Formations

A formation order creates the company in FileForms and files it with the state. Include the formation object in POST /orders — no companyId, since the company doesn't exist yet.

curl -X POST https://api.fileforms.com/v1/orders \
  -H "x-api-key: sk_live_..." \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "userId": "user_a1b2c3d4e5f6g7h8",
    "filingState": "DE",
    "formation": {
      "expedited": true,
      "company": {
        "legalName": "Acme Holdings LLC",
        "entityType": "LLC",
        "structureType": "MEMBER",
        "principalAddress": {
          "line1": "123 Main Street", "city": "Houston",
          "state": "TX", "postalCode": "77002", "country": "US"
        },
        "mailingAddress": {
          "line1": "123 Main Street", "city": "Houston",
          "state": "TX", "postalCode": "77002", "country": "US"
        },
        "officers": [{
          "type": "PERSON", "firstName": "Jane", "lastName": "Doe",
          "title": "Managing Member", "isPrimary": true,
          "address": {
            "line1": "123 Main Street", "city": "Houston",
            "state": "TX", "postalCode": "77002", "country": "US"
          }
        }]
      }
    },
    "registeredAgent": { "isChangeOfAgent": false }
  }'

Field requirements

Entity types are LLC and CORP. Each brings a required companion field:

• LLC → structureType: MEMBER (member-managed) or MANAGER (manager-managed)
• CORP → taxElection: C Corporation or S Corporation

Officers — at least one, with at least one marked isPrimary: true (mark exactly one — the primary officer is the company's main contact). Titles must match the entity type:

An officer is a person (type: "PERSON", first/last name) or a company (type: "COMPANY", company name); every officer needs an address.

Not settable at formation: ein, tradeName, formationDate, and formationState are excluded from the formation company object — the state sets the formation date when it files, formationState comes from filingState, and the EIN comes from an EIN order.

Registered agent — every formation needs one. Either order FileForms RA service alongside ("registeredAgent": { "isChangeOfAgent": false }, as above), or supply your own agent in formation.registeredAgent (the agent's address state must equal filingState). See Registered agent.

Alternative names (API only) — formation.alternativeNames takes up to 10 fallback entity names, in order of preference, used if the state rejects the primary legal name. It sits alongside company in the formation object, not inside it:

"formation": {
  "company": { ... },
  "alternativeNames": ["Acme Holdings of Texas LLC", "Acme Holdings Group LLC"]
}

Providing alternatives lets a name-availability conflict be resolved without a round-trip through an exception. The dashboard wizard doesn't collect them — this is an API-only field.

Fiscal year end defaults to December if fiscalEndMonth is omitted.

How API formations are billed

The dashboard sells formation packages in tiers; the API has no tier field. Your balance is debited based on what the order contains:

An EIN ordered separately (a later POST /orders with ein + companyId) is billed at the standalone EIN wholesale price — bundle pricing only applies when formation and EIN are in the same order for the same company. The top dashboard package (tier 3, which adds a DBA) is not available via the API.

Registered agent service, when ordered, is its own line at RA wholesale. The state's formation fee is included in the debit — see State fees.

Expedited filing

Set "expedited": true to request expedited processing. Expedited filing is available only where the state offers it and FileForms supports it — currently LLCs in:

The expedited state fee replaces the standard state filing fee, and the expedited service charge is billed on top. Requesting expedited: true for any other state/entity combination fails validation with "Expedited formation is not available for the selected state and entity type".

After ordering

The response includes the new companyId and an order item per product. Then, via webhooks:

1. filing.status_changed → filed when the state accepts the formation (with filingDate)
2. document.uploaded → the filed articles of organization/incorporation
3. If you ordered an EIN: its own status events and the EIN confirmation document

A formation can hit an exception — commonly name availability (codes 463–465). See Orders & filings.