Indiana LLC Articles of Organization

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Articles of OrganizationIn this lesson we will walk you through starting an Indiana LLC by filing your Articles of Organization. This is the document that officially forms your Indiana LLC.

You’ll be submitting your Articles of Organization to the Indiana Business Services Division (also called “INBiz”), which is a division of the Secretary of State.

You can form your Indiana LLC by filing Articles of Organization online or by mail.

Form an Indiana LLC online:
The state filing fee is $95 and the processing time is 1 business day.

Form an Indiana LLC by mail:
The state filing fee is $100 and the processing time is 5 business days (plus mail time).

Note: Filing times may take longer due to government delays. For the most up-to-date LLC processing times, check How long does it take to get an LLC in Indiana.

How much is an LLC in Indiana explains all the (other) LLC fees.

The “LLC filing fee” (the fee to create an Indiana LLC) is the same thing as the “Articles of Organization fee”. The Articles of Organization is the document that, once approved by the Secretary of State’s office, creates your Indiana LLC.

Indiana LLC Secretary of State Business Services Division
(Indiana Secretary of State, Business Services Division Building)

You will find instructions below for both forming your LLC online as well as by mail.

Our recommendation:
At LLC University®, we recommend filing your Indiana Articles of Organization online as it’s cheaper and the LLC approval time is faster.

Alternatively, you can to hire a company to form your LLC. If you’d like to learn more, check out Best LLC Services in Indiana.

Prior lessons:
Before proceeding with this lesson, make sure you have read the prior lessons:
Indiana LLC name search
Indiana LLC Registered Agent

Need to save time? Hire a company to form your LLC:
Northwest ($39 + state fee) or LegalZoom ($149 + state fee)

(Learn why Northwest is #1 in Northwest vs LegalZoom)

Indiana LLC Articles of Organization (Online Filing)

Register for Access Indiana and INBiz

Note: To file your Indiana LLC Articles of Organization online, you’ll need to create an “Access Indiana” login. You’ll use your Access Indiana login to get into your “INBiz” account. Don’t worry, we’ll walk you through it below.

What is INBiz?
INBiz (Indiana Business) is the Indiana Secretary of State’s website for all online business filings.

What is Access Indiana?
Access Indiana allows people to use one login across multiple state agencies.

How to create an Access Indiana account:
(Indiana also made a Youtube video with instructions)

  • Click “LOG IN” in the upper right (you’ll be redirected to Access Indiana).
  • Click “Sign Up for Access Indiana”.
  • Enter your email address and click “Send Verification Code”.
    • Note: If you already have an INBiz account, use the same email address to create an Access Indiana login. Your new Access Indiana password will replace your old INBiz password.
  • Get the verification code from your email and enter it.
  • Enter your contact information and click “Create Account”.
  • If you’d like, you can enable two-step verification which creates a “second password” to use during login.
  • If you’d like, you can enter a recovery email address.
  • You’ll be redirected to the INBiz Dashboard. You’re now ready to begin your Indiana LLC filing.

Complete your Articles of Organization Online

Get Started:

In your INBiz dashboard, click the “LOG IN” button on the right side.

Click “START A NEW BUSINESS” in the top menu.

Click the “Next” button at the bottom right to proceed.

Click the “Frequent User” button to begin.

Under the first column (Select Domestic Entity Type), select “Limited Liability Company” and then click “Continue” (you can ignore the other two columns).

Note: The instructions on this page are for forming a Domestic LLC in Indiana, not for registering an out-of-state LLC as a Foreign LLC in Indiana. For more information, please read Domestic LLC vs Foreign LLC.

1. Indiana LLC Name:

To the right of “Have you reserved a name for this business?”, select “No”. Reserving an LLC name ahead of time is not a requirement to forming an LLC in Indiana.

Of course, if you have reserved an LLC name ahead of time, select “Yes” and then enter your “Reservation ID” and “Reservation PIN”.

Next, enter your desired Indiana LLC name exactly as you would like it, including your preferred capitalization and LLC designator, and click “Check Availability”.

