You have the experience and skills, but if you ever thought that starting a new business in West Virginia would be easy, it won’t be long before you figure out it is much more complex than you imagined! For many new entrepreneurs and even experienced small business owners, the first stumbling block is often forming your business. From writing your Articles of Organization to finding the perfect registered agent for your business, there is a lot of red tape that you need to navigate before you can even open your doors.
However, one of the most important decisions you’ll need to make with your startup is choosing which type of business entity structure to use.
You have a lot of options when it comes to structuring your business, including professional corporations, S and C Corps, and LLCs. While each of these types of corporate structures has its own risks and benefits, most small businesses wind up choosing an LLC.
Disclaimer: the rates and offerings below are subjected to changes made by the service providers.
Many businesses find an LLC, or Limited Liability Company, to be the most appealing form of business because it provides much of the same separation and protection of your personal assets as a C or S Corp, but it’s cheaper and easier to run since LLCs have fewer compliance requirements. With an LLC, there are even tax benefits that can save you money.
However, regulations in West Virginia can be frustrating for new business owners when it comes to forming an LLC. Many entrepreneurs find it is worth the minimal expense to use a business formation platform to speed up and simplify the process. Below are five of the top options you may want to consider:
Tailor Brands is dedicated to helping new businesses go from an idea to a success. Not only does the website provide an easy-to-use filling service to start your LLC, but there are additional free and subscription-based tools, services, and other resources that you can use to make running your business more convenient and profitable.
Although you can choose to use one of the platform’s lower-cost tiers to streamline filling out and filing your LLC to save time and money, you’ll be missing out on a lot of other helpful options. Get everything you need, including legal and tax advice, step-by-step help with writing your operating agreement and applying for an EIN, and information on required business licenses and permits. Free business logos and a website are offered at the higher tier levels.
Tailor Brands can help you to fill out and file your LLC for free, plus the $100 West Virginia state filing fee. However, two higher-priced tiers offer more services and products. The mid-tier option costs $199 (plus the state filing fee) and the Elite comes in at $249 (plus the state fee). Users can also choose to purchase additional services and products for a reasonable price.
Customers love Tailor Brands’ friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable customer service. With a solid range of quality services and products, all with prices that won’t break the bank, Tailor Brands is tough to beat for those who are looking for more than barebone corporate formation.
LegalZoom has been a big player in the online legal field for over two decades. The site has a good reputation for providing its users with quality legal resources and advice for business as well as personal matters. LegalZoom offers several other services, including assistance in forming an LLC.
Help with filing a new LLC and basic business name checking is available at the lowest tier. Each of the higher-priced LLC formation packages provides additional benefits. Depending on the level, these more expensive bundles may include access to an easily searchable database of customizable legal forms, assistance with business insurance and taxes, EIN registration, a customized operating agreement, and even an initial consultation with a business attorney to ask any questions you may have.
Depending on the number of services you choose and how much assistance you require, the cost to incorporate with LegalZoom ranges from just the $100 West Virginia filing fee to $299 plus the cost of filing. Add-on services and products, like an annual report and business license compliance, are additional.
Due to LegalZoom’s experience in the industry and all the options the site offers, this platform is a good option for some business owners. However, others may feel the site is not extremely user-friendly. It can be a bit confusing to find what they need, especially since you have to purchase one of the higher-priced bundles to speak with customer service by phone.
As a well-reviewed corporate formation site, ZenBusiness has everything you need to not only create your new business but to help run it as well. Some of the tools the site offers are tough to find on similar platforms, making it quite appealing for folks who need a bit more than just the basics.
ZenBusiness makes it easy to complete the paperwork for the Articles of Organization, Operating Agreement, DBA, and EIN registration, as well as choose a registered agent. Domain registration and a website designer are included at the highest tier level and available as an add-on at the lower ones. Corporate filing can take up to three weeks for the lowest tier, but more expensive options are usually completed within a week.
The cost to start an LLC on ZenBusiness ranges from free (plus $100 for the West Virginia filing fee) to $349, in addition to the state filing fee. Users who choose to go with a lower tier have the option to pay for individual services and tools that are part of higher-priced bundles, as needed.
ZenBusiness receives very good customer reviews, and it is an excellent choice for those with a bigger budget. Still, entrepreneurs who are bootstrapping their startups can find other platforms that offer similar services without confusing a la carte pricing at the lower tiers. However, the Worry-Free Compliance option that is included in higher-cost packages provides peace of mind that may be worth the additional expense if you want to streamline your corporate management.
Choosing and paying for a registered agent is an often overlooked part of starting a business. Most other LLC formations don’t include one with their bundles, but Northwest Registered Agent does. When you incorporate through Northwest Registered Agent, you’ll get a registered agent for free for one year, saving you money.
With only one option, Northwest Registered Agent makes it simple. Register your LLC with Northwest Registered Agent, and you’ll receive one year of registered agent services, along with what you need to create your business identity, such as a domain, website, business email, and more. Additional paid services include EIN registration, mail forwarding, a virtual business address, and annual report filing to help you stay compliant.
The only plan Northwest Registered Agent offers costs $39 plus the West Virginia filing fee of $100. Other services are available, but they cost extra and are on the pricier side.
Depending on what you feel comfortable doing on your own, Northwest Registered Agent can save you a lot of money when starting your business. However, if you require assistance with filing paperwork for things like EIN or an annual report, using this platform may cost you more in the long run.
Swift Filings is what you need when you have to get your new business up and running as quickly as possible. This platform offers some of the fastest filing speeds in the industry. But that speed comes at a cost with more basic offerings and slightly higher costs than other options.
For those who are willing to pay for the top-tier package, Swyft Filings can submit the paperwork within a day. The medium tier provides a 5-day filing, and even the lowest cost option is only 10 days. A business name check and assistance with the completion of your Article of Organization is what you can expect from the Basic tier. At the same time, you’ll need to upgrade for the ID necessary to file your taxes, a Statement of Incorporation to open a business bank account, and a trial membership to ComplianceGuard.
The cost of corporate formation packages ranges from $0 to $299, plus the $100 West Virginia filing fee. Other services like ComplianceGuard, a seller’s permit, and a registered agent cost extra.
When speed is the main factor, go with Swyft Filings. However, if you have the time to spare, you can find other platforms that offer better value when it comes to tools and services that are included at similar price points.
Yes, you don’t need to pay anyone to help form a business in West Virginia if you are willing to do a lot of research and a little hard work. However, since almost all the options above offer some level of free assistance, you have nothing to lose by getting some guidance from the professionals.
If you decide to make things easier for yourself by taking advantage of an LLC formation expert, you can’t go wrong with any one of the above platforms.
There are some good options with great pricing, extensive services, and unique assistance that is backed by thousands of positive customer reviews. Discover how each service can help you create and run the business of your dreams.
This portion of our website is for informational purposes only. Tailor Brands is not a law firm, and none of the information on this website constitutes or is intended to convey legal advice. All statements, opinions, recommendations, and conclusions are solely the expression of the author and provided on an as-is basis. Accordingly, Tailor Brands is not responsible for the information and/or its accuracy or completeness. It also does not indicate any affiliation between Tailor Brands and any other brands, services or logos.
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