Kentucky Certificate of Authority / Cost
What a Kentucky certificate of authority costs, and what keeping it costs
The Kentucky certificate of authority costs $90 to obtain, $15 each year in annual report fees, $40 to amend and $40 to surrender. The certificate plus the first annual report totals $105. We add $199 for preparing and filing, and Kentucky's price does not vary with the entity type.
Every Kentucky fee a certificate holder meets
| Filing | Fee | Form |
|---|---|---|
| Application for certificate of authority | $90 | FBE |
| Annual report | $15 | Online or paper |
| Correcting a filed annual report | $15 | Online or paper |
| Amended certificate of authority | $40 | FCA |
| Statement changing registered agent or office | $10 | RAC |
| Statement changing the principal office | $10 | POC |
| Certificate of withdrawal | $40 | WFE |
| Agent resignation | No charge | SRA |
Any other document that a foreign entity is required or permitted to file costs $15.
The same price for each entity type
| Entity | Application fee |
|---|---|
| LLC | $90 |
| Corporation | $90 |
| Nonprofit corporation | $90 |
| Limited partnership | $90 |
| Limited liability partnership (statement of foreign qualification) | $90 |
The county clerk's copy
Separately from the state, the county clerk of the registered office's county receives a copy of the application. Under KRS 64.012 the clerk's price is $33 for a copy of 5 pages or fewer, $3 for each page after that, and $4 for each added reference to the same instrument. Amendments, withdrawals and agent or office changes carry the same copy requirement. Obtaining the certificate with the clerk copy comes to $123.
What a certificate holder spends
| Path | Total to Kentucky |
|---|---|
| Certificate only | $90 |
| Certificate and the clerk copy | $123 |
| Certificate, clerk copy and first annual report | $138 |
| Certificate and one agent change | $100 |
| Certificate and one amendment | $130 |
| Certificate, three annual reports and withdrawal | $175 |
The county clerk's copy is left out of the last four rows, and so are our fee and anything charged by a home state or a commercial registered agent.
The cost of not having the certificate
Kentucky bills $2 for each day an entity transacts business without a certificate. At that rate a quarter, 90 days, costs $180, and a full year $730. The penalty is owed in addition to the $90 application fee, and it is not the whole cost: the entity also cannot sue in Kentucky until the certificate exists.
What our fee covers
For $199 we draft the thirteen statements, gather the agent's written consent, submit the application, prepare the copy for the county clerk and send back the filed record with your report window. Kentucky's fee appears as its own line, as does any charge from the clerk, a home state or a commercial agent.
Costs that Kentucky does not collect
Amending the certificate: what the form covers
Form FCA, the application for an amended certificate, costs $40. It identifies the entity, says when it received authority, and then checks which of these changed: the Kentucky name, the home-state name, the jurisdiction of organization, the period of duration, the form of organization and the management type. Agent or office changes are left off that list because the cheaper Form RAC covers them for $10. The same goes for a new principal office address, which uses Form POC for $10.
Name services
Most foreign entities use their home name and pay nothing extra. Kentucky offers a reserved name for 120 days at $15, and a registered name at $36. A name is only worth reserving if you need to keep it free while you finish the application.
Paying the state
The Secretary of State takes cash, check, a prepaid account, or a debit or credit card issued by an approved issuer. Paper checks are made out to the Kentucky State Treasurer.
Registered agent: first year included, then $149 a year
$199 plus the state fee, including your first year of registered agent service; after that the agent service renews at $149 a year.
Cost questions
Do corporations pay more than LLCs?
No. Kentucky lists $90 for every entity type on Form FBE.
Do I owe the annual report fee in the first year?
No. The first report belongs to the following calendar year, at $15.
Is there a fee for the registered agent to resign?
No. The resignation statement carries no filing fee.
Our fee and the state's
Get my Kentucky certificate
+ $90 Kentucky fee
Our fee and Kentucky's $90 appear as separate lines at checkout. $199 plus the state fee, including your first year of registered agent service; after that the agent service renews at $149 a year.
$199
Kentucky Certificate of Authority
- The Certificate of Authority (Foreign Business Entity) (Form FBE), completed from your answers
- The registered agent's written consent, gathered and attached
- A Kentucky registered agent and street office: ours, or the ones you already have
- The application submitted, the filed certificate returned to you, and your annual report window noted
- Renewal: after the first year, the agent service renews at $149 a year
Sources
- Kentucky Secretary of State, business filing fees
- Kentucky FastTrack, apply for a certificate of authority
- KRS 14A.6-010, annual report
- Kentucky Secretary of State, annual reports
- Kentucky Form FBE, certificate of authority for a foreign business entity
- Kentucky Form FCA, amended certificate of authority
- Kentucky Form WFE, certificate of withdrawal of a foreign business entity
- Kentucky Form RAC, changing a registered agent or registered office
- Kentucky Form POC, moving a principal office address
- KRS 64.012, fees of county clerks
- KRS 14A.2-040, copies filed with the county clerk
- KRS 14A.9-020, consequences of transacting business without authority
- KRS 14A.9-040, amended certificate of authority
- KRS 14A.4-020, changing the registered office or agent
- KRS 14A.5-010, a new principal office address
Ready for the certificate?
Tell us the entity type and the state that formed it, and we start the application.