Comma in LLC name:

You can use a comma in your LLC name or you can leave it out. For example, “ABC Widgets, LLC” and “ABC Widgets LLC” are both acceptable by the Indiana Secretary of State.

LLC Designator (ending):

Your Indiana LLC name must end in an allowable designator. For example, “LLC”, “L.L.C.”, or “Limited Liability Company”.

Note: “LLC” is the designator of choice for most filers.

If a message appears stating that your desired LLC name is available, click the “Next” button.

If a message appears stating that your desired LLC name is not available, then you’ll need to create a unique variation to your name (to make sure it’s distinguishable) or come up with a completely new LLC name.

2. Business Information:

Enter your email address twice. It doesn’t have to be an “official” business email address. You can just use a personal email address if you’d like.

3. Period of Duration:

In this section, you need to let the Indiana Secretary of State know how long your LLC will remain in existence (called “LLC duration”).

If you prefer for your Indiana LLC to be “open-ended” with no set closure date, check off the first box for perpetual existence.

Most filers form an LLC with a perpetual existence as this gives them the freedom to close their LLC at any time in the future (by filing dissolution paperwork).

If you prefer for your LLC to be automatically shut down on a specific date, check off the second box and enter that specific date.

4. Effective Date:

Think of your effective date as the day your Indiana LLC is “born”. Said another way, the effective date is the date your LLC goes into existence.

Most filers leave this section as-is, meaning your LLC will go into existence on the date it is approved by the Secretary of State’s office.

If you want your Indiana LLC to go into existence at a later date, click on the calendar icon and change the date. Note, this date can’t be more than 90 days ahead. Also, you can leave the effective time as-is. For most filers, it doesn’t have any importance.

Matt Horwitz, founder of LLC University®Pro tip: If you’re forming your Indiana LLC in October, November, or December, and you don’t need your business open during those months, you can forward date your filing to January 1st of the following year. This will save you the hassle of filing taxes for those 1-3 months. For more information, please see LLC effective date.

5. Principal Office Address:

Enter your Indiana LLC’s Principal Office Address.

This address can be a home address, an office address, a PO box address, a mailbox rental address, or the address of your LLC’s Registered Agent (if they allow it).

Indiana Principal Office FAQs:

“Can my Principal Office Address be located in another state?”
Yes, your LLC’s Principal Office Address can be located in another state.

“Can my Principal Office Address be located in another country?”
Yes, your LLC’s Principal Office Address can be located in another country.

“Regarding the Registered Agent’s address, what do you mean by ‘if they allow it’?”
If you hired a Registered Agent company, most won’t let you use their address for anything besides the Registered Agent address section of your filing.

Some Registered Agents will charge you money if you use their address anywhere besides the Registered Agent section.

On the other hand, if you hire Northwest Registered Agent ($125 per year) they’ll let you use their address throughout your entire Articles of Organization at no additional cost. Any mail that is sent to your LLC will be scanned and uploaded to your online dashboard.

If you’re concerned about privacy and you’d like to keep your address off of public records, listing Northwest Registered Agent’s address throughout your LLC filing can often be cheaper (and easier) than renting a private mailbox.

Click “Next” to proceed.

6. Registered Agent:

This page includes a search function at the top. You can leave “Starts With” selected at the top.

If your Indiana Registered Agent is an individual, select “Individual”, then click the “Create Agent” button. Enter the name, email, and address of your LLC’s Registered Agent. Then below, enter their email address again twice. Check the small box at the bottom agreeing to the terms, and then click “Save”. Then click “Next” to proceed.

If your Indiana Registered Agent is a company, select “Business”, then enter their name and click “Search”. Find their name in the list, click it once (the address will auto-populate below), then click “Next” to proceed.

Remember: The address of your LLC’s Registered Agent must be a street address located in Indiana and PO Boxes aren’t allowed.

7. Manager/Member Information:

The LLC Will be managed by manager(s):

To the right of “The LLC will be managed by manager(s)”, select “Yes” if your LLC is Manager-managed or select “No” if your LLC is Member-managed.

