How to Start a Consulting Business in Nevada

November 5, 2026

Last verified: November 5, 2026

A consulting practice is one of the cheaper businesses to start in Nevada: the one filing the law requires of nearly everyone is the $200 State Business License, and the LLC is optional. This guide gives the state fees, the consulting specialties that need a professional license, what a home-based consultant still owes the city or county, and the order to do it in.

What a Nevada Consulting Business Has to Do

The law requires one thing of almost every consultant in Nevada: a State Business License from the Secretary of State, which costs $200 a year for a sole proprietor or an LLC (NRS 76.100). The LLC is a choice, not a requirement. Our view: if you are a solo consultant with no employees and few assets at risk, you can start as a sole proprietor for $200 plus any city or county license, and add an LLC ($225 more in the first year) once clients, contracts or assets make liability protection worth paying for. That is reasoning from the fee schedule, not legal advice; a Nevada attorney can tell you whether your contracts call for an LLC on day one.

Two things apply to consultants that generic guides skip. First, a few kinds of consulting are licensed professions in Nevada (engineering, investment advice, accounting), and calling it "consulting" does not remove the license. Second, an LLC protects your personal assets from business debts, but it does not replace professional liability insurance for a client claim about your own advice. Both are covered below.

Reminder: Nevada taxes business, not only income. The State Business License is annual, the Modified Business Tax applies once you pay wages, and the Commerce Tax applies only above $4,000,000 in Nevada gross revenue. Each is explained in its own section below.

What You Need Before You Start

Information to Gather

• Business name: It must be distinguishable on the Secretary of State's records from every other filed or reserved name. If you will trade under a name that is not your legal name or your entity's filed name, that is a fictitious firm name filed with the county clerk, not with the Secretary of State.
• Registered agent: Every Nevada entity needs one. The filing must give an actual Nevada street address (or rural route box number), and a PO Box does not qualify as that address (NRS 77.300). You can serve as your own agent if you have a Nevada street address; otherwise you hire a commercial agent. Details: Nevada registered agent requirements.
• Manager or member names and addresses: The Initial List of Managers or Managing Members is filed with the articles.
• Operating agreement: Optional and not filed with the state, but a multi-member LLC should have one.
• Payment method: Fees are paid when you file through the state portal.

Step-by-Step Formation Process

Step 1: Pick Sole Proprietorship, LLC or Corporation

The state-fee difference between structures is the clearest way to choose. These figures come from the statutes cited in the cost table below.

• Sole proprietorship: No formation filing. You still need the $200 State Business License before you conduct business, plus any local license. First-year state cost: $200.
• LLC: $75 for the articles, $150 for the Initial List and $200 for the State Business License. First-year state cost: $425; $350 a year after that ($150 annual list plus $200 license).
• Corporation: $75 for the articles at the lowest share tier, $150 for the Initial List and $500 for the State Business License. First-year state cost: $725 at the lowest tier, and the annual list rises with authorized shares. A solo consultant rarely needs it.

For the full LLC process, see the Nevada LLC guide. If you would rather not file the paperwork yourself, compare Nevada LLC formation services. If you plan to elect S-corporation tax treatment later, Nevada LLC vs S-Corp explains the trade-off; ask a CPA before electing.

Step 2: Check Whether Your Consulting Is a Licensed Profession

Management, strategy, marketing, human resources and IT consulting do not need a state professional license of their own in the sources we checked, but three common specialties do:

• Engineering: Practicing professional engineering requires a license from the Nevada State Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors under NRS chapter 625; unlicensed practice is an offense under NRS 625.520.
• Investment advice: It is unlawful to transact business in Nevada as an investment adviser, or as an adviser's representative, unless licensed or exempt (NRS 90.330). The state's securities regulator is the Securities Division of the Secretary of State. Federal registration rules can also apply, so ask a securities attorney before you advise anyone on investments.
• Accounting: Accounting work that falls under public-accountancy law is regulated by the Nevada State Board of Accountancy under NRS chapter 628. Consulting on systems or budgeting is different from attest or CPA work; confirm the line with the Board.

