Definitions

LLC glossary: legal words in plain English

One plain sentence per term, with a page of detail behind each.

By the Plain Charter editorial team · Reviewed and updated November 12, 2026

A to Z

Annual report: A recurring state filing, often yearly, that refreshes the company's public record and keeps it in good standing.
Articles of organization: The document filed with the state that creates the LLC. It names the company, its registered agent and usually its organizer.
Certificate of good standing: An official letter from the state confirming the LLC exists and owes no overdue filings.
EIN: The federal tax ID for a business. Banks usually ask for it before opening a business account.
Foreign LLC: An LLC doing business in a state other than the one where it was formed. Foreign means out of state, not out of the country.
Foreign registration: Getting permission from a second state for an LLC that already exists. Also known as foreign qualification.
Member: An LLC's owner, whether one person or several.
Minimum LLC tax: The least an LLC can owe some states in tax each year, even with no income.
Operating agreement: The rulebook the owners write for their LLC. The state does not usually see it.
Organizer: The person or business that files the paperwork creating the LLC.
Publication requirement: Placing a legal notice about the new LLC in print, as a handful of states require.
Registered agent: The contact on public record who receives court papers and state notices for the LLC, at a physical address in that state.
Registered office: The physical address the state keeps on record for the LLC's registered agent.
Service of process: The formal delivery of a lawsuit or other legal papers. The registered agent receives them for the LLC.
Statutory agent, resident agent and other names: Other words for a registered agent. Which one applies depends on the state's law.