Is an LLC really free for veterans in Michigan?

The state filing fee is, yes. Michigan waives the Articles of Organization fee for LLCs where veterans hold a majority of the initial membership interests, under MCL 450.5101. You'll still pay for anything else you choose to buy — a registered agent service, expedited handling from a filing company — but the money that would go to the state goes to zero.

What forms do I file to claim the Michigan veteran fee waiver?

Form CSCL/CD-700 is the Articles of Organization, and Form CSCL/CD-214 LF is the veteran fee-waiver affidavit that goes with it. Attach evidence of veteran status — a DD214 or DD215 — for each veteran who will be an initial member. All of it has to arrive together; you can't file first and claim the waiver afterwards.

Does the Michigan waiver expire?

No. We read MCL 450.5101 itself: subsection (7) directs that the administrator "shall waive the fee otherwise required under subsection (1) for filing initial articles of organization if a majority of the initial membership interests in the domestic limited liability company will be held by veterans", and nothing in the section carries a sunset or expiry. LARA's materials show no end date either. That makes Michigan unusual — several states that once had waivers let them lapse. The waiver was created by legislation in the 2017–2018 session and was still in force as of August 2026. That makes Michigan unusual — several states that once had waivers let them lapse.

Does the waiver cover my Michigan annual statement too?

For LLCs, yes. LARA's stated position is that fees may be waived for all documents, annual statements included, where veterans hold a majority of the membership interests and satisfactory proof is provided. The proof has to accompany each filing, because LARA doesn't retain what you sent last time.

Do I need a VA disability rating to get the Michigan filing fee waived?

No. The filing-fee waiver turns purely on veteran-majority ownership. A service-connected disability matters somewhere else entirely — it's the gate for Michigan's state contracting preference, and a veteran without one gets no procurement advantage here while still getting the full fee waiver.

Can I claim the waiver on a professional LLC?

Yes, but with a narrower reach. For PLLCs the waiver applies to the filing fee and does not extend to the late-filing penalty. If you file late, the penalty is yours to pay regardless of veteran status, so the waiver is not a reason to be relaxed about deadlines.

Does Michigan certify veteran-owned businesses for state contracts?

No, and that surprises people. Michigan does not pre-certify service-disabled veteran-owned businesses and does not rely on the old federal CVE database. You self-certify inside the bid by supplying a DD214 or equivalent, proof of the service-connected disability such as a VA Rating Decision Letter, and ownership documents — or you present an NVBDC certification instead.

LLC Guide

Michigan actually waives the LLC filing fee for veterans

Not a discount, not a one-time promotion — LARA waives the Articles of Organization fee outright for veteran-majority LLCs, and the same waiver reaches later filings including your annual statement.

By Edmond Hui · Last updated: August 2026

Veterans pay $0 to form an LLC in Michigan — the state waives the full $50 filing fee — and Michigan runs no veteran-owned business certification of its own. See the sources below.

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.

Read this guide for another state:

Michigan waives the entire $50 Articles of Organization fee for LLCs where a majority of the initial membership interests are held by veterans, with no expiry date on the programme.

The authority is MCL 450.5101(7), (8) and (10), and it's printed right on LARA's own Form CSCL/CD-700 — the fee appears, and directly under it the statute that lets veterans skip it. The catch isn't the eligibility standard, which is generous; it's the paperwork. You have to file the affidavit and the proof of service alongside the filing itself, every time, because LARA doesn't keep your documents on file. Miss that and you're just a regular filer paying the regular fee.

What a Veteran Pays to Form an LLC in Michigan

Standard state filing fee	$50
What a veteran pays today	$0
Veteran-specific saving	$50
State veteran-owned business certification	None

Verified August 6, 2026 against Michigan primary sources — listed at the end of this guide.

