Start an LLC in Oklahoma
If you’re ready to learn how to start an LLC in Oklahoma, you’re in the right spot. Use our free and easy form below to fill out your Oklahoma LLC Articles of Organization. From there you’ll be all set to file directly with the Oklahoma Secretary of State.
Got bigger things to focus on than paperwork? Hire us to form your LLC in Oklahoma for only $39 more than the state fee if you file on your own. We’ll get your business stood up in minutes with a free business domain, website, email, local phone line, and more.
How to Create an LLC in Oklahoma
To start an LLC in Oklahoma, you’ll need to follow a few basic steps: name your business, appoint a Oklahoma registered agent, and file Oklahoma Articles of Organization, plus the $100 filing fee. It’s also wise to secure a domain name for your business at formation as well. In order to keep your LLC legal and running smooth, you’ll need to get an EIN, open a business bank account, and draw up an LLC operating agreement, among other things.
This guide provides easy-to-follow instructions on how to start, run, and maintain an LLC in Oklahoma.
1. Name Your LLC
For your first order of business, you need a business name. You can name your LLC pretty much anything you want, as long as it follows Oklahoma’s naming rules. Basically, your LLC name must:
- Contain an indicator like “limited liability company” or “LLC.”
- Be unique among approved business names in Oklahoma.
- Not include words or abbreviations that make it sound like the LLC is another kind of entity, like “corp” or “limited partnership.”
Check Oklahoma’s Business Entity Search page to make sure no other business is already using your preferred name. If you’re not ready to form your LLC, Oklahoma allows you to put a hold on the name by filing an Application for Reservation of a Name. It costs $10 and can be filed online or by mail. Your business name reservation is good for 60 days.
Any name you operate your LLC under that isn’t its legal name is a DBA (doing business as). Oklahoma refers to DBAs “trade names,” and it costs $25 to get one. To register your Oklahoma DBA you’ll need to file a Trade Name Report with Oklahoma’s SOS.
We show you how to get a Oklahoma DBA for your business.
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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. When you register your domain name early, you’re more likely to get a name that meets 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, as well as up to ten email business addresses connected to that domain.
3. Designate a Registered Agent
Oklahoma state law (18 OK Stat § 18-1022) requires every LLC to have an Oklahoma registered agent. This can be you, someone you know, or you can hire a professional registered agent service. The important part is that your registered agent needs to have a local street address and agree to accept legal mail on behalf of your business.
Note: You need a registered agent before you start filling out your Oklahoma Articles of Organization.
- Keep regular business hours (9am to 5pm) at a physical address (no PO boxes) in Oklahoma.
- Accept legal mail and correspondence from Oklahoma’s Secretary of State.
Learn about the benefits of hiring a registered agent service.
You sure can, but think twice before you do. Acting as your own registered agent means that your name and address will become part of Oklahoma’s public record. When you hire Northwest, we’ll list our business address on all allowed public filings, helping to keep your personal info away from scammers, spammers, and disgruntled people with a bone to pick.
Yes. To change your Oklahoma registered agent you’ll need to file a Notice of Change of Registered Agent form with the Oklahoma Secretary of State. The form costs $35 to file, and you can submit it by mail, in person, or online.
4. Submit LLC Articles of Organization
Your Articles of Organization are what legally creates your LLC as an entity in Oklahoma. When the form is completed, you’ll submit it to the Oklahoma Secretary of State online, by mail, or in person.
As you fill out your Articles of Organization, you’ll need to include the following information:
Your business name should include “Limited Liability Company” or an abbreviation like “LLC.
List the street address of your company’s primary office in Oklahoma (no PO Boxes).
Provide an email address where the Oklahoma Secretary of State can send notifications to your LLC.
You’ll need to give your Oklahoma registered agent’s name and the street address of their office.
List your term of existence as “perpetual,” unless you want the LLC to expire on a certain date.
Name the person authorized to form and file your LLC Articles of Organization. This doesn’t need to be someone within your LLC.
Note: All of the information on this form will become part of the public record.
Filing Your Oklahoma Articles of Organization
Oklahoma allows you to file your Articles of Organization online, by mail, or in person.
