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. 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: Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers and Marriage and Family Therapists
Join the waitlist for your counseling practiceLicensing board: Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers and Marriage and Family Therapists
Join the waitlist for your marriage and family therapy practiceLicensing board: Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers and Marriage and Family Therapists
Join the waitlist for your social work practiceLicensing board: Georgia State Board of Examiners of Psychologists
Join the waitlist for your psychology practiceCounselors: O.C.G.A. 14-11-1107(f) provides that Georgia laws on professional services "are deemed amended to permit the provision of professional services within this state by limited liability companies," and 14-11-1107(g) keeps each licensing board's authority over licensees who practice through an LLC, so a licensee may practice through an ordinary Georgia LLC. Georgia law has no separate professional LLC. A professional corporation is not available: the Professional Corporation Act defines "profession" as a fixed list (O.C.G.A. 14-7-2(2)) that does not include professional counseling. Under O.C.G.A. 43-10A-21, a business name may use a protected title or the term "professional counseling" only if every person practicing that specialty in the entity is licensed. Composite Board Rules 135-10-.03 and 135-10-.05 apply to practice in a corporation, partnership, association or other business entity and regulate the entity's name and who may practice under it, not the type of entity.
Marriage and family therapists: O.C.G.A. 14-11-1107(f) provides that Georgia laws on professional services "are deemed amended to permit the provision of professional services within this state by limited liability companies," and 14-11-1107(g) keeps each licensing board's authority over licensees who practice through an LLC, so a licensee may practice through an ordinary Georgia LLC. Georgia law has no separate professional LLC. A professional corporation is not available: the Professional Corporation Act defines "profession" as a fixed list (O.C.G.A. 14-7-2(2)) that does not include marriage and family therapy. Under O.C.G.A. 43-10A-21, a business name may use a protected title or the term "marriage and family therapy" only if every person practicing that specialty in the entity is licensed. Composite Board Rules 135-10-.03 and 135-10-.05 apply to practice in a corporation, partnership, association or other business entity and regulate the entity's name and who may practice under it, not the type of entity.
Social workers: O.C.G.A. 14-11-1107(f) provides that Georgia laws on professional services "are deemed amended to permit the provision of professional services within this state by limited liability companies," and 14-11-1107(g) keeps each licensing board's authority over licensees who practice through an LLC, so a licensee may practice through an ordinary Georgia LLC. Georgia law has no separate professional LLC. A professional corporation is not available: the Professional Corporation Act defines "profession" as a fixed list (O.C.G.A. 14-7-2(2)) that does not include social work. Under O.C.G.A. 43-10A-21, a business name may use a protected title or the term "social work" only if every person practicing that specialty in the entity is licensed. Composite Board Rules 135-10-.03 and 135-10-.05 apply to practice in a corporation, partnership, association or other business entity and regulate the entity's name and who may practice under it, not the type of entity.
Psychologists: O.C.G.A. 14-11-1107(f) provides that Georgia laws on professional services "are deemed amended to permit the provision of professional services within this state by limited liability companies," and 14-11-1107(g) keeps each licensing board's authority over licensees who practice through an LLC, so a licensee may practice through an ordinary Georgia LLC. Georgia law has no separate professional LLC. A professional corporation is also available: O.C.G.A. 14-7-2(2) lists psychology, and 14-7-3 lets licensed persons elect to practice as a professional corporation by filing articles under the Business Corporation Code that state the purpose to practice the profession and the election to be governed by chapter 7. A new corporation must also arrange publication of a notice of incorporation in the county legal organ (O.C.G.A. 14-2-201.1). An LLC is simpler and avoids that step. Board Rule 510-10-.02 lets a business entity use a name that implies the practice of psychology only if at least one employee or officer holds a current Georgia psychology license.
$100 filing fee plus $10 service charge ($110), online or paper, per the Corporations Division fee schedule effective September 6, 2025. Expedited service costs extra. Fees are nonrefundable.
$100 filing fee plus $10 service charge ($110) per the fee schedule effective September 6, 2025; 14-7-3 applies the Chapter 2 fees to professional corporations. Psychologists only. The incorporator must also send the newspaper a notice of incorporation with a $40 publication payment (O.C.G.A. 14-2-201.1).
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 | $110 |
| First annual report or yearly state fee | $60 |
| Estimated state costs in year one | $170 |
Does not include state taxes unless a flat minimum is listed above.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| State filing fee | $110 |
| First annual report or yearly state fee | $60 |
| Estimated state costs in year one | $170 |
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.
State tax information More tax information
City and county: Georgia cities and counties issue an annual occupational tax certificate and often require home occupation approval for home-based practices; some require proof of state licensure for Title 43 professions including counselors, social workers and MFTs. Examples: Albany and Hephzibah. 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 Georgia. A board approval or a newspaper notice changes where a task falls, so a different state may order these differently.
Your Georgia 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.
A new corporation, including a professional corporation, must ask the official legal organ of the county of its registered office (or a qualifying general-circulation county newspaper) by the next business day after filing to publish a notice of incorporation, with a $40 payment; the notice runs once a week for two consecutive weeks (O.C.G.A. 14-2-201.1). This Business Corporation Code rule applies to corporations, not LLCs.
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.
SyncedUp builds your fees, paperwork, booking and website from a few answers, then runs the practice with you. We fill in Georgia for you. Everything on this page stays free to read.
Join the waitlistRegistration is paused. Joining the waitlist does not create an account or reserve a plan.
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.
