Compare LLC filing times by state and submission method below. Timing depends on the office’s workload and whether your filing is complete. Online submissions may be faster than mail, but can still need manual review or corrections.
Each row identifies its basis: agency information, a dated filing queue, or a published guide estimate. A queue date tells you which received filings the office was reviewing at that time. It does not predict an approval date for a new submission.
Compare every state
| State | Online filing | Paper filing | Basis and limits | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 AlabamaAL | Immediate in the cited guide | 1-2 business days; add mail transit | Published guide estimatePublished guide estimate for a complete filing; not a state guarantee. Check the filing office before setting a deadline. | Estimate source |
 AlaskaAK | Immediate in the cited guide | 10-15 business days; add mail transit | Published guide estimatePublished guide estimate for a complete filing; not a state guarantee. Check the filing office before setting a deadline. | Estimate source |
 ArizonaAZ | 14-16 business days | 14-16 business days; add mail transit | Published guide estimatePublished guide estimate for a complete filing; not a state guarantee. Check the filing office before setting a deadline. | Estimate source |
 ArkansasAR | 3-5 business days | 2-3 weeks; add mail transit | Published guide estimatePublished guide estimate for a complete filing; not a state guarantee. Check the filing office before setting a deadline. | Estimate source |
 CaliforniaCA | Queue: receipts from Oct 30, 2026 | Queue: receipts from Oct 28, 2026 | Agency queue snapshotSOS snapshot published Nov 5, 2026. These are dates of filings being reviewed, not promised completion dates. | Processing source |
 ColoradoCO | Effective immediately after payment, unless delayed | Online-only formation in the cited guide | Agency + guideThe state checklist says the filing takes effect after payment unless a delayed effective date is chosen. The guide identifies Articles of Organization as online-only. | Processing sourceGuide estimate |
 ConnecticutCT | 2-3 business days | 7-10 business days; add mail transit | Published guide estimatePublished guide estimate for a complete filing; not a state guarantee. Check the filing office before setting a deadline. | Estimate source |
 DelawareDE | 10 business days | 10 business days; add mail transit | Published guide estimatePublished guide estimate for a complete filing; not a state guarantee. Check the filing office before setting a deadline. | Estimate source |
 District of ColumbiaDC | 5 business days | 2-4 weeks; add mail transit | Published guide estimatePublished guide estimate for a complete filing; not a state guarantee. Check the filing office before setting a deadline. | Estimate source |
 FloridaFL | Queue: receipts from Nov 2, 2026 | Queue: receipts from Oct 30, 2026 | Agency queue snapshotSunbiz snapshot updated Nov 5, 2026. Payment method affects the recorded receipt date. | Processing source |
 GeorgiaGA | 7-10 business days | 15 business days; add mail transit | Published guide estimatePublished guide estimate for a complete filing; not a state guarantee. Check the filing office before setting a deadline. | Estimate source |
 HawaiiHI | 10-15 business days | 10-15 business days; add mail transit | Published guide estimatePublished guide estimate for a complete filing; not a state guarantee. Check the filing office before setting a deadline. | Estimate source |
 IdahoID | 5-7 business days | 5-7 business days; add mail transit | Published guide estimatePublished guide estimate for a complete filing; not a state guarantee. Check the filing office before setting a deadline. | Estimate source |
 IllinoisIL | 5-10 business days | 7-14 business days; add mail transit | Published guide estimatePublished guide estimate for a complete filing; not a state guarantee. Check the filing office before setting a deadline. | Estimate source |
 IndianaIN | 1 business day | 5 business days; add mail transit | Published guide estimatePublished guide estimate for a complete filing; not a state guarantee. Check the filing office before setting a deadline. | Estimate source |
 IowaIA | 1 business day | 7-10 business days; add mail transit | Published guide estimatePublished guide estimate for a complete filing; not a state guarantee. Check the filing office before setting a deadline. | Estimate source |
 KansasKS | Immediate in the cited guide | 2-3 business days; add mail transit | Published guide estimatePublished guide estimate for a complete filing; not a state guarantee. Check the filing office before setting a deadline. | Estimate source |
 KentuckyKY | Immediate in the cited guide | 1 business day; add mail transit | Published guide estimatePublished guide estimate for a complete filing; not a state guarantee. Check the filing office before setting a deadline. | Estimate source |
 LouisianaLA | 3-5 business days | 3-5 business days; add mail transit | Published guide estimatePublished guide estimate for a complete filing; not a state guarantee. Check the filing office before setting a deadline. | Estimate source |
 MaineME | The cited guide lists paper formation only | Agency corporate-filing target: 2–7 business days | Agency + guideCurrent SOS forms page supplies the processing target; the online-availability statement is the guide estimate. Check the office for submission options. | Processing sourceGuide estimate |
 MarylandMD | Non-expedited: 6–8 weeks | Non-expedited: within 8 weeks | Agency informationExpedited review is generally 7–10 business days; rush options and charges differ. Mail transit is additional. Check the live processing page. | Processing source |
