In Tennessee, business filings belong to the Secretary of State and its Division of Business Services in Nashville. The division forms LLCs and corporations, registers out-of-state companies, takes annual reports and issues certificates. Its online system is TNBear, where you search records, check name availability and file.
The detail that catches people out is the LLC fee. Tennessee charges per member, both when you form the LLC and on every annual report, with a $300 floor and a $3,000 ceiling. The annual report date also follows your fiscal year, not your formation date.
TNBear business search
The TNBear filing search looks at names in two ways: "starts with" for a quick match, and "contains" when you remember only part of the name. If you have the SOS control number, enter it for the exact record. You can also limit results to active entities.
| Official business search | tnbear.tn.gov/Ecommerce/FilingSearch.aspx (tnbear.tn.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| You can search by | business name (starts with or contains), SOS control number, active entities only filter (tnbear.tn.gov, checked ) |
| Name availability check | tnbear.tn.gov/ecommerce/nameavailability.aspx (sos.tn.gov, checked ) |
- Search by name using starts with or contains
- Search by SOS control number
- Optionally limit to active entities
From tnbear.tn.gov, checked .
Officers and registered agents are not searchable fields in TNBear. If you need to know who runs a company, order copies of its filed documents instead.
Tennessee filing fees
An LLC pays $50 per member on the date it files, never less than $300 and never more than $3,000. A for-profit corporation charter is a flat $100. An out-of-state LLC applying for a certificate of authority pays $300, and foreign filers can now file online.
| Form an LLC | $50 per member on the filing date, minimum $300, maximum $3,000 (sos.tn.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Form a corporation | $100 (sos.tn.gov, checked ) |
| Register an out-of-state LLC | $300 (sos.tn.gov, checked ) |
| Reserve a name | $20 (sos.tn.gov, checked ) |
| Good standing certificate | $20 (sos.tn.gov, checked ) |
Rather not file it yourself? Ask our private filing service about forming or reporting in Tennessee. State fees are separate.
Our page on LLC filing fees by state puts Tennessee next to every other state.
Annual reports in Tennessee
Your annual report is due on or before the first day of the fourth month after your fiscal year closes. For a calendar year company, that means April 1. The office keeps a due date calendar if your year ends in another month.
The fee, the due date, late penalties and the filing steps are in our Tennessee annual report guide.
LLCs pay the same way they did at formation: $300 covers up to six members, then $50 more for each extra member, up to $3,000. A report that is not filed can lead to administrative dissolution, so treat the date as firm.
Business names in Tennessee
An LLC name needs "limited liability company", "L.L.C." or "LLC". The law also accepts similar words in another language, as long as they are written in roman letters. The name must be distinguishable on the Secretary of State's records from other LLCs, corporations and reserved names.
| LLC name must include | limited liability company, L.L.C., LLC, or like words or abbreviations in another language written in roman characters (capitol.tn.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| How different a name must be | An LLC name must be distinguishable upon the records of the secretary of state from other LLC names formed or authorized in Tennessee, reserved or registered names, and corporate or assumed corporate names. The SOS may authorize an indistinguishable name with written consent of the other entity or a court judgment. T.C.A. 48-249-106(b),(c). (capitol.tn.gov, checked ) |
| Reservation fee | $20 (sos.tn.gov, checked ) |
| Reservation lasts | 120 days (sos.tn.gov, checked ) |
If your name is too close to another, the office can still accept it with written consent from the other entity or a court judgment. Holding a name costs $20 and lasts 120 days.
Registered agent in Tennessee
All entities except general partnerships must maintain a registered agent and registered office in Tennessee at all times. (sos.tn.gov, checked )
The agent and registered office must stay current at all times. To change either one, file the change with the division, and see our guide on changing your registered agent.
Tennessee Certificate of Existence
Tennessee's good standing proof is the Certificate of Existence, ordered through the copies and certificates service. It costs $20, the same as a set of copies of filed documents.
What it costs, where to order it and what blocks it are in our Tennessee good standing guide.
Contact the Division of Business Services
| Office | Tennessee Secretary of State (sos.tn.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Division | Division of Business Services (sos.tn.gov, checked ) |
| Officeholder | Tre Hargett (sos.tn.gov, checked ) |
| Phone | 615-741-2286 (sos.tn.gov, checked ) |
| Hours | Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Central (sos.tn.gov, checked ) |
| Mailing address | Division of Business Services, 312 Rosa L. Parks Avenue, 3rd Floor, Nashville, TN 37243-1102 (sos.tn.gov, checked ) |
| Street address | 312 Rosa L. Parks Avenue, 3rd Floor, Nashville, TN 37243-1102 (sos.tn.gov, checked ) |
| Contact page | sos.tn.gov/businesses/pages/contact-us (sos.tn.gov, checked ) |
The office is on the 3rd floor at 312 Rosa L. Parks Avenue in Nashville, open 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Central time on weekdays. Keep your SOS control number ready when you call 615-741-2286.
Sources
- sos.tn.gov/businesses/pages/contact-us: office name, division, mailing address, street address, phone, contact page, hours. Checked .
- sos.tn.gov/contact: officeholder. Checked .
- tnbear.tn.gov/Ecommerce/FilingSearch.aspx: business search, search fields, search tips. Checked .
- tnbear.tn.gov/ecommerce/nameavailability.aspx: name check. Checked .
- sos.tn.gov/products/business-services/search-business-name-availability: name check. Checked .
- capitol.tn.gov/Bills/104/Chapter/PC0286.pdf: LLC name endings, name rule. Checked .
- sos.tn.gov/businesses/faqs/what-is-the-required-filing-fee: name reservation fee, name reservation term, corporation filing fee, certificate fee. Checked .
- sos.tn.gov/businesses/services/business-forms-fees: LLC filing fee, foreign LLC fee. Checked .
- sos.tn.gov/businesses/faqs: registered agent rule. Checked .