How to Start an LLC in Indiana: File on INBiz, Step by Step

Here’s how to start an LLC in Indiana as of 2026. You file your Articles of Organization with the Indiana Secretary of State through INBiz, the state’s online portal. The fee is $95 online, and most filings clear within a business day. Indiana then asks for a Business Entity Report every two years, not every year. That two-year cycle catches people who expect an annual report.

How to start an LLC in Indiana, step by step on INBiz

Every step below runs through INBiz, and you can file it yourself without paying a service. The Indiana LLC requirements are short: a distinguishable name, a registered agent with an Indiana address, the $95 fee, and an INBiz login. Here is the Indiana LLC registration sequence, with the fee at each step.

Step 1: Name your LLC and run the Indiana business name search

Your name has to end in “LLC” or “Limited Liability Company” and be distinguishable from every entity on the state record. Run the Indiana business name search first. You can check availability with the state’s online business search tool in minutes. Reserving a name is optional and rarely necessary.

Step 2: Appoint an Indiana registered agent

Indiana requires every LLC to name a registered agent with a physical street address in the state, reachable during business hours; a PO box won’t do. You can serve as your own agent for free, or hire a service to keep your home address off the public record.

Step 3: File the Articles of Organization on INBiz

This is the filing that creates the LLC. You submit the Articles of Organization (Form 49459) and pay the Indiana LLC filing fee of $95 online or $100 by mail.

You can file the online application through INBiz, and most approvals post within a business day.

You’ll also decide whether the LLC is member-managed or manager-managed; owner-run LLCs are typically member-managed. Indiana has no expedited tier, since online filing is already quick, while mailed forms can take a week or more. If timing matters for a bank or a contract, here is how long Indiana LLC approval takes.

Step 4: Create an operating agreement

Indiana doesn’t require an operating agreement, but skipping it is a mistake for anyone serious. The document sets out ownership splits, voting, profit shares, and what happens if a member leaves. It matters even for a single-member LLC, since it proves the business is a separate entity. Adapt an Indiana operating agreement template to your members.

Step 5: Get an EIN from the IRS

Your EIN is the federal tax ID your LLC needs to open a bank account, hire, and file taxes. It’s free, straight from the source: apply for an EIN on the IRS website. Form the LLC first, then request the EIN, so the name on both records matches. Our EIN guide for LLC owners covers the single-member quirks.

Step 6: Register for state taxes and open a bank account

Once the LLC exists, open a dedicated business bank account so personal and company money never mix. If you sell taxable goods, register with the Indiana Department of Revenue for a Registered Retail Merchant Certificate before your first sale. With the EIN, the approved Articles, and your operating agreement, that bank setup is usually same-day.

How much does an LLC cost in Indiana? The $95 fee and $32 report

So when people ask how much does an LLC cost in Indiana, you’ll pay $95 to file online ($100 by mail), one time. After that, the only required state cost is the $32 biennial report, about $16 a year. Here’s the thing: that’s the whole mandatory bill.

Indiana LLC ongoing costs: the biennial Business Entity Report

Indiana runs its reporting on a two-year cycle, which is unusual. You’ll file a Business Entity Report every two years, due in your formation anniversary month, for $32 online or $50 by mail. You file it with the Secretary of State; our Indiana biennial report guide walks through the screens.

Miss the deadline and Indiana can administratively dissolve the LLC after a written notice and a 60-day cure period. The state charges no franchise or privilege tax on LLCs, so that’s the whole recurring state bill.

What taxes does an Indiana LLC pay? Sales, income, and county rates

By default the IRS treats your LLC as a pass-through, so profits land on members’ personal returns. Most state obligations run through the Indiana Department of Revenue, and the 2026 rates are flat. You can confirm them on DOR’s current rate and fee page.

Indiana doesn’t add local sales tax, so a sale in Indianapolis is taxed exactly like one in a small rural county. You can elect S corp or C corp treatment later if the numbers favor it, but that’s a tax choice, not a different entity.

Do you need a business license or permit in Indiana?

Indiana has no general statewide business license, which surprises people from stricter states. Licensing is local and industry-specific instead: a city permit, a health or contractor license, or a professional credential. If you sell taxable goods, you’ll register with the Indiana Department of Revenue for a Registered Retail Merchant Certificate, a one-time $25 fee per location on INBiz. The catch: that registration has to come before your first taxable sale, not after.

Filing a DBA in Indiana

To trade under a name different from your legal LLC name, file a Certificate of Assumed Business Name, Indiana’s version of a DBA. It runs $20 online or $30 by mail through INBiz, and it never expires once accepted. Banks freeze deposits when the name on your checks doesn’t match a name on record, so file the assumed name before you invoice under it.

Why form an LLC in Indiana? Low fees, biennial reporting, no franchise tax

For a business based in the state, the advantages of an Indiana LLC are concrete. The filing fee is modest, the report falls due every two years, and there’s no franchise tax. Add a flat 2.95% income tax and one-day approvals, and once you’re formed, ongoing compliance is minimal. For a company run in Indiana, that comes down to the biennial report and any tax registrations.

Where Indiana LLC owners slip up

The mistakes here are specific to how Indiana runs things, not the generic warnings you’ll find elsewhere.

• Treating the $95 fee as recurring; the only repeat state cost is the $32 report
• Confusing the Secretary of State filing with Department of Revenue tax registration; they’re separate
• Operating in another state without registering there as a foreign LLC
• Skipping the operating agreement, then struggling to prove ownership to a bank

Indiana LLC FAQ

These are the questions Indiana founders search before and after filing, answered with the real numbers and offices.