Consulting in healthcare, real estate, insurance or gaming has its own licensing tracks. If your service touches one of those, check the regulator before you file anything.

Step 3: Search and, If Needed, Reserve the Name

Search the Nevada Secretary of State business entity search for names that are the same or too close. Nevada requires an LLC name to contain "Limited-Liability Company," "Limited Liability Company," "Limited Company," or "Limited," or an abbreviation (Ltd., L.L.C., L.C., LLC or LC); "Company" may be written "Co." (NRS 86.171). If you need time before filing, the Secretary of State's name reservation costs $25 and holds a name for 90 days (page read from a Wayback Machine snapshot dated September 26, 2026). More on this: Nevada business name search and reservation.

Step 4: File the Articles and Initial List (LLC Only)

File through Nevada's ORION business portal, the successor to SilverFlume. The articles of organization fee is $75 (NRS 86.561), and the Initial List of Managers or Managing Members is $150 (NRS 86.263). The articles name the company, its registered agent and its address, and whether it is manager-managed or member-managed (most single-owner consulting LLCs are member-managed).

Faster service is optional. By statute the Secretary of State may charge up to $125 for service within 24 hours, up to $500 within 2 hours and up to $1,000 within 1 hour (NRS 225.140); those are ceilings, and the office's current schedule is on its forms and fees page. We could not read the current schedule or a published turnaround time from here, so confirm both with the Secretary of State before you pay for expedited service.

Step 5: Get the State Business License

The Secretary of State issues the State Business License, not the Department of Taxation. An entity that files an initial or annual list gets the license when it files the list, and anyone else (a sole proprietor, for example) must have it before conducting business (NRS 76.100). The fee is $200, or $500 for a corporation.

The Secretary of State's State Business License FAQ (read from a Wayback Machine snapshot dated October 14, 2026) says renewal is due on the last day of the anniversary month and a late renewal carries a $100 penalty. Mark that date; see Nevada annual list and license renewal.

Step 6: Register for Taxes

• Sales tax permit: Nevada's base state sales tax rate is 6.85%, and the permit costs $15 per location (Department of Taxation: start and run a business). Whether a given advisory or training service is taxable is a Department of Taxation question; ask before you decide you owe none, and register if you also sell taxable goods.
• Modified Business Tax: This applies when you pay employees. The general business rate is 1.17% of quarterly wages above $50,000, effective July 1, 2023, and all employers file even when nothing is due (Department of Taxation: Modified Business Tax). A solo consultant with no payroll has nothing to pay. See the Nevada Modified Business Tax guide.
• Unemployment insurance: Employers register through the Nevada unemployment insurance program. See also Nevada workers' compensation requirements before your first hire.
• Commerce Tax: This applies only to businesses with Nevada gross revenue above $4,000,000 in a fiscal year (Department of Taxation: Commerce Tax). Professional, scientific and technical services (NAICS 54), which is where consulting usually falls, pay 0.181% of the revenue above $4,000,000 (NRS 363C.460). Most new consulting practices never reach it. See Nevada Commerce Tax explained.

Step 7: Get Your City or County License

The state license does not replace the city or county license. In Clark County your primary business location decides which of six licensing jurisdictions you apply to, and many addresses with a Las Vegas mailing address are in unincorporated Clark County, not the City of Las Vegas (Clark County: apply for a business license). Start with the City of Las Vegas business license page or the County's jurisdiction look-up. In the north, see the City of Reno business license guide and the Washoe County business license page. Fees are set locally; we do not quote a range because it differs by jurisdiction and business type.

If you trade under a name other than your legal or filed entity name, file a fictitious firm name certificate with the county clerk (NRS chapter 602). Clark County charges $25 for a new or renewal certificate (Clark County Clerk fee schedule), and the owner name on it must match the entity name on your State Business License. Other counties set their own fee. See Nevada DBA registration.

