How to Start an LLC in Nebraska: If you’re looking to start a Nebraska LLC, you’ve come to the right page. Setting up an LLC is easy and cost-effective. To form an LLC, you must follow a few steps that include naming your LLC, hiring a registered agent, filing your formation documents, LLC publication, doing the operating agreement, and finally obtaining the EIN. You can easily set up your LLC at a very low cost in Nebraska. Though, you must pay the mandatory state filing fee. These fees and charges can be tax deductible, making the LLC formation cost almost negligible.
On this page, You’ll find all the steps that must be taken to ensure that your Nebraska LLC has been correctly formed. We recommend you read the whole article very carefully, word by word, don’t miss anything 🙂
How to Start an LLC in Nebraska
An LLC (aka Limited Liability Company) is a hybrid business entity combining a corporation’s characteristics with a partnership or sole proprietorship. It separates your personal assets from your business assets, thus giving you personal asset protection. For an LLC, members’ personal assets are not affected by business debts. However, in some cases, if the LLC is sued for business debts, courts might pierce the corporate veil and use the owner’s personal assets to meet their corporate liabilities.
If you wish to start an LLC, you must file your Certificate of Organization with the State and pay a filing fee of $100. While it’s the most important step, it’s not the only one. There are 5 other crucial steps to follow to get your LLC formed in Nebraska. Below mentioned all 6 steps that explain everything you need to do to start a Nebraska LLC in 2024. Let’s get started! You can always hire a professional LLC formation service in Nebraska to set up your LLC instead of doing it alone; a Pro service will ensure everything is done properly.
Step 1: Decide a Name for Your Nebraska LLC
The first step while forming a limited liability company in Nebraska is to give a proper name to your LLC. Before you name your business, you must know that the name should be easy to remember, available in the state, and follows all the LLC naming guidelines.
LLC Naming Guidelines in Nebraska
There are a few specific requirements all the LLCs in Nebraska have to follow while naming their Company. Some of the most important requirements are as follows:
- Your business name should be available, and no other existing business in Nebraska can have the same name. ZenBusiness offers unlimited business name searches without any hassle.
- “Limited Liability Company”, “LLC”, and “L.L.C.” – any one of these has to be used as a suffix in your business name.
- You cannot use any name for your business that is confusing or misleading. Terms such as “Treasury”, “State Department”, “FBI”, “CIA”, etc. shouldn’t be included.
- Terms like “Bank“, “University“, “Attorney“, “Doctor“, etc can be added only after the additional requirements by Nebraska State Government are fulfilled.
- (Optional) It’s better to name your business something for which your desired domain is available.
Important Links – | Submit Offline Form to – |
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Nebraska Business Entity Search – Online Name Search Name Reservation Form – PDF Name Availability Standards – Guidelines Nebraska LLC Name Search Guide – Instructions | Secretary of State P.O. Box 94608 Lincoln, Nebraska 68509-4608 |
Reserve Business Name for Future
If you do not wish to file your LLC right now but want to hold the name you have decided on, you can reserve your LLC name for 120 days. To keep the name, you must file a name reservation application and pay $15 to reserve your name with the Nebraska Secretary of State.
Doing Business As (DBA) or Trade Name
Once you have a legal name for your LLC, you can register it. However, it is not mandatory. You can, instead, use DBA, Fictitious Name, or Trade Name. In that case, you must register your name with the Nebraska Secretary of State by submitting an Application to File DBA in Nebraska and the filing fee of $100.
Recommended: You can do name search, business domain, website, emails, and a lot more in one place by hiring a professional service. We recommend using –
ZenBusiness – ($0 for LLC Formation)
Apart from LLC formation, ZenBusiness offers customized website templates and business emails at a very reasonable price. If you plan to get a website, then it is wise to have a “.com” domain for your business, but these days you can also use other TLDs like “.io”, “.company”, “.xyz,” etc. Here you can get everything you need for your business in one dashboard.
It is not legally mandatory to use the word LLC in your domain name or email. If you want, you can use it. However, it is recommended not to use LLC in the domain name. A domain name should be short and easy to remember.
