How much does it cost to start an LLC in Louisiana?

The Louisiana Secretary of State filing fee is $125 for your Articles of Organization. Your total first-year costs will be $160 including the $35 annual report fee, due on or before each anniversary of the LLC's organization. For example, if you form your LLC on May 10, your first annual report and $35 fee are due on or before May 10 of the following year. LLC profits pass through to the members and are taxed under Louisiana's individual income tax. Additional costs may include registered agent services and any parish or industry-specific business licenses. Exception: professional LLCs in regulated fields such as medicine, law, or accounting must obtain separate licensing from the relevant Louisiana professional licensing board. File online through geauxBIZ (geauxbiz.sos.la.gov). The Louisiana Secretary of State publishes no standard processing time for this filing.

How long does it take to form an LLC in Louisiana?

Louisiana publishes no standard processing time for the LLC formation document, so nobody can honestly quote you one. Louisiana publishes no routine turnaround time; the Secretary of State states only that "expedited service means that the documents are processed before other documents received the same day.". What the Louisiana Secretary of State does publish is a price for speed: $35 for Expedite, 24 hour processing, and $60 for Priority expedite, 2-4 hour / while-you-wait. Those are firm commitments, and they are the only way to get a guaranteed date. File online where the state offers it. Every state that discusses the difference says online is faster than mail, and treat any specific day count you see quoted for Louisiana as unsourced.

Do I need to publish my Louisiana LLC formation in a newspaper?

No, Louisiana doesn't require LLC publication in newspapers. Once your Articles of Organization are approved by the Louisiana Secretary of State, your LLC is legally formed and authorized to conduct business, no newspaper notice, no affidavit of publication, and no additional waiting period. This saves you the newspaper charges that apply in states like New York, which mandates six consecutive weeks of publication in two newspapers at rates the newspapers set. Arizona requires a newspaper notice of a new LLC's formation, run three consecutive times within 60 days, unless the LLC's statutory agent has a street address in a county of more than 800,000 people (currently Maricopa and Pima Counties), where the Arizona Corporation Commission posts the notice online for free. Louisiana's straightforward formation process reflects its unique civil law heritage, which simplifies business registration compared to some common-law states. Exception: certain regulated industries such as banking or insurance may have separate disclosure requirements under Louisiana law. File your Articles of Organization online at geauxBIZ (geauxbiz.sos.la.gov) for a clean, publication-free formation.

What is Louisiana's annual report requirement for LLCs?

Louisiana LLCs must file an annual report on or before the anniversary date of their organization each year (R.S. 12:1308.1), with a $35 fee paid to the Louisiana Secretary of State. For example, if your LLC was organized on September 15, your annual report and $35 fee are due on or before September 15 each year going forward. The annual report updates your LLC's registered agent information, principal office address, and member or manager details to maintain good standing status. There is no late fee, but three consecutive missed reports lead to revocation (R.S. 12:1308.2). Louisiana's $35 annual report fee is well below the national average, keeping your ongoing compliance costs affordable. File your annual report online at geauxBIZ (geauxbiz.sos.la.gov) to keep your Louisiana LLC in good standing each year.

Can I form an LLC in Louisiana if I live in another state?

Yes, you can form a Louisiana LLC regardless of where you personally reside. Non-residents form Louisiana LLCs routinely, particularly for real estate, e-commerce, and service businesses operating in the state. However, you must maintain a registered agent with a physical Louisiana street address who can receive legal documents and state correspondence during regular business hours. This is a requirement of the Louisiana Secretary of State and can't be satisfied with a P.O. box. For example, if you live in Texas but own Louisiana rental properties, forming a Louisiana LLC with a professional registered agent service satisfies this requirement easily. Exception: if your LLC operates primarily in another state, you may also need to foreign-qualify that LLC in the state where you primarily do business, which requires an additional filing fee. File your Articles of Organization at geauxBIZ (geauxbiz.sos.la.gov) regardless of your home state.

