The Idaho Secretary of State keeps the business register through its Business Services team, which works from the Library Commission Building on North 4th Street in Boise. New LLCs, corporations, nonprofits and assumed business names are filed there. Almost everything happens in SOSBiz, the office's online search and filing system.
What sets Idaho apart is the price gap between online and paper. Each paper form carries a $20 manual processing fee on top of the base fee. Filing in SOSBiz avoids it, so the online route is the cheaper one for nearly every form.
Searching Idaho businesses in SOSBiz
SOSBiz searches both business entities and trademarks. Look up a company by its name. If you plan to form a new company, the same search is how you test a name before you file.
| Official business search | sosbiz.idaho.gov (sos.idaho.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Name availability check | sosbiz.idaho.gov (sos.idaho.gov, checked ) |
Idaho does not publish a list of search fields on its help page, so start with the most distinctive word in the company name.
Idaho filing fees
A Certificate of Organization for an LLC costs $100 online and $120 on paper. Articles of Incorporation for a general business are the same. Nonprofits pay $30 online and $50 on paper. A foreign company files a Foreign Registration Statement for $100 online.
| Form an LLC | $100 (sos.idaho.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Form a corporation | $100 (sos.idaho.gov, checked ) |
| Form a nonprofit | $30 (sos.idaho.gov, checked ) |
| Register an out-of-state LLC | $100 (sos.idaho.gov, checked ) |
| Reserve a name | $20 (sos.idaho.gov, checked ) |
| Good standing certificate | $10 (sos.idaho.gov, checked ) |
| Faster processing | expedited: $40; same day: $100 (sos.idaho.gov, checked ) |
Rather not file it yourself? Ask our private filing service about forming or reporting in Idaho. State fees are separate.
Idaho offers two speed options. Expedited service costs $40 extra and typically takes 8 business hours. Same day service costs $100 extra, and the request must arrive by 1 p.m. Mountain time. Standard filings were running about 3 to 5 days.
The Idaho annual report
Every LLC and corporation files an annual report. It is due by the close of business on the last day of the month in which the company was formed or registered. Your first one comes one year after the company became effective.
| When it is due | Due by the close of business on the last day of the anniversary month of formation or registration, each year starting one year after it became effective (legislature.idaho.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Where to file | sosbiz.idaho.gov (sos.idaho.gov, checked ) |
| Processing time | Approximately 3 to 5 days from filing date; expedited service typically 8 business hours; same-day requests must arrive by 1 p.m. Mountain Time (sos.idaho.gov, checked ) |
The table shows the fee the office lists; check the amount in SOSBiz when you file. If the report is not delivered on time, the Secretary of State may start administrative dissolution. A dissolved business may be able to reinstate, but it has to pay all fees and penalties owed. Our guide on how to file an annual report covers the basic steps.
Choosing a name in Idaho
An LLC name must contain "limited liability company", "limited company" or a short form such as LLC, L.L.C., LC or L.C. Idaho ignores those endings when it compares names, so "Snake River Supply LLC" and "Snake River Supply Co." could clash.
| LLC name must include | limited liability company, limited company, L.L.C., LLC, L.C., LC (legislature.idaho.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| How different a name must be | Name must be distinguishable on the records of the Secretary of State. Entity type words and abbreviations such as LLC are ignored when comparing names. (legislature.idaho.gov, checked ) |
| Reservation fee | $20 (sos.idaho.gov, checked ) |
| Reservation lasts | 4 months (sos.idaho.gov, checked ) |
| Reservation form | sos.idaho.gov/business-forms (sos.idaho.gov, checked ) |
The name must be distinguishable on the Secretary of State's records. A reservation holds a name for four months. It costs $20 online or $40 on paper.
Registered agent in Idaho
Registered agent must be arranged before filing (registered agent services usually charge a fee) (sos.idaho.gov, checked )
Line up your agent before you start the SOSBiz filing, because the form asks for one. To replace an agent later, read our page on changing a registered agent.
Idaho certificate of existence
Idaho uses the name Certificate of Existence for what other states call a good standing certificate. It costs $10. Open the business record in SOSBiz and use the Request Certificate button.
| What the state calls it | Certificate of Existence (sos.idaho.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Fee | $10 (sos.idaho.gov, checked ) |
| Where to order | sos.idaho.gov/business-resources (sos.idaho.gov, checked ) |
Assumed business names in Idaho
If you trade under a name that is not your legal name, register an assumed business name, often shortened to ABN, with the Secretary of State.
Assumed business names (ABN) are registered with the Secretary of State. Fee $25 base online, plus a $20 manual processing fee for paper, $45 total. ABNs no longer need renewal and stay active until canceled. (sos.idaho.gov, checked )
An ABN no longer needs renewal. It stays on the record until you file to cancel it.
Contact Idaho Business Services
| Office | Idaho Secretary of State, Business Services (sos.idaho.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Division | Office of the Secretary of State, Business Services (business office) (sos.idaho.gov, checked ) |
| Officeholder | Phil McGrane (sos.idaho.gov, checked ) |
| Phone | (208) 334-2301 (sos.idaho.gov, checked ) |
| Mailing address | Idaho Secretary of State, P.O. Box 83720, Boise, ID 83720-0080 (sos.idaho.gov, checked ) |
| Street address | Idaho Secretary of State, 400 N. 4th Street, Boise, ID 83702 (Library Commission Building, Business Office) (sos.idaho.gov, checked ) |
The phone line is (208) 334-2301, and the office keeps hours Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Some services are by appointment only, so call before you visit in person. Mail goes to P.O. Box 83720 in Boise.
Sources
- sos.idaho.gov/business-resources/: office name, good standing certificate, certificate fee, certificate ordering, registered agent rule. Checked .
- sos.idaho.gov/office-locations/: division, mailing address, street address. Checked .
- sos.idaho.gov/meet-the-administration/: officeholder. Checked .
- sos.idaho.gov/business-services/: phone. Checked .
- sos.idaho.gov/sosbiz-help/: business search, name check. Checked .
- sos.idaho.gov/business-forms/: name check, name reservation fee, name reservation term, name reservation form, LLC filing fee, corporation filing fee, nonprofit filing fee, foreign LLC fee, expedite fees, online filing. Checked .
- legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/title30/t30ch25/sect30-25-108/: LLC name endings. Checked .
- legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/title30/t30ch21/sect30-21-302/: name rule. Checked .
- legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/Title30/T30CH21/SECT30-21-601/: report due date. Checked .
- sos.idaho.gov/business-resources/business-faq/: processing time, assumed names (DBA). Checked .