How to Start an LLC in Colorado (2026)

Q: How much does it cost to start an LLC in Colorado?

The Colorado Articles of Organization cost $50, filed online with the Secretary of State. Your EIN from the IRS is free. After that the only recurring state charge is the $25 periodic report each year. A registered agent service, if you use one, typically runs $100 to $300 a year.

Q: Can I file a Colorado LLC by mail?

No. Colorado requires business documents to be filed electronically through the Secretary of State website. There is no paper option for the Articles of Organization or the periodic report. The trade-off is speed: online filings are generally effective immediately.

Q: When is the Colorado periodic report due?

It is due in your anniversary month, which is the month your LLC was formed. Colorado gives you a five month window in practice: you can file two months before the periodic report month and up to two months after it without a penalty. It costs $25. Filing late adds a $50 fee and puts the entity into Delinquent status.

Q: Does a Colorado LLC pay a separate state LLC tax?

No. Colorado does not charge a franchise tax or a separate annual LLC tax. A standard LLC is a pass-through, so the profit lands on your personal Colorado return and you pay state income tax there, along with federal self-employment tax. If you sell taxable goods or services you will also need a Colorado sales tax license.

Last updated: August 28, 2026

To start a Colorado LLC, file the Articles of Organization online with the Colorado Secretary of State for $50, name a registered agent with a Colorado street address, and get a free EIN. Colorado accepts business filings online only, and approval is usually immediate. After that you file a $25 periodic report once a year in your anniversary month.

Quick note: we're operators, not attorneys or accountants. This is general educational info, not legal or tax advice. Colorado has no separate annual LLC tax, but profit still passes through to your personal return.

Colorado is one of the cheapest and fastest states to form an LLC in. Everything is done through the Secretary of State website, and the confirmation usually comes back the same day. Here is the whole process in plain English, written for people starting something real like a courier route.

Two numbers most guides still get wrong Colorado ran a temporary $1 filing fee promotion that ended, so the Articles of Organization now cost the normal $50. And the periodic report went from $10 to $25 on July 1, 2024. If a guide quotes $1 to form or $10 a year, it is out of date.

How to start a Colorado LLC in 6 steps

Name it, appoint a Colorado registered agent, file the Articles online ($50), write an operating agreement, get a free EIN, then file the $25 periodic report every year.

Name your Colorado LLC

Your name has to be distinguishable from other Colorado entities and end with an LLC designator: "limited liability company," "LLC," "L.L.C.," "limited liability co.," or "ltd. liability company." Run it through the Secretary of State business search before you file, and grab the matching domain while you are there.

Appoint a Colorado registered agent

Colorado requires an agent with a physical Colorado street address (no PO boxes) who has consented to the appointment. You can be your own agent for free, or use a service to keep your home address off a public database. Northwest includes registered-agent service free the first year with their $39 filing.

File the Articles of Organization online

This is the filing that creates your LLC. Do it at the Colorado Secretary of State for $50. Colorado does not take paper filings for this, so online is the only route, and the upside is that most filings are effective immediately.

Write an operating agreement

Colorado does not require one, but write it anyway. It sets out who owns what and who can sign, it backs up your liability protection, and banks routinely ask for it when you open the business account. A filled-in template covers most single-owner courier businesses.

Get a free EIN from the IRS

Your EIN is free at irs.gov and takes about ten minutes. You need it for the bank account, contracts, and hiring. Never pay a third-party site for an EIN.

File the $25 periodic report every year

Colorado replaces the usual annual report with a periodic report, $25, due in your anniversary month. You get a generous window: two months before through two months after. Miss it and the state adds a $50 late fee and flips your status to Delinquent, which is the sort of thing a client checks before signing a contract.

Colorado LLC cost breakdown

$50 to form and $25 a year. Colorado is one of the least expensive states to run an LLC in.

Item	Cost	Required?
Articles of Organization (online)	$50	Yes
EIN	Free from the IRS	Yes (free)
Registered agent service	$0 (yourself) to $300/yr	No
Periodic report	$25 per year	Yes
Late periodic report	+$50 penalty	Only if late

Colorado figures as of August 2026, taken from the Secretary of State business fee schedule. Confirm before filing.

Rather have it filed for you? Northwest will form your Colorado LLC for $39 + the $50 state fee and act as your registered agent the first year, keeping your home address off the public record. See the $39 formation service → Affiliate link. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Setting up to run courier routes in Colorado?

The LLC is step one. Our course covers the rest: insurance and certifications, the business bank account, and how to find routes and win contracts with Colorado clinics, labs, and hospitals.

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Colorado LLC FAQs

How much does it cost to start an LLC in Colorado?

The Articles of Organization cost $50 online. Your EIN is free from the IRS. After that it is a $25 periodic report each year, plus an optional registered agent service ($100 to $300 a year).

Can I file a Colorado LLC by mail?

No. Colorado requires electronic filing through the Secretary of State site. There is no paper option, but online filings are usually effective immediately.

When is the Colorado periodic report due?

In your anniversary month, and Colorado lets you file two months before or two months after without penalty. It costs $25. Late means a $50 fee and Delinquent status.

Does a Colorado LLC pay a separate state LLC tax?

No franchise tax and no separate annual LLC tax. Profit passes through to your personal Colorado return, and federal self-employment tax still applies.

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