Does Louisiana charge state income tax on LLC profits?

Yes. A Louisiana LLC taxed under the default rules is a pass-through entity: its profits flow through to the members and are taxed under Louisiana's individual income tax on each member's own return. What Louisiana no longer has is an entity-level corporation franchise tax, which was repealed for franchise tax periods beginning on or after January 1, 2026, and which never reached a default-classified LLC. Louisiana also imposes sales and use tax on applicable transactions, and LLCs with employees must handle state payroll tax withholding. Exception: LLCs electing to be taxed as C corporations for federal purposes may be subject to Louisiana corporate income tax instead. Multi-member LLCs should also file Louisiana Form IT-565 (partnership return). Consult a Louisiana CPA for guidance on your specific tax obligations.

Start Your Louisiana LLC in 7 Simple Steps

Form your Louisiana LLC quickly and affordably with our comprehensive guide.

By Edmond Hui · Last updated: October 2026

Filing an LLC in Louisiana costs $125 upfront and has an annual report due anniversary date ($35). Louisiana publishes no standard processing time. See breakdown below.

Louisiana publishes no standard LLC turnaround: its fee schedule prices expedited service but attaches no figure to the ordinary $125 filing

The Louisiana Secretary of State sells speed instead of promising it: $35 for Expedite, 24 hour processing, and $60 for Priority expedite, 2-4 hour / while-you-wait. Treat any specific day count you see quoted for Louisiana with suspicion. It didn't come from the state. Plan around the filing itself, and buy an expedite tier if your timing is genuinely fixed.

Source: MyStateLLC 50-state primary-source processing verification, July 2026

Read this guide for another state:

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Form your LLC with Northwest ($39 + state fee)Includes a year of registered agent service. After year one, registered agent service is $125/yr. That enrolls you by default in annual report filing at $100 plus state fees, charged automatically to your saved payment method and cancellable any time.

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Quick Facts

State filing fee	$125
Processing time	Not published by the state
Annual report due	Anniversary date
Annual report fee	$35
State income tax	Profits pass through to members, taxed under Louisiana individual income tax

Source: Louisiana Secretary of State (verified July 2026)

Step diagram for forming an LLC in Louisiana, showing the 7 required steps, $125 state filing fee, $35 annual report. — The 7 steps to form an LLC in Louisiana, with the state's own filing fee and annual report cost. Source: Louisiana Secretary of State, verified July 2026.