A Member-managed LLC is where all the owners have the ability to bind the Indiana LLC in contracts and agreements, as well as run the business and day-to-day operations.

A Manager-managed LLC is where only one, or a few designated people (called “managers”), have the ability to bind the Indiana LLC in contracts and agreements, as well as run the business and day-to-day operations. The other members cannot bind the LLC in contracts and agreements, and they cannot take part in running the business and day-to-day operations. Instead, they take on more of a passive/investor role.

Tip: Most filers want their Indiana LLC to be managed by all the LLC Members (owners), so they elect to be Member-managed.

Is the LLC a Single Member LLC?

Check off “Yes” if your Indiana LLC has 1 Member (a Single-Member LLC).

Check off “No” if your Indiana LLC has 2 or more Members (a Multi-Member LLC).

8. Principal Information (optional):

If you’d like to make your Members (or Managers) a part of your LLC’s official record (and a part of public records), you can list their names and addresses here.

This section is optional though, so if you prefer to leave it blank, you can.

In the Principal Title, select either “Member” or “Manager”. Then enter the person’s name and address and click the “Save Principal” button.

If needed, you can add more Members (or Managers) after saving your first entry.

Once finished, click “Next” to proceed.

“If I don’t list my LLC Members here, then how will we know who the owners are?”

Ownership is an “internal affair” of the LLC, meaning you don’t have to list the LLC Member(s) with the Secretary of State. Instead, the LLC Member(s) is/are listed in your LLC Operating Agreement.

9. Attachments (optional):

This is where you can upload any additional rules or regulations for your Indiana LLC, if applicable.

These rules are often referred to as “additional articles” or “additional provisions”.

Most filers will skip this step and just click “Next” unless they’ve been instructed otherwise from their attorney.

10. Review:

Review your information for accuracy and check for typos. If you need to make any changes, click the “Edit” buttons. If everything looks good, click “Next” at the bottom.

11. Signature:

Review the terms and then click the 3 boxes if you agree.

Enter the first and last name of the LLC Organizer, which serves as their digital signature.

An LLC Organizer is the person or company who is filing the Articles of Organization with the Secretary of State. The Organizer is also known as the “Signator” in Indiana.

Most filers are the owner of their LLC (the Member) as well as the LLC’s Organizer.

After your Indiana LLC is formed, have the LLC Organizer sign a Statement of LLC Organizer (which appoints the LLC Members) and then have the LLC Members sign an Operating Agreement, which we’ll discuss in the next lesson.

If the Organizer is a Member of the LLC, they can use the title “Member” or “Authorized Agent”.

If the Organizer is a Manager of the LLC, but not a Member, they can use the title “Manager” or “Authorized Agent”.

If the Organizer is neither a Member or a Manager of the LLC, but they’ve been hired or chosen to form the LLC on behalf of the Members, they can use the title “Authorized Agent”.

Once finished, click the “Add to Payment Cart” button.

On the next page, click the “Checkout” button.

12. Checkout:

Enter your billing and contact information and then click “Continue”. Review your information on the next page and then submit your payment.

Congratulations, your Indiana LLC has been filed for processing! Now you just need to wait for approval.

Indiana LLC Approval (Online Filing):

The Secretary of State will process and approve your Indiana LLC in 1 business day

Once your LLC is approved, the state will email you an Approval Letter, a Certificate of Organization, and a stamped and approved copy of your Articles of Organization.

Alternatively, you can download your approval documents in your LLC’s online record. Search for your LLC on the INBiz Business Search page, click on your LLC’s business ID number, click “Filing History”, and then click “Articles of Organization”. Your Certificate of Organization and Articles of Organization will be grouped together in the same PDF download.

In order to open an LLC bank account, you’ll bring in your Articles of Organization, Certificate of Organization, and your LLC’s EIN (which we’ll discuss in a few lessons).

Indiana Secretary of State Contact Info

If you have any questions, you can contact the Indiana Secretary of State at 317-232-6576.

Their hours are 8:00am to 4:30pm, Monday through Friday.


