State forms · Tennessee · Form SS-4270 (Rev. 01/25)
Tennessee Form SS-4270: the LLC Articles of Organization
Form SS-4270 is the Tennessee Secretary of State's Articles of Organization for a limited liability company, filed with the Division of Business and Charitable Organizations under section 48-249-202 of the Tennessee Code. The current version was revised in January 2025. It can be filed online through TNCaB, the division's business filing system, by credit card, debit card or electronic check, or printed and mailed to the Secretary of State in Nashville.
Tennessee's form asks for more boxes than names. It wants the county of both the principal office and the registered office, an email address for the business, where all of the state's reminders are sent, an email for the registered agent, and up to three industry codes describing the business. It also asks how many members the company has on the day it files, because Tennessee charges its filing fee per member. Members are counted, not named: the organizer who signs is the only person the articles identify. The division's instructions say incomplete forms are rejected, so every box matters.
Updated November 1, 2026. Facts checked October 2026.
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Form Your Tennessee LLCForm SS-4270 at a Glance
- Form
- Form SS-4270 (Rev. 01/25)
- Filing portal
- Tennessee Business Services Online (TNCaB)
- Filed with
- Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations
- State fee
- $300-$3,000
- Facts checked
- October 2026
The state fee is Tennessee's own charge and is the same whether you file the Form SS-4270 yourself or we file it for you. Processing figures are what the Tennessee Secretary of State publishes and are not a promise of when a filing is approved; the state's expedite tiers are listed by name, with their amounts in the facts box on the Tennessee LLC page.
Below: every field in the order the form asks it, who the filing puts on the public record, whether the registered agent signs, the reasons Tennessee returns it, and what the state expects after it is filed.
What Form SS-4270 Asks For
- 1.Name of the limited liability companyMust carry an accepted ending such as Limited Liability Company or LLC and be distinguishable from the names on the Secretary of State's records. A name with bank, trust, credit union or insurance company in it needs approval from the Department of Financial Institutions or the Department of Commerce and Insurance first.
- 2.Fiscal year close monthThe month the company's fiscal year ends. Tennessee keys the annual report's due date to it; a December year end puts the report on April 1.
- 3.DurationPerpetual, or an end date.
- 4.Principal office address and countyThe street address of the principal office with its county. A separate mailing address can be given if mail goes elsewhere, and a post office box is acceptable there.
- 5.Business email addressRequired. The state sends all reminders, including the annual report notice, to this address.
- 6.Nature of businessUp to three NAICS industry codes, each with a short description.
- 7.ManagementMember-managed, manager-managed or director-managed.
- 8.Number of membersThe number of members on the date of filing. The state's fee is calculated per member, with a minimum and a maximum; the facts strip shows the range.
- 9.Registered agent and registered officeWhether the agent is an individual or an organization, the agent's name, a Tennessee street address with its county, and the agent's email. There is no agent signature on the form.
- 10.Optional electionsCheckboxes for a company that will not do business in Tennessee, a professional LLC, a series LLC or an obligated member entity (with Form SS-4600), a delayed effective date of no more than 90 days, and other provisions.
- 11.Organizer signatureThe organizer signs, certifying authority to file. On paper the signature must be original or a verified electronic signature; a typed or conformed signature is not accepted. TNCaB uses its own electronic signature.
Who Is on the Tennessee Record
Who appears on the form
The organizer (signer) only. NO member names or addresses: only the member COUNT. Registered agent name and email; business email.
Does the registered agent sign the Form SS-4270?
No agent consent/signature on SS-4270.
From our audit of Tennessee's official form and statutes, checked October 2026. Everything entered on a filing becomes public record once the state files it.
Why Tennessee Rejects It
- Any required box left blank: the division's instructions say forms must be accurately completed in their entirety, and incomplete forms are rejected.
- A typed or conformed signature on a paper filing, instead of an original or verified electronic signature.
- No county given for the principal office or the registered office, or no email for the business or the agent.
- A registered agent without a Tennessee street address.
- A payment that does not match the member count, since the fee is calculated per member.
- A restricted word such as bank, trust or insurance company used without approval from the regulating department.
- A delayed effective date more than 90 days out.
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 Tennessee Business Services Online (TNCaB), which is most of what you pay us for.
After the State Files It
- The Secretary of State files the articles and the company appears in the Tennessee business search. We do not promise the state's processing time; what we control is when the articles reach the division.
- Within 15 days of becoming subject to Tennessee's franchise and excise taxes, the company registers with the Department of Revenue through TNTAP, or applies for an exemption. The franchise tax is based on Tennessee net worth, with a state minimum owed even by a company with no income, and the excise tax is on net earnings. The return is due the 15th day of the fourth month after the fiscal year ends, April 15 for a calendar year. A single-member LLC is not disregarded for these taxes unless its member is a corporation.
- Every year, on or before the first day of the fourth month after the fiscal year ends, April 1 for a December year end, the LLC files an annual report with the Secretary of State on TNCaB. Its fee is calculated per member, like the formation fee.
- Tennessee has no newspaper publication requirement for a new LLC, and the operating agreement is not filed with the state.
More on filing in Tennessee: Tennessee LLC filing through Tennessee Secretary of State.
Form SS-4270 Questions
Why does Tennessee ask for the number of members?+
Because Tennessee calculates the LLC filing fee per member in existence on the filing date, with a minimum and a maximum, and the annual report fee the same way. The count is all the form asks for: members' names and addresses do not appear on the articles. A company whose articles state that it will not do business in Tennessee pays a flat fee instead, whatever its member count.
Does the registered agent sign Form SS-4270?+
No. The form asks whether the agent is an individual or an organization, the agent's name, a Tennessee street address with its county and the agent's email, but there is no acceptance or signature for the agent. The agent still has to have agreed to serve. An owner who lives in Tennessee can be the company's own agent at a Tennessee street address.
When is the Tennessee annual report due?+
On or before the first day of the fourth month after the company's fiscal year ends, which is April 1 for a company with a December year end. It is filed with the Secretary of State on TNCaB, starting the year after formation, and like the articles its fee depends on the number of members. The reminder goes to the business email given on Form SS-4270.
Does a Tennessee LLC owe franchise and excise tax?+
Generally yes. Tennessee's franchise and excise taxes apply to LLCs, and the company registers with the Department of Revenue through TNTAP within 15 days of becoming subject to them. The franchise tax has a minimum that is owed even with no income. A single-member LLC is not treated as disregarded for these taxes unless its member is a corporation, which surprises owners who expect pass-through treatment everywhere.
Can I sign the paper SS-4270 with a typed name?+
No. Tennessee does not accept a typed or conformed signature on a paper filing; it needs an original signature or a verified electronic signature. Filing online through TNCaB avoids the problem, because the system applies its own electronic signature.
Can I file Form SS-4270 online?+
Yes. TNCaB takes the articles online by credit card, debit card or electronic check, with a convenience fee added. A mailed filing paid by check carries no convenience fee. The state's fee is the same whether you file yourself or we file for you.
What industry code should I give on the Tennessee articles?+
Up to three NAICS codes, with descriptions, that describe what the company actually does. Tennessee uses them to classify the business. A consulting firm might give a single professional services code, while a company that both sells products and installs them might give two.
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