Step 2: Assign a Registered Agent in Nebraska
The second step to forming an LLC in Nebraska is to appoint a Registered Agent. A registered agent is a person or business entity working on your LLC’s behalf. This person or business will receive important tax forms, legal documents, official documents, official government documents, legal forms, any primary documents, all notices of lawsuits, and other official government correspondence in Nebraska. Hence, hiring a competent Nebraska Registered Agent for your LLC is necessary.
Make sure your registered agent is a resident of Nebraska or has a physical street address. This address will be used as the principal address of your LLC to receive any legal documents. Most LLC formation companies also provide registered agent services. Below are two great LLC formation services; even if you buy their cheapest plan (normally $0), you also get registered agent service and other services at a very reasonable price.
These two are our top recommendations for registered agent service, as they are competent and authorized to conduct business in Nebraska. Some LLC formation services also offer standalone Nebraska registered agent services. You can purchase only Registered Agent services without purchasing any other LLC formation services. This standalone service might become handy if you are doing it yourself and don’t want to disclose your home address or you don’t want to pierce the corporate veil.
A person above 18 years of age and has a physical address in the state of Nebraska can be a Registered Agent. A Registered Agent can be an independent person or can be a business entity. One is responsible for handling all the legal documents on the LLCs behalf.
Yes, you can be your own registered agent for service of process if you are a resident of the state of Nebraska and you are above 18 years of age. To become a registered agent, you must have the authority to conduct any type of business in Nebraska.
There are a few reasons why you shouldn’t be your own registered agent. The address of the registered agent is used to communicate with the SOS or for any legal activities. If you are your own registered agent, you might have to upload your personal address to the public forum. Besides, the registered agent must be at the address during business hours. It won’t be easy for you as you also have to take care of other things in your LLC. Hence, it is wiser to appoint a separate entity as your registered agent.
If an LLC is sued in Nebraska, in some cases, courts might decide to lift the corporate veil, which means the owners of the LLC will be personally liable for their business debts. They might have to forgo their personal assets to repay their business debts. This is called piercing the corporate veil, where personal and business assets are not separated anymore. Your personal assets can be protected if you have enough capital and all your LLC documents are properly filed.
Registered Agent Consent Application
In Nebraska, there is no separate Consent Letter to be produced to the Secretary of State. At the time of change of Registered Agent (or the name or address), the new Registered Agent has to sign the consent letter. It comes with the Application form to Change the Registered Agent. The filing fee of $25 (online & $30 by mail) should be paid for it.
Step 3: File Certificate of Organization in Nebraska
The third and most important step in forming an LLC is to file the Certificate of Organization. This Nebraska Certificate of Organization is a legal document that is required to register your business with the Nebraska Secretary of State. It costs $100 (online and $110 by mail) to file your formation certificate in Nebraska.
The Certificate of Organization includes details like the name of the LLC, the registered agent’s name, address, employees’ details, and the company’s structure (member-managed or manager-managed). Before hiring employees in Nebraska LLC, one should know about the rules and regulations thoroughly. Also, if you are expanding your existing business (an LLC) in other states to Nebraska, you must register as a Nebraska Foreign LLC.
How to File Online
Go to the Secretary of State Online Service. You will get the online service page. There is no need to log in or create an account with the portal. You can directly start filing your LLC by clicking on the “Online Filing” button below. Read more about the Nebraska Certificate of Organization for online registration.
Processing Time: Normally, it takes around 3-5 business days (approx) to get your LLC formed in Nebraska. With an additional cost, you can get expedited filing as well. However, the document processing time can be changed due to various factors.
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ZenBusiness – ($0 + State Fees) Online LLC Setup
Every LLC owner has to pay the filing fees to register their business in Nebraska. This fee is mandatory but also tax deductible. If you’re doing it yourself (filing on your own), it will not cost you any additional service fee. However, it is not feasible to do that as the DIY process might be delayed, complicated, and messy, especially if you’re a novice entrepreneur. Hence, it is recommended to get professional guidance to get your LLC formed in Nebraska.
