already process in about a day.
Indiana doesn’t require you to file an operating agreement with the state, but you should have one. It’s the internal document that defines how your LLC is managed — who owns what, how profits are distributed, and how decisions get made. Without one, the default rules of Indiana’s Business Flexibility Act fill in the gaps, which may not reflect what you actually want.
Your operating agreement should specify whether the LLC is member-managed or manager-managed. In a member-managed LLC, all owners share day-to-day authority. In a manager-managed LLC, a designated manager handles operations while other members retain economic rights. A written agreement is the version that holds up when disputes arise.
An Employer Identification Number (EIN) is a 9-digit federal tax ID issued by the IRS. Your Indiana LLC needs one to open a business bank account, hire employees, and file federal taxes. Applying online at irs.gov is free and issues your EIN immediately after you complete the application.
To use the IRS online application, the responsible party must have a valid Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), and the business must have its principal place of business in the United States. The IRS does not charge a fee for issuing an EIN.
Indiana LLCs file one report with the Secretary of State: a business entity report due every two years during your LLC’s anniversary month, starting two years after formation. It costs $32 filed online through INBiz ($50 by mail) and takes a few minutes. There’s no initial report, no franchise tax, and no annual LLC tax.
Indiana has no general state business license, but if you sell taxable goods or services you’ll need a Registered Retail Merchant Certificate from the Department of Revenue — $25 per location through INBiz — to collect the 7% sales tax. There’s no late fee for a missed entity report, but about 60 days after the due date the state can start administrative dissolution, and getting reinstated requires a $30 fee plus a tax clearance from the Department of Revenue.
The required Indiana state fee is $95 to file the Articles of Organization online through INBiz — mail filings cost $100 (a small card-processing surcharge applies online). The biennial business entity report is $32 online, and reserving your name before filing is optional at $10. There’s no additional state fee to get your EIN; the IRS issues EINs for free.
Yes. Indiana allows a single person to form and own an LLC – this is called a single-member LLC. You can complete the Articles of Organization filing online through the INBiz portal without an attorney. You’ll still need to appoint a registered agent with a physical Indiana address, but that can be yourself if you qualify.
No. Indiana charges a $95 Articles of Organization fee – that’s a required state fee you can’t avoid. What you can avoid is paying extra for formation help. We handle your Indiana LLC filing for $1; you only pay the required state fees.
Not an annual one – Indiana requires a business entity report every two years, due in your LLC’s anniversary month and filed through INBiz. It costs $32 online or $50 by mail. There’s no late fee, but roughly 60 days after a missed due date the state can begin administrative dissolution (with a further 60-day notice window to cure). Reinstatement means a $30 fee, all back reports, and a tax clearance from the Department of Revenue — so it’s worth calendaring.
Yes, every Indiana LLC is required to have a registered agent. A registered agent is a person or entity that receives legal notices and official government documents on behalf of your LLC. The agent must have a physical street address in Indiana — not a P.O. box — be available during regular business hours, and consent to the appointment. You can serve as your own registered agent or use a professional service.
The mistakes that come up most often are missing the business entity report because it only comes around every two years — with no late fee as a warning, the first consequence many owners see is a dissolution notice — filing by mail and paying more for slower service, forgetting the county income tax when estimating taxes (the 2.95% flat rate understates the real bill by 0.5-3 points), and using a P.O. box for the registered agent address. A lot of owners also skip the $25 Registered Retail Merchant Certificate before making their first taxable sale.
Online filings through INBiz are usually approved the same day or within 1 business day. Mail filings take about 5 business days of processing plus mail time both ways. Indiana doesn’t offer paid expedited service – it doesn’t need one, since filing online is already effectively instant.
Thinking about another state? Compare Wyoming, Delaware, Texas and Florida — or browse all 50 state guides.
From formation to compliance, we handle the details so you can focus on what you do best.
