Cost to Start a New Jersey LLC - Northwest Registered Agent (2024)

Your LLC’s New Jersey Annual Report costs $75 to file and is due at the end of your LLC’s anniversary month. If you miss the filing deadline, the Division of Revenue won’t charge you a late fee, but if your LLC stays delinquent for two years, the state will administratively dissolve your business. You’ll need to visit the New Jersey Annual Reports and Change Services portal to file your report.

Find out more about filing your New Jersey Annual Report.

Per NJ Rev Stat § 42:2A-8, you must appoint a New Jersey registered agent to operate your LLC in the state. Your registered agent needs a New Jersey street address (no PO boxes or virtual offices), and must be available at that location during regular business hours in order to accept legal mail (service of process) on your LLC’s behalf.

You can name an employee, family member or other associate as your New Jersey registered agent—or even do it yourself—but your LLC’s agent must be available during business hours every single weekday, and be willing to let their name and physical address become part of the public record. For privacy and convenience, many LLC owners hire a professional registered agent service like Northwest. The cost of professional registered agent services can vary quite a bit, but we only charge $125 a year—and our price never goes up.

New Jersey has no general statewide license that applies to all businesses, but it does require businesses to get a Business Registration Certificate for tax purposes—including income tax, payroll tax, and sales and use taxes for transactions of tangible goods. In New Jersey, the certificate is equivalent to the sellers’ permits for sales and use tax in other states. You must complete the NJ-REG form in order to get a Business Registration Certificate.

You might also need to obtain certain licenses and permits through the state, depending on what type of business your LLC engages in, particularly if the business involves hazardous materials or dangerous machinery, such as the permits required to handle asbestos or operate cranes. New Jersey’s Licensing & Certification Guide is great place to learn about what kind of licenses your business might require.

Professional business licenses are required for businesses that need special education and training to provide services. Attorneys, contractors, nurses and realtors are just a few of many occupations that require a professional business license. The New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs can help you find the state board that issues your particular professional license. For example, locksmiths fall under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs’ Fire Alarm, Burglar Alarm and Locksmith Advisory Committee.

License fees vary by profession, but usually, you’ll need to take a state exam, complete an application to the relevant board, and pay all fees that accompany your professional license. Some professions may have annual renewal fees and continuing education costs to account for as well.

On top of state and professional licenses, most municipalities in New Jersey also have a few permits and associated fees that can impact a business. The scope of these local licenses can vary considerably: Newark requires a $250 license for retail shops, for example, while Atlantic City levels a $200 for all “mercantile business owners” – which it defines as any person who engages in business inside city limits.

In most cases you can find the necessary licenses and fees at your county or city’s clerk of courts office or business department website.

In most cases you can find the necessary licenses and fees at your county or city’s clerk of courts office, or at the business department website.

While we’ve listed the expenses you’ll most likely be required to pay when starting an LLC in New Jersey, there will be some other costs to consider as well.

Name Reservation

You can reserve a business name in New Jersey for 180 days by filing an Application for Reservation of Name with the Division of Revenue, along with a $50 fee.

DBA (Doing Business as) Name

What most states label as DBAs are called “alternate names” in New Jersey (the term “DBA” is also used, but only when the original name of an out-of-state business operating in New Jersey is already claimed and a different name must be chosen).

You can use an alternate name instead of your LLC’s legal name when conducting business, if you register the trade name and pay a $50 fee. You’ll need to visit the New Jersey Division of Revenue’s Business Name Search portal to make sure no other LLCs, corporations, or other state-registered entities have already used your assumed business name. You can then file a Registration of Alternate Name formto claim your alternate name.

Certified Copies of Business Documents

LLC owners sometimes need certified copies of documents their company has registered with the state. New Jersey provides certified copies of documents for a $25 fee, or $50 for expedited certification. In addition, you’ll pay a $10 fee for the first page, and an additional $2 for every page of the document after that. You can order certified copies of your documents by contacting the New Jersey Division of Revenue’s Records unit.

Find out how to get a certified copy of your New Jersey formation documents.

New Jersey Standing Certificate

If your New Jersey LLC must prove to a bank, investors, or another state that it is up-to-date on all state filings and fees, you’ll need a Standing Certificate. The New Jersey Department of Revenue offers LLCs the choice between a short-term Standing Certificate for $50 or a long-term one for $100. Standing Certificates can be ordered online through the New Jersey Division of Revenue’s Business Records Service.

Here’s how to get a New Jersey Standing Certificate.

If your New Jersey LLC has any employees, full- or part-time, you’re required by law to cover them with workers’ compensation insurance. However, New Jersey LLCs are allowed to waive workers’ compensation for their members—though if a member also works for the LLC, it might still be wise to acquire insurance for them as well. You can purchase insurance through a stock carrier, or self-insure if your LLC meets the qualifications to do so.

Liability insurance is also something to consider. While your LLC protects the assets of the LLC members, liability insurance can help cover the costs of any lawsuits against your business in the event that a customer is injured. Insurance rates for liability coverage will depend on the nature of your LLC’s business—for example, an industrial manufacturer will likely pay higher rates than a small graphic design studio would.

Learn more about LLC Business Insurance.