Mail and in person filings:
Secretary of State
421 NW 13th Street
Suite 210
Oklahoma City, OK 73103
Online filings:
Oklahoma Business Services
It costs $100 to file LLC Articles of Organization in Oklahoma. Online and in-person filers that pay with a credit card will also have to pay an additional 4% service charge. Online filings are processed within two days of being received by the Secretary of State, while mailed filings take about seven business days after receipt. If you’re in a hurry, bring your paperwork to the Secretary of State’s office and pay an extra $25, to get your LLC approved in one hour.
You Formed an LLC in Oklahoma, What Now?
5. Write an LLC Operating Agreement
Your LLC’s operating agreement is the backbone of your business. Your operating agreement spells out financial contributions, management roles, voting rights, and other responsibilities expected of LLC members. Without an operating agreement, a court may view your LLC as a sole proprietorship or partnership, which could jeopardize the LLC’s liability protection.
We provide a free Operating Agreement template for LLCs in Oklahoma. Alternatively, you can hire a lawyer to draw one up for you.
No. Oklahoma does not require an operating agreement. You won’t have to file it with the state, but you will want to get it in writing and keep an official copy with all of your other important LLC documents. Your operating agreement will help you resolve any internal disputes that may arise. Plus, you’ll likely need an operating agreement in order to open a bank account for the LLC.
You can find a general list of what operating agreements usually cover in 18 OK Stat § 18-2012.2, but at its most basic, your agreement should address:
- initial funding of the LLC
- distribution of profits and losses
- voting rights, decision-making powers, and management
- transfer of membership interest
- how the business can be dissolved
Yes. You might not need an operating agreement to navigate a disagreement with yourself, but you’ll need an operating agreement to open a bank account and to help maintain your LLC’s limited liability.
6. Get an EIN, Bank Account & Funding
Now that your LLC is operational, you’ll want to get an EIN (unless you’re a single-member LLC and don’t mind using your social security number to do business), open a business bank account, and fund your LLC.
Opening a business bank account is important for a few reasons. For starters, using a personal bank account to make and accept payments from customers or vendors just doesn’t look professional. More importantly, keeping your personal finances separate from your business finances bolsters your liability protection, and protects your personal assets from being used to satisfy any business debts in the event a lawsuit or bankruptcy.
Banks have different requirements for opening business accounts, but here’s what you’ll most likely need in order to open a business bank account:
- a copy of your Oklahoma Articles of Organization
- your LLC’s EIN
- LLC operating agreement
- if your LLC has multiple members, an LLC Resolution to Open a Bank Account
The easiest way to fund the LLC is for each member to make an initial financial contribution to the LLC’s bank account. The percentage of the business that each member of the LLC owns can be reflected on the LLC’s capital contribution agreement and recorded on a membership certificate. For example, if a four member LLC has each member contribute $10,000, they’d each have a 25% membership interest in the LLC.
7. File Taxes & Reports
Here’s a few more things you’ll need to be aware of in order to successfully run and maintain your Oklahoma LLC.
- Taxes: LLCs in Oklahoma with default tax classification are taxed as pass-through entities. This means that profits “pass through” the LLC itself and are distributed to the owners (members), who then report the profits as earnings on their personal tax filings. Profits are subject to the federal self-employment tax rate (15.3%).
- Annual Reports: Oklahoma calls its annual report an “annual certificate.” Oklahoma’s Annual Certificate keeps the state updated on important information like the LLC’s contact information and if the names of the LLC members. The report costs $25 to file, and is due every year on the date your LLC was officially formed. If remembering due dates and extra paperwork doesn’t sound like your jam, we’ll gladly file your annual report for you.
Yes. Your reports is due every year. If you forget to file, your LLC may lose its good standing with the state and might even be dissolved.
LLCs are taxed as pass-through entities by default in Oklahoma, as they are elsewhere in the country. This means that profits and losses “pass through” the business and are distributed to the members as income. LLCs can also elect to be taxed as S-Corps or C-Corps if they choose.
Learn more about S-Corp vs LLC tax designation.
*This is informational commentary, not advice. This information is intended strictly for informational purposes and does not constitute legal advice or a substitute for legal counsel. This information is not intended to create, nor does your receipt, viewing, or use of it constitute, an attorney-client relationship. More information is available in our Terms of Service.
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