Form an LLC in Colorado: Total Cost & Filing Steps (2026)

Colorado LLC Cost: $50 Filing + $25 Periodic Report (2026)

Forming an LLC in Colorado costs $50 to file Articles of Organization (online-only) and $25/yr for the periodic report. Year-one cost: $75, bottom 10 nationally. No franchise tax. State personal income tax is 4.4% flat (2026). Five-year cost: $150. Colorado is online-only filing, no paper option, with one of the most modern SOS portals in the country.

Reviewed by Soft Crown Editorial Team, fact-checked against primary government sources • Last updated 2026-04-25 • 4 primary government sources cited

TL;DR

Colorado LLCs file Articles of Organization with the Colorado Secretary of State for $50, exclusively online via the SOS portal. There is no paper filing option. The annual periodic report is $25, due during the LLC's anniversary month. No franchise tax. State personal income tax is a flat 4.4% (2026), among the lowest flat rates. Colorado has been online-only for LLC filings since 2014, ranking among the most modern state SOS portals, most filings complete in under 30 minutes from form to certified filing.

Colorado LLC cost breakdown (2026)

All figures verified 2026-04-28 from primary Colorado state sources.

Why Colorado is online-first

Colorado's online-only filing has been a deliberate policy since 2014. The state SOS portal accepts no paper LLC filings, every filing happens through coloradosos.gov/biz. The trade-off is no walk-in option, no mail option. The benefit: filings are typically processed within 1 business day, often in real-time during business hours.

The portal interface is also one of the cleanest in the country. The Articles of Organization form is 5 fields, takes 5-10 minutes, and the certified filing PDF arrives via email immediately upon payment confirmation. Compare to California's bizfile portal (more complex, 7-10 days) or New York's still-paper-required system.

Colorado's $50 + $25 ongoing structure is bottom 10 nationally for total LLC ownership cost. Cheaper than most western states except Arizona ($50 + $0) and New Mexico ($50 + $0). For founders who want low cost + fast filing + a modern interface, Colorado is hard to beat.

Filing steps (DIY, no service)

1. Pick a name, search availability via coloradosos.gov business search. Names must include "Limited Liability Company," "Ltd. Liability Company," "LLC," "L.L.C.," or "Limited."
2. Designate a registered agent, must have a Colorado street address.
3. File Articles of Organization, $50 fee. File online at coloradosos.gov/biz. No paper option.
4. Get a federal EIN, free at irs.gov.
5. Draft an operating agreement, not required by Colorado law but recommended.
6. Register with Colorado Department of Revenue, sales tax permit (free) if selling tangible goods, employer withholding if hiring.
7. Open a business bank account, Colorado-located banks (FirstBank, Wells Fargo, US Bank) accept CO LLC documents.
8. File FinCEN BOI report, within 30 days of formation. Free at fincen.gov/boi.
9. File annual periodic report, due during the LLC's anniversary month. $25 fee, online.
10. Calendar the renewal, annual periodic report cadence.

Standard online filings are processed in under 1 business day. There's no expedited tier because the standard turnaround is fast enough, Colorado's same-day filing is faster than most states' expedite.

Page-unique facts

• Colorado is online-only for LLC filings since 2014. No paper filings accepted.
• Colorado SOS filing turnaround is the fastest in the country. Same-day, often within minutes.
• Colorado personal income tax dropped from 4.55% to 4.4% in 2024. TABOR-required reductions when state revenue exceeds the cap.
• Colorado allows reserved names for free for 120 days (most states charge $25-$50). Source: coloradosos.gov reserved names.
• Colorado does not allow Series LLCs. Most popular states do (DE, TX, IL, WY, NV); Colorado has not adopted this structure as of 2026-04-25.

FAQ

What is Colorado's Periodic Report?

An annual filing due during the LLC's anniversary month. Cost: $25 if filed on time. $50 late penalty (the $25 fee + $25 penalty). Pure online filing via Colorado Secretary of State website. After 60 days late, the LLC enters "delinquent" status; after 12 months delinquent, the LLC may be administratively dissolved. Source: coloradosos.gov, verified 2026-04-28.

Does Colorado tax LLC profits?