 MassachusettsMA | 1-2 business days | 1-2 business days; add mail transit | Published guide estimatePublished guide estimate for a complete filing; not a state guarantee. Check the filing office before setting a deadline. | Estimate source |
 MichiganMI | 7-10 business days | 10 business days; add mail transit | Published guide estimatePublished guide estimate for a complete filing; not a state guarantee. Check the filing office before setting a deadline. | Estimate source |
 MinnesotaMN | Expedited online: typically 3–5 business days | Guide estimate: 11–12 business days, plus mail | Agency + guideThe current SOS fee/service page describes online return times. The separate paper estimate is from the cited guide. | Processing sourceGuide estimate |
 MississippiMS | 1-2 business days | No paper filing in the cited guide | Published guide estimatePublished guide estimate for a complete filing; not a state guarantee. Check the filing office before setting a deadline. | Estimate source |
 MissouriMO | Immediate in the cited guide | 3-4 weeks; add mail transit | Published guide estimatePublished guide estimate for a complete filing; not a state guarantee. Check the filing office before setting a deadline. | Estimate source |
 MontanaMT | 5-6 business days | No paper filing in the cited guide | Published guide estimatePublished guide estimate for a complete filing; not a state guarantee. Check the filing office before setting a deadline. | Estimate source |
 NebraskaNE | 2-3 business days | 2-3 business days; add mail transit | Published guide estimatePublished guide estimate for a complete filing; not a state guarantee. Check the filing office before setting a deadline. | Estimate source |
 NevadaNV | 1 business day | 3-4 weeks; add mail transit | Published guide estimatePublished guide estimate for a complete filing; not a state guarantee. Check the filing office before setting a deadline. | Estimate source |
 New HampshireNH | 7-10 business days | 7-10 business days; add mail transit | Published guide estimatePublished guide estimate for a complete filing; not a state guarantee. Check the filing office before setting a deadline. | Estimate source |
 New JerseyNJ | 1 business day | 5-7 business days; add mail transit | Published guide estimatePublished guide estimate for a complete filing; not a state guarantee. Check the filing office before setting a deadline. | Estimate source |
 New MexicoNM | Posted queue: processed through Oct 27, 2026 | Not accepted: business filings are online | Agency queue snapshotPublic portal reviewed Nov 6, 2026. The posted through-date is a queue snapshot. The SOS says business filings are online-only. | Processing source |
 New YorkNY | Immediate in the cited guide | 2-3 weeks; add mail transit | Published guide estimatePublished guide estimate for a complete filing; not a state guarantee. Check the filing office before setting a deadline. | Estimate source |
 North CarolinaNC | 2-5 business days | 2-5 business days; add mail transit | Published guide estimatePublished guide estimate for a complete filing; not a state guarantee. Check the filing office before setting a deadline. | Estimate source |
 North DakotaND | 5 business days | 5 business days; add mail transit | Published guide estimatePublished guide estimate for a complete filing; not a state guarantee. Check the filing office before setting a deadline. | Estimate source |
 OhioOH | 1 business day | 1 business day; add mail transit | Published guide estimatePublished guide estimate for a complete filing; not a state guarantee. Check the filing office before setting a deadline. | Estimate source |
 OklahomaOK | 2-3 business days | 5-7 business days; add mail transit | Published guide estimatePublished guide estimate for a complete filing; not a state guarantee. Check the filing office before setting a deadline. | Estimate source |
 OregonOR | 2-3 business days | 4-6 weeks; add mail transit | Published guide estimatePublished guide estimate for a complete filing; not a state guarantee. Check the filing office before setting a deadline. | Estimate source |
 PennsylvaniaPA | 5-7 days | 5-7 days; add mail transit | Published guide estimatePublished guide estimate for a complete filing; not a state guarantee. Check the filing office before setting a deadline. | Estimate source |
 Rhode IslandRI | 3-4 business days | 3-4 business days; add mail transit | Published guide estimatePublished guide estimate for a complete filing; not a state guarantee. Check the filing office before setting a deadline. | Estimate source |
 South CarolinaSC | 1-2 business days | 3-4 business days; add mail transit | Published guide estimatePublished guide estimate for a complete filing; not a state guarantee. Check the filing office before setting a deadline. | Estimate source |
 South DakotaSD | Immediate in the cited guide | 1-2 business days; add mail transit | Published guide estimatePublished guide estimate for a complete filing; not a state guarantee. Check the filing office before setting a deadline. | Estimate source |
 TennesseeTN | Immediate in the cited guide | 3-5 business days; add mail transit | Published guide estimatePublished guide estimate for a complete filing; not a state guarantee. Check the filing office before setting a deadline. | Estimate source |
 TexasTX | 13-15 business days | 4-8 weeks; add mail transit | Published guide estimatePublished guide estimate for a complete filing; not a state guarantee. Check the filing office before setting a deadline. | Estimate source |
 UtahUT | Usually immediate; some filings need manual review | Paper-form/manual review: allow 5–7 business days | Agency informationThe public registration system identifies exceptions such as attachments, tax review and name conflicts. These are processing targets, not guaranteed approvals. | Processing source |
