Hawaii LLC Cost

Forming your Hawaii LLC involves filing the Hawaii Articles of Organization with the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. Filing your articles officially creates your LLC in Hawaii. You can file online, by mail, email, fax, or in person. Hawaii charges $50 to file, and adds a $1 State Archive Preservation Fee for a total filing cost of $51.

Hawaii LLCs are required by state law to file an annual report. The report costs $12.50 if filed online, or $15 if you file your report by mail. Hawaii charges a $10 late fee for any reports not filed on time.

Find out how to file your Hawaii Annual Report.

By law, you’ll need to appoint a Hawaii registered agent. Your registered agent is the person (or company) that is tasked with receiving important legal correspondence as well as mail from the Hawaii Secretary of State on behalf of your business. You can act as your own registered agent for free. You can also appoint a friend, family member, or employee, as long as they have an address in Hawaii.

Many Hawaii business owners choose to hire a registered agent service because it guarantees that they won’t miss important mail. A professional registered agent can also help LLC owners live privately. Registered agent fees are all over the map, but at Northwest we charge $125 per year for superior registered agent service. Even better, our price never goes up.

Most businesses will need to apply for a General Excise Tax license (GET), which will allow for the collection of the state excise tax of 4%. There is a one-time fee of $20 to get your GET.

Professional license fees are based on what kind of license you’re applying for. Architects will need to pay $75 to take the state exam, plus an additional $160 for the license. A cosmetology license will run you $100, and is good for two years. Hawaii’s Professional & Vocational Licensing Division will direct you to the state board where you can get a professional license. It is important that you budget not only for the license, but also for any exams, or continuing education costs going forward.

Local licenses and fees vary based on what kind of business your LLC is engaged in. Running bicycle tours around the islands? Expect to pay $500 a year for a license. Licenses for auctioneers and pawnbrokers will run $100 each year. Catering fancy weddings? License fees start at $300 and climb depending on the type of food service your business provides. License information and fees can be found at the website of your county clerk’s office.

We’ve gone over the main expenses you can expect when forming a Hawaii LLC. However, there are other costs you might find necessary to budget for. Here’s a look at a few.

Name Reservation

You can reserve your desired name online for up to 120 days through Hawaii Business Express. You can also print, fill out, and mail or hand deliver an Application for Reservation of a Name. Reserving a business name costs $10 and is good for up to 120 days.

DBA (Doing Business as) Name

In Hawaii, DBAs are called trade names. To get a trade name for your LLC, simply apply online with Hawaii Business Express. You can also print out and mail or hand deliver an Application for Registration of Trade Name to Hawaii’s Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Business Registration Division. Trade names cost $50 and can take up to five business days to be registered. Expedited processing is an extra $20, but will be processed within 24 hours. Trade names will need to be renewed every five years.

Certified Copies of Business Documents

Certified copies of original business documents, such as articles or annual reports, may be required from time to time as your LLC expands its operations. You can search for the documents you need, and order certified copies through Hawaii Business Express. Certified copies cost $13 per document.

Find out how to get a certified copy of your Hawaii Articles of Organization.

Hawaii Certificate of Good Standing

A Hawaii Certificate of Good Standing costs $7.50, and can be ordered online through Hawaii Business Express. There is no expedited option, but if you’re filing online, you’ll receive a printable certificate right away. Mailed copies can take five days or longer to be processed.

Here’s how to get a Hawaii Certificate of Good Standing.

If you have even one employee, not counting yourself or other Hawaii LLC members, you’ll need to budget for workers’ compensation insurance. Workers’ compensation insurance protects your company’s workers by covering medical costs and lost wages for anyone injured on the job. If you don’t purchase workers’ comp, your business can be subject to fines and eventual dissolution. Workers’ comp premiums in Hawaii run about $2 per $100 in total payroll, which works out to about $200 a month for a company with a payroll of $10,000.

In many cases, other than workers’ comp, regular business insurance isn’t required unless your LLC is doing business in an industry that requires it, like construction or trucking. However, just because you may not need it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have it. While your LLC protects your assets, liability insurance will protect your business slip and falls or other common lawsuits. The cost of liability insurance will depend on the size of your business, the potential hazards associated with the work you do, and what kind of premium you’re willing to pay.

Learn more about LLC Business Insurance.

To register a foreign LLC in Hawaii, you’ll need to submit an Application for Certificate of Authority to Hawaii’s Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and pay the $51 filing fee. You can file online through Hawaii Business Express (you’ll need to create an account). You can also file by mail, in person, email, or fax. Online and in person filings are processed in about 5 business days. Mail, email, and fax filings can take up to a week. Add $25 for expedited service, which will speed up the process to 24 hours for online and in person filings, and a few days for mail, email, and fax filings.

It should also be noted that as a foreign LLC, you’ll most likely need to obtain a Hawaii GET license, as well as any professional or local licenses and permits that are applicable to your business.