Step 8: Open a Bank Account and Get an EIN

Apply for an EIN from the IRS employer identification number page. It is free; do not pay a look-alike site for it. A single-member LLC with no employees may not be required to have one, but banks usually ask for it before opening a business account, and you need one to hire. Details: how to get an EIN in Nevada.

Running a Consulting Business From Home

Most solo consultants work from a home office, and your residential address can be your business address for the state license. The part that varies is local: your city or county decides whether a home business needs its own license or permit, and zoning decides whether clients can visit. Check both with the jurisdiction in Step 7 before you list your home as the business address. The Nevada home-based business guide covers the common zoning questions.

Costs

Item	Cost	Where to confirm
State Business License, sole proprietor or LLC (annual)	$200	NRS 76.100
LLC articles of organization	$75	NRS 86.561
LLC Initial List and annual list	$150 each	NRS 86.263
LLC, first-year state total	$425 ($350 a year after)	Sum of the three rows above
Name reservation (optional)	$25 for 90 days	Secretary of State: name reservation
Expedited filing (optional)	Up to $125, $500 or $1,000	NRS 225.140 (ceilings)
Sales tax permit, if you sell taxable items	$15 per location	Department of Taxation
Fictitious firm name, Clark County	$25	Clark County Clerk
City or county business license	Set by each jurisdiction	Your city or county licensing office (Step 7)
Registered agent, if you hire one	Set by the provider	Free if you serve as your own agent
EIN	Free	IRS

Mistakes That Cost Consultants Money

• Missing the annual list and license renewal: The Secretary of State's FAQ lists a $100 late penalty on the license, and the annual list is due the same month. Set a reminder for the last day of your anniversary month.
• Branding under a name you never filed: If you market as "XYZ Strategies" and your entity is "ABC Holdings LLC," file the fictitious firm name with the county clerk.
• Treating the LLC as insurance: An LLC separates business debts from your personal assets. A client who says your advice cost them money can still bring a claim against the business, and professional liability (errors and omissions) insurance is what answers it. Premiums vary by specialty and revenue, so get quotes; see Nevada business insurance.
• Assuming the state license covers the city: Las Vegas, Henderson, Reno and the other jurisdictions license separately.
• Calling regulated work "consulting": Engineering, investment advice and accountancy stay regulated under any job title (Step 2).

A sensible order: confirm that your specialty is not licensed, pick the structure, file (or skip) the LLC, get the State Business License, then the city or county license, then the EIN and bank account, then sales tax and payroll registrations only if they apply to you.

Sources

• Nevada Revised Statutes, chapter 76: NRS 76.100, State Business License
• Nevada Revised Statutes, chapter 86: NRS 86.171, 86.263, 86.561 (LLC name, lists, fees)
• Nevada Revised Statutes, chapter 77: NRS 77.300 (registered agent addresses)
• Nevada Revised Statutes, chapter 225: NRS 225.140 (Secretary of State service fees)
• Nevada Revised Statutes, chapter 363C: NRS 363C.460 (Commerce Tax, NAICS 54)
• Nevada Revised Statutes, chapters 625, 628, 90 and 602 (engineers, accountants, investment advisers, fictitious firm names)
• Nevada Secretary of State: State Business License FAQ (Wayback Machine snapshot, October 14, 2026)
• Nevada Secretary of State: Name reservation (Wayback Machine snapshot, September 26, 2026)
• Nevada Secretary of State: Business entity search, ORION business portal and forms and fees
• Nevada Department of Taxation: Start and run a business, Modified Business Tax and Commerce Tax
• Nevada unemployment insurance; Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors; State Board of Accountancy; Securities Division
• Local: Clark County business license guide, Clark County Clerk fees, City of Las Vegas, City of Reno, Washoe County
• Federal and help: IRS: employer identification number, Nevada Small Business Development Center (free advising for startups) and U.S. Small Business Administration, Nevada

Disclaimer

This article is general information, not legal, tax or business advice. Your structure, licensing and tax obligations depend on the kind of consulting you do and where in Nevada you work. Confirm them with a Nevada business attorney and a CPA, and with the agencies named above, before you file.