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

The Mississippi Secretary of State charges a $50 filing fee for Certificate of Formation. Annual reports are filed each April 15th with a $0 fee, so your total cost in years two and beyond is literally nothing in state fees. For example, if you form your LLC in January 2026, you pay $50 now and $0 for your April 2027 annual report. Additional costs may include registered agent services if you hire a professional, and any local business permits your county or city requires. Exception: an LLC that elects to be taxed as a corporation may be taxed differently by Mississippi, so check with the state tax agency or a tax professional before electing. File your Certificate of Formation through the Mississippi Secretary of State's online portal for fastest processing and immediate confirmation.

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

Mississippi publishes this figure, which many states don't: same day (online). In the Mississippi Secretary of State's own words: the same day the document is submitted, sometimes within minutes of your submission. Treat this as a genuine planning figure rather than a guarantee, and confirm it on the Mississippi Secretary of State's own site before committing to a date.

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

No. Unlike New York, Nebraska and parts of Arizona, Mississippi requires no newspaper notice of formation. This saves Mississippi LLC founders the newspaper charges those states impose. Filing Certificate of Formation with the Mississippi Secretary of State is all that's required to complete your LLC formation. No additional public notice steps are needed. For example, once your Certificate of Formation is approved by the Mississippi Secretary of State, your LLC is legally formed and you can immediately open a bank account and begin operations. Exception: certain licensed professions, such as attorneys forming a professional LLC, may have additional disclosure requirements under their regulatory board rules. File online with the Mississippi Secretary of State to confirm your formation is complete.

What is Mississippi's annual report requirement for LLCs?

Mississippi LLCs must file an annual report with the Mississippi Secretary of State by April 15th each year, and the annual report fee is $0, making ongoing compliance essentially free from a state fee standpoint. This report confirms your LLC's continued existence and updates any changes to your registered agent or business address. For example, if you formed your LLC in August 2026, your first annual report is due April 15, 2027, just eight months after formation. Filing on time still matters: Mississippi charges no late fee, but failure to file can lead to administrative dissolution of your LLC. Exception: LLCs that have elected to be taxed as corporations must also file a Mississippi corporate income tax return with the Department of Revenue by the relevant tax deadline. File your free annual report through the Mississippi Secretary of State online portal.

Can I be my own registered agent in Mississippi?

Yes, you can serve as your own registered agent for your Mississippi LLC provided you've a physical Mississippi street address and are reliably available during normal business hours to receive legal documents and state correspondence. Your name and address will appear as public record in your Certificate of Formation filed with the Mississippi Secretary of State. For example, if you operate a home-based business in Jackson, Mississippi, and maintain consistent weekday availability, serving as your own registered agent is a straightforward option. Many business owners opt for professional registered agent services to keep a home address off the agent line and to have someone available to accept legal papers during vacations or travel. Exception: P.O. boxes can't be used as a registered agent address; a physical street address is required. Update your registered agent information with the Mississippi Secretary of State whenever it changes.

Should a Mississippi LLC have an operating agreement?

This page has not confirmed whether Mississippi law requires an LLC to have an operating agreement, so it does not answer yes or no. A written agreement signed by every member is worth having either way. An operating agreement defines ownership percentages, management structure, profit distribution, voting rights, and dissolution procedures, details that Mississippi's default LLC statutes can't adequately cover for every situation. For example, a two-member LLC in Mississippi without an operating agreement must rely entirely on state default rules if the members disagree on a major business decision, which may not reflect the founders' original intent. Keep the signed agreement with the LLC's records. Exception: LLCs electing S-corp status must also file IRS Form 2553 no later than 2 months and 15 days after the start of the tax year the election is to take effect (or at any time during the tax year before it), which is a separate federal requirement unrelated to the operating agreement. Sign your operating agreement before opening a business bank account, as many banks require it.

Start Your Mississippi LLC in 7 Simple Steps

Form your Mississippi LLC with this step-by-step guide. Mississippi processes online filings the same day.

By Edmond Hui · Last updated: October 2026

Filing an LLC in Mississippi costs $50 upfront and has a free annual report due April 15. Processing time: Same day (online). See breakdown below.

