Counselors
LMHC- LLC
- Yes
- PLLC
- Not available
- Professional corporation
- Not available
Licensing board: DCCA Professional and Vocational Licensing, Mental Health Counselor program
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. 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: DCCA Professional and Vocational Licensing, Mental Health Counselor program
Join the waitlist for your counseling practiceLicensing board: DCCA Professional and Vocational Licensing, Marriage and Family Therapist program
Join the waitlist for your marriage and family therapy practiceLicensing board: DCCA Professional and Vocational Licensing, Social Worker program
Join the waitlist for your social work practiceLicensing board: Hawaii Board of Psychology
Join the waitlist for your psychology practiceCounselors: Mental health counselors are licensed under HRS chapter 453D, which does not address business structure, and there are no Hawaii Administrative Rules for the mental health counselor program. Hawaii's LLC law lets an LLC be organized "for any lawful purpose, subject to any law of this State governing or regulating business" (HRS 428-111(a)) and defines business to include "every trade, occupation, profession" (HRS 428-101), so a licensee may practice through an ordinary LLC. Chapter 428 has no professional LLC form, so there is no PLLC. A professional corporation is not available: HRS 415A-2 limits professional corporations to services licensed under chapters 442, 448, 453, 455, 457, 459, 461, 463E, 465, 466, 471 and 605, and chapter 453D is not on that list.
Marriage and family therapists: Marriage and family therapists are licensed under HRS chapter 451J, which does not address business structure, and there are no Hawaii Administrative Rules for the marriage and family therapist program. Hawaii's LLC law lets an LLC be organized "for any lawful purpose, subject to any law of this State governing or regulating business" (HRS 428-111(a)) and defines business to include "every trade, occupation, profession" (HRS 428-101), so a licensee may practice through an ordinary LLC. Chapter 428 has no professional LLC form, so there is no PLLC. A professional corporation is not available: HRS 415A-2 limits professional corporations to services licensed under chapters 442, 448, 453, 455, 457, 459, 461, 463E, 465, 466, 471 and 605, and chapter 451J is not on that list.
Social workers: Social workers are licensed under HRS chapter 467E, which does not address business structure, and there are no Hawaii Administrative Rules for the social worker program. Hawaii's LLC law lets an LLC be organized "for any lawful purpose, subject to any law of this State governing or regulating business" (HRS 428-111(a)) and defines business to include "every trade, occupation, profession" (HRS 428-101), so a licensee may practice through an ordinary LLC. Chapter 428 has no professional LLC form, so there is no PLLC. A professional corporation is not available: HRS 415A-2 limits professional corporations to services licensed under chapters 442, 448, 453, 455, 457, 459, 461, 463E, 465, 466, 471 and 605, and chapter 467E is not on that list.
Psychologists: Psychologists are licensed under HRS chapter 465, which does not address business structure, and the Board of Psychology rules (HAR chapter 16-98) do not either. Hawaii's LLC law lets an LLC be organized "for any lawful purpose, subject to any law of this State governing or regulating business" (HRS 428-111(a)) and defines business to include "every trade, occupation, profession" (HRS 428-101), so a licensee may practice through an ordinary LLC. Chapter 428 has no professional LLC form, so there is no PLLC. A professional corporation is also available: HRS 415A-2 lists chapter 465 among the licenses that qualify, and 415A-6 requires the corporation to render psychology services only through individuals licensed to provide them. File Form PC-1 with DCCA by email, mail or fax. An LLC is simpler.
$50 for Articles of Organization (Form LLC-1), $25 more for expedited review; DCCA also lists an additional $1.00 State Archives fee. File online through Hawaii Business Express or by email, mail or fax.
Form PC-1 lists a nonrefundable $50 filing fee; DCCA's corporation fee table lists expedited review of articles at $25 more. DCCA accepts professional corporation registrations by email, mail or fax only. Psychologists only.
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 | $15 |
| Estimated state costs in year one | $65 |
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 | $15 |
| Estimated state costs in year one | $65 |
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 More tax information (2)
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 Hawaii. A board approval or a newspaper notice changes where a task falls, so a different state may order these differently.
Your Hawaii 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.
SyncedUp builds your fees, paperwork, booking and website from a few answers, then runs the practice with you. We fill in Hawaii 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.