How to Form an LLC: Step-by-Step

1
Choose a Louisiana LLC Name
Select a unique name that includes 'LLC' or 'Limited Liability Company' and isn't already taken in Louisiana. Check name availability using the Louisiana Secretary of State's business search tool. Your name must be distinguishable from existing businesses.
How to search Louisiana's business entity records →
Pro tip: Reserve your chosen name for 60 days by filing a Name Reservation Application with the Louisiana Secretary of State for $25 if you need more time to file.
2
Appoint a Louisiana Registered Agent
Designate a registered agent with a Louisiana street address who can receive legal documents during business hours. You can serve as your own registered agent or hire a professional service. The registered agent must maintain a Louisiana address and be available during normal business hours.
Louisiana registered agent rules, costs and options →
Pro tip: A professional registered agent service puts its address, not yours, on the registered agent line of the public filing, and accepts legal papers during business hours.
3
File Articles of Organization
Submit your Articles of Organization to the Louisiana Secretary of State online or by mail with the $125 filing fee.
What You File in Louisiana
In Louisiana, the formation document is the Articles of Organization (Form 365), filed with the Louisiana Secretary of State, Commercial Division. The state filing fee is $125. Louisiana lets you fill in and file the Articles of Organization online. The form itself requires the LLC's name, the organizer's name, whether the LLC is member-managed or manager-managed, a business purpose and the LLC's duration. The registered agent's name, the registered office address and the registered agent's consent go on a separate document, the Limited Liability Company Initial Report (Form 973), which every LLC must also file. Every line of the Articles of Organization, field by field →
Processing Times
- Online: Not published, Louisiana Secretary of State states no standard turnaround for online filings
- Mail: Not published, Louisiana Secretary of State states no standard turnaround for mailed filings, and every state that comments says mail is slower than online
- Expedited: $35 for Expedite, 24 hour processing, and $60 for Priority expedite, 2-4 hour / while-you-wait
Pro tip: File online through the Louisiana Secretary of State website for faster processing and immediate confirmation of receipt.
4
Create an Operating Agreement
This page has not confirmed whether Louisiana law requires an LLC to have an operating agreement. A written agreement signed by every member is worth having either way: it records who owns what share, who makes decisions and how profits are divided. A written agreement helps prevent disputes between members. Keep it with your business records even though you don't file it with the state.
Louisiana LLC operating agreement: what to include →
5
Obtain an EIN from the IRS
Apply for an Employer Identification Number (EIN) directly through the IRS website for free. Most banks ask for an EIN to open business bank accounts, and the IRS requires one if the LLC hires employees, owes certain employment or excise taxes, or is taxed as a partnership or corporation. The process is immediate when completed online during business hours.
How to get your LLC's EIN from the IRS, free →
6
Open a Business Bank Account
Separate your personal and business finances by opening a dedicated business bank account using your EIN and Articles of Organization. This separation matters for maintaining your LLC's limited liability protection and simplifying tax preparation.
Business bank accounts for Louisiana LLCs →
7
Obtain Required Business Licenses
Research and obtain any industry-specific licenses or permits required for your business type in Louisiana. Requirements vary by industry and location, so check with your parish (county) and the Louisiana Economic Development office for applicable licenses and permits.
Does your Louisiana LLC need a business license? →

This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. It reports what each Secretary of State publishes for forming an LLC, with the sources this page cites. It cannot tell you what your own filing needs: fees and forms change between our reviews, several occupations cannot use an ordinary LLC at all and must use a professional entity, and your city or county may require a registration of its own. Confirm the current fee and form with the filing office named on this page before you send anything.

