How to Change an LLC Name in 2026: State Amendment Fees, the IRS Notice, and Why Your EIN Stays the Same

To change an LLC name you file an amendment to the articles of organization (Texas calls the document a certificate of formation) with the state that formed the LLC, which costs between $20 in Tennessee and $220 in Delaware in state fees in 2026, and then tell the IRS, either by letter or by checking the "name change" box on the LLC's next Form 1065, 1120-S, or 1120. The EIN stays the same. After that you update the bank, state tax accounts, licenses, and contracts, and if you only want a new brand rather than a new legal name, a DBA often costs less, though not in every state.

Key takeaways:

• The order: members approve, check the name, file the state amendment, notify the IRS, update everyone else. Changing the bank account or invoices before the state accepts the amendment puts a name on paper that does not legally exist yet
• 2026 state fees to rename an LLC: Tennessee $20, Florida $25, Michigan $25, Virginia $25, California $30, New York $60, Texas $150, Nevada $175, Delaware $220
• IRS: a single-member LLC writes a signed letter; a multi-member LLC checks item G, box (3) on Form 1065; an S corporation checks item H, box (2) on Form 1120-S; a C corporation checks item E, box (3) on Form 1120. No fee, and no new EIN
• Form 8822-B does not report a name change; it covers address and responsible-party changes only
• A DBA keeps the legal name and adds a trade name. It is cheaper in Texas ($25 vs $150) and Delaware ($25 vs $220), but costs more than renaming in California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, and Wyoming

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How to Change an LLC Name in Five Steps

Changing an LLC name is a state filing followed by a round of notices; the LLC itself, its EIN, its tax classification, and its contracts all carry over. The steps below apply in every state, with the state-specific forms in the next section.

1. Approve the new name the way the operating agreement requires. Unless the agreement sets a lower vote, plan on every member signing. California's default, where the articles and operating agreement say nothing, is that "any amendment to the articles of organization or operating agreement shall require the unanimous vote of all members" (Cal. Corp. Code §17704.07), and Texas requires approval by all members for any amendment to the certificate of formation unless the company agreement sets a different vote (Tex. Bus. Orgs. Code §101.356(d)). A single-member LLC still signs a one-page written consent, because the bank will ask for it.
2. Check that the new name is available. The state rejects a name that is not distinguishable from one already on its records, and every state requires "Limited Liability Company," "LLC," or a permitted variant in the name. Our business name checker runs the state search; a state search does not clear trademark conflicts, so run the name through the USPTO's free trademark search too.
3. File the amendment with the Secretary of State. The filing restates the LLC's current name and the new one. It takes effect when the state files it unless you choose a later date (6 Del. C. §18-202; Cal. Corp. Code §17702.02). Arizona is the outlier among the 20 states below: the amendment must also be published in a newspaper.
4. Notify the IRS. A letter or a checkbox on the next return, depending on how the LLC is taxed (details below). The EIN does not change.
5. Update everyone else who has the old name: bank accounts and cards, state tax and payroll accounts, sales tax permit, business licenses, insurance, clients' vendor files, contracts, the website, and any states where the LLC is registered as a foreign LLC.

Amend the operating agreement too. It is not filed anywhere, but it names the company, and a buyer, lender, or new member will read it.

How Much Does It Cost to Change an LLC Name?

State fees for an LLC name change run from $20 to $220 across the 20 states below, and the IRS charges nothing. Every fee was read on the Secretary of State, county clerk, or state revenue site on October 6, 2026; the DBA column shows what the cheaper-sounding alternative costs in the same state.

None of the 20 states requires a name reservation or a tax clearance certificate before an LLC changes its name. Online card fees, expedite fees, and certified copies are extra: Texas adds $0.25 plus 2.25% for card payments, Delaware charges $50 for a certified copy, and New York's 24-hour handling costs $25. Tennessee also asks for a copy of the amendment at the county register of deeds, which costs $5 and does not affect whether the change is valid.

Compare a Rename With a DBA in Your State

Changing an LLC Name in California, Texas, Florida, New York, and Delaware

Each of these five states has one rule that catches owners out.

