Start an LLC in Nebraska
When you’re ready to start your new LLC in Nebraska, we’ve got everything you need. File your own paperwork with the state by using our easy fill-in-the-blank form below to complete your Nebraska Certificate of Organization for free.
Or skip the extra steps, take advantage of our LLC expertise, and hire us to form your business for $39+ state fees. Still not quite ready to take the plunge? We’ve compiled all the steps for your future business journey.
How to Start an LLC in Nebraska
A Nebraska limited liability company (LLC) helps provide legal separation between a business and its owners. It costs $100-$110 to file your Certificate of Organization—the legal document that officially forms your LLC—with the Nebraska Secretary of State. You can tackle the paperwork yourself, or hire someone like Northwest to do it for you. Once the paperwork is submitted, you’ll need to do a few other things to secure your privacy and limited liability protection.
Here’s everything you need to do to get your LLC up and running in the Cornhusker State.
1. Name Your LLC
When you file formation paperwork with the state, you decide on your official LLC name. Before you settle on what to call the business, you’ll need to make sure it hits all Nebraska’s requirements for a LLC name. These requirements are listed in Neb. Rev. Stat. § 21-108, but essentially, your LLC name must:
- Contain the words Limited Liability Company or an abbreviation like LLC or Ltd. Co.
- Be unique among registered business names in Nebraska. This means your name can’t be the same as any other business registered in Nebraska.
Have a name in mind? You can do a Nebraska business name search to see if it’s available.
Tip: You can reserve a business name for 120 days if you file the Application for Reservation of a Limited Liability Company Name. There is a $30 fee to file the application.
2. Register Your Domain Name
After choosing your LLC’s name, a good next step is locking down a domain name for your business website. Your domain name (URL) is the web address to your site.
A professional domain name should be easy to remember—and ideally, match or complement your business name. The earlier you register your domain name, the better chance you have of getting a name meeting those standards.
You’ll need to claim a business domain name through a registrar. When you hire Northwest to form your LLC, domain registry is one of many in-house services we provide, so you also get a domain name free for a year, plus your own customizable business website secured with SSL protection, and up to ten email business addresses connected to that domain.
3. File Nebraska Certificate of Organization
A Certificate of Organization is a formation document you submit to the Nebraska Secretary of State to start your LLC in Nebraska.
Nebraska is unusual among states in not providing a standard form to download and fill out. Instead, you have to create your own document or use a template (like the one at the top of this page) that meets Nebraska’s requirements.
The fee for submitting a Certificate of Organization is $100 when filed online, $110 if you file in person or by mail. All the information on your Certificate becomes public record, meaning anyone can access it.
When filing a Certificate of Organization for your Nebraska LLC, you need to include your:
Remember, your business name needs to use a qualifier like LLC or Limited and be unique, which means no other registered business in Nebraska have the same name as you.
This is your Nebraska business address. You can list your physical office address, or our address if we’re your registered agent. If you have a different mailing address, include that as well.
Your initial agent is the person or company who accepts legal and state mail on your LLC’s behalf. Most states call this a registered agent.
Your registered agent must keep regular business hours at a Nebraska address to accept legal mail on your behalf.
When you’re adding your initial agent’s information, you’ll need to include their:
- Full legal name (this can be a business name if using a registered agent service)
- Nebraska street address
- Mailing address, if different from above
You can be your LLC’s registered agent, designate a colleague to do it, or hire a Nebraska registered agent. It’s free to do yourself, but you’ll have to remain at the registered office location, or else run the risk of missing crucial notices. Potentially worse, you could be served in front of customers or clients. As a registered agent, you’ll also have sensitive personal information publicly listed where any scammer or nuisance caller may find it. With a registered agent service like Northwest, you can use our information instead.
If your LLC will offer a service that requires a state license, list the type of service here. You will need to have the proper licenses in order to conduct business as a PLLC. The regulatory body in charge of your profession will need to give you a Certificate of Registration to submit to the Secretary of State.
Sometimes called a company applicant, this is whoever signs and submits your Certificate of Organization. It can be you, a business partner, or even someone outside of your LLC. If you hire Northwest as your formation service, it will be us.
The previous requirements are the bare minimum of information needed for a Nebraska Certificate of Organization, but you can include other items as well. For example, you may include a delayed effective starting date, postponing the day your LLC officially starts.
How Do You File a Nebraska Certificate of Organization?
You can file your certificate online for $100. Filing by mail or in person costs $110. It takes 1-2 business days for your Certificate of Organization to be processed.
Online:
Nebraska’s eDelivery System
(You’ll need to upload a signed PDF).
Mail:
Nebraska Secretary of State
P.O. Box 94608
Lincoln, NE 68509
In Person:
Nebraska Secretary of State
Business Services
1201 N Street, Suite 120
Lincoln, NE 68509
Once you’ve filed your Certificate of Organization, your LLC is in business in Nebraska. But you’ll need to do a few more things to attain good standing for your LLC and maintain it over the life of your company.
Maintaining Nebraska LLC Compliance
4. Publishing Your LLC in Nebraska
Nebraska has a publication requirement for LLCs, requiring you to publish all the information filed in your Certificate of Organization in a newspaper and notify the public of your company’s formation. This should be published for three weeks in a local newspaper near your physical office space or designated office address.
After three weeks, the paper will send you an Affidavit of Publication. This is proof of publication, which you submit to the Nebraska Secretary of State.
How Do I File My Affidavit of Publication?
Some newspapers will send you one automatically, some will file for you, and some will forget all about it. It’s important to follow up once your three weeks are up to make sure you’re on their radar.
Once you’ve got it, the process is easy. Just submit the affidavit to the Secretary of State online via PDF for $25 or send it through the mail with a money order for $30.
5. Adopt an Operating Agreement
Your LLC’s operating agreement is a document agreed upon by all members that defines the way the business will be run. An operating agreement can establish how to conduct voting, the distribution of losses, and even how to dissolve the business, among many other things.
Operating agreements are not mandatory in Nebraska, though you might need one to open a business bank account. However, even though it’s not required, nearly all LLCs adopt operating agreements to set clear rules and processes. Without an operating agreement, your business may be vulnerable to internal disputes and legal trouble.
Tip: You don’t have to be a lawyer to write an operating agreement, but we know it helps. So we had our attorneys draft a Nebraska operating agreement for you to use.
6. Get an EIN and Bank Account
Employer Identification Numbers (EIN) are assigned by the IRS and work like a Social Security number for the business. Without one, you’ll have to use your personal SSN on things like vendor documents and loan applications.
To get an EIN, file Form SS-4 with the IRS. Alternatively, give us a shout and we’ll get your EIN for you.
EINs are legally required if you are a multi-member LLC, have employees, or are taxed as a corporation. Plus, you need an EIN to open a business bank account.
Not opening a business bank account can result in losing your limited liability status, which risks losing personal assets if your business gets sued. To open a bank account, you’ll need your:
- LLC’s EIN
- Operating agreement
- Nebraska Certificate of Formation (a copy is fine)
- LLC Resolution to Open a Bank Account, if your LLC has multiple members
Tip: If you don’t have a Social Security Number, you can call the IRS and file a paper application to get an EIN.
7. File Nebraska Biennial Report
Every other year, Nebraska requires LLCs to file a biennial report. This report tells the state who owns your LLC and how to get in touch with your business. It only costs $10 to file.
Biennial reports are due by April 1st and are considered delinquent on June 2nd. That means if you forget to file before June 2nd, your business will be administratively dissolved. Yikes! If you’re worried about remembering, you can hire us to file your Nebraska Biennial Report for you.
Let’s Set Up Your LLC in Nebraska!
