Counselors
LPC- LLC
- Yes
- PLLC
- Yes
- Professional corporation
- Yes
Licensing board: Colorado State Board of Licensed Professional Counselor Examiners (DORA DPO)
Join the waitlist for your counseling practiceLoading the guide
Which business structures each therapy license may use, where to file and what it costs, the taxes to expect, and the order to do it in. Every fee shows the date we checked it.
For all four licenses, we confirmed: LLC and PLLC and Professional corporation. A sole proprietorship works in every state and needs no company filing.
From state law and board rules as we last read them, not advice for your situation. “Yes” means we confirmed it. When we could not, the card says to confirm with your board.
Licensing board: Colorado State Board of Licensed Professional Counselor Examiners (DORA DPO)
Join the waitlist for your counseling practiceLicensing board: Colorado State Board of Marriage and Family Therapist Examiners (DORA DPO)
Join the waitlist for your marriage and family therapy practiceLicensing board: Colorado State Board of Social Work Examiners (DORA DPO)
Join the waitlist for your social work practiceLicensing board: Colorado State Board of Psychologist Examiners (DORA DPO)
Join the waitlist for your psychology practiceCounselors: C.R.S. 7-80-103: a Colorado LLC may be formed for any lawful business, subject to the laws that regulate that business. C.R.S. 12-245-213(1) says licensees "may, but are not required to," form professional service corporations for the practice of psychology, social work, marriage and family therapy, professional counseling or addiction counseling, so an ordinary LLC is allowed. For that section, "corporation" includes an LLC organized under the Colorado LLC Act (12-245-213(7)(b)); this is Colorado's professional LLC, and there is no separate PLLC filing. A professional service LLC or corporation must have a name containing "professional company" or "professional corporation" or an abbreviation (12-245-213(1)(a)), and an LLC name must also contain an LLC designator such as "LLC" (C.R.S. 7-90-601(3)(c)); "PLLC" is a permitted abbreviation for an LLC that title 12 allows to use "professional company" (7-90-601(5)(b)). Its articles or operating agreement must make all owners jointly and severally liable for the acts, errors and omissions of its employees, except while it carries professional liability insurance of at least $100,000 per claim and $300,000 per year for each licensee it employs; no more than $300,000 per claim and $900,000 per year is required (12-245-213(1)(e)). Lay directors and officers may not exercise authority over professional matters (12-245-213(1)(d)), and each licensee stays individually responsible for his or her own professional acts. Neither 12-245-213 nor the State Board of Licensed Professional Counselor Examiners rules (4 CCR 737-1) require registering the entity with the board.
Marriage and family therapists: C.R.S. 7-80-103: a Colorado LLC may be formed for any lawful business, subject to the laws that regulate that business. C.R.S. 12-245-213(1) says licensees "may, but are not required to," form professional service corporations for the practice of psychology, social work, marriage and family therapy, professional counseling or addiction counseling, so an ordinary LLC is allowed. For that section, "corporation" includes an LLC organized under the Colorado LLC Act (12-245-213(7)(b)); this is Colorado's professional LLC, and there is no separate PLLC filing. A professional service LLC or corporation must have a name containing "professional company" or "professional corporation" or an abbreviation (12-245-213(1)(a)), and an LLC name must also contain an LLC designator such as "LLC" (C.R.S. 7-90-601(3)(c)); "PLLC" is a permitted abbreviation for an LLC that title 12 allows to use "professional company" (7-90-601(5)(b)). Its articles or operating agreement must make all owners jointly and severally liable for the acts, errors and omissions of its employees, except while it carries professional liability insurance of at least $100,000 per claim and $300,000 per year for each licensee it employs; no more than $300,000 per claim and $900,000 per year is required (12-245-213(1)(e)). Lay directors and officers may not exercise authority over professional matters (12-245-213(1)(d)), and each licensee stays individually responsible for his or her own professional acts. Neither 12-245-213 nor the State Board of Marriage and Family Therapist Examiners rules (4 CCR 736-1) require registering the entity with the board.
