LLC and Corporation State Approval Times
Once you have purchased your LLC from TotalLegal.com, the state in which you formed your LLC has to process and approve it. How long does this take? The table below shows the average state processing times. However, it is very important to understand these processing times are not set in stone, as different factors can sometimes prolong the approval process.
| State | Approval Time |
|---|---|
| AK | Standard: 2-3 weeks TotalLegal Full Service: Immediate Approval |
| AL | Standard: 10-14 days |
| AR | Standard: 2-3 weeks TotalLegal Full Service: 1 week |
| AZ | Standard: 2-3 weeks TotalLegal Full Service: 1 week (automatically expedited) |
| CA | Standard: 2-3 weeks TotalLegal Full Service: 1-2 weeks |
| CT | Standard: 2-3 weeks TotalLegal Full Service: 3-5 business days |
| DC | Standard: 10-14 days TotalLegal Full Service: 10-14 days |
| DE | Standard: 3-4 months TotalLegal Full Service: 1-2 weeks |
| FL | Standard: 2-3 weeks TotalLegal Full Service: up to 1 week |
| GA | Standard: 3-4 weeks TotalLegal Full Service: 1-2 weeks |
| HI | Standard: 7-10 days TotalLegal Full Service: 7-10 days |
| IA | Standard: 3 weeks TotalLegal Full Service: 1-2 business days |
| ID | Standard: 3 weeks TotalLegal Full Service: 10-14 days |
| IL | Standard: 15-20 days TotalLegal Full Service: 1-2 weeks |
| IN | Standard: 10-14 days TotalLegal Full Service: 1-2 business days |
| KS | Standard: 10-14 days TotalLegal Full Service: Immediate Approval |
| KY | Standard: 10-14 days TotalLegal Full Service: 1-2 business days |
| LA | Standard: 10-14 days |
| MA | Standard: 10-14 days TotalLegal Full Service: 1-2 business days |
| MD | Standard: 2-3 weeks TotalLegal Full Service: 10-14 days |
| ME | Standard: 12-14 weeks |
| MI | Standard: 2-3 weeks TotalLegal Full Service: up to 1 week |
| MN | Standard: 10-14 days TotalLegal Full Service: 1-2 business days |
| MO | Standard: 10-14 days TotalLegal Full Service: Immediate Approval |
| MS | Standard: 3-4 business days |
| MT | Standard: 10-14 days TotalLegal Full Service: 1-4 business days |
| NC | Standard: 10-14 days TotalLegal Full Service: 2-5 business days |
| ND | Standard: 1-2 weeks TotalLegal Full Service: 7-10 days |
| NE | Standard: 10-15 days TotalLegal Full Service: 2-5 business days |
| NH | Standard: 30-45 days TotalLegal Full Service: 30-45 days |
| NJ | Standard: 1-2 business days TotalLegal Full Service: Immediate Approval |
| NM | Standard: 6-7 weeks TotalLegal Full Service: 3-5 business days |
| NV | Standard: 10-14 days TotalLegal Full Service: 1-3 business days |
| NY | Standard: 10-14 days TotalLegal Full Service: 1-3 business days |
| OH | Standard: 10-14 days TotalLegal Full Service: 2-5 business days |
| OK | Standard: 10-14 days TotalLegal Full Service: 1-3 business days |
| OR | Standard: 10-14 days TotalLegal Full Service: 1-3 business days |
| PA | Standard: 6-8 weeks TotalLegal Full Service: 2-5 business days |
| RI | Standard: 10-14 days TotalLegal Full Service: 1-2 business days |
| SC | Standard: 2-3 weeks TotalLegal Full Service: 1-3 business days |
| SD | Standard: 3-5 business days TotalLegal Full Service: 1-2 business days |
| TN | Standard: 2-3 weeks TotalLegal Full Service: Immediate Approval |
| TX | Standard: 1 week TotalLegal Full Service: 1 week |
| UT | Standard: 5-6 weeks TotalLegal Full Service: 5-6 weeks |
| VA | Standard: 10-14 days TotalLegal Full Service: 1-2 business days |
| VT | Standard: 10-14 days TotalLegal Full Service: 1-3 business days |
| WA | Standard: 14-21 days TotalLegal Full Service: 16-21 days |
| WI | Standard: 2-3 weeks TotalLegal Full Service: 1-3 business days |
| WV | Standard: 10-14 days |
| WY | Standard: 10-14 days TotalLegal Full Service: Immediate Approval |
What factors can affect processing times?
* US Postal Service – if you are forming a business in a state where paper filing is the only option, then your filing is subject to the speediness (or lack thereof) of the US Post Office (both on the way to the state, and then back from the state after approval). With the pandemic underway, it can become a challenging task to predict normal mailing times.
* High Volume Filings – states anticipate lengthier turnarounds typically at the end of the year (November-December) and again in the months leading up to the IRS federal tax filing deadline. States also anticipate large numbers of filings at the end of each quarter: late March, late June and late September.
* State website upgrades or maintenance – For the most part, states will undergo website upgrades or maintenance in the evenings or overnight or on the weekends. However, there are times when a state website will be down for a couple of days or longer, which will affect processing times for business entities that are filed online.
* Manual review by state filing examiners – final determination of name availability for both paper filings and electronic filings not instantly approved are subject to manual review by state filing examiners. If there is a question of whether the business name is available, or if there are other questions regarding information contained in the Articles/Certificate of Organization, this can slow down the approval process significantly.
It is especially important to remember to be patient during the pandemic, as uncertain and unpredictable factors regarding state approval times are also possible.