Step 4: Meet Publication Requirements
Every LLC has to meet the Nebraska publication requirements once they establish an LLC. For 3 weeks continuously, LLCs must publish a notice of organization in one of the general newspapers in circulation in the state (county). Once the 3-week span is over, the LLC will receive an Affidavit from the newspaper.
The Affidavit received from the newspaper has to be filed with the Nebraska Secretary of State. LLCs can file the documents online through the link mentioned below; There is a certain fee LLCs have to pay for the filing of the Affidavit. The fee depends on the newspaper in which the notice is being published.
Step 5: Create Your LLC Operating Agreement in Nebraska
Moving on to the fourth step, filing your operating agreement. An operating agreement is an internal document that legally outlines the proprietorship and operating procedures of your LLC. If you’re starting an LLC with your spouse, you must need an operating agreement for that. This document is vital as it ensures that all business owners are on the same page regarding how they operate, thus reducing future conflicts.
When it comes to filing a Nebraska LLC Operating Agreement, the state does not require you to have a comprehensive operating agreement (as per NE Code § 21-111(c) (2019)), but it is ideal to have one that contains all the details of your business operation that helps in maintaining the LLC and taking future business decisions, especially if you decide to dissolve Nebraska LLC later. Hence, having an operating agreement may not be necessary, but it is surely ideal.
Recommended: You can get a professionally made operating agreement for very less cost with ZenBusiness. You don’t need to worry about drafting it as they will take care of it on your behalf. We recommend using –
ZenBusiness – ($0 + State Fees) Online LLC Setup
The operating agreement draft can be created for free if you don’t hire a professional. However, there is an advantage to appointing a proficient person/service. You will get a businesslike quality operating agreement at a very cheap fee, which will help you in the future. Hiring a professional service means you can sleep well at night 🙂
Step 6: Filing an LLC EIN in Nebraska
The Employer Identification Number (aka EIN) is a nine-digit number given by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to make it easier to identify the type of business for tax purposes and taxes in general. The EIN is necessary for any active business or any form of business for that matter.
EIN in Nebraska is needed when the LLC hires employees. Hiring employees in Nebraska LLC requires following specific rules and regulations. On the other side, EIN for Nebraska foreign LLC should be obtained if your LLC is based in other states.
To obtain EIN (aka FEIN), one must fill up a form (Online or by mail) and submit it to the IRS. Enter details of your LLC, and finally, complete the form and send it to the address given. You can also get an EIN Assistant to help you with the process.
Mail to: Internal Revenue Service, Attn: EIN Operation, Cincinnati, OH 45999
Fax: (855) 641-6935 | Fee: Free
Recommended: This hassle will be reduced when you hire an LLC formation service. They take care of obtaining EIN and all other things for your LLC. We recommend using –
ZenBusiness – ($0 + State Fees) Online LLC Setup
Note: You don’t need a Social Security number when getting an EIN. You can proceed to fill out I.R.S. Form SS-4 and leave section 7b blank. You must then call the IRS at (267) 941-1099 to complete your application. Agents or employees will help you with that.
Congratulations, you are now done with all the necessary steps to form your Limited Liability Company in Nebraska. If you do it yourself, it should take you a long time to understand and do all the steps properly.
However, if you use ZenBusiness, it should be way faster. You will always have a live chat option and phone support with experts for any help you need. Their worry-free service will make things easier for you.
After Starting Your Nebraska LLC
After forming your LLC, there are still some things that you will need. The most important thing is to separate your business and personal assets. LLCs have limited liability protection that protects your personal assets from business liability. This is called a corporate veil. However, the corporate veil can be lifted or pierced by the court if the LLC is sued. In that case, the owners of the LLC become personally liable for their corporate debts. A few things like appointing a legit registered agent, having enough capital, and filing all the major documents with the state can save the LLCs from being pierced into the corporate veil.
BOI Report Filing
According to the Corporate Transparency Act, every LLC, corporation, and other type of business that is registered with the Nebraska SOS or similar authority, must file the BOI report with FinCEN. From January 1, 2024, it is mandatory to file a BOI report for every business entity. In this report, LLCs have to share information about the beneficial owners (having equal or more than 25% share). LLC owners can file BOI reports online or offline.
