How to Start an LLC in Hawaii (2026)

From The Business Formation Podcast · 8:13

Show by The Business Formation Podcast

To start an LLC in Hawaii, you file Articles of Organization, Form LLC-1, with the Business Registration Division of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, and pay $51. Every step for 2026, including who can be your registered agent, the $12.50 annual report due in your quarter each year, and the three best ways to have it filed for you. The 3 best ways to file in Hawaii (2026) Mainstay Filing (our pick): $199/yr + state fee ($250 at checkout with Hawaii's $51 fee). Includes your Articles of Organization filed, your EIN application, your registered agent every year and your annual report filed. Renews at $199/yr. https://www.mainstayfiling.com/hawaii/llc/?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=pod&utm_campaign=pod-llc-hawaii HI Registered Agent.org: $199 + state fee ($250 at checkout). Prepares and files your Articles of Organization, with the first year of registered agent service free, then $99/yr. https://www.hiregisteredagent.org/llc/?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=pod&utm_campaign=pod-llc-hawaii Hawaii Registered Agent.co: $199 + state fee ($250 at checkout). Forms your Hawaii LLC with the first year of registered agent service free, then $99/yr. https://www.hawaiiregisteredagent.co/llc/?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=pod&utm_campaign=pod-llc-hawaii Chapters 0:00 The short answer0:32 Step 1: Choose a name1:00 Step 2: Name a registered agent1:24 Step 3: File Form LLC-12:03 Step 4: Write an operating agreement2:24 Step 5: Get a free EIN2:56 Step 6: File the annual report3:28 What it costs3:59 Paper or online4:27 The cost of falling behind5:01 What the form asks5:28 First-year checklist5:52 The 3 best ways to file in Hawaii7:14 Three years of service fees7:39 Recap Hawaii LLC facts (checked October 7, 2026) Filing: Form LLC-1, Articles of Organization, with the DCCA Business Registration Division (BREG): $50 plus the $1 State Archives fee, $51. Online through the state's business portal, or by email, mail, fax or in person. No published processing time; expedited processing is currently not available. Name: must contain "limited liability company," "L.L.C." or "LLC"; not substantially identical to a registered name. Reservation: 120 days, $10. Registered agent: a Hawaii resident or an entity authorized in Hawaii, with a Hawaii street address. The LLC can't be its own agent. Change: $25. Form LLC-1 lists each organizer and, for a member-managed LLC, the initial members' names and addresses; all filings are public. Operating agreement: not filed. EIN: free from the IRS at IRS.gov. General excise tax license (Department of Taxation): one-time $20. Annual report: due by the end of the calendar quarter in which the company was registered, each year (not in the formation year); $12.50 online, $15 on paper. Late: $10 per year delinquent; two years unfiled can mean administrative termination; reinstatement $25. No beneficial ownership (BOI) report for U.S. companies (FinCEN). Sources Hawaii Form LLC-1 (PDF): https://files.hawaii.gov/dcca/breg/registration/forms/llc-1.pdf Form LLC-1 instructions (PDF): https://files.hawaii.gov/dcca/breg/registration/forms/llc-1-instr.pdf BREG domestic LLC page: https://cca.hawaii.gov/breg/registration/dllc/ BREG domestic LLC fees: https://cca.hawaii.gov/breg/registration/dllc/fees/ BREG FAQs: https://cca.hawaii.gov/breg/faqs/ Hawaii GET license: https://tax.hawaii.gov/geninfo/get/ IRS, Get an EIN: https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/get-an-employer-identification-number FinCEN, BOI: https://www.fincen.gov/boi Company prices from each company's own page and checkout, October 7, 2026. General information, not legal or tax advice.

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