Colorado has a 4.4% flat personal income tax (2026). LLC pass-through income (single-member disregarded or multi-member partnership) is taxed on owners' personal returns at 4.4%. C-corp election triggers Colorado's 4.4% corporate tax. Source: Colorado Department of Revenue, verified 2026-04-28.

Why is Colorado's annual fee so low?

Colorado prides itself on low business-formation friction. $50 filing + $25 periodic = $75 first year, bottom 10 nationally for total year-one cost. The state's 2014 transition to online-only filing reduced administrative overhead, allowing fees to stay low. Source: coloradosos.gov fee schedule.

Can I file an LLC in Colorado without going online?

No. Colorado is online-only for LLC filings since 2014. There's no paper option, no walk-in option, no mail option. All filings happen at coloradosos.gov/biz. The trade-off: filings complete same-day, often in minutes during business hours.

How does TABOR affect Colorado's LLC tax environment?

TABOR, the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, a 1992 Colorado Constitutional amendment, caps state revenue growth and triggers automatic refunds when state revenue exceeds the cap. For LLC owners, this manifests as periodic flat-tax-rate reductions: Colorado's personal income tax dropped from 4.55% to 4.40% in 2024 (a temporary TABOR-required reduction made permanent), and additional reductions trigger when revenue surplus exceeds threshold. The IRS treats Colorado LLCs identically to any other state for federal classification, pass-through profits flow at the prevailing 4.40% Colorado rate plus federal. See IRS Colorado Small Business Resources for federal cross-reference.

What is Colorado's periodic-report grace period if I miss the anniversary month?

Colorado's $25 periodic report is due during the LLC's anniversary month each year. After the anniversary month, the LLC enters "noncompliant" status with a $50 late penalty (the $25 fee plus $25 penalty). After two consecutive missed periodic reports (roughly 14 months from the original due date), Colorado SOS administratively dissolves the LLC. Reinstatement requires filing a Statement of Curing Delinquency ($100) plus all back-due reports plus penalties. Colorado is one of the more generous states on this front, most states dissolve after 60-90 days delinquent, while CO gives over a year. The SBA local assistance directory lists Colorado SBDC offices that offer free reminder services.

State quirk: online-only since 2014, fastest in the country

Colorado has been online-only for LLC filings since 2014, there is literally no paper, mail, walk-in, or fax option for forming a new LLC, and no plans to reinstate one. The Colorado SOS portal at coloradosos.gov/biz typically completes filings within minutes during business hours and within 24 hours overnight; there is no expedited tier because the standard tier already beats most states' expedites. Colorado is also one of only a handful of states that reserves names for free (most states charge $25-$50 for a 60-90 day name reservation). The trade-off Colorado founders accept is the absence of Series LLC authorization (most popular states have it; Colorado has not adopted it as of 2026-04-25) and TABOR-driven volatility in the personal income tax rate, which has dropped from 4.63% (pre-2020) to 4.40% (2026) under repeated TABOR refund triggers.

Common mistake in Colorado

The most common Colorado LLC mistake is forgetting that the anniversary-month periodic report is required even though the SOS portal makes formation feel almost frictionless. Founders form a CO LLC in 5 minutes for $50, file an annual report in another 5 minutes the first year, then forget the recurring requirement entirely. After two missed periodic reports the LLC is administratively dissolved, requiring a $100 reinstatement filing on top of back-due reports and penalties.

Sources

1. Colorado Secretary of State Business Section, last verified 2026-04-28
2. Colorado Business Database Search, last verified 2026-04-28
3. Colorado Department of Revenue, last verified 2026-04-28
4. Colorado Revised Statutes Title 7 (Corporations and Associations), last verified 2026-04-28
5. IRS Colorado Small Business and Self-Employed Resources, last verified 2026-04-28
6. SBA Local Assistance Directory (Colorado SBDCs), last verified 2026-04-28

About the author

Aissam Baidi is the founder and researcher behind llcformationcost.com. He verifies Colorado LLC fees directly from coloradosos.gov on a quarterly cycle. Connect on LinkedIn.

Not legal advice. Estimates based on publicly available data from each state's Secretary of State office. Consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction.

This is a syndicated post. Original article + interactive calculator: https://llcformationcost.com/colorado-llc-cost/