Mississippi publishes its LLC filing turnaround as same day (online)

That's the Mississippi Secretary of State's own published figure, online filings post immediately.

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	$50
Processing time	Same day (online)
Annual report due	April 15
Annual report fee	$0
State income tax	Members pay nothing on the first $10,000, then a flat 4% on pass-through profits

Source: Mississippi Secretary of State (verified June 2026)

Step diagram for forming an LLC in Mississippi, showing the 7 required steps, $50 state filing fee, $0 annual report. — The 7 steps to form an LLC in Mississippi, with the state's own filing fee and annual report cost. Source: Mississippi Secretary of State, verified June 2026.

How to Form an LLC: Step-by-Step

1
Choose Your Mississippi LLC Name
Select a unique name that includes 'LLC' or 'Limited Liability Company' and isn't already taken in Mississippi. Search available names using the Mississippi Secretary of State's business name database to ensure your preferred name is available.
How to search Mississippi's business entity records →
Pro tip: Reserve your name for 180 days by filing a Name Reservation Application with the Mississippi Secretary of State for $25 if you're not ready to file immediately.
2
Designate a Registered Agent
Appoint a registered agent with a Mississippi street address who can receive legal documents during business hours. This can be yourself, another person, or a professional registered agent service.
Mississippi 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 Certificate of Formation
Submit your Certificate of Formation to the Mississippi Secretary of State online or by mail with the $50 filing fee.
What You File in Mississippi
In Mississippi, the formation document is the Certificate of Formation (Form F0100), filed with the Mississippi Secretary of State, Business Services. The state filing fee is $50. Mississippi lets you fill in and file the Certificate of Formation online. The state's published processing time: Same day (online). The form itself requires the LLC's name, the registered agent's name and the registered office address. Every line of the Certificate of Formation, field by field →
Processing Times
- Online: Posts immediately. The same day the document is submitted, sometimes within minutes of your submission
- Mail: Not published, Mississippi Secretary of State states no standard turnaround for mailed filings, and every state that comments says mail is slower than online
- Expedited: No paid expedite option is published for LLC filings
Pro tip: Filing online through the Mississippi Secretary of State website is faster and provides immediate confirmation of your submission.
4
Create an Operating Agreement
Draft an operating agreement that outlines ownership percentages, management structure, and operating procedures. This page has not confirmed whether Mississippi 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.
Mississippi LLC operating agreement: what to include →
Pro tip: Even single-member LLCs benefit from an operating agreement to clearly separate personal and business affairs for legal and tax purposes.
5
Get an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Apply for a federal EIN through the IRS website, which is free and takes about 15 minutes. You'll need this number to open business bank accounts, hire employees, and file tax returns.
How to get your LLC's EIN from the IRS, free →
Pro tip: Apply for your EIN only through the official IRS website (irs.gov) to avoid third-party services that charge unnecessary fees for this free service.
6
Open a Business Bank Account
Open a dedicated business bank account using your Certificate of Formation, EIN, and operating agreement. This separation of personal and business finances matters for maintaining your LLC's liability protection.
Business bank accounts for Mississippi LLCs →
Pro tip: Shop around for business banking options as fees and requirements vary significantly between banks, with some offering free business checking for new LLCs.
7
Obtain Required Business Licenses
Research and obtain any necessary business licenses and permits for your industry and location in Mississippi. Requirements vary by business type and may include state, county, and city-level permits.
Does your Mississippi LLC need a business license? →
Pro tip: Contact the Mississippi Secretary of State's Business Services Division for guidance on specific licensing requirements for your industry type.

