Louisiana keeps LLC costs refreshingly simple: $100 to form the company on the official Articles of Organization (Form 365), $30 a year to stay in good standing, and no franchise tax sitting on top. Act 6 of 2024 repealed the state's corporation franchise tax in full for tax periods beginning January 1, 2026.
Nearly every fee below is also about to change. Act 921 raises Louisiana Secretary of State filing fees across the board effective October 1, 2026. Figures below cover both the current fees and the October 1 increase.
File online through the state's geauxBIZ portal, or file by mail where permitted. Online filing carries a $5 credit card service charge, putting the current online total at $105. The Secretary of State does not publish a guaranteed processing timeline; check geauxBIZ for current estimates, and budget extra time for mailed filings.
Need a firm date? Expedited processing runs $30 for 24-hour service and $50 for "while you wait" priority service under the current SOS fee schedule, rising to $35 and $60 on October 1.
Current Louisiana LLC filing fees
Louisiana charges $100 to file the Articles of Organization with the Secretary of State, and that filing is what creates the LLC's legal existence. Registering an out-of-state company through an Application of Foreign Limited Liability Company (Form 972) currently costs $150.
Filing method | Fee (through September 30, 2026) | Processing time |
|---|---|---|
Online filing (domestic LLC) | $105 ($100 plus the $5 credit card charge) | No published SLA; estimated 1 to 3 business days |
Paper filing (domestic LLC) | $100 | No published SLA; estimated 5 to 10 business days plus mail time |
Foreign LLC registration | $150 (credit card charge applies online) | No published SLA |
Routine expedite | +$30 | 24 hours |
Priority expedite | +$50 | 2 to 4 hours |
Your LLC stays in good standing by filing the $30 Louisiana annual report on or before the anniversary date of organization each year, as La. R.S. 12:1308.1 requires; foreign LLCs pay the same $30 on the anniversary of their qualification under La. R.S. 12:1350.1.
What changes on October 1, 2026
Act 921 is the Louisiana Secretary of State's first across-the-board fee increase since 2013. The enrolled bill sets these new base amounts:
Filing or service | Current fee | Fee starting October 1, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
Domestic LLC Articles of Organization (formation or amendment) | $100 | $125 |
Foreign LLC application for authority | $150 | $185 |
Domestic and foreign LLC annual report | $30 | $35 |
Change of registered agent or registered office | $25 | $30 |
Certified copies | $15 | $20 |
Additional certificates (including certificates of good standing) | $20 | $25 |
24-hour expedite | $30 | $35 |
Priority ("while you wait") expedite | $50 | $60 |
Name reservation is not listed among the fees Act 921 changes, so the $25 charge is expected to hold steady past October 1.
How do Louisiana's LLC filing fees compare to other states?
Louisiana's $100 fee sits toward the lower middle of what states charge to form an LLC today, though it will move closer to the middle of the pack once the $125 rate takes effect. The SBA notes that in most cases the total cost to register a business comes in under $300.
Compare that with neighboring states:
Mississippi charges $50 for formation, and domestic LLCs file their annual report at no cost.
Texas charges $300 upfront, and the Texas Comptroller's 2026 no-tax-due revenue threshold of $2,650,000 means most small LLCs owe $0 in franchise tax.
Arkansas costs $45 to file online ($50 on paper), and every LLC pays a $150 annual franchise tax due by May 1.
Alabama sits at $200 for formation, and Act 2024-213 eliminated the LLC annual report requirement effective October 1, 2024.
Outside the region:
Massachusetts costs $500 to organize, followed by another $500 every year for the annual report when filed by mail; filing online or by fax adds a mandatory expedite surcharge, bringing that fee to $520.
California charges $70 to organize but collects an $800 minimum annual franchise tax from every LLC. A 2026 budget bill, SB 122, lowers the first-year minimum to $400, but only for LLCs formed in tax years 2027 through 2029. A separate proposal, SB 347, to broadly reduce the $800 minimum for 2026 through 2030 did not pass, so that minimum otherwise stands.
Louisiana skips both of those recurring charges. File the annual report each year and you're all set.
Additional filing fees to consider for Louisiana LLCs
Beyond the Articles of Organization, several smaller SOS and local charges surface during an LLC's first year.
Name reservation costs $25 and holds the name for a nonrenewable 120-day period under La. R.S. 12:1307.
Louisiana registered agent costs depend on who serves. Under La. R.S. 12:1308(A)(2)(a), a Louisiana resident may serve as the LLC's own agent, which avoids a commercial agent fee. La. R.S. 12:1308(A)(1) requires a registered office with a municipal address, not a post office box. Commercial registered agent services commonly range from $100 to $300 per year, an industry estimate rather than a state-published figure.
Amending your Articles of Organization currently costs $100 (rising to $125 on October 1, 2026), and a change of registered office or agent costs $25 (rising to $30).
Certified copies cost $15 each (rising to $20), and an additional certificate, such as a certificate of good standing, costs $20 (rising to $25). Banks often ask for these when opening an account.
Many Louisiana parishes and cities require an occupational license, with rates that scale with gross receipts. Jefferson Parish sets a $50 minimum; East Baton Rouge Parish charges $50 for applications filed January through June and $25 from July through December.
Keep your Louisiana LLC in good standing with Discern
Tracking a fee schedule that changes twice in three years, alongside an annual report deadline tied to your specific formation date, is exactly the kind of detail that slips through the cracks in a spreadsheet. Discern files your Louisiana LLC formation with the Secretary of State and then keeps the entity in good standing, covering the registered agent at a Louisiana street address and the annual report, which Discern pre-fills ahead of the anniversary date.
For companies operating beyond Louisiana, Discern runs nationwide registered agent coverage and handles annual report filings in every state where the company is registered, so a fee change in any one state doesn't depend on someone remembering to check that state's portal.
Schedule a demo with Discern to see how this works for your entities.
Frequently asked questions about Louisiana LLC filing fees
Here are the questions founders and finance teams ask most often when budgeting for a Louisiana LLC.
How much does it cost to form an LLC in Louisiana right now?
Through September 30, 2026, the Articles of Organization cost $100 on paper or $105 online, and a foreign LLC's Form 972 costs $150. Expedite fees add $30 or $50.
Will the Louisiana LLC filing fee go up?
Yes. Act 921 raises Louisiana Secretary of State fees effective October 1, 2026. The domestic LLC formation fee rises to $125, the foreign LLC application fee rises to $185, the annual report fee rises to $35, and expedite fees rise to $35 and $60.
Do Louisiana LLCs pay franchise tax?
No. LLCs taxed as partnerships or disregarded entities were never subject to it, and LLCs taxed as C corporations owed it only for periods from January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2025. Act 6 repealed the tax for periods beginning January 1, 2026.
What happens if my LLC loses its registered agent?
Under La. R.S. 12:1363, failing to maintain a registered agent puts an LLC at risk of having its articles of organization revoked by the Secretary of State. A change of registered office or agent costs $25 through September 30, 2026, and $30 after that, and under La. R.S. 12:1308(C)(1) requires a notarized affidavit of acceptance from the new agent.
Updated on
2026-09-14