Indiana LLC Articles of Organization (Mail Filing)

How to Complete the Articles of Organization (Form 49459)

Download the Indiana LLC Articles of Organization:

Indiana LLC Articles of Organization

(The PDF will automatically download to your computer; either to your “downloads” folder, or to your desktop)

Note: If you’re going to fill out the Articles of Organization by hand, you must print neatly and use a blue or black pen. Alternatively, you can fill out the Articles of Organization on your computer using a PDF reader like Adobe. Either way, make sure to print the form on regular white paper that is 8.5″ x 11″.

Page 1 of the PDF, the “Cover Sheet”

(The contact information placed in the cover sheet won’t go on public record.)

Name of Business:

Enter your desired Indiana LLC name exactly as you would like it, including your preferred capitalization, as well as the designator “LLC”, “L.L.C.”, or “Limited Liability Company”.

Most filers choose the abbreviation “LLC” for simplicity.

You can use a comma in your Indiana LLC name or you can leave it out. Ex: “ABC Widgets, LLC” and “ABC Widgets LLC” are both acceptable.

Email Address of Business:

Enter your email address. It doesn’t have to be an actual “business” email address, so you can use a personal email if you prefer.

It says “SOS use only” and it sounds like you’re not supposed to touch this section… but you’re supposed to enter your email here. The state is just letting you know that the Secretary of State (SOS) is the only place that will use this address and they will not share your email with anyone else.

Return Documents to:

Enter your name, mailing address, and phone number. You can leave the email blank if you listed it above.

Page 2 of the PDF, the Articles of Organization

Article 1 – Name and Principal Office

Name of LLC:

Enter your desired Indiana LLC name exactly as you would like it, including your preferred capitalization, as well as the designator (ending) “LLC”, “L.L.C.”, or “Limited Liability Company”.

Most filers choose “LLC” as their designator.

Your Indiana LLC name can include a comma or you can leave it out if you prefer. Both are acceptable by the Indiana Secretary of State.

For example: Both “John’s Snow Plowing LLC” and “John’s Snow Plowing, LLC” are acceptable.

Principal Office Address:

Enter your Indiana LLC’s Principal Office Address.This address can be an actual office address, a home address, a PO box address, a private mailbox rental address, or the address of your LLC’s Registered Agent (if they allow it).

“Can a Principal Office Address be located in another state?”
Yes, your LLC’s Principal Office Address can be located in another state. Or it can be located in Indiana.

“Can a Principal Office Address be located in another country?”
Yes, if applicable, your LLC’s Principal Office Address can be located in another country.

“Regarding the Registered Agent’s address, what do you mean by ‘if they allow it’?”
If you hired a Registered Agent company, most won’t let you use their address for anything besides the Registered Agent address section of your LLC filing.

Some Registered Agents will charge you money if you use their address anywhere besides the Registered Agent section.

On the other hand, if you hire Northwest Registered Agent ($125 per year) they’ll let you use their address throughout your entire Articles of Organization at no additional cost. Any mail that is sent to your Indiana LLC will be scanned and uploaded to your online dashboard.

If you’re concerned about privacy and you’d like to keep your address off of public records, listing Northwest Registered Agent’s address throughout your LLC filing can often be cheaper (and easier) than renting a private mailbox.

Article 2 – Registered Agent Information

(Before proceeding with this section make sure you’ve read Who can be my Indiana LLC’s Registered Agent?)

What’s the difference between a Commercial Registered Agent and a Noncommercial Registered Agent? If an individual person will be the LLC’s Registered Agent, they are always a Noncommercial Registered Agent. If you hire a company to be your LLC’s Registered Agent, they may or may not be a Commercial Registered Agent (although most are Commercial Registered Agents).

A Noncommercial Registered Agent simply means they are not registered with the Indiana Secretary of State. A Commercial Registered Agent means they are registered. If you’re curious, a benefit for a company being registered with the Secretary of State is that it allows them to make bulk filings, say for example, if they needed to update their address across all the companies they represent.

