Hawaii LLC Cost: $51 + Annual Report (2026)

By StartBusinessByStatePublisher: Robert Smith Research process

Make your Hawaii business official. Have your LLC paperwork prepared and filed so you can focus on getting your business off the ground.

Your business name checked before filing.
Your formation paperwork prepared and submitted.
Your formation documents together in an online account.

$0 service fee + $51 state filing total

Start my Hawaii LLC

Filing service by ZenBusiness. Choose Starter for the $0 service fee. State follow-up charges and optional services and renewals are separate.

We may earn a commission if you buy through our links, at no additional cost to you.

Get the paperwork handled and your company underway

With ZenBusiness, you provide the details and its team handles the Hawaii formation filing. You get electronic documents and customer support by phone, chat and email.

Use your approved LLC records to open a company bank account, organize your ownership agreement and do business under the company name. The state-specific costs and next steps below help you plan what comes after approval.

What it costs to start a Hawaii LLC

A Hawaii LLC costs $50 to file Articles of Organization with the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA) Business Registration Division. DCCA’s Domestic LLC page also lists a $1 State Archives preservation fee for this filing, making the ordinary formation total $51. The annual report is $15 (or $12.50 online) and is not due in the calendar year of organization.

Start with the DCCA BREG Domestic LLC fee schedule and the Domestic LLC overview. These are government charges, separate from anything a formation company bills you.

Expense	Amount	When it applies
Articles of Organization (Form LLC-1)	$50	Required when forming the LLC
State Archives preservation fee	$1	Required in addition to the $50 Articles fee (HRS §94-8(c))
Ordinary formation total	$51	$50 Articles + mandatory $1 State Archives fee; excludes optional expedite
Expedited review (Articles)	+$25	Optional
Annual report	$15 / $12.50 online	Each reporting year after formation year; due by organization-quarter deadline
Annual report late fee (online, per LLC-INFO)	$10 per year delinquent	Plus possible additional statutory delinquency penalties
Optional name reservation	$10 (+$25 expedite)	Optional

Budget example: $51 formation total ($50 Articles + $1 State Archives fee) plus $12.50 for the first online annual report in the following reporting year is a lean government path—before GET licensing, insurance, permits, or professional help. Do not treat formation as a Hawaii tax license.

There is no Hawaii franchise tax or SOS minimum entity tax identified for LLCs. GET registration through the Department of Taxation is a separate compliance track.

Choose the services you want with your filing

Starter’s base formation service does not renew. Registered-agent service, an EIN service, an operating agreement and faster preparation are optional purchases.

The preselected website-builder trial renews at $15/month after 30 days; you can remove it at checkout. Optional Worry-Free Compliance is free for the first year and renews at $199/year. Registered-agent service is listed separately at $199/year; first-year promotions may differ.

Review the services and renewal terms in your order. Provider details checked October 14, 2026 against ZenBusiness’s formation plans.

How to start your Hawaii LLC

Use your company details to get the formation paperwork prepared and submitted. Here is how the filing service works:

Enter your business details. Choose Hawaii, your company name and the information requested for the filing.
Review your services and order. Select Starter for the $0 base service fee. ZenBusiness prepares and submits the formation document from your answers.
Save your approved company records. Once the filing office accepts the paperwork, use the documents to finish your banking and business setup.

Your Hawaii filing checklist and required next steps

Check the name. Search Hawaii Business Express and confirm the name includes “limited liability company,” “L.L.C.,” or “LLC” (HRS §428-105). Optional name reservation is $10. Filing acceptance is not a trademark clearance.
Gather addresses and agent consent. Have the principal-office mailing address, Hawaii registered-agent business address, organizer details, and management structure ready. Do not enter someone else’s signature without permission.
Decide who manages the company. Form LLC-1 asks whether the LLC is member-managed or manager-managed and whether members assume personal liability. Ask your bank what ownership records it needs.
File Articles of Organization. Prefer Hawaii Business Express or follow DCCA mail/email/fax/window instructions. Pay $51 ($50 Articles + $1 State Archives fee). Optional expedite is +$25.
Confirm acceptance. Save the acknowledgment and filed Articles, check the public record, and retain receipts. Filing fees are not refundable.

How long does approval take?

DCCA’s fee page does not publish a guaranteed day-count SLA for regular online filings. Secondary sources often cite a few business days with faster turnaround when expedite is purchased—treat those as estimates, not promises. A service’s preparation time is separate from Hawaii’s review. ZenBusiness lists standard preparation at 7–10 business days before state processing; state review follows the service’s preparation.

Can I file directly with Hawaii?

Yes. You can prepare and submit the filing yourself through the Hawaii official LLC filing service. A formation service handles preparation and submission from the information you provide. The government charges and required follow-up steps above still apply.

Choose your Hawaii registered agent

Hawaii requires continuous maintenance of a registered agent with a business address in Hawaii (HRS §428-107). The agent may be an individual residing in Hawaii or a domestic/foreign entity authorized in Hawaii. A member may serve if they meet those rules. See Form LLC-INFO and the official LLC-INFO PDF.