How do I change my LLC name in California?

File the Amendment to Articles of Organization, Name Change Only (Form LLC-2-NA), through bizfile Online for $30. A paper filing delivered in person adds a $15 handling fee, and a certified copy is $5. California law limits what the amendment can do: it changes the name and the articles, while a new address or agent for service of process goes on a Statement of Information instead (Cal. Corp. Code §17702.02(f)). After the Secretary of State files the amendment, update the name with the Franchise Tax Board for Form 568 and the $800 annual tax, with the CDTFA if the LLC holds a seller's permit, and with the county if the LLC had a fictitious business name. A California FBN is a county filing (Los Angeles County charges $26) that must be published once a week for four consecutive weeks within 45 days of filing, which is why renaming the LLC is usually cheaper than adding a DBA in California. Our California business name guide covers the FBN steps.

Can I change my LLC name in Texas?

Yes. File a Certificate of Amendment (Form 424) with the Texas Secretary of State, online through SOSPortal or by mail, for $150; the form asks for the name currently on file and the amendment that replaces it. All members must approve under §101.356(d) of the Business Organizations Code unless the company agreement says otherwise. An Assumed Name Certificate (Form 503) costs $25 and, since September 1, 2019, an LLC files it only with the Secretary of State, not the county. Then update the name on the LLC's franchise tax and sales tax accounts with the Comptroller. The Texas business name guide walks through Form 503.

Florida, New York, and Delaware

Florida takes Articles of Amendment by mail for $25. A reservation is optional: the Division of Corporations holds a name for 120 days for $25 if you send a signed letter, but checking availability on Sunbiz and mailing the amendment the same week does the same job for free. A Florida fictitious name costs $50 and must be advertised once in a newspaper in your county first. New York accepts name-change-only amendments online for $60 through NY Business Express; every other amendment is still paper. The Department of State lists no newspaper step for a name change; New York's LLC publication requirement attaches to the articles of organization at formation. Delaware charges $220 for a Certificate of Amendment under the August 1, 2026 fee schedule (older guides and a 2003 version of the form still say $200). Since February 2, 2026, Delaware DBAs are one $25 statewide filing with the Division of Revenue instead of a filing in each county, which makes the DBA route $195 cheaper there, although a Delaware DBA also needs a Delaware business license.

How Do You Tell the IRS Your LLC Changed Its Name?

The IRS route depends on how the LLC is taxed. The IRS Business name change page has rows for sole proprietorships, partnerships, and corporations, and an LLC follows the row for its federal classification under Treasury Regulation §301.7701-3. There is no fee and no form for the change on its own.

The box positions match the 2025 revisions of Form 1065, Form 1120-S, and Form 1120, the versions filed in 2026. A letter works for every classification and reaches the IRS months before the next return does: give the EIN, the old and new legal names, and the business mailing address, and sign it as the table shows. The IRS page says to ask for an acknowledgment if you need one, which is worth doing when a bank or payment processor wants proof. An LLC whose EIN is so new that its filing requirements are not set yet sends the letter to the address where it will file its return.

Does an LLC need a new EIN after a name change?

No. The IRS page Do you need a new EIN? says it in its second line: "You don't need a new EIN if you just change your business name or address." Publication 1635, Understanding Your EIN, repeats it for each entity type. The EIN identifies the entity, and a renamed LLC is the same entity. An LLC does need a new EIN when the change is structural, such as terminating the LLC and forming a new corporation or partnership, which is a different transaction from a rename. If you have misplaced the number, our guide to finding your EIN lists where it appears.

What changes on Form W-9 and the 1099s you receive

For a single-member LLC, almost nothing. Form W-9 (Rev. March 2024) tells a disregarded entity to "enter the owner's name on line 1, and enter the business/disregarded entity name on line 2," so the rename changes line 2 only, and clients keep matching the owner's name and number. A multi-member LLC or an LLC taxed as a corporation puts its own legal name on line 1, so send clients a fresh W-9 once the IRS has the new name; a W-9 that runs ahead of the IRS record can make a payer's TIN check come back as a mismatch.

