Reference · Alabama
Alabama LLC requirements
Every requirement we've verified for a domestic LLC in Alabama, with the source for each. For the plain-English cost answer, use the cost calculator.
| Filing agency | Alabama Secretary of State (Business Entities Division); Alabama Dept. of Revenue |
|---|---|
| Formation filing fee | $200 |
| Filing fee notes | SOS LLC page and master Fee Schedule PDF both list Certificate of Formation $200 (Ala. Code 10A-1-4.31). Filed via county Probate Judge, who transmits to SOS within 10 days. County probate offices may charge separate recording fees. Older SOS form sosdf-8.pdf says $100 standard / $200 expedited - conflicts. |
| Standard processing | Filed through county Probate Judge; must transmit to SOS within 10 days. No statewide turnaround published. |
| Expedited options | Expedited (~3 business days) referenced but exact current fee unconfirmed. |
| Periodic report | Business Privilege Tax Return and Annual Report (Form PPT) |
| Report frequency | annual |
| Report fee | Not yet verified |
| Report deadline | Initial return (Form BPT-IN) due within 2.5 months after formation, no extension. Ongoing PPT due 2.5 months after start of tax year (Mar 15 for calendar-year LLCs). |
| Late penalty | Not confirmed from official source. |
| Administrative dissolution | Privilege tax due every registered year until legally dissolved/withdrawn via SOS. Specific dissolution trigger unconfirmed. |
| State tax | No traditional franchise tax; net-worth-based Business Privilege Tax instead. ADOR pages conflict: one says $50 minimum post-2022; another says entities with calculated tax <= $100 fully exempt from tax AND filing for tax years after 12/31/2023. |
| Minimum state tax | None |
| Newspaper publication | Not required |
| Registered agent required | Yes |
| First-year minimum | $200 |
Confidence
What we're less sure about
Cross-checked, pending a second verification pass
- Formation fee conflict: $200 (2 official sources) vs $100 (1 older official form).
- BPT minimum/exemption unresolved between two ADOR pages. If $50 minimum applies, first-year total is $250.
- Late penalty and dissolution trigger unconfirmed.
- VERIFY BEFORE PUBLISHING
Provenance
Sources
Every figure above traces to one of these. If a state changes a fee and we haven't caught it, tell us — we log corrections publicly.
- sos.alabama.gov — https://www.sos.alabama.gov/business-entities/llcs
- sos.alabama.gov — https://www.sos.alabama.gov/sites/default/files/form-files/FeeSchedule.pdf
- revenue.alabama.gov — https://www.revenue.alabama.gov/tax-types/business-privilege-tax/