Start Your LLC in Georgia with Tailor Brands

While not a legal mandate, creating a comprehensive business plan is the most crucial step involved in forming an LLC in Georgia. A well-written plan helps you identify your goals, potential challenges, and strategies to overcome them.

Fortunately, Tailor Brands offers professional assistance to help you write a successful business plan for your LLC in Georgia. Its team of experienced experts does the research and prepares the complete business and financial plan.

Starting with a name search is a crucial first step when forming an LLC in Georgia. The name of your LLC in Georgia should not be more than 80 characters and contain the words limited company, limited liability company, LLC, or LC.

If you want to use words like surety, insurance, fidelity, etc., you must obtain approval from the respective authorities. You’ll need to search the state business database to check if the business name you selected is available in Georgia.

If you are not ready to register your LLC immediately, you can reserve the name of your LLC in Georgia with the Secretary of State. The name will be reserved for 30 days in Georgia, unlike other states that have a 120-day reservation period.

You need to pay a filing fee of $25 while filing online and a fee of $35 for filing via email. The processing time is 7 days for online applications and 15 days for email applications. You can also expedite the process by paying an additional fee.

A Registered Agent acts as your LLC’s ‘mailbox’ and receives the business and legal documents on behalf of your LLC in Georgia. According to Georgia’s law, LLCs have to appoint a Registered Agent with a physical mailing address in the state. 

This can be an individual of over 18 years or an organization. They should be available at the registered office on all working days, during regular business hours. Alternatively, you can also choose to be your own registered agent, if you have the time.

A valid email address is typically required when forming an LLC in Georgia. The Secretary of State’s office will communicate important updates, notices, and reminders, such as the status of LLC filing, or other follow-up actions.

So, make sure you obtain business email addresses for top executives in your Georgia LLC. Also, create an official business email address where you want to receive all official communications from different stakeholders.

Your LLC in Georgia is not considered a legal entity until you file the Articles of Organization. There are three ways of filing this document with the Georgia Secretary of State, including e-filing, paper filing online, and by mail.

The filing fee is $100 for both paper and electronic filing methods. When sending the documents by mail, you need to pay a fee of $110. Tailor Brands will prepare and file all these documents at no extra cost apart from the state filing fee.

To form an LLC in Georgia, there is an additional form you need to submit with your Articles of Organization, known as the Transmittal form with the Secretary of State. This is a form that all business entities in Georgia are required to file.

The fields to fill in this form include the name, the primary email address of your LLC in Georgia, the Registered Agent’s email address, and your signature. Make sure you fill out the form very carefully and make no silly mistakes.

When forming an LLC in Georgia, you may need to file a Doing Business As (DBA) if you plan to conduct business under an assumed name that is different from your LLC’s legal name. Many businesses opt for a DBA for branding purposes.

To do this, you need to fill out and submit the Trade Name Application and other forms specific to the county where your business is located. You should also publish the DBA once a week in the local newspaper for two consecutive weeks.

If you intend to hire employees or are registering for sales tax, you will need to obtain an EIN (federal Employer Identification Number). An EIN or tax ID is also required to open a business bank account and to apply for business loans and lines of credit.

You will need to visit the IRS (Internal Revenue Service) website to apply for the EIN online. Tailor Brands offers EIN application services to make the process hassle-free and quick. This service is offered as part of its paid LLC formation packages.

Your LLC in Georgia may need several permits and licenses from local agencies, the state, and from Federal agencies, depending on the business activities. Some businesses, such as restaurants serving alcohol, also need regulatory permits.

Given the long list of permits and licenses specific to different types of businesses, it can be challenging to learn which licenses you need. Fortunately, you can get accurate advice on licenses your LLC in Georgia requires from Tailor Brands.

A Georgia LLC operating agreement helps establish clear guidelines and expectations for how your business will be managed and strategic decisions will be made, and what will be the roles and responsibilities of LLC members.

Taking the time to create an operating agreement can be one of the most important steps toward starting an LLC in Georgia. LLC experts at Tailor Brands will prepare this document if you opt for one of its paid plans—Essential and Elite.

While an LLC in Georgia is not required by law to open a business bank account, it is generally recommended to have a separate bank account. It also makes it easier to track your business expenses while simplifying tax preparation.

Taking the time to create an operating agreement can be one of the most important steps toward starting an LLC in Georgia. LLC experts at Tailor Brands will prepare this document if you opt for one of its paid plans—Essential and Elite.

While having a business website is not a mandatory requirement to form your LLC in Georgia, creating one can be advantageous for your business. A compelling website can help you capture more leads and convert them into customers.

To launch a business website, you will need a domain that matches your business name. Luckily for you, Tailor Brands offers a free web domain for one year and gives you access to a DIY website builder that you can use to design your website.

Georgia LLCs are required to renew their registration by filing an annual registration with the Georgia Secretary of State office. This is to confirm and update the company’s information, such as the Registered Agent or company address.

Failing to comply with these legal requirements can result in your LLC getting revoked or administratively dissolved. Compliance notifications from Tailor Brands help your LLC in Georgia meet the annual registration and other state filing requirements.

Here’s what you’ll get with the free plan:

• LLC formation: Tailor Brands will help you form your LLC and process your application within 14 business days. Its team will handle the process end-to-end, from preparation and review to the actual application filing. There’s no service charge, you just need to pay the state’s filing fee.

Price: Free

If you want a no-frills LLC formation service, then the free plan is enough for you. However, if you want any additional service, you need to choose from one of its paid plans.

Take your LLC formation to the next level with Tailor Brands’ Essential Plan. 

Here are the additional services you’ll enjoy with this paid plan. 

• Legal compliance: Their team will send you annual compliance notifications to ensure you don’t miss any important deadlines. This premium service will ensure you stay compliant with state and federal regulations and stay in good standing.
• Expedited processing: With this plan and the Elite plan, you get expedited 2-day processing of your LLC formation application. Your LLC application will be treated as a top priority and will be processed as soon as possible.
• $30 Amazon gift card: One of the added perks of choosing this plan is that you’ll get a $30 gift card for Amazon. You don’t necessarily have to use it for business purposes and can use it to practically shop anything on Amazon.
• LLC operating agreement: The biggest benefit of and reason for choosing this plan is that you can get expert guidance for drafting a comprehensive operating agreement. This is especially useful if you’re a first-time entrepreneur.

Price: $199 per year

The Elite plan is the top-tier plan offered by Tailor Brands. Apart from what you get with the Essential plan, it offers various business and marketing tools and benefits.

Here are the additional services you’ll enjoy with this plan. 

• Web domain: If you’re starting a new business, you’ll definitely need a website and a web domain. With this plan, you can get a free domain name for one year, after which you will need to start paying a fee to retain the domain name.
• Website: Another perk of choosing the Elite plan is that you get access to a free DIY website builder. You can use it to create a business website yourself, without requiring external help or spending thousands of dollars for website design.
• Branding tools: Tailor Brands also offers numerous business and branding tools, such as a digital business card, 8 free business logos, a social media post maker tool, and tools to design business cards that include your branding.

Price: $199 per year