LLCs in Nebraska that are created before January 1, 2024, should file their BOI report by January 1, 2025. LLCs that are created in 2024, must file the BOI report within 90 business days of finishing the LLC formation process. Missing out on filing the BOI report may lead to a monetary penalty of $500/day.
Apart from that, there are a few things you need to take note of,
- Get a company business bank account.
- File Nebraska business permits & licenses
- Get general liability insurance and professional liability insurance with coverage for employees.
- File a Nebraska LLC annual report or biennial report
This page has provided you with steps to LLC formation and filing processes. You now have to remember upcoming filing deadlines and filing fees or filing costs, including fees for late filings, to make sure your LLC is up-to-date.
The LLC formation processing time in Nebraska is 2-3 business days if filing offline or online. Check how long it takes to form an LLC to know about the tentative timelines.
Cost of Starting an LLC in the State of Nebraska
LLCs can be formed by spending very less price, considering they have pass-through taxation. Apart from the mandatory state filing fees, you don’t have to bear additional service charges if you do it yourself. Following are the fees and taxes LLCs in Nebraska must pay to register and run a business in the state. Forming an LLC is no doubt cost-effective compared to other business structures. However, the fees and charges (tax-deductible) that you must pay to the state, such as name reservation fee, name filing fee, LLC filing fee, and Franchise Tax & Sales Tax (If applicable). Here are the main fees and taxes you must pay while forming your limited liability company in Nebraska,
Fees/Tax | Amount to be Paid |
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Name Reservation Fee (online) | $15 |
Certificate of Organization Fee | $110 (by mail and $100 online) |
LLC Biennial Fee | $10 |
Publication Fee | Depends on the newspaper LLCs choose |
Sales Tax | 5.5% |
In Nebraska, an LLC name reservation is not mandatory. You can register your LLC name at the time of registering your LLC. If you wish to hold the name for some time without registering your LLC, then you can do that online. Your LLC name will be reserved for 120 days without registering your LLC. It can be done by paying $25.
In Nebraska, an Annual Report has to be produced every year. It costs $100. Also, the State of Nebraska requires the Business Privilege Tax each year on the third week of April. The amount of BPT depends on the LLC’s revenue. The amount is a minimum of $100. Read our guide on LLC costs in Nebraska for more information.
Nebraska Foreign LLC
If you are interested in forming a Foreign LLC in the state of Nebraska, then you need to file the Certificate of Foreign LLC to the Nebraska Secretary of State. Foreign LLCs allow you to operate your business in more than one state. Along with the Certificate of Foreign LLC, you need to submit some more documents, like the Certificate of Good Standing, etc., to the Nebraska SOS to form your foreign LLC in the state of Nebraska. To know more in detail, check out our guide on Nebraska Foreign LLC.
Reasons to Start an LLC in Nebraska
If you start an LLC in the state of Nebraska, you automatically choose a state under a continuous growth phase. For new firms, the tax environment that is present in Nebraska is the best, as ranked by the US Chambers of Commerce. This means that there are many reductions in tax liabilities provided regularly to the newly incorporated business. Alongside this, various business funding options are available. Read more on Nebraska’s classification of LLC tax.
LLCs have flexible management structures. This simple business structure is easy to form and has easy operating procedures. If the owners are no longer in business or dead, the LLC will be automatically dissolved. In the case of a single-member LLC, the death of the owner will automatically dissolve the business. You can get a business credit card in Nebraska while running your business. Also, you can easily get rid of a paper form and go online for government filings. It is easier to get a registered agent service in Nebraska to take care of filing and such work.
If you have your business website, it will be a one-time cost. Along with that, for an LLC, some of the charges, like the publication fees, are also a one-time cost. In Nebraska, if you have a woman-owned business, it will be easier to get business funding. To encourage women entrepreneurs, the state gives special attention to a woman-owned business in terms of loans and advances.
