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How to start a business in Vermont

The fees, filing links and deadlines for forming and registering a business in Vermont, with the official page for each step.

Last verified October 24, 2026 General information, not legal, tax or insurance advice. Each fee shows the date we checked it on the official page. Fees change, so confirm on the official page before you pay.

LLC filing fee: $155
LLC, first year (state fees): $155
$45 annual report due by March 31 next year
Corporation filing fee: $155
Annual report: $45
DBA filed with: State
General state license: No
Newspaper notice: No

How much does it cost to form an LLC or corporation in Vermont?

To form an LLC, file Articles of Organization with the Vermont Secretary of State, Business Services Division for $155 (checked Oct 24, 2026). You can file online. A corporation files Articles of Incorporation for $155 (checked Oct 24, 2026). That filing fee is not the whole bill: see what it costs in the first year.

What does an LLC really cost in its first year in Vermont?

Filing fees are only part of the cost. Here is every state fee and minimum tax we found that a new LLC must pay to form and stay in good standing for its first year. Example: Single-member LLC owned by one individual, filed online at standard speed, operating from day one with no employees; licenses every business must hold are counted, sales tax permits are listed separately.

State fee	Cost	When	Checked
Articles of Organization filing fee	$155	at filing	Oct 24, 2026

First-year total: $155 in state fees.
$45 annual report due by March 31 next year Formation $155 at standard speed. The first $45 annual report, due within three months after the LLC's first fiscal year ends (March 31 for a calendar year), is shown below the total, not counted in it. Excludes assumed names, tax account registration, city licenses, registered agent services and optional fees.

After the first year: The $45 annual report is due every year within three months after the fiscal year ends. An assumed name, if you have one, renews every five years for $65.

Fees that apply only in some cases

State fee	Cost	When	Checked
Assumed business name registration If the LLC does business under any name other than its legal name; renews every five years for $65	$70	before using the name	Oct 24, 2026
Business tax accounts (sales and use, meals and rooms, withholding) on myVTax If you sell taxable goods or services, sell meals or rent rooms, or have employees	Note The Department of Taxes' registration page lists no fee but does not say registration is free.	before your first taxable sale or payroll	Check when you file
Business entity minimum tax (Form BI-471) Only if the LLC elects to be taxed as an S corporation or has more than one owner and is taxed as a partnership; a disregarded single-member LLC does not file	$250	yearly with the business entity return	Oct 24, 2026
Corporate income tax minimum Only if the LLC elects to be taxed as a C corporation; $100 with Vermont gross receipts under $500,000, more above that	$100	yearly with the corporate return	Oct 24, 2026
Unemployment insurance employer registration Once you hire employees	Note The Department of Labor's pages do not state a registration fee.	when you hire	Check when you file

Not included: city or county licenses, a registered agent service if you hire one, and optional extras such as expedited filing. Fees can change after the date shown; confirm on the official page before you pay.

Do I need to register a DBA in Vermont?

If you do business under a name that isn’t your legal name, register it as an assumed name (DBA) with the state for $70 (checked Oct 24, 2026).

How to file a DBA

Does Vermont require an annual report?

Yes. The fee is $45 (checked Oct 24, 2026) Neither the Secretary of State's annual report page nor 11 V.S.A. § 4033 says when the first report is due after formation; both tie the deadline only to the fiscal year end.. Every year, within three months after the end of the LLC's fiscal year on record (by March 31 for a calendar-year LLC). Filed online at no extra charge. The state's pages do not say whether the first report is due after the LLC's first, partial fiscal year, so plan on filing it then.

Initial report: No. (checked Oct 24, 2026) No separate initial report; the first filing after formation is the annual report.

Does Vermont have a franchise or privilege tax?

No franchise tax by that name. LLCs taxed as partnerships or S corporations (and S corporations and partnerships) with Vermont activity file Form BI-471 and owe a $250 minimum business entity tax each year. LLCs taxed as C corporations owe the corporate minimum tax: $100 with Vermont gross receipts under $500,000, rising in steps to $100,000 over $300 million. A single-member LLC owned by one person and disregarded for federal tax (the default) does not file Form BI-471; the owner reports the profit on a personal Vermont return.

How do I register for state taxes in Vermont?