Who Else Needs to Know About the New Name?

Everyone who pays the LLC, holds its money, or licenses it keeps the old name until you tell them. Work through this list after the state approves the amendment:

• Bank, card issuers, and payment processors. Banks generally ask for the filed amendment. Ask for new checks and cards; the account number and the EIN stay the same.
• State tax agencies. Income or franchise tax, sales tax permits, and withholding and unemployment insurance accounts each have their own change procedure, and a Secretary of State filing does not update them for you.
• Licenses and permits. City and county business licenses, professional licenses, and industry permits are issued in the legal name.
• Payroll. Update the payroll provider and state payroll accounts so year-end W-2s and Forms 941 carry the name the IRS now has.
• Contracts, leases, insurance, and vendors. Existing contracts stay binding because the party is the same LLC. A short notice letter with "formerly known as" language keeps invoices, purchase orders, and certificates of insurance from bouncing.
• Foreign registrations. If the LLC is registered to do business in other states, each registration still shows the old name until you amend it in that state, with that state's fee.
• Domain, email, and trademarks. The new domain and a USPTO trademark application (a $350 base fee per class) are the brand side; neither is required for the legal rename.

Should You File a DBA Instead of Changing the LLC Name?

File a DBA when you want customers to see a new brand but the LLC's contracts, bank accounts, and tax records can keep the old legal name; change the LLC name when you want the legal identity itself to carry the new brand. A DBA (called an assumed name, fictitious name, or trade name depending on the state) is a registration that lets the LLC operate under a second name. It does not rename anything.

The fee gap is widest in Delaware ($220 vs $25) and Texas ($150 vs $25). It flips in Georgia, where a Fulton County trade name costs $175 plus two weeks of publication against a $30 amendment, and in Illinois, where an assumed name filed in 2026 costs $120 against a $50 amendment. A DBA also adds a second name to keep straight on every invoice and bank deposit. Building Jupid, we see it in bank feeds: customers pay "the brand," the account sits in the legal name, and those deposits are the ones that need a second look.

Worked Examples: What Two Owners Pay

Paloma, a single-member Texas LLC

Paloma's Austin sign shop is a single-member LLC taxed as a disregarded entity. She wants the shop's new brand on her trucks and invoices.

She renames, because the vehicle wraps, the bank account, and the city license will all show the new name and she does not want "d/b/a" on every contract. Total state cost: $150 plus the card fee for paying online; IRS cost: $0; EIN: unchanged. Her W-9 line 1 stays her own name, so her clients' 1099 records do not move.

Henrik and a partner, a two-member California LLC

Henrik's Los Angeles studio is a two-member LLC taxed as a partnership. The members sign a unanimous written consent in October 2026 and file Form LLC-2-NA online for $30. The 2025 Form 1065 is already filed, so a member signs a letter to the IRS now, and the 2026 Form 1065, due March 15, 2027, gets item G, box (3) checked as well. A Los Angeles County FBN for the new name instead would have cost $26 plus four weeks of newspaper notices and would have left the bank account in the old name. They also update the Franchise Tax Board and the CDTFA seller's permit.

What an LLC Name Change Does NOT Do

• It does not create a new LLC or a new EIN. The formation date, the state file number, the EIN, and the tax classification all stay the same. Starting a second LLC for a new venture is a separate formation, priced state by state in our LLC cost guide.
• It does not change how the LLC is taxed. An S election, a partnership classification, or disregarded status carries over. Changing those is a separate election (Form 2553 or Form 8832).
• It does not cancel the old DBA. A fictitious or assumed name registered under the old legal name stays on file until you amend or withdraw it with the office that issued it.
• It does not move the LLC to another state. Changing the state of formation is a conversion or domestication, not an amendment.
• It does not protect the new brand. A state accepts any name distinguishable on its records; only a trademark registration gives exclusive rights, and a state-accepted name can still infringe a registered mark.
• It does not update anyone automatically. The Secretary of State does not notify the IRS, your state tax agency, or your bank.

