The document that decides how your LLC runs.
An operating agreement is the internal rulebook of an LLC: who owns what, who decides what, how money moves, and what happens when an owner leaves. Without one, your state's default rules fill the gaps, and those defaults rarely match what the owners actually agreed to. We generate an agreement tailored to your LLC, so the important questions are answered in writing before they turn into disputes.
Your LLC's internal rulebook.
An operating agreement is a private contract among the members of an LLC that sets out how the company is owned and run. It records each member's ownership percentage, how profits and losses are split, who has authority to make decisions, how new members join, and what happens when someone wants to leave or the owners disagree. You do not file it with the state; you keep it internally, but banks, investors, and courts will ask for it, and it is one of the things that helps keep the liability protection of the LLC intact by showing the company is a real, separate entity. We generate one tailored to how your LLC actually works, so those answers exist in writing from day one.
The terms that keep owners aligned.
A complete operating agreement answers the questions owners assume they agree on, until they do not. We include each of these, tailored to your LLC.
- Ownership and capital. Each member's percentage, what they contributed, and how future contributions work.
- Profits, losses, and distributions. How money is split and when it is paid out.
- Management and voting. Whether members or managers run the company, and what decisions need whose approval.
- Transfers and exits. What happens when a member wants to sell, leaves, or passes away, so the others are not stuck.
- Dissolution and disputes. How the LLC is wound down and how disagreements are resolved.
Every LLC, even a single-member one.
Multi-member LLCs need one to keep owners aligned. Single-member LLCs need one too, because it is part of what keeps your personal liability protection standing up.
- Multi-member LLCs, to lock down ownership, voting, and exits
- Single-member LLCs, to reinforce the liability shield and satisfy banks
- New LLCs, best done right after you form the company
- Existing LLCs that never adopted one, or have outgrown a generic template
- Corporations, which use bylaws instead of an operating agreement
- The public formation filing, which is your articles of organization
- General business contracts, such as NDAs and service agreements, which are contract templates
- Partnerships, which use a partnership agreement
Forming a corporation instead of an LLC? The equivalent internal rulebook is a set of corporate bylaws.
The questions worth answering early.
Without an operating agreement, your state's default LLC rules decide these for you, and they may not match what the owners intended. Putting them in writing is what prevents the expensive version of the argument later.
This page explains what an operating agreement covers and is not legal advice. For a document tailored to your LLC, use the generator.
From questions to a signed agreement.
- 1Tell us about your LLC
Members, ownership split, and how you want decisions and money handled.
- 2We generate the agreement
A complete operating agreement tailored to your answers, in plain, usable language.
- 3Review and adjust
Read it through, tweak the terms, and make sure it matches what the owners intend.
- 4Sign and keep it
All members sign, and you store it with your company records for banks and investors.
A real agreement, not a blank template.
A generic template you never fill in properly is worse than useless in a dispute. We generate an agreement tailored to your ownership and decision-making, so it reflects your actual company.
Built from your members, ownership, and management choices, not a one-size template.
Clear terms on exits and disputes so a disagreement does not derail the company.
Written so the members can actually read and understand what they are signing.
You see the price before you generate it, with no add-ons. See pricing →
Set up the rest of your LLC.
Answer a few questions and generate your document.
Explore → Start hereForm an LLCCreate the company the agreement governs.
Explore → For corporationsCorporate bylawsThe equivalent internal rulebook for a corporation.
Explore → More documentsContract templatesNDAs, service agreements, and more for the business.
Explore →Operating agreements, answered.
Do I have to file my operating agreement with the state?
No. Unlike your articles of organization, the operating agreement is kept internally among the members. You do not submit it to the state, but you should keep it with your records because banks, investors, and courts will ask for it.
Does a single-member LLC really need one?
Yes. Even with one owner, the agreement helps show the LLC is a separate entity, which supports the liability protection that shields your personal assets. Many banks also ask for it when you open a business account.
What is the difference from bylaws?
They serve the same purpose for different entities. LLCs use operating agreements; corporations use bylaws. If you formed a corporation instead of an LLC, that is the document you need.
What happens if I do not have one?
Your state's default LLC rules apply, and they may not match what the owners agreed to, especially on profit splits, voting, and what happens when a member leaves. An agreement lets you set your own terms instead.
Can I change it later?
Yes. The agreement itself sets out how it can be amended, usually by a vote of the members. You can update it as ownership changes or the business grows using the generator again.