New Jersey · Certificate of Formation, Domestic Limited Liability Company (Public Records Filing for New Business Entity)
New Jersey Certificate of Formation for an LLC
The Certificate of Formation is the document that creates a New Jersey limited liability company. It is filed with the Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services, part of the Department of the Treasury, through the state's online Business Formation Service, for a $100 fee. The state calls the filing a Public Records Filing for New Business Entity; once filed, it is the company's certificate of formation, and everything on it is public.
New Jersey asks for more than many states. The members of an LLC are listed on the certificate, the registered agent needs an email address for the state's notices, and a registered agent service is entered by its state-issued agent number. Formation is also only the first of two steps: the company then registers for tax and employer purposes before it is fully registered to do business.
Have the Certificate of Formation prepared and filed for you
We fill every field the way the New Jersey Business Formation portal (njportal.com) expects, check the name first and submit it.
Form Your New Jersey LLCPrivate filing service, not the New Jersey Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services. The official form and portal are at www.njportal.com/DOR/BusinessFormation, and the state's fee is the same if you file there yourself.
What Certificate of Formation Asks For
- 1.Business type and nameChoose NJ Domestic Limited Liability Company, then enter the name without a designator; the portal adds Limited Liability Company, L.L.C. or a similar designator later in the flow. The name must be distinguishable from names already on the state's database, which the Division checks when it reviews the filing.
- 2.Business dataThe company's industry code (NAICS), its duration and its effective date. Duration is perpetual unless you give an end date.
- 3.Business purposeA brief description of the business for the public record. A longer description can be uploaded as an attachment.
- 4.Business addressThe main business address. It does not have to be in New Jersey; any US or international address is accepted.
- 5.Registered agent and registered officeOne agent, an individual or a company in good standing with the State Treasurer. A registered agent service is selected by its state-issued number. An individual agent is entered by name with a New Jersey street address; a PO box is accepted only alongside a street address. The agent's email address is also collected for state notifications.
- 6.Other provisions: members and managersAn LLC lists its members (owners), with managers if the company has them. These names appear on the filed certificate.
- 7.SignaturesAny authorized representative may sign a limited liability company filing. A filing service can sign as authorized representative.
- 8.Review and paymentThe filing is reviewed on screen and paid by credit card or eCheck.
Why New Jersey Rejects It
- A name that is not distinguishable from a name already on New Jersey's database, or that uses a restricted word without approval.
- A registered office without a New Jersey street address, such as a PO box alone or an out-of-state address.
- A registered agent service number that is wrong, or an agent that is not registered and in good standing with the State Treasurer.
- Members left off the certificate.
- A business purpose left blank.
A rejection costs days, sometimes a second fee, and in a few states the name you wanted. Our name check and field review happen before the form goes to the New Jersey Business Formation portal (njportal.com), which is most of what you pay us for.
After the State Files It
- The Division returns the Certificate of Formation, which carries the company's 10-digit Entity ID. The Division does not publish a standard turnaround for online filings.
- New Jersey's expedite tiers ($25 expedited, $50 same-day, $500 two-hour and $1,000 one-hour) apply only to over-the-counter filings, not to filings made through the online Business Formation Service.
- After formation, the company registers for tax and employer purposes on Form NJ-REG online, using its Entity ID and industry code. There is no fee, and the result is a Business Registration Certificate.
- Every year the LLC files an annual report by the last day of its formation anniversary month, for $75. LLCs taxed as partnerships with more than two owners and New Jersey income also owe a $150-per-owner partnership filing fee with the NJ-1065, plus a prepayment toward the next year.
- New Jersey has no newspaper publication requirement for LLCs.
More on filing in New Jersey: New Jersey LLC filing through the New Jersey Business Formation portal (njportal.com).
Certificate of Formation Questions
Is a Certificate of Formation the same as articles of organization?+
Yes, in function. New Jersey uses the term Certificate of Formation for the document that creates an LLC; most other states call it articles of organization. The state's filing form for it is the Public Records Filing for New Business Entity.
Does New Jersey require the members to be listed?+
Yes. The state's own guide says an LLC must list its members (owners) on the certificate, and the filed certificate is a public record.
Can I be my own registered agent in New Jersey?+
Yes, if you have a New Jersey street address for the registered office. Owners outside New Jersey name a registered agent service, which is entered on the filing by its state-issued agent number.
What does it cost to have you file it?+
One flat service fee plus New Jersey filing & processing, which covers the state's $100 fee and the card and portal processing that goes with it. Both lines show on the checkout page before you pay. The $75 annual report is paid to the state later and is not part of formation.
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America LLC Filing is a private filing service, not affiliated with the New Jersey filing office or any government agency.