Detailed Agreements Can Save From Future Conflicts
If you go through the agreement formed while making an LLC in the state of Nebraska, you will come through one of the best-formed agreements in the United States LLCs. All the duties of the loyalty of members and managers are fixed under the LLC Law Act under sections 21-110. A person has to perform those duties assigned to them for the betterment of the LLC.
But along with that, the act provides the freedom under which people can opt-out of the duties under special conditions. The act can narrow down their duties a bit. Section 21 provides a chance of safe harbor under which all the transactions between an LLC and member for smooth transitioning and opportunity benefit both parties.
Financial Incentives for the business
There is a whole list of financial benefits that are waiting for a new Nebraska Limited Liability Company. The government appreciates the efforts that businesses are making towards the betterment of society and, for that, is giving special income and sales tax incentives. Moreover, there is a loan program named Nebraska Progress Loan Funds, which provides funds for new businesses.
The Rural Enterprise Assistance Project
REAP is initiated by Nebraska’s Rural Affairs center, which is basically focusing on small business development. All the LLCs have to register for the REAP program to check whether they are eligible for the program or not. Amid eligibility, the benefits that they are going to enjoy if they get approved for REAP are:-
From time to time, personal technical assistance for the LLC is provided by the government to get over all the technical issues faced in the industry.
- Assistance in maintaining a proper cash flow in the company along with budgeting of the LLC.
- LLC in the state of Nebraska also gets access to the online lending system of the state.
- Grow and Rapid loans up to $5000 and $10,000 are provided to the LLC, respectively.
Best Businesses Established in Nebraska
If you want to form an LLC in Nebraska, you are about to make the best decision. But wait, do you have the knowledge of top businesses in Nebraska? If not, then you should know about the economy and its contributors in detail.
Advanced manufacturing
This sector has grown rapidly in the state and has become a significant economic driver with $12.05 billion of contribution. The manufacturing units in the state are related to electronics, chemical products, and mineral production.
Agriculture Sector
The ranking of Nebraska State in terms of cattle products is 2nd in the USA. More than 2/3 of the total agriculture income of the state is earned through livestock and cattle. Despite increasing, the manufacturing and service sector agriculture sector have a considerable contribution of around $9.53 billion to its GDP.
Transportation
Due to the diversity of rail routes and different interstate highways present in the state, the transportation sector is also booming. Due to so many routes, there is a huge demand for warehousing in the state. Companies start storing their manufactured products in Nebraska warehouses as it is one of the best transportation links for various parts of the country. Due to this boom, the industry’s total contribution to the state’s GDP is $8.66 billion.
Finance Related Services
The finance services include the services related to finance directly, like the bonds, license, and tax filings. Along with that, there are some indirect financial services of which insurance is the most prominent example. It is noticed that in the past 5 years, the Finance industry of the state has doubled its size. The sector is the upfront player of the state’s economy, contributing around 8% of the total GDP of $8.3 billion.
Also, it is employing around 35,000 workers in the state, due to which the tax paid by the industry is about $54.4 million.
Other than these big bulls of the industry, some small businesses that have immense scope in Nebraska are:-
- Trucking company
- Elderly care home
- Travel agency
Nebraska LLC Formation Review
Time needed: 5 minutes
Just to recap, here are the easy steps again when forming a Nebraska LLC. Click on the steps in this list to read the full detail.
- Name your Nebraska LLC
The first thing you must do is to choose a company name, which should be unique, easy to find, and available in the state.
- Choose a Registered Agent
In Nebraska, it is mandatory to select a registered agent for your LLC. Get a professional Registered Agent from LLC formation services to get things done hassle-free.
- File a Formation Certificate
Filing a formation certificate is necessary when forming a Limited Liability Company in Nebraska. Depending on the state, it could be called any of the following: Certificate of Formation, Articles of Organization, or Certificate of Organization.
- Meet Publication Requirements
In Nebraska, LLCs have to publish a notice of organization in the newspaper. Newspaper publication is important as LLCs have to file an affidavit with the SOS.
- Create an Operating Agreement
An operating agreement is not a strict requirement in Nebraska but something encouraged when you start an LLC to avoid future conflicts.
