If you're going to operate your business in Alabama, when you start up you're going to incur filing fees and licensing fees depending on the type of business you run and your business form (corporation, sole proprietorship, partnership or limited liability company (LLC)). Read on to see what Alabama has in store for you.

Corporations. If you're doing business as a domestic corporation (corporations incorporated in Alabama) you will be subject to fees imposed by the Secretary of State and the Probate Judge when you start up, amend, merge, or dissolve your corporation. Check with the Office of the Probate Judge in your area for their fee rates, which vary. The following are the Secretary of State's filing fees for domestic for-profit corporations:

Save Time When appropriate, two checks must accompany a document delivered to the Probate Judge or the Secretary of State for filing — one check payable to the Probate Judge for related fees and one payable to the state of Alabama covering all charges for the Secretary of State.

If you're doing business as a foreign corporation in Alabama, you will be subject to similar initial fees when you start up. As a foreign corporation you must deliver an application for certificate of authority to transact business in Alabama to the Office of the Secretary of State for filing. The required filings and fees are as follows:

Limited liability companies (LLCs). If your company is either a domestic or foreign limited liability company (LLC) you must file the following documents with the Alabama Secretary of State:

When registering an LLC, there is also a minimum $35 fee that has to be paid to the Judge of Probate.

Limited liability partnerships (LLPs). If your company is either a domestic or foreign limited liability partnership (LLP) you must file the following documents with the Alabama Secretary of State:

When registering an LLP, there is also a minimum $35 fee that has to be paid to the Judge of Probate. Similarly, an additional $20 fee must be paid when canceling the LLP.

Licenses and fees. Alabama requires that you obtain a license and pay a fee if you are operating virtually any types of business in the state. Be sure to check with the state to make sure you are complying with the license requirements for your particular profession.