The Registered Agent for the entity is a: (select one)

  • If your LLC’s Registered Agent is an individual, select “Noncommercial Registered Agent”.
  • If your LLC’s Registered Agent is a company you hired, please call or email them and check which type of Registered Agent they are in Indiana – Commercial or Noncommercial. Then make the appropriate selection.

Name of Registered Agent:

Enter the name of your LLC’s Registered Agent.

  • If your LLC’s Registered Agent is an individual, enter their first and last name.
  • If your LLC’s Registered Agent is a company you hired, enter their company name.

If the Registered Agent is a Noncommercial Registered Agent, please provide the address of the Registered Agent:

If your LLC’s Registered Agent is an individual, enter their street address located in Indiana. A PO Box address can’t be used.

If your LLC’s Registered Agent is a company you hired, as mentioned, please make sure you call or email them and find out which type of Registered Agent they are. While most will be a Commercial Registered Agent, there is a chance they may be a Noncommercial Registered Agent).

If the company you hired is a Commercial Registered Agent, you don’t need to enter their address since the Indiana Secretary of State already has it on file.

If the company you hired is a Noncommercial Registered Agent, please enter their street address in Indiana.

Email address of the Registered Agent at which the Registered Agent will accept electronic service of process:

If your LLC’s Registered Agent is an individual, enter the email address they check most often. Make sure this person knows that service of process (legal mail like subpoenas, summons, and complaints) may be sent to this email address so they should monitor it regularly.

If your LLC’s Registered Agent is a company you hired, please call or email them and ask which email address they would like listed here. Don’t assume you know; this can cause major issues. Also double-check to make sure you have their email address spelled correctly.

By checking this box:

Make sure that whomever is serving as your LLC’s Registered Agent has agreed to do so. Once the person signing the Articles of Organization has the Registered Agent’s consent (agreement), they can check this box.

3. Dissolution:

In this section, you need to let the Indiana Secretary of State know about the duration of your LLC; how long it will remain in existence.

If you prefer for your Indiana LLC to be “open-ended” with no set closure date, check off the first box for perpetual existence.

If you prefer for your Indiana LLC to be automatically shut down on a specific date, check off the second box and enter that specific date to the right.

Most people form an LLC with a perpetual existence. This means the LLC will remain in existence until it is shut down (either by the Members filing dissolution paperwork or the state shutting the LLC down for failure to file an Annual Report).

Note: We’ll discuss Annual Reports in an upcoming lesson.

4. Management:

The LLC will be managed by its manager or managers:

If your Indiana LLC will be Member-managed, select “No”.

If your Indiana LLC will be Manager-managed, select “Yes”.

A Member-managed LLC is where all the owners have the ability to bind the Indiana LLC in contracts and agreements, as well as run the business and day-to-day operations.

A Manager-managed LLC is where only one, or a few designated people (called “managers”), have the ability to bind the Indiana LLC in contracts and agreements, as well as run the business and day-to-day operations. The other members cannot bind the LLC in contracts and agreements, and they cannot take part in running the business and day-to-day operations. Instead, they take on more of a passive/investor role.

Most filers want their Indiana LLC to be managed by all the LLC Members (owners), so they elect to be Member-managed.

The LLC will be a single member LLC (optional)

Check off the box if your Indiana LLC has 1 Member (a Single-Member LLC).

If your LLC has 2 or more Members (a Multi-Member LLC) you can leave this box unchecked.

Alternatively, since this section is optional, if your LLC has 1 Member and you’d rather not make a statement about the Single-Member LLC, you can leave this box unchecked.

Signature:

In Witness Whereof:

Enter today’s date in the following format: “day”, “month”, “year”.

For example, “the 5th day of March, 2024”.

Signature:

Have the LLC Organizer sign their name, then print their name below and their title.

An LLC Organizer is the person or company who is filing the Articles of Organization with the Secretary of State. The Organizer is also known as the “Signator” in Indiana.

Most filers are the owner of their LLC (the Member) as well as the LLC’s Organizer.

After your LLC is formed, have the LLC Organizer sign a Statement of LLC Organizer (which appoints the LLC Members) and then have the LLC Members sign an Operating Agreement.

Note: We’ll discuss Operating Agreements in the next lesson.

