About Check LLC Name

Check LLC Name is a free guide to one narrow job: checking whether the LLC name you want is available, using your state's official records — and knowing what to do next if it is.

Why this site exists

Business-name information on the internet is often wrong in expensive ways. Guides quote last decade's fees, point at search systems the state retired, and skip the traps that actually cost founders money — a $400 late fee here, a mandatory newspaper publication there, an $800-a-year tax somewhere else. The big entity directories cover all fifty states thinly. We cover a smaller set of states deeply, and every page is produced by actually running that state's official search and reading its actual rules. Our full method is on the How We Test page.

What you get here

• A step-by-step name-check guide for each covered state, with the exact official search link, the state's naming rules and statute citations, the real filing fee, and the ongoing deadlines after you form.
• A free name-check workflow tool that turns those steps into a printable checklist for your state and your name. It runs entirely in your browser — we never see or store the name you type.
• An honest comparison of filing it yourself versus paying a formation service. The do-it-yourself route is always explained in full and is always free.

How this site makes money

Keeping the guides accurate takes ongoing work, so the site has to pay for itself. Some outbound links to formation services are partner (affiliate) links: if you choose to hire one of those services through such a link, the service may pay us a commission at no additional cost to you. That is the site's intended main income, alongside possible clearly-labelled advertising in the future. Commissions never change what a guide says — the official DIY route comes first on every page, and state fees are quoted from official sources. The full details are in our Affiliate Disclosure.

What this site is not

• Not a government site. Check LLC Name is independent and is not affiliated with any state or federal agency. Official links always take you to the real state site.
• Not a law firm. Nothing here is legal or tax advice. A state name check is a filing check, not a trademark clearance — for a name you plan to build a real brand on, consider a trademark search and, if the stakes are high, a trademark attorney.
• Not a filing service. We do not file documents, hold ourselves out as a registered agent, or collect your business information.

Corrections

Fees and portals change, and states rarely announce it loudly. If you spot something on a page that no longer matches the official source, please tell us via the Contact page — corrections are the most valuable email we get.