After You Form Your LLC: The First-30-Days Checklist

By MercConsulting · Published 2026-07-18

A sequenced 30-day checklist for new LLC owners: EIN, bank account, operating agreement, bookkeeping, licenses, and insurance — in the right order.

Once your Certificate of Formation comes back approved, you have ten things to handle in the next thirty days: get your EIN, open a dedicated business bank account, sign an operating agreement, set up bookkeeping, confirm your licenses and insurance, and calendar your compliance dates. Do them in roughly that order and your LLC actually functions as the liability shield and tax entity it's supposed to be — skip them and you're running an unincorporated business with a certificate in a drawer.

Most new owners treat the state's approval email as the finish line. It isn't. The certificate tells the world your LLC exists; it says nothing about whether you've separated its finances from yours, or whether the liability protection actually holds up if someone ever sues. That protection depends on how the entity is run in the first ninety days, not just how it was filed.

Below is the sequenced version of that to-do list — what has to happen in week one versus what can wait until week four, and which single mistake causes the most damage down the line.

"I filed the LLC in an afternoon and then didn't touch it again for two months. By the time I went to open the bank account, I'd already run three client payments through my personal Venmo. My accountant spent longer untangling that than I spent forming the company in the first place."

The Checklist at a Glance: Ten Items, Thirty Days

Here's the sequence, condensed. Each gets its own section below with specifics — where to file, what to bring, what to avoid.

Week 1: Get Your EIN Directly from the IRS (Free)

Your Employer Identification Number is the LLC's equivalent of a Social Security number — the IRS uses it to track tax filings, and every bank will ask for it before opening an account in the LLC's name. Apply directly at IRS.gov using the online EIN assistant: free, about ten minutes, and it issues the number the same session in most cases.

The only real prerequisite is that your LLC has to be approved by the state first, since the IRS needs a legal entity to attach the number to. If you formed through the standard Texas LLC filing process, that means waiting on the Secretary of State's confirmation first — usually just a few business days.

Week 1: Open a Dedicated Business Bank Account

This is the step that actually protects you. An LLC's liability shield depends on the business being treated, financially, as its own thing — separate from your personal accounts and spending. Running revenue and expenses through a personal checking account is the fastest way to hand a future creditor the argument that the LLC is a fiction and you should be personally liable anyway.

To open the account, most banks will want:

• Your EIN confirmation letter (the IRS's CP 575, or the online confirmation screen)
• Your filed Certificate of Formation from the Texas Secretary of State
• Your operating agreement — some banks require it, others just ask if one exists
• A government-issued ID for each authorized signer
• An initial deposit, often as low as $25–$100

Once open, route every dollar of business revenue and expense through it — no "I'll just pay this one out of pocket." If you occasionally cover a cost personally, document it as a capital contribution or loan to the LLC rather than letting it blur into an untracked mix.

Week 2: Sign an Operating Agreement That Matches Reality

Texas doesn't legally require an operating agreement, which is exactly why so many single-member LLCs skip it — and exactly why that's a mistake. Without one, your LLC defaults to generic Texas Business Organizations Code rules not written with your business in mind, and offers no proof you're actually running the company as a separate entity if that question ever gets tested.

The document itself doesn't need to be long. For a straightforward single-member LLC, it typically covers:

• Who owns the LLC and in what percentage
• How profits and losses are allocated and distributed
• How major decisions get made and documented
• What happens if a member wants to sell, exit, or add a new member
• Whether the LLC is member-managed or manager-managed, and who can sign contracts

For multi-member LLCs it earns its keep even faster: it settles a disagreement between partners before it becomes a dispute, and lenders often ask to see it. For more on what the liability protection depends on, see our breakdown of LLC asset protection basics.