If the Organizer is a Member of the LLC, they can use the title “Member” or “Authorized Agent”.

If the Organizer is a Manager of the LLC, but not a Member, they can use the title “Manager” or “Authorized Agent”.

If the Organizer is neither a Member or a Manager of the LLC, but they’ve been hired or chosen to form the LLC on behalf of the Members, they can use the title “Authorized Agent”.

Mail Indiana LLC Articles of Organization to the Secretary of State

Prepare Payment:

Prepare a check or money order for $100, made payable to the “Secretary of State”.

Mail Documents:

Mail your completed Indiana LLC’s Articles of Organization along with your $100 filing fee to:

Indiana Secretary of State
302 West Washington Street
Room E-018
Indianapolis, IN 46204

Indiana LLC Approval (Filing by Mail):

Wait 5 business days (plus mail time) for the Secretary of State to process and approve your Indiana LLC.

Once your Indiana LLC is approved, the Secretary of State will mail you back a stamped and approved copy of your Articles of Organization along with a Certificate of Organization. These documents will be returned to you at the address you listed on your Cover Sheet.

Alternatively, you can also download your stamped and approved Articles of Organization and Certificate of Organization on the Secretary of State’s website. Visit the INBiz Business Search page, click on your LLC’s business ID number, click “Filing History”, and then click “Articles of Organization”.

Your Articles of Organization and Certificate of Organization will be included in the same PDF file.

In order to open up an LLC bank account, you’ll bring in your Articles of Organization, Certificate of Organization, and your LLC’s EIN (which we’ll discuss in a few lessons).

Indiana Secretary of State Contact Info

If you have any questions, you can contact the Indiana Secretary of State at 317-232-6576.

Their hours are 8:00am to 4:30pm, Monday through Friday.

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Matt Horwitz
Matt Horwitz
Matt Horwitz has been the leading expert on LLC education for the past decade. He founded LLC University in 2010 after realizing people needed simple and actionable instructions to start an LLC that other companies weren't offering. He's cited by Entrepreneur Magazine, Yahoo Finance, and the US Chamber of Commerce, and was featured by CNBC and InventRight.
 
Matt holds a Bachelor's Degree in business from Drexel University with a concentration in business law. He performs extensive research and analysis to convert state laws into simple instructions anyone can follow to form their LLC - all for free! Read more about Matt Horwitz and LLC University.

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4 comments on “Indiana LLC Filing Forms”

Disclaimer: Nothing on this page shall be interpreted as legal or tax advice. Rules and regulations vary by location. They also change over time and are specific to your situation. Furthermore, this comment section is provided so people can share their thoughts and experience. Please consult a licensed professional if you have legal or tax questions.

  1. I would be looking to start a single-member LLC to hold property and operate a business. If things went well, several years into the future I would be looking to start an s corp or c corp with partners and switch over the single member/owner of my original LLC from myself to the new corporation. Would that be simple enough for me to file or is that better handled by an attorney at that point?

    • Hi Tom, we recommend working with an experience attorney in this regard. The LLC can elect S-Corp taxation or the LLC can be converted into a Corporation and then the Corporation can elect to be taxed as an S-Corp (or remain in its default status under C-Corp taxation). Adding LLC members (or shareholders to a Corporation) requires forms not provided by the state and can have tax implications. It would be best to work an an accountant and an attorney or a tax attorney. Hope that helps.

  2. In an LLC when manager managed is chosen do all members lose the power to say or do anything. And when a member becomes a manager does he or she keep both titles (an example) in my LLC I am the manager and I also own part of the company would I be seen as both or no?

    • Hi Diego, great question. Yes, you are seen as both. You are both a Member and a Manager, or a Managing Member for short. No, the Members have the ability to add or remove Managers. The specifics all come down to how the Operating Agreement is drafted. An LLC Manager can be a Member, but they don’t have to be. In a Manager-Managed LLC with Managers that are Members and Managers that aren’t Members, the non-Member Managers can use the title “Manager” and the Managers that are also Members can use the title “Managing Member”. Hope that helps.

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