How the Michigan Veteran Fee Waiver Works

Michigan is one of a very small number of states where the phrase "free LLC for veterans" is literally true rather than marketing. The Articles of Organization fee goes to zero. There's no sunset clause, no annual appropriation that can quietly run out, and no window that closed in a previous legislative session — it was live when we checked on 2026-08-06 and LARA's materials give no end date. The part most write-ups miss is that the waiver doesn't stop at formation. LARA's own position is that for LLCs, fees may be waived for all documents, and it names annual statements specifically. So the amendment you file two years from now, the change of registered agent, the annual statement — all of it can ride on the same waiver, as long as you supply the proof each time. Two limits worth knowing. Professional LLCs are treated slightly differently: the waiver covers the PLLC filing fee but does not touch the late-filing penalty, so filing late still costs you real money. And the waiver is a fee waiver, not a filing exemption — you still owe every document on time. There's a second, separate Michigan waiver that has nothing to do with the Corporations Division. Under MCL 338.2204, the Bureau of Professional Licensing waives the initial occupational or professional licence fee and the department's application processing fee for that initial licence. If your business needs a state licence to operate, that's a second bite. Be aware it runs on a different eligibility standard than the LLC waiver, so qualifying for one does not automatically qualify you for the other — treat them as two applications, not one.

The test is ownership, not disability. A majority of the initial membership interests has to be held by veterans — note that the statute says "a majority," a straight more-than-half test, so don't let anyone talk you into a specific percentage figure. You do not need a service-connected disability, and you do not need to be the only member; you need veterans to hold more than half the interests between them. "Veteran" for this waiver is defined by reference to MCL 35.61, which reaches the reserve components as well as the active force. Procedurally, you file Form CSCL/CD-214 LF — a signed affidavit certifying the veteran-majority ownership — at formation, and a different form later: CSCL/CD-214 LS for subsequent documents such as your annual statement, and CSCL/CD-214 OLS for certificate and copy orders. Filing LF on a later document is the common mistake. Note too that for those later filings the test is present tense: a majority of the membership interests must be held by veterans at the time you file, so if ownership has shifted the waiver is gone. The affidavit goes along with evidence of veteran status for each veteran who will be an initial member, usually a DD214 or DD215. Send copies, never originals: LARA destroys the documentation it receives by mail and does not retain it, which is also why you have to re-supply proof on every later filing where you want the fee waived.

Ownership: the business must be at least 51% owned by qualifying veterans.
Discharge: each qualifying owner needs any character of discharge other than dishonorable.

How to claim it: File the Articles of Organization (Form CSCL/CD-700, $50 fee) together with Form CSCL/CD-214 LF — a signed affidavit certifying that a majority of the initial membership interests will be held by veterans — plus evidence of veteran status (DD214/DD215 or another accepted form showing character of discharge) for each veteran who will be an initial member. Documentation must be supplied with every filing on which a waiver is requested; LARA destroys mailed copies and does not retain them.

Filing it yourself protects the waiver

This exemption is claimed on the formation filing itself, with proof of service attached for each qualifying owner. If you use a formation service, confirm before you pay that it will tick the veteran box and submit your documents — otherwise you can end up paying both the service and the fee the state would have waived.

Authority: MCL 450.5101(7), (8) and (10) (Michigan Limited Liability Company Act, 1993 PA 23, as amended by H.B. 4701 of 2017–2018); 'veteran' as defined in MCL 35.61 — michigan.gov

Other Michigan Fees Veterans Do Not Pay

annual report: waived. MCL 450.5101; LARA Corporations Division, 'Waiver of fees for veterans': for LLCs, 'Fees may be waived for all documents,' expressly including annual statements, where a majority of the membership interests are held by veterans and satisfactory proof is provided. For professional LLCs the waiver covers the $75.00 filing fee only and does not reach the $50.00 late-filing penalty..
Initial occupational or professional licence/registration fee, and the department's application processing fee for an initial licence or registration, charged under the State License Fee Act: waived. MCL 338.2204 (LARA, Bureau of Professional Licensing).

Veteran-Owned Business Certification in Michigan

Michigan does not run its own veteran-owned business certification. That means there is no state certificate to apply for — but it also means the federal certification is the one that matters, and it is free.

The SBA’s VetCert program certifies Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (VOSB) and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSB) for federal contracting. Certification is free and is handled entirely at veterans.certify.sba.gov.

Other Michigan Programs for Veteran Business Owners

On the contracting side Michigan draws a much sharper line than it does on filing fees, and the line is disability.