Week 2: Set Up Bookkeeping Before the Transactions Pile Up

The best time to set up bookkeeping is before you have transactions to categorize, not after three months of bank statements pile up unsorted. At minimum, week two should include:

• A chart of accounts — even a simple one — so income and expenses land consistently from day one
• A bookkeeping tool or spreadsheet connected to your new business bank account
• A decision on cash versus accrual accounting, made with your accountant rather than defaulted into
• A system for saving receipts tied to the business account, not scattered across email and a shoebox

This is also the point to decide whether you're handling books yourself, hiring a bookkeeper, or working with a firm that runs bookkeeping and tax strategy together so the two don't drift apart — the kind of ongoing work our business formation and back-office services are built to take off your plate.

Week 3: Confirm Licenses, Permits, and Insurance for Your Work

Forming an LLC and being licensed to do business are separate approvals from separate agencies, and conflating them is one of the most common — and most expensive — new-owner mistakes. The Secretary of State confirms your entity exists; it says nothing about zoning, industry licensing, or sales tax.

Depending on what you do and where, week three might involve:

• A general business license or certificate of occupancy from your city or county
• An industry-specific state license (contracting, food service, real estate, and dozens of other fields all have their own boards)
• A Texas sales tax permit from the Comptroller, if you sell taxable goods or services
• Zoning confirmation if you're operating from home or a newly leased space

Our guide to which business licenses you actually need in Texas breaks this down by industry if you're not sure where your business falls.

Insurance belongs in the same week: an LLC limits your personal liability, but does nothing to protect the business from a claim, lawsuit, or accident. General liability coverage — plus anything trade-specific, like professional liability, commercial auto, or workers' compensation once you have employees — is what absorbs those hits instead of draining the company's account or forcing you to close it.

Week 4: Calendar Your Compliance Dates and Start Business Credit

The last week is about things that won't demand attention today but will later if you forget them. Texas LLCs owe an annual Franchise Tax report and Public Information Report to the Comptroller — many small LLCs owe $0 in actual tax under the no-tax-due threshold, but the report is still required, and missing it repeatedly can push your LLC into "not in good standing" or eventually forfeited status. Calendar it with a reminder well before it's due, not the week of.

This is also when to start building credit under the business's own EIN, separate from your personal score. A secured business card or small vendor trade line reporting to Dun & Bradstreet or Experian Business builds a history the LLC will need the first time it wants to borrow without you personally guaranteeing everything.

What Can Wait — and What Absolutely Cannot

Not everything on a new-LLC checklist carries equal weight, and treating them all as equally urgent just leads to paralysis. Two things cannot wait past week one: the EIN, because almost nothing else on this list works without it, and the separate bank account, because every day you run business money through a personal account is a day that weakens the liability protection you formed the LLC to get.

Everything else has more flexibility, but not unlimited. An operating agreement sitting half-finished for six months is still a liability gap. Bookkeeping you meant to set up "once things settle down" gets harder the longer transactions pile up unsorted. Licenses and insurance can sometimes trail your first quiet weeks, but not your first client or sale — check what your specific work requires first. If you're weighing whether an LLC was even the right structure, our comparison of LLC, S-corp, and C-corp tax treatment is worth a look before you're locked into elections that are harder to unwind later.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get an EIN for my new LLC?

Apply through the IRS's online EIN assistant at IRS.gov after your LLC is approved by the state. It's free, takes about ten minutes, and issues your EIN immediately in most cases. Avoid third-party sites that charge for the same free service.

What documents do I need to open an LLC bank account?

Most banks require your EIN confirmation letter, your filed Certificate of Formation from the Texas Secretary of State, a government-issued ID for each signer, and often your operating agreement. Requirements vary by bank, so it's worth calling ahead before your appointment.

Do I need an operating agreement for a single-member LLC?

Texas doesn't legally require one, but skipping it is a mistake. It's one of the clearest pieces of evidence that your LLC runs as a genuine separate entity, and banks and lenders often ask to see it. Without one, your LLC defaults to generic state rules not written for your business.

How soon after forming an LLC can I start doing business?

Technically as soon as the state approves your filing, but practically you should have your EIN, bank account, and any required licenses in place first. Taking on clients before those exist mixes personal and business finances from day one, which undercuts the liability protection you formed the LLC to get.

This article is for educational purposes only and is not legal, tax, or investment advice. Consult qualified professionals about your specific situation.