Common Mistakes When Changing an LLC Name

1. Filing Form 8822-B for the name change. Form 8822-B reports a change of business mailing address, location, or responsible party. A name change goes in a letter or on the return's name-change box.
2. Applying for a new EIN. A second EIN for the same LLC creates two IRS accounts, and returns filed under the new number do not match the payments under the old one.
3. Using the new name before the state files the amendment. Until the amendment is effective, contracts signed in the new name are signed by a company that does not exist on the state's records.
4. Forgetting Arizona's publication. An Arizona name change must be published three consecutive times within 60 days after the Corporation Commission approves it, unless the statutory agent's county has more than 800,000 people, in which case the Commission posts the notice (A.R.S. §29-3202).
5. Assuming Delaware still costs $200. The August 1, 2026 fee schedule lists the domestic LLC Certificate of Amendment at $220, so a $200 check copied from an old guide or the 2003 form is $20 short.
6. Leaving foreign registrations on the old name. An LLC qualified in three states needs four amendments: the home state plus each foreign registration.

A Ledger That Follows the New Name: How Jupid Helps

A rename splits a year's records into "before" and "after," and the bank feed often shows both names for a while. Jupid connects to the LLC's bank account and categorizes every transaction at 95.9% accuracy, so deposits under the new brand and the old one land in the same books without a manual merge. Ask the AI accountant in WhatsApp or iMessage what the $150 amendment counts as, and the answer comes back in the chat. If the new name is really a new venture, Jupid forms a new LLC for free, you pay only the state filing fee, and the AI accountant keeps the books and taxes running after the filing. Try Jupid.

Action Checklist

• Get every member's written consent to the new name (or the vote your operating agreement requires)
• Search the name on the state business database and the USPTO trademark search
• File the amendment with the Secretary of State (Texas Form 424, California LLC-2-NA, Florida Articles of Amendment, New York DOS-1358-f, Delaware Certificate of Amendment)
• Arizona only: publish the amendment three times within 60 days unless the Commission posts it
• Mail a signed name-change letter to the IRS, or check the name-change box on the next Form 1065, 1120-S, or 1120
• Send the filed amendment to the bank and update state tax, payroll, and license accounts
• Amend each foreign registration and withdraw or amend any DBA under the old name
• Update the operating agreement and send clients a new W-9 if the LLC's name is on line 1

Sources

• IRS: Business name change: actions by business type, who signs
• IRS: Do you need a new EIN? and Publication 1635, Understanding Your EIN
• IRS: Form 1065, Form 1120-S, and Form 1120 (2025 revisions): name change check boxes
• IRS: Form 8822-B (Rev. December 2019) and Form W-9 (Rev. March 2024)
• Treasury Regulation §301.7701-3: default classification of LLCs
• Cal. Corp. Code §17702.02 and §17704.07; 6 Del. C. §18-202; Tex. Bus. Orgs. Code §101.356; A.R.S. §29-3202
• California SOS: LLC forms and fees and Los Angeles County FBN fees
• Texas SOS: Form 424 instructions and Form 503 instructions
• Florida Division of Corporations: Articles of Amendment (CR2E049) and Fictitious Name Registration (CR4E001)
• New York DOS: Certificate of Amendment, name change only and Certificate of Assumed Name
• Delaware Division of Corporations: Fee Schedule (August 1, 2026) and Division of Revenue: Trade names FAQ
• State fee pages for the other states in the table: Arizona Corporation Commission (L015 instructions), Colorado SOS, Georgia SOS (CD 115), Illinois SOS, Massachusetts Corporations Division, Michigan LARA fee schedule, Nevada SOS, New Jersey alternate names, North Carolina SOS (L-17), Ohio SOS, Pennsylvania DOS fictitious names, Tennessee SOS, Virginia SCC, Washington SOS and Department of Revenue trade names, Wyoming SOS fee schedule
• USPTO fee schedule: trademark base application fee

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This guide is for general educational purposes and does not constitute tax, legal, or accounting advice. State filing fees, forms, and DBA rules change; the 20-state table reflects fees read on official state and county sites on October 6, 2026, and county DBA fees vary within a state. For advice specific to your LLC, consult a qualified attorney or tax professional in the formation state.