Up to 10% pricing preference on state contracts for service-disabled veteran-owned businesses: Businesses that are 51% or more owned by one or more veterans with a service-connected disability receive up to a 10% pricing preference when bidding on State of Michigan contracts. The preference is claimed in the bid response by supplying a DD214 (or equivalent), proof of the service-connected disability (DD214 or a VA Rating Decision Letter), and ownership documents; alternatively the state accepts a National Veterans Business Development Council (NVBDC) certification. michigan.gov

State Benefits vs Federal Benefits — What Is Actually Different

Most of what gets published as “veteran LLC benefits in Michigan” is actually federal, and identical in all 50 states. Three separate things get run together:

What it is	Who runs it	Does it make forming an LLC cheaper?
Filing-fee waiver	Michigan Secretary of State, by statute	Yes — this is the one that does
Veteran-owned business certification	U.S. Small Business Administration (VetCert)	No — it helps you win contracts, not file paperwork
SBA loans, VBOC counselling, VA benefits	Federal agencies	No — and they are the same in every state

Certification is worth doing on its own merits, but it is not a discount on formation. If a page tells you Michigangives veterans a “free LLC” and then links you to a certification portal, it has conflated the first row with the second.

Free Help for Veteran Business Owners in Michigan

The Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency at michigan.gov/mvaa is the general starting point, but for the filing-fee waiver specifically you want LARA's Corporations Division — its "Waiver of fees for veterans" page is where the current rules and the CSCL/CD-214 LF affidavit live, and it's the page to re-check before any future filing. If you're chasing state contracts, that's a third office entirely: the Department of Technology, Management and Budget runs the service-disabled veteran preference through its procurement programme.

Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency — michigan.gov

Veteran Business Outreach Centers (VBOCs) are funded by the SBA and provide free business planning and formation counselling to veterans, service members and military spouses. Find your VBOC.

Forming the LLC Itself

Nothing about the formation process changes because you are a veteran — the forms, the registered agent requirement and the annual filing are the same. The full walkthrough lives in our Michigan formation guide rather than being repeated here.

How to start an LLC in Michigan →

Sources

Every figure on this page was checked against these primary sources on August 6, 2026.

Chart comparing the standard Michigan LLC filing fee with what a veteran actually pays to form an LLC, and the difference between the two. — What a veteran pays to form an LLC in Michigan, against the standard filing fee. Source: Michigan Secretary of State.

Frequently Asked Questions

: The state filing fee is, yes. Michigan waives the Articles of Organization fee for LLCs where veterans hold a majority of the initial membership interests, under MCL 450.5101. You'll still pay for anything else you choose to buy — a registered agent service, expedited handling from a filing company — but the money that would go to the state goes to zero.
: Form CSCL/CD-700 is the Articles of Organization, and Form CSCL/CD-214 LF is the veteran fee-waiver affidavit that goes with it. Attach evidence of veteran status — a DD214 or DD215 — for each veteran who will be an initial member. All of it has to arrive together; you can't file first and claim the waiver afterwards.
: No. We read MCL 450.5101 itself: subsection (7) directs that the administrator "shall waive the fee otherwise required under subsection (1) for filing initial articles of organization if a majority of the initial membership interests in the domestic limited liability company will be held by veterans", and nothing in the section carries a sunset or expiry. LARA's materials show no end date either. That makes Michigan unusual — several states that once had waivers let them lapse. The waiver was created by legislation in the 2017–2018 session and was still in force as of August 2026. That makes Michigan unusual — several states that once had waivers let them lapse.
: For LLCs, yes. LARA's stated position is that fees may be waived for all documents, annual statements included, where veterans hold a majority of the membership interests and satisfactory proof is provided. The proof has to accompany each filing, because LARA doesn't retain what you sent last time.
: No. The filing-fee waiver turns purely on veteran-majority ownership. A service-connected disability matters somewhere else entirely — it's the gate for Michigan's state contracting preference, and a veteran without one gets no procurement advantage here while still getting the full fee waiver.
: Yes, but with a narrower reach. For PLLCs the waiver applies to the filing fee and does not extend to the late-filing penalty. If you file late, the penalty is yours to pay regardless of veteran status, so the waiver is not a reason to be relaxed about deadlines.
: No, and that surprises people. Michigan does not pre-certify service-disabled veteran-owned businesses and does not rely on the old federal CVE database. You self-certify inside the bid by supplying a DD214 or equivalent, proof of the service-connected disability such as a VA Rating Decision Letter, and ownership documents — or you present an NVBDC certification instead.

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