Glossary

What LLC terms really mean

Fifteen LLC terms, translated into regular language, with a page that shows how states handle each one.

From the LLC Plainly editorial teamUpdated on November 13, 2026

The whole list

Annual report: What it meansA recurring report to the state. Skip it and you can lose good standing.
Articles of organization: What it meansYour LLC's birth certificate. You file it, pay the fee and the state records it.
Certificate of good standing: What it meansA paper from your home state that says your LLC exists and is up to date. Many states ask for one when you register there.
EIN: What it meansAn IRS-issued number that identifies your business.
Foreign LLC: What it meansAn LLC that does business in a state other than the one that formed it. Foreign here means out of state, not out of the country.
Foreign registration: What it meansGetting a second state's permission for your existing LLC to operate there.
Member: What it meansThe LLC word for owner.
Minimum LLC tax: What it meansYour state's yearly floor for taxing an LLC: owed in good years and bad ones, and billed separately from any report.
Operating agreement: What it meansThe LLC's rulebook, written by the owners.
Organizer: What it meansWhoever submits the formation filing. Their job is done once the LLC exists.
Publication requirement: What it meansSome states want a published notice about your brand-new LLC, followed by proof of publication. How much you pay depends on the newspaper, so the cost varies. Where it applies, put it on your formation checklist.
Registered agent: What it meansA named in-state address and contact that gets your LLC's lawsuits and state mail.
Registered office: What it meansWhere legal papers actually get delivered: a real street address.
Service of process: What it meansDelivery of a summons or complaint. The agent signs for it on the LLC's behalf.
Statutory agent, resident agent and other names: What it meansStatutory agent, resident agent and similar labels mean the same role as a registered agent.