Frequently Asked Questions

: The Louisiana Secretary of State filing fee is $125 for your Articles of Organization. Your total first-year costs will be $160 including the $35 annual report fee, due on or before each anniversary of the LLC's organization. For example, if you form your LLC on May 10, your first annual report and $35 fee are due on or before May 10 of the following year. LLC profits pass through to the members and are taxed under Louisiana's individual income tax. Additional costs may include registered agent services and any parish or industry-specific business licenses. Exception: professional LLCs in regulated fields such as medicine, law, or accounting must obtain separate licensing from the relevant Louisiana professional licensing board. File online through geauxBIZ (geauxbiz.sos.la.gov). The Louisiana Secretary of State publishes no standard processing time for this filing.
: Louisiana publishes no standard processing time for the LLC formation document, so nobody can honestly quote you one. Louisiana publishes no routine turnaround time; the Secretary of State states only that "expedited service means that the documents are processed before other documents received the same day.". What the Louisiana Secretary of State does publish is a price for speed: $35 for Expedite, 24 hour processing, and $60 for Priority expedite, 2-4 hour / while-you-wait. Those are firm commitments, and they are the only way to get a guaranteed date. File online where the state offers it. Every state that discusses the difference says online is faster than mail, and treat any specific day count you see quoted for Louisiana as unsourced.
: No, Louisiana doesn't require LLC publication in newspapers. Once your Articles of Organization are approved by the Louisiana Secretary of State, your LLC is legally formed and authorized to conduct business, no newspaper notice, no affidavit of publication, and no additional waiting period. This saves you the newspaper charges that apply in states like New York, which mandates six consecutive weeks of publication in two newspapers at rates the newspapers set. Arizona requires a newspaper notice of a new LLC's formation, run three consecutive times within 60 days, unless the LLC's statutory agent has a street address in a county of more than 800,000 people (currently Maricopa and Pima Counties), where the Arizona Corporation Commission posts the notice online for free. Louisiana's straightforward formation process reflects its unique civil law heritage, which simplifies business registration compared to some common-law states. Exception: certain regulated industries such as banking or insurance may have separate disclosure requirements under Louisiana law. File your Articles of Organization online at geauxBIZ (geauxbiz.sos.la.gov) for a clean, publication-free formation.
: Louisiana LLCs must file an annual report on or before the anniversary date of their organization each year (R.S. 12:1308.1), with a $35 fee paid to the Louisiana Secretary of State. For example, if your LLC was organized on September 15, your annual report and $35 fee are due on or before September 15 each year going forward. The annual report updates your LLC's registered agent information, principal office address, and member or manager details to maintain good standing status. There is no late fee, but three consecutive missed reports lead to revocation (R.S. 12:1308.2). Louisiana's $35 annual report fee is well below the national average, keeping your ongoing compliance costs affordable. File your annual report online at geauxBIZ (geauxbiz.sos.la.gov) to keep your Louisiana LLC in good standing each year.
: Yes, you can form a Louisiana LLC regardless of where you personally reside. Non-residents form Louisiana LLCs routinely, particularly for real estate, e-commerce, and service businesses operating in the state. However, you must maintain a registered agent with a physical Louisiana street address who can receive legal documents and state correspondence during regular business hours. This is a requirement of the Louisiana Secretary of State and can't be satisfied with a P.O. box. For example, if you live in Texas but own Louisiana rental properties, forming a Louisiana LLC with a professional registered agent service satisfies this requirement easily. Exception: if your LLC operates primarily in another state, you may also need to foreign-qualify that LLC in the state where you primarily do business, which requires an additional filing fee. File your Articles of Organization at geauxBIZ (geauxbiz.sos.la.gov) regardless of your home state.
: Yes. A Louisiana LLC taxed under the default rules is a pass-through entity: its profits flow through to the members and are taxed under Louisiana's individual income tax on each member's own return. What Louisiana no longer has is an entity-level corporation franchise tax, which was repealed for franchise tax periods beginning on or after January 1, 2026, and which never reached a default-classified LLC. Louisiana also imposes sales and use tax on applicable transactions, and LLCs with employees must handle state payroll tax withholding. Exception: LLCs electing to be taxed as C corporations for federal purposes may be subject to Louisiana corporate income tax instead. Multi-member LLCs should also file Louisiana Form IT-565 (partnership return). Consult a Louisiana CPA for guidance on your specific tax obligations.

Sources

3 documents

Each entry below is a document recorded in our verified Louisiana sources, and each entry says what the document is. Some statutory text is read from an accurate mirror rather than from the state's own host, and those say so.

sos.la.gov/business-servicesLouisiana Secretary of State: business entity filings
sos.la.gov/business-services/forms-fee-scheduleLouisiana LLC filing fees
legis.la.gov/Legis/Law.aspx?d=76256Louisiana statute: Annual Report

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$39 with Northwest, plus your $125 state fee. Northwest's $39 includes a year of registered agent service.

Affiliate disclosure: We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Prefer to file directly? File yourself at the Secretary of State → ($125 state fee, no service fee)

Not sure which service is right? Compare formation services →

Edmond Hui · Founder, MyStateLLC

Edmond Hui is a software engineer and serial entrepreneur based in New York who has founded multiple online businesses across e-commerce, media, and information publishing. Before transitioning into tech, he spent years as a commercial real estate professional closing deals totaling over 100,000 square feet, giving him firsthand experience with business formation and entity structuring. He built MyStateLLC to provide the free, state-specific LLC guidance he wished existed when forming his own companies.

How we check facts

Quick Facts

How to Form an LLC: Step-by-Step

Choose a Louisiana LLC Name

Appoint a Louisiana Registered Agent

File Articles of Organization

What You File in Louisiana

Processing Times

Create an Operating Agreement

Obtain an EIN from the IRS

Open a Business Bank Account

Obtain Required Business Licenses