Consider whether you can reliably receive legal documents at that Hawaii address. If you travel between islands or work primarily at customer sites, a commercial agent may be more practical. Compare delivery procedures and renewal costs before choosing.

Plan your address use before filing. BREG records are public. Principal-office, mailing, and registered-agent addresses are separate fields. Ask which address fields the agent service covers. Supply accurate information in every field.

Hawaii LLC annual report: what happens after formation?

The annual report updates or confirms the state’s business record; it is not an income-tax return. Per Form LLC-INFO and HRS §428-210, an annual report is not required in the calendar year of organization.

After that, due dates follow a quarterly schedule by organization month: Jan–Mar → March 31; Apr–Jun → June 30; Jul–Sep → September 30; Oct–Dec → December 31. Fees: $15 standard / $12.50 online. Online late fee is listed at $10 per year delinquent, with additional statutory delinquency penalties possible and administrative termination risk after prolonged nonfiling.

Example: an LLC organized in 2026 does not owe a 2026 annual report; its first report falls in 2027 on the applicable quarter deadline. Set reminders, verify the contact email on file, and save the confirmation. If you buy compliance assistance, check that the report was actually submitted.

Starting near year-end? Organization late in the year still starts the “no report in formation year” rule for that calendar year—but the next year’s quarter deadline arrives quickly. Choose the formation date around real operations, then calendar the first report immediately.

Get your Hawaii LLC filing underway

Put the formation paperwork in ZenBusiness’s hands. Starter has a $0 service fee plus the applicable Hawaii charges detailed above.

Start my Hawaii LLC

Continue to ZenBusiness to enter your details and review your order. Optional services and renewal details.

We may earn a commission if you buy through our links, at no additional cost to you.

Put your approved LLC to work

Document how the LLC works. An operating agreement can set ownership, contributions, decision-making, distributions, and exit arrangements. Hawaii’s filing office generally does not require you to file the agreement with the formation paperwork—keep it with your company records. For multiple owners, resolve disagreements before money or contracts are committed.Use the basic LLC operating agreement tool as a starting point.
Get an EIN when needed. Form the entity first, then use the free IRS application if eligible. A paid EIN service handles the application for you. Save the confirmation for banking and tax records.
Open your business bank account. Ask the bank for its document checklist and establish a bookkeeping process. Use the correct legal business name on applications and contracts; keep any trade-name registrations consistent.
Complete taxes and operating approvals. LLC formation does not itself select S-corporation taxation or issue a professional license. The IRS explains LLC tax classifications. Identify the state and local requirements for your actual work before opening.
Check the current BOI rule. As of this review, FinCEN exempts entities created in the United States from beneficial-ownership reporting. A newly created domestic LLC generally falls within that exemption. Consult FinCEN directly for the current rule.

Separately, most Hawaii businesses must address General Excise Tax registration with the Department of Taxation—GET is not a DCCA formation fee and is not a franchise tax.

Insurance guidance for your Hawaii business

Match coverage to your services, employees, equipment and client contracts. Start with the relevant guide:

Continue with the Hawaii business guide for the broader startup process. To see how many people are starting businesses there, read why Hawaii business startups are cooling in 2026.

Why the ordinary filing total is $51

Hawaii charges $50 for the Articles of Organization plus a mandatory $1 State Archives preservation fee for the permanent record. The ordinary nonexpedited government formation total is therefore $51, before optional expedited service or other add-ons. See the DCCA domestic LLC fee schedule.

Hawaii LLC questions before you start

What is the cheapest way to form a Hawaii LLC?

The ordinary government formation total is $51: $50 for Articles of Organization plus the mandatory $1 State Archives fee. You can file directly or use ZenBusiness Starter with a $0 formation service fee plus state charges. Optional expedited review adds $25.

Is the Hawaii annual report due when I form the LLC?

No. The first annual report is not required in the calendar year of organization. After that, reports follow a quarterly schedule based on your organization date (for example, Jan–Mar organizations due by March 31). The fee is $15 standard / $12.50 online per Form LLC-INFO.

Can I be my own Hawaii registered agent?

Yes, if you are an individual residing in Hawaii or a qualified entity with a Hawaii business address and you continuously maintain the appointment. A P.O. box alone is not treated as a sufficient agent address under standard BREG practice—use a street/business address on Form LLC-1.

Does forming an LLC give me a Hawaii business license?

Formation creates the entity with DCCA. General Excise Tax (GET) registration, industry licenses, and local approvals are separate; check Hawaii Department of Taxation and your county before opening.

Can I get an EIN without buying a service?

Yes. The IRS issues EINs free. Form the LLC first, then check eligibility for the IRS online application or use its alternative application instructions.

This guide is for creating a new Hawaii LLC. If you already have an LLC formed in another state, check Hawaii’s foreign-entity registration requirements before creating a second company.

Page updated October 14, 2026. State-source review: September 14, 2026. ZenBusiness package terms checked October 14, 2026.