How to Form an LLC in West Virginia
What it costs, the steps, and what comes after. Updated for 2026.
Verdict: an LLC in West Virginia costs $100 to file, then $25 a year to keep. You can file it yourself online in about an hour, and you do not need a lawyer for a straightforward single-owner business.
What it costs in West Virginia
At $100, West Virginia sits in the middle of the pack on formation cost. West Virginia charges $25 every year to keep your LLC in good standing. Annually by July 1.
| Cost | Amount |
|---|---|
| File articles of organization | $100 |
| Annual report | $25 |
| Registered agent, if you hire one | $100 to $300 a year |
| EIN from the IRS | Free |
Roughly $125 in state fees for your first year if you act as your own registered agent. Fees change without much notice and some states charge different amounts online versus by mail, so confirm the current fee with the West Virginia filing office before you file.
The steps in West Virginia
1. Pick a name. It must be distinguishable from every other business registered in West Virginia and include an LLC marker. Search the state business database first.
2. Appoint a registered agent with a physical West Virginia street address.
3. File the articles of organization with the state and pay $100. This is the step that creates the LLC.
4. Write an operating agreement. West Virginia may not require one. Have one anyway, because banks ask for it and it helps show your LLC is genuinely separate.
5. Get an EIN free from the IRS in about fifteen minutes, then open a business bank account and run every business dollar through it.
The full step by step guide covers each of these in detail.
After you file
West Virginia charges $25 every year to keep your LLC in good standing. Annually by July 1. Keep business and personal money strictly separate, because mixing them is the most common reason a court sets LLC protection aside.
Once the business is profitable, the bigger decision is a tax one rather than a legal one. Electing S corporation treatment can cut self-employment tax, but it costs real money to run and it shrinks your qualified business income deduction. Our S corp calculator works out whether it is worth it on your numbers. Note that it covers federal tax only, so check how West Virginia treats S corps as well.
One thing you can skip: beneficial ownership reporting. That requirement no longer applies to companies formed in the United States, after a FinCEN rule issued in March 2025 narrowed it to entities formed under foreign law.
Frequently asked questions
$100 to file your articles of organization. After that, budget $25 a year to stay in good standing. Fees change, so confirm the current figure with the state before you file.
Yes. Annually by July 1. The fee is $25.
The paperwork takes under an hour. West Virginia approval times vary from same day for online filings to a few weeks by mail, and most states offer expedited processing for an extra fee. Check the current processing time on the state's site, since it moves with their workload.
In most states yes, including West Virginia, as long as you have a physical street address there and are available during business hours. The trade-off is that the address becomes public record. A commercial agent costs roughly $100 to $300 a year.
If you live and work in West Virginia, yes, form here. Forming in Wyoming or Delaware and operating from West Virginia means registering in West Virginia anyway as a foreign LLC, so you pay both sets of fees for one business.