State guide · New Jersey
New Jersey: a two-part formation, and an annual report with teeth.
New Jersey separates formation into a Public Records Filing and a certificate of formation, requires a registered agent with a New Jersey address, and expects an annual report every year — miss two in a row and the state can revoke your charter.
NJ-1Form the entity
- Search the name through the NJ business entity database; reserve if you are not filing immediately.
- File the Public Records Filing / Certificate of Formation with the Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services, fee $125. The filing names your registered agent — a person or entity with a physical New Jersey address, available in business hours.
- Register for NJ taxes (NJ-REG) — formation and tax registration are linked in New Jersey in a way they are not in every state; do both in the same week.
- Operating agreement and EIN as usual: private agreement; EIN free from the IRS.
NJ-2Stay compliant
| Obligation | When | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual report | Yearly, anniversary month | Fee $75. Two consecutive missed reports expose the entity to revocation — New Jersey enforces this one. |
| Registered agent currency | Continuous | Agent or address changes are amendments; file them when they happen, not at renewal. |
NJ-3The New Jersey–Pennsylvania pattern
The Delaware River is a bridge, not a moat: NJ operators routinely serve the Philadelphia suburbs and PA operators serve western New Jersey. The same rule from the Ohio guide applies — where you transact is where you register. An NJ LLC working regularly in Pennsylvania files a PA foreign registration and joins the PA annual-report calendar (LLCs: September 30, $7), on top of New Jersey's. Two-state operators are exactly who the routing quiz was built for.
Where this route hands off
New Jersey plus other states, or agent coverage you don't want to staff yourself? RA Navigator. The Pennsylvania side of a cross-river business? PA CROP.
Continue to RA Navigator →
Or PA CROP Services for Pennsylvania →
Guide content is general information, not legal advice. Fees and deadlines reflect state practice as of October 2026 — verify current figures with the New Jersey Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services before filing. CXI is operated by PA Registered Office Services, LLC, 924 W 23rd St, Erie, PA 16502.