Register with the state revenue agency for sales tax and withholding, and open an unemployment insurance account once you hire your first employee.

Does Vermont require a general business license?

No. Vermont doesn’t issue one general business license; what you need depends on your activity and where you operate.

Vermont has no general state business license; licenses depend on the profession or activity (Office of Professional Regulation) and on environmental or building permits, which the state's Permit Navigator helps sort out. Sales and use tax, meals and rooms tax and withholding each need a separate tax account, opened online through myVTax; the Department of Taxes' registration page lists no fee. No statewide local license lookup found; check with your town or city.

What local licenses will I need in Vermont?

Cities and counties set their own licenses, zoning and permits. Call your city or county clerk with your business type and address before you open.

Burlington (city)
Burlington, the state's largest city (about 44,000 people in the Census Bureau's 2025 estimate), lists no general city business license. The Clerk/Treasurer's Business Licenses page covers only cannabis, liquor, peddler and taxi licenses, and shows no fees on that page.

When do I need workers’ comp in Vermont?

1 or more employees (full- or part-time).

Any business with one or more full- or part-time employees in Vermont must carry workers' compensation insurance unless approved to self-insure. Sole proprietors and partners of an unincorporated business need not cover themselves. An LLC or corporation may, with Department of Labor approval (Form 29), exclude up to four officers, managers or members; if all are excluded and there are no employees, it does not need coverage. Exempt workers include casual workers outside the employer's trade or business and farm workers for an employer with under $10,000 in yearly payroll. Contractors with employees must cover them, and the hiring business must prove that a worker is an independent contractor.

What else should I know about starting a business in Vermont?

LLC and corporation formation each cost $155. LLCs file a $45 annual report within three months after their fiscal year ends; corporations pay $60 within two and a half months. Online filing costs nothing extra and normally takes less than one business day; mailed filings take 7 to 10 business days. LLC names must end with "Limited Liability Company," "Limited Company" or an abbreviation such as "LLC" or "Ltd. Co." Sole proprietors and general partnerships using a name other than their own, and LLCs using any other name, register an assumed business name with the Secretary of State for $70 and renew it every five years ($65). Act 10 of 2025 (effective July 1, 2025) updated the business entity laws without changing fees; it ordered the Secretary of State to study the filing system, including fee amounts, with a final report due by December 1, 2026; the Secretary of State's June 2026 stakeholder minutes say draft legislation will follow, with total costs kept neutral or lower where feasible. A February 2025 Secretary of State proposal ($150 formation, $50 annual report, $75 assumed name) has not been enacted, so current fees still apply. No newspaper publication requirement appears on the state's formation pages.

What to double-check for Vermont?

A few details below aren't spelled out on the state's own pages. Confirm them on the official page before you file.

Note Vermont's pages and statute tie the LLC annual report to the fiscal year end but do not say whether the first report is due after the partial year of formation. It is due after the first year, so it is shown below the first-year total, not counted in it. https://sos.vermont.gov/business-services/business-filings/annualbiennial-reports
Note A second Secretary of State fee page still lists $125 to form an LLC and $35 for the annual report; the current fee schedule and the statute (11 V.S.A. § 4012) say $155 and $45, which we show. https://sos.vermont.gov/corporations/fees/
Note Vermont's tax instructions say a single-member LLC disregarded for federal tax does not file Form BI-471, where the $250 minimum tax is charged, but no page says outright that it owes no minimum. If it does, the first-year total is $405. https://tax.vermont.gov/sites/tax/files/documents/BI-471-Instr-2025.pdf
Note The Secretary of State must report on the business filing system, including fee amounts, by December 1, 2026; fees could change if the legislature acts on it. Current fees are $155 formation, $45 annual report and $70 assumed name. https://sos.vermont.gov/business-services/fees-statutes
Note https://sos.vermont.gov/business-services/business-filings/domestic-formation/llc
Note The Department of Taxes and the Department of Labor list no fee to open a business tax account or register as an employer, but neither page says these are free. https://tax.vermont.gov/business/register
Note The Department of Labor's only employer guide to workers' compensation dates from April 2006; we used the current statute for the rules shown. https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/section/21/009/00601
Note https://bizfilings.vermont.gov/homepage

What to do next

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Sources

Official pages checked on October 24, 2026.