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
AKStandard: 2-3 weeks
TotalLegal Full Service: Immediate Approval
ALStandard: 10-14 days
ARStandard: 2-3 weeks
TotalLegal Full Service: 5-10 business days
AZStandard: 2-3 weeks
TotalLegal Full Service: 1-2 weeks (automatically expedited)
CAStandard: 2-3 weeks
TotalLegal Full Service: 1-2 weeks
CTStandard: 2-3 weeks
TotalLegal Full Service: 3-5 business days
DCStandard: 10-14 days
TotalLegal Full Service: 10-14 days
DEStandard: 3-4 months
TotalLegal Full Service: 1-2 weeks
FLStandard: 2-3 weeks
TotalLegal Full Service: up to 1 week
GAStandard: 3-4 weeks
TotalLegal Full Service: 1-2 weeks
HIStandard: 7-10 days
TotalLegal Full Service: 7-10 days
IAStandard: 3 weeks
TotalLegal Full Service: 1-2 business days
IDStandard: 3 weeks
TotalLegal Full Service: 10-14 days
ILStandard: 15-20 days
TotalLegal Full Service: 1-2 weeks
INStandard: 10-14 days
TotalLegal Full Service: 1-2 business days
KSStandard: 10-14 days
TotalLegal Full Service: Immediate Approval
KYStandard: 10-14 days
TotalLegal Full Service: 1-2 business days
LAStandard: 10-14 days
MAStandard: 10-14 days
TotalLegal Full Service: 1-2 business days
MDStandard: 2-3 weeks
TotalLegal Full Service: 10-14 days
MEStandard: 4-6 weeks
MIStandard: 2-3 weeks
TotalLegal Full Service: up to 1 week
MNStandard: 10-14 days
TotalLegal Full Service: 1-2 business days
MOStandard: 10-14 days
TotalLegal Full Service: Immediate Approval
MSStandard: 3-4 business days
MTStandard: 10-14 days
TotalLegal Full Service: 1-4 business days
NCStandard: 10-14 days
TotalLegal Full Service: 2-5 business days
NDStandard: 1-2 weeks
TotalLegal Full Service: 7-10 days
NEStandard: 10-15 days
TotalLegal Full Service: 2-5 business days
NHStandard: 30-45 days
TotalLegal Full Service: 30-45 days
NJStandard: 1-2 business days
TotalLegal Full Service: Immediate Approval
NMStandard: 2-3 weeks
TotalLegal Full Service: 3-5 business days
NVStandard: 10-14 days
TotalLegal Full Service: 1-3 business days
NYStandard: 10-14 days
TotalLegal Full Service: 1-3 business days
OHStandard: 10-14 days
TotalLegal Full Service: 2-5 business days
OKStandard: 10-14 days
TotalLegal Full Service: 1-3 business days
ORStandard: 10-14 days
TotalLegal Full Service: 1-3 business days
PAStandard: 6-8 weeks
TotalLegal Full Service: 2-5 business days
RIStandard: 10-14 days
TotalLegal Full Service: 1-2 business days
SCStandard: 2-3 weeks
TotalLegal Full Service: 1-3 business days
SDStandard: 3-5 business days
TotalLegal Full Service: 1-2 business days
TNStandard: 2-3 weeks
TotalLegal Full Service: Immediate Approval
TXStandard: 1 week
TotalLegal Full Service: 1 week
UTStandard: up to 2 weeks
TotalLegal Full Service: 1-2 weeks
VAStandard: 10-14 days
TotalLegal Full Service: 1-2 business days
VTStandard: 10-14 days
TotalLegal Full Service: 1-3 business days
WAStandard: 14-21 days
TotalLegal Full Service: 16-21 days
WIStandard: 2-3 weeks
TotalLegal Full Service: 1-3 business days
WVStandard: 10-14 days
WYStandard: 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.