Watch: How to Start an LLC in Mississippi (2026): Step-by-Step Guide

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 Mississippi Secretary of State charges a $50 filing fee for Certificate of Formation. Annual reports are filed each April 15th with a $0 fee, so your total cost in years two and beyond is literally nothing in state fees. For example, if you form your LLC in January 2026, you pay $50 now and $0 for your April 2027 annual report. Additional costs may include registered agent services if you hire a professional, and any local business permits your county or city requires. Exception: an LLC that elects to be taxed as a corporation may be taxed differently by Mississippi, so check with the state tax agency or a tax professional before electing. File your Certificate of Formation through the Mississippi Secretary of State's online portal for fastest processing and immediate confirmation.
: Mississippi publishes this figure, which many states don't: same day (online). In the Mississippi Secretary of State's own words: the same day the document is submitted, sometimes within minutes of your submission. Treat this as a genuine planning figure rather than a guarantee, and confirm it on the Mississippi Secretary of State's own site before committing to a date.
: No. Unlike New York, Nebraska and parts of Arizona, Mississippi requires no newspaper notice of formation. This saves Mississippi LLC founders the newspaper charges those states impose. Filing Certificate of Formation with the Mississippi Secretary of State is all that's required to complete your LLC formation. No additional public notice steps are needed. For example, once your Certificate of Formation is approved by the Mississippi Secretary of State, your LLC is legally formed and you can immediately open a bank account and begin operations. Exception: certain licensed professions, such as attorneys forming a professional LLC, may have additional disclosure requirements under their regulatory board rules. File online with the Mississippi Secretary of State to confirm your formation is complete.
: Mississippi LLCs must file an annual report with the Mississippi Secretary of State by April 15th each year, and the annual report fee is $0, making ongoing compliance essentially free from a state fee standpoint. This report confirms your LLC's continued existence and updates any changes to your registered agent or business address. For example, if you formed your LLC in August 2026, your first annual report is due April 15, 2027, just eight months after formation. Filing on time still matters: Mississippi charges no late fee, but failure to file can lead to administrative dissolution of your LLC. Exception: LLCs that have elected to be taxed as corporations must also file a Mississippi corporate income tax return with the Department of Revenue by the relevant tax deadline. File your free annual report through the Mississippi Secretary of State online portal.
: Yes, you can serve as your own registered agent for your Mississippi LLC provided you've a physical Mississippi street address and are reliably available during normal business hours to receive legal documents and state correspondence. Your name and address will appear as public record in your Certificate of Formation filed with the Mississippi Secretary of State. For example, if you operate a home-based business in Jackson, Mississippi, and maintain consistent weekday availability, serving as your own registered agent is a straightforward option. Many business owners opt for professional registered agent services to keep a home address off the agent line and to have someone available to accept legal papers during vacations or travel. Exception: P.O. boxes can't be used as a registered agent address; a physical street address is required. Update your registered agent information with the Mississippi Secretary of State whenever it changes.
: This page has not confirmed whether Mississippi law requires an LLC to have an operating agreement, so it does not answer yes or no. A written agreement signed by every member is worth having either way. An operating agreement defines ownership percentages, management structure, profit distribution, voting rights, and dissolution procedures, details that Mississippi's default LLC statutes can't adequately cover for every situation. For example, a two-member LLC in Mississippi without an operating agreement must rely entirely on state default rules if the members disagree on a major business decision, which may not reflect the founders' original intent. Keep the signed agreement with the LLC's records. Exception: LLCs electing S-corp status must also file IRS Form 2553 no later than 2 months and 15 days after the start of the tax year the election is to take effect (or at any time during the tax year before it), which is a separate federal requirement unrelated to the operating agreement. Sign your operating agreement before opening a business bank account, as many banks require it.

Sources

5 documents

Each entry below is a document recorded in our verified Mississippi 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. Where we hold the citation but no stable public link, the citation is printed on its own rather than pointed at a guessed address.

Mississippi statute: Miss. Code § 79-29-215 (annual report)
Mississippi law: HB 1 (2025 Build Up Mississippi Act)
sos.ms.gov/business-servicesMississippi Secretary of State: business entity filings
sos.ms.gov/content/documents/Business/FeeSchedule.pdfMississippi LLC filing fees
sos.ms.gov/business-services/annual-reportsMississippi agency guidance: Annual Report

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Prefer to file directly? File yourself at the Secretary of State → ($50 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 Your Mississippi LLC Name

Designate a Registered Agent

File Certificate of Formation

What You File in Mississippi

Processing Times

Create an Operating Agreement

Get an Employer Identification Number (EIN)

Open a Business Bank Account

Obtain Required Business Licenses