- Get an EIN
The Employer Identification Number (EIN), also called Federal Tax Identification Number, serves to identify a business entity, like a social security number, but for a company.
Things to Consider While Starting Nebraska LLC
I have explained almost all the broad steps to form an LLC. However, there are some more essential steps that need to be taken. The very first thing is a business plan. If you have a solid plan before you step into the world of business, then it will be easy to run your LLC. Business formation plans are the initial steps in forming an LLC.
After that, get your business accounts. This includes bank accounts, business accounting tools, and some other business accounting software if required. Before getting the accounts, make sure to name your LLC. LLC naming requirements are mentioned above. If you hire professional service providers, they provide business name reservation service. Alongside, they also provide domain name registration services as well. The next essential step is to hire a registered agent who will take care of the official form. Nebraska registered agents for service must have a physical street address.
Nebraska is a great business location where you’ll get your potential customers. If you hire professional service providers, they have excellent customer service. Their excellent customer service people guide you through all the processes.
In Nebraska, while conducting business, one needs to get licenses and business permits. Even for informal business structures, licenses and permits are required, such as building permits for the construction business. You can go through the government’s official website to get the licensing requirements for your business.
Obtaining EIN is another step to be taken. It is a nine-digit number issued by the IRS. LLCs with employees need to obtain EIN. Not only LLCs with professional employees but Nebraska single-member LLCs have to obtain EIN for tax purposes.
In Nebraska, LLCs are easy to set up. There are business-loan-friendly banks and other government agency from where you can get loans. A limited liability company in Nebraska provides legal protections to personal assets. Hence, it is easy to get owners liability protection when you take a bank loan. Also, LLCs do not have double taxation. The members are liable to pay federal income taxes based on their personal income.
There are only three states, including Nebraska, where the LLCs have to publish the notice of organization for three consecutive weeks. In these 3 consecutive weeks, LLCs have to publish the formation news in the mentioned newspaper. Before you publish, make sure to go through the complete publication requirements.
Nebraska State does not have a mandatory rule to create an operating agreement. However, it is wise to have one as it helps the members to operate properly. You can read our operating agreement guide and Nebraska LLC dissolution guide to know more about them. You can explore this site more to know about LLC taxes, personal taxes, individual taxes, and LLC classifications of taxes.
F.A.Qs
If you are a resident of Nebraska, then you can file your LLC by yourself. However, it is always worth having a professional than doing it yourself to handle legal complexities, paperwork, and other documentation.
Apart from the formation fee of $105 (domestic LLC) and $100 (foreign LLC), LLC costs in Nebraska include $10 for Annual Reports every 2 years. LLCs are liable to pay a sales tax of 5.5% every year.
It takes 3-5 business days to get an LLC in the state of Nebraska if you file it online. For the mail filing, it takes 1-2 business days to get an LLC. If you hire a professional LLC service, then it might take less than that. We recommend TailorBrands, which has an impeccable turnaround time.
Every year all the LLCs have to submit an Annual Report and pay $10 (one in two years) to the Nebraska Secretary of State and renew the LLC. It is mandatory to renew your LLC every year.
Generally, for LLCs, it is a default tax structure. Once you obtain the EIN, you will get the various tax structure options to select. Sometimes LLCs choose S Corp to reduce federal tax burdens. Read more on the Nebraska Classification of LLC Tax.
In Conclusion
When it comes to forming an LLC in Nebraska, it is much simpler than other business structures. In Nebraska, starting a small business or a start-up is easy because of its diverse resources. For small budget holders, forming a limited liability company is desirable. The steps explained in this article are generic steps for starting a business in Nebraska. It is recommended to consult an attorney or service provider.
In Nebraska, while establishing an LLC, make sure you check with the local bodies like the city council and district office to get updated with local regulations. We recommend ZenBusiness, one of the best LLC services that offers LLC formation at $0 (+ state filing fees). Hiring a professional service would make things easier. From having a registered agent to complying with the local and state government, everything will be smoother than doing things all by yourself.