LLC Beginner's Guide 2026
The owner's manual to form, run and keep your limited liability company compliant. All 50 states and DC, EIN, the operating agreement, S-Corp election, sales tax and closing the company.
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Decide, open, run
The book follows the order in which an owner meets each question, from choosing the structure to closing the company correctly.
Decide
- What an LLC is, and the exceptions to its liability shield
- One owner or several, Series LLC and holding structures
- Choosing a state: the Delaware myth and nexus
Open
- The name, Articles of Organization field by field, registered agent
- EIN and the business bank account
- Operating agreement and the core company records
Run
- How an LLC is taxed by default
- When S-Corp election pays off
- Keeping the company active, including sales tax
- Closing the company
Free materials that work after the book
No sign-up. The address is printed in the book, and everything stays free.
Annual report deadline
Your date by state and formation date, with the filing name and the agency.
Compliance calendar
Real dates for your company, exportable to your calendar.
Five document templates
Operating agreements, member resolutions, register, IP assignment. Word files.
Sales tax guide
Sixteen pages on registration and thresholds across 46 jurisdictions.
Written for US owners of a small LLC
A good fit if you
- are about to form an LLC and want to choose the state and structure on purpose
- already have an LLC and are not sure what it owes, and when
- are weighing S-Corp election
- need an operating agreement and basic company records
Look elsewhere if you
- are a non-resident founder: that is a separate book in the series
- are raising venture capital through a C-Corp
- need advice on your specific situation from a licensed attorney or CPA
Before you buy
Who wrote the book?
Corporatee, a company that forms and maintains US companies. The book is built on that practice: more than eight hundred companies registered, and the mistakes owners make most often.
How current is the data?
Fees, deadlines and thresholds were checked against each state's own source in August 2026, and every figure is dated in the text. States change them, so the free deadline tool is kept up to date between editions.
Are the templates in the book or separate?
Both. Chapter 6 walks through each document clause by clause, and readers get the same documents as editable Word files at corporatee.pro/book.
Paperback or Kindle?
The content is the same. Wide reference tables are laid out for print in the paperback and split into readable sections in the Kindle edition.
Is this legal or tax advice?
No. The book is for educational and informational purposes only. For a decision about your own company, speak with a licensed attorney or CPA.
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Paperback and Kindle on Amazon.
This page and the book are educational and do not constitute legal, tax or financial advice. Laws, fees and filing requirements change and vary by jurisdiction. Amazon and Kindle are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.