 VermontVT | 1 business day | 5-7 business days; add mail transit | Published guide estimatePublished guide estimate for a complete filing; not a state guarantee. Check the filing office before setting a deadline. | Estimate source |
 VirginiaVA | 2-5 business days | 2-5 business days; add mail transit | Published guide estimatePublished guide estimate for a complete filing; not a state guarantee. Check the filing office before setting a deadline. | Estimate source |
 WashingtonWA | 5 business days | 3-4 weeks; add mail transit | Published guide estimatePublished guide estimate for a complete filing; not a state guarantee. Check the filing office before setting a deadline. | Estimate source |
 West VirginiaWV | 5-10 business days | 5-10 business days; add mail transit | Published guide estimatePublished guide estimate for a complete filing; not a state guarantee. Check the filing office before setting a deadline. | Estimate source |
 WisconsinWI | Immediate in the cited guide | 5 business days; add mail transit | Published guide estimatePublished guide estimate for a complete filing; not a state guarantee. Check the filing office before setting a deadline. | Estimate source |
 WyomingWY | Immediate in the cited guide | 10-15 business days; add mail transit | Published guide estimatePublished guide estimate for a complete filing; not a state guarantee. Check the filing office before setting a deadline. | Estimate source |
No states match those filters.
Read a processing time correctly
Processing time usually starts when the office receives a complete submission. Allow additional time to prepare the filing and finish the tasks that follow approval.
For a paper filing, add delivery time to the office and time for any documents mailed back. For an online filing, check whether the office delivers evidence electronically or sends anything separately. A receipt, a payment confirmation and an approved formation document are different records.
Business days, calendar days and weeks
“Five business days” is different from five calendar days. Weekends, state holidays and office closures can extend the elapsed time. The table preserves the unit used by the source instead of converting a vague week estimate into a precise approval date.
When an office says it is reviewing filings received on a particular date, read that as a description of its current workload. For example, a row that says “receipts from October 30” does not tell you that a new filing will be approved on October 30. The table notes when that queue information was published or reviewed.
Standard, expedited and rush processing
Expedited service is a separate filing choice where the state offers it. It may cost more, apply only to certain filing types or require a specific delivery method or cutoff time. An expedited review target also does not guarantee that a defective application will be approved.
Distinguish a provider’s promise to prepare a packet quickly from the government’s own processing service. A private service can control its preparation work; it does not control the state office’s queue. Confirm exactly which step a quoted turnaround covers.
Why some rows use estimates
Not every office publishes one stable formation turnaround for every submission method. The table uses agency material where the reviewed source provides a processing target or queue date. It also includes a clearly labelled LLC University processing-time comparison as a planning estimate for other rows. These are planning estimates, not government commitments.
Agency information takes priority when it conflicts with an older comparison. New Mexico, for example, now directs business filings to its online system, so the table does not repeat a paper-processing estimate as though paper filings were still accepted. California and Florida use their posted receipt-date queues. Minnesota’s agency service guidance is distinguished from a separate guide estimate for paper filings.
For a filing tied to a contract, lease, payroll start or financing deadline, verify the office’s current instructions before relying on the table. Use the state link to reach the broader formation guide and its official filing sources.
What can slow a filing down
Common problems include a name that needs review, mismatched agent information, missing consent or signatures, an unsupported payment, an incorrect filing type and an attachment that requires manual inspection. Avoid entering a planned business launch date as an assumed approval date.
A delayed effective date creates another distinction. If you ask a filing to become effective later, the review may be finished before the company legally becomes effective on the date you selected. Read the state form’s instructions before using that option.
Allow time for tasks after approval
State approval does not automatically finish the operating agreement, EIN, bank account, tax registrations, licenses or early state-specific tasks. Publication requirements and initial reports can continue after the entity is formed. New York’s publication process is a useful example of an obligation that should not be mistaken for the state’s initial review time.
Build a launch checklist around separate milestones: submission, state response, any correction, approved document, effective date and the operating tasks that follow. The interactive checklist helps track them without treating a checkbox as proof of government approval.
Sources and related lists
Check the source linked in your row before scheduling a launch around an expected approval date. Queues and estimates can change after the listed check date.
Use the formation-fee list, recurring-fee list and privacy comparison for the other parts of your decision. Choose a state based on where the business operates as well as its filing requirements.