Social workers: C.R.S. 7-80-103: a Colorado LLC may be formed for any lawful business, subject to the laws that regulate that business. C.R.S. 12-245-213(1) says licensees "may, but are not required to," form professional service corporations for the practice of psychology, social work, marriage and family therapy, professional counseling or addiction counseling, so an ordinary LLC is allowed. For that section, "corporation" includes an LLC organized under the Colorado LLC Act (12-245-213(7)(b)); this is Colorado's professional LLC, and there is no separate PLLC filing. A professional service LLC or corporation must have a name containing "professional company" or "professional corporation" or an abbreviation (12-245-213(1)(a)), and an LLC name must also contain an LLC designator such as "LLC" (C.R.S. 7-90-601(3)(c)); "PLLC" is a permitted abbreviation for an LLC that title 12 allows to use "professional company" (7-90-601(5)(b)). Its articles or operating agreement must make all owners jointly and severally liable for the acts, errors and omissions of its employees, except while it carries professional liability insurance of at least $100,000 per claim and $300,000 per year for each licensee it employs; no more than $300,000 per claim and $900,000 per year is required (12-245-213(1)(e)). Lay directors and officers may not exercise authority over professional matters (12-245-213(1)(d)), and each licensee stays individually responsible for his or her own professional acts. Neither 12-245-213 nor the State Board of Social Work Examiners rules (4 CCR 726-1) require registering the entity with the board.
Psychologists: C.R.S. 7-80-103: a Colorado LLC may be formed for any lawful business, subject to the laws that regulate that business. C.R.S. 12-245-213(1) says licensees "may, but are not required to," form professional service corporations for the practice of psychology, social work, marriage and family therapy, professional counseling or addiction counseling, so an ordinary LLC is allowed. For that section, "corporation" includes an LLC organized under the Colorado LLC Act (12-245-213(7)(b)); this is Colorado's professional LLC, and there is no separate PLLC filing. A professional service LLC or corporation must have a name containing "professional company" or "professional corporation" or an abbreviation (12-245-213(1)(a)), and an LLC name must also contain an LLC designator such as "LLC" (C.R.S. 7-90-601(3)(c)); "PLLC" is a permitted abbreviation for an LLC that title 12 allows to use "professional company" (7-90-601(5)(b)). Its articles or operating agreement must make all owners jointly and severally liable for the acts, errors and omissions of its employees, except while it carries professional liability insurance of at least $100,000 per claim and $300,000 per year for each licensee it employs; no more than $300,000 per claim and $900,000 per year is required (12-245-213(1)(e)). Lay directors and officers may not exercise authority over professional matters (12-245-213(1)(d)), and each licensee stays individually responsible for his or her own professional acts. Neither 12-245-213 nor the State Board of Psychologist Examiners rules (3 CCR 721-1) require registering the entity with the board.
$50 online per the Secretary of State business organizations fee schedule, which lists no paper fee for this filing. The periodic report is $25 a year. An optional name reservation is $25.
Same $50 online fee as any LLC per the Secretary of State fee schedule; there is no separate professional LLC filing or fee.
$50 online per the Secretary of State business organizations fee schedule. The periodic report is $25 a year.
This is an estimate, added up from the fees on this page: the state filing fee, the first annual report or yearly state fee, and any flat minimum tax our data names. It leaves out board application fees, a registered agent company, expedited filing, newspaper notices, name reservations, local licenses and income tax. The state sets the real amounts.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| State filing fee | $50 |
| First annual report or yearly state fee | $25 |
| Estimated state costs in year one | $75 |
Does not include state taxes unless a flat minimum is listed above.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| State filing fee | $50 |
| First annual report or yearly state fee | $25 |
| Estimated state costs in year one | $75 |
Does not include state taxes unless a flat minimum is listed above.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| State filing fee | $50 |
| First annual report or yearly state fee | $25 |
| Estimated state costs in year one | $75 |
Does not include state taxes unless a flat minimum is listed above.
Check with the state tax agency which state taxes apply to your business type before you file. Its official pages are linked below.
City and county: Ask your city or county whether a local business license or home occupation permit applies to a practice like yours.
Ask an accountant before you choose how the company is taxed. This page does not tell you which tax treatment to pick.
The order below follows the rules we found for Colorado. A board approval or a newspaper notice changes where a task falls, so a different state may order these differently.
Your Colorado licensing board can add its own rules to the state's business law. Read them for your license before you file anything.
Check that no one in the state already has the name, and follow the state's name rules for professional practices.
The state requires a registered agent with a street address in the state. That can be you, if you have a street address in the state, or a registered agent company.
Use the form and fee for the structure you chose, listed above.
It is free. Apply only on irs.gov, after the state approves your filing.
You may already have one. Get a second, organization number only if your practice is a company that bills under its own name.
Bring your state filing, EIN letter and ID. Keeping practice money in its own account keeps your records clean.
Ask your city or county whether a local business license or home occupation permit applies to a practice like yours.
Put your yearly report and any state taxes on your calendar so your company stays in good standing.
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Last checked: Oct 18, 2026. We change this date only when someone re-checks the facts, never when the page is rebuilt.
We checked these facts against the official sources listed below, including the state filing office and the licensing boards.
See a mistake? Email us a correction. Please do not include any client or personal information.