How to Start a Business in Indiana (2026): INBiz Filings, Fees and Taxes

To start a business in Indiana, form your LLC or corporation on INBiz, the Secretary of State’s online portal ($95 online or $100 on paper), get a free EIN, then register with the Indiana Department of Revenue for a Registered Retail Merchant Certificate and withholding as needed. After that, Indiana keeps upkeep light: a $32 Business Entity Report every two years, with no franchise tax and no state business license.

Sole proprietors don’t file formation documents, but if they trade under a name other than their own they should register an assumed business name. Details below are current as of October 2026.

Updated October 2026.

Best Business Formation Services in Indiana (2026)

Here are our top picks for forming a business in Indiana, ranked. Mainstay Filing comes first for its flat yearly price; the two Indiana registered agent services below it are options if you only need an agent.

1. Mainstay Filing

Mainstay Filing is our top pick in Indiana. It costs $199/year + state fee at cost and covers lLC formation filing, registered agent for the year, EIN application, annual report preparation and filing. The price stays the same every year, with no add-on menu.

2. IN Registered Agent.org

IN Registered Agent.org is a Indiana registered agent service at $99/year. It provides $99 per year, flat; in-state street address for the registered office; legal documents served on the company are scanned and sent to the owner online. It’s a fit if you only need a registered agent rather than full formation help.

3. Indiana Registered Agent.co

Indiana Registered Agent.co is a Indiana registered agent service at $99/year. It provides in-state street address for the registered office; legal documents served on the company are scanned and sent to the owner online. It’s a fit if you only need a registered agent rather than full formation help.

Start a business in Indiana: fees at a glance

Choosing your Indiana business structure

Indiana lets you form every common entity online, and the state’s own comparison of central states shows it as one of the lower-cost places to register and maintain an LLC.

• Sole proprietorship: no state formation, unlimited personal liability; file an assumed business name if you use a brand.
• General partnership: also no formation filing; partners share liability.
• LLC: $95 online, liability protection, pass-through taxation by default. Series LLCs exist too and don’t file the biennial report.
• Corporation: $95 online, formal governance, and corporate officers and directors must be listed on each Business Entity Report.

For most owner-operated businesses the LLC is the sensible default. See our Indiana LLC guide for a field-by-field walkthrough of the Articles of Organization.

What does an Indiana LLC cost in its first two years?

Filing online, a typical single-owner LLC pays $95 to form. The first Business Entity Report ($32 online) comes due in the anniversary month of the next even or odd year that matches your formation year, so over the first two years the state charges usually total about $127. Add $10 if you reserve a name first, $20 for an assumed business name, and the per-location fee for a retail merchant certificate if you sell taxable goods. Local permits and professional licenses vary by city and trade.

Picking and protecting an Indiana business name

Run a business search on INBiz before you file. An Indiana LLC’s name must include “limited liability company,” “LLC” or “L.L.C.,” and a corporation’s name must include a word like “corporation,” “incorporated,” “company” or “limited,” or an abbreviation.

If you need time, an electronic name reservation costs $10 under Indiana Code 23-0.5-9. Our Indiana business name search guide covers the search in more detail.

Use the Namechk business name generator for ideas, and check the matching domain and social handles on Namechk before you file.

Assumed business names

LLCs and corporations that operate under a different name file an assumed business name with the Secretary of State; the statutory electronic fee is $20 per name. Sole proprietors and general partnerships file their assumed names with the county recorder where the business is located.

Naming a registered agent in Indiana

Every Indiana LLC and corporation must keep a registered agent with a physical Indiana street address; P.O. boxes aren’t accepted. The agent can be an individual Indiana resident or a business, and Indiana distinguishes commercial agents from noncommercial ones. The state’s own FAQ is clear that a business cannot serve as its own registered agent, though an owner who lives in Indiana can serve personally.

Mainstay Filing includes a registered agent for the first year with its formation package. Changing agents later is free with a Statement of Change (State Form 56367) or online, and you can also update the agent on your Business Entity Report. More detail is in our Indiana registered agent guide.

Forming your entity on INBiz

1. Create an account on INBiz and choose to start a new business.
2. Select Articles of Organization (LLC) or Articles of Incorporation (corporation).
3. Enter the name, principal office, registered agent and at least one organizer or incorporator.
4. Pay online: $95 for either an LLC or a corporation. Paper filings on State Form 49459 cost $100 and go to the Secretary of State’s Business Services Division in Indianapolis.

According to the Secretary of State’s 2025 fee rule analysis, 98% of new business registrations were completed online at the end of 2023. Online filings include a small enhanced access fee that funds INBiz, which is why the online and paper prices differ. Once you’re approved, adopt an operating agreement or bylaws; Indiana doesn’t collect them, but they settle how the company is run. For a fuller cost breakdown, see Mainstay’s Indiana LLC cost guide.

Getting an EIN

Apply free on the IRS website. INBiz’s tax registration step and most banks ask for it.

Federal beneficial ownership reporting no longer applies to U.S. companies; FinCEN’s final rule exempting them took effect August 14, 2026.

Registering for Indiana taxes

The Indiana Department of Revenue handles registration through INBiz and ongoing filing through its INTIME portal, according to its Tax Guide for New and Small Business Owners (revised July 2026).

• Registered Retail Merchant Certificate (RRMC): required to operate a retail business, including anyone making a wholesale or retail sale. You apply with Form BT-1 through INBiz and list each place of business; a registration fee applies per location. Each certificate is valid for two years and renews automatically at no charge as long as you keep filing and paying.
• Sales and use tax: Indiana’s rate is 7%.
• Withholding: registration through INBiz is free. Indiana requires county income tax withholding in all 92 counties, based on where each employee lived on January 1.
• Unemployment insurance: employers register with the Department of Workforce Development.

Licenses and permits in Indiana

Indiana has no general statewide business license. Licensing instead comes from:

• Cities and counties: some require local permits, and zoning approval matters for home-based and storefront businesses.
• The Indiana Professional Licensing Agency: for regulated professions such as contractors in some trades, cosmetologists, real estate brokers and healthcare providers.
• State and federal regulators: for alcohol, food service, firearms and other regulated activities.

INBiz is designed as a one-stop hub: after forming your entity, it connects you to the Department of Revenue and the Department of Workforce Development registrations, so most new owners complete the state side of setup in one account. Check with your city or county planning office separately for zoning and local permits, since those aren’t handled through INBiz.

Banking, insurance and a website

Open a business checking account with your INBiz approval, EIN and operating agreement, and run every business transaction through it. That separation protects your liability shield.

Start with general liability insurance, add professional liability if you provide services, and set up workers’ compensation coverage before you hire. Then register a domain that matches your business name and launch a basic website.

What Indiana requires after you form

• Business Entity Report every two years, due by the last day of your anniversary month. Entities formed in an even year file in even years; odd-year entities file in odd years. The fee is $32 online or $50 on paper.
• Since January 1, 2026, under House Bill 1593, the Secretary of State accepts the report during the 90 days before the month it’s due.
• Corporations must list officers and directors on the report; LLCs can update managers or members optionally, and anyone can update the registered agent on it.
• File sales tax and withholding returns electronically through INTIME, and keep your RRMC active by staying current.

FAQs

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