Despite such a versatile market for LLC formation services, finding a provider with free options is nearly impossible. It’s true that many can charge very little, but services that guarantee an entirely free registration are hard to come by. And even then, it’s always best to be on the lookout for misleading terms and conditions often hidden in the fine print.
Inc Authority is thankfully a fairly transparent service even despite their somewhat meandering ordering process and third-party add-ons.
All things considered, the true value of their free services is incredibly hard to rival as is evident from their excellent 4.8/5 Trustpilot score where Inc Authority reviews reach an impressive count of 6,547, making them one of the best LLC formation services today.
Inc Authority Quick Overview
Although the company has been operating under its current name only since 2015, its core team was providing services for limited liability companies as early as 1989.
Primarily known for its free LLC option, the company is often regarded as the most accessible LLC service online, particularly by new entrepreneurs who wish to open an LLC without having to foot a hefty bill.
Inc Authority’s services extend far beyond any basic formation, offering their regulars maintenance and other related features. Although Inc Authority packages can be rather expensive once you venture past their free plan, it’s still a worthy option for small businesses.
More on Inc Authority’s pricing and features as well as the procedural aspects of Inc Authority LLC formation can be found in our Inc Authority LLC service review.
Will Inc Authority Really Form My Business for Free?
There are not that many options for free LLC online filings, and some of them are only classified as free in theory. As for the Inc Authority free LLC registration, their first-level package does indeed come completely without charge save for your state’s fees.
Some of the Inc Authority customer reviews attest to being rather pleased by the transparency of this particular package option that, aside from forming an LLC for free, provides entrepreneurs with helpful options related to long-term compliance.
The Free Formation Package: What Features are Included?
If you’d like to know more about their free LLC formation plan but don’t want to subscribe quite yet, it could be rather difficult to find any information directly due to the website’s sign-up process.
In order to see any of their pricing and feature sets, you must first select your entity type, state, and then provide your personal and business information. After that, you will be granted access to their package selection page where they describe each option in more detail.
The same goes for the free Inc Authority LLC package—you can’t simply check its contents without first providing your full information. While it’s not a problem in itself, many entrepreneurs prefer to see pricing and application procedures upfront without needlessly sharing their information and risking their online privacy.
To answer the main question, though: the free plan is surprisingly extensive compared even to the most affordable starter pack options of their competitors.
The Free Package does indeed cost only $0 discounting the state fee and includes:
- Free business name check;
- Drafting and filing your formation paperwork;
- 12 months of free registered agent service;
- Business checking account;
- Corporate tax election;
- Tax consultation;
- Professional analysis of your funding strategy;
- Unlimited customer care;
- Online storage;
- Electronic document delivery (through Inc Authority partnership with Bank of America).
As for their other plans, there are three other options you can choose from: Starter Executive, and Tycoon.
With their Starter plan ($399 + state fee), you will get all features found in the free plan plus:
- Drafting an operating agreement;
- Applying for an EIN;
- Minutes of the initial organizer’s meeting;
- Company kit with a personalized seal;
- Custom ownership certificates;
- Free subscription to Inc Protection Advisor for a year.
The Executive plan ($499 + state fee) adds only a couple of extras to the existing list:
- Domain registration;
- Business licensing evaluation.
But their top-tier Tycoon package ($799 + state fee) can significantly improve your organizational procedures by providing:
- Expedited filing;
- Express credit lines;
- Professional credit consultation;
- Tiered credit accounts;
- Online credit manager;
- Credit score reports with Dun & Bradstreet.
If you’re firmly set on using their free subscription but might need one or two extras that aren’t included in that set, the company gives you the opportunity to purchase these features separately:
- Expedited processing: $49;
- Tax ID/EIN: $49;
- Custom operating agreement: $89;
- Company ledger + ownership certificates: $99;
- Meeting minutes + resolutions: $79;
- Initial domain registration: $19;
- Inc Protection Adviser subscription: $197 per year.
Final Words
The bottom line is, regardless of the company’s somewhat inconvenient application practices and third-party offers, Inc Authority, like IncFile, remains one of the few certifiably free providers in the industry. It doesn’t hurt that you always have the option to purchase some of their features as extras instead of buying an entire package.