Louisiana charges $100 to file LLC Articles of Organization through September 30, 2026, about a third of the $300 Texas charges for its Certificate of Formation. A credit card adds a $5 convenience fee, so an online filing currently totals $105. That base fee is changing: Act 921 raises the Articles of Organization fee to $125 on October 1, 2026, along with increases to the annual report fee, trade name registration, expedited processing, and certificate fees across the Commercial Division. If your filing date matters, confirm with the Secretary of State whether the fee that applies is based on your submission date or the date the office actually processes the filing, since the two can fall on different sides of October 1.
At formation, Louisiana requires payment of the filing fee, designation of a registered agent and registered office, and submission of compliant articles of organization along with an initial report that includes the required ownership and management information. Beyond the $5 online convenience fee and any optional expedite charge, the state adds no other formation-specific surcharges. Registered agent service, parish occupational license taxes, and professional help are what move most founders well past $100.
Mandatory Louisiana LLC formation costs
Every Louisiana LLC pays the state filing fee and must keep a registered agent with a physical Louisiana address, and both of those costs are rising this fall.
Expense | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
State filing fee | $100 (mail) / $105 (online by card); $125 starting October 1, 2026 | Act 921 raises the base fee; the $5 online convenience fee is separate and unchanged |
Registered agent | $0 (self) / commonly $100 to $250 per year for a commercial service | Price varies by provider and bundle; this is a market estimate, not a state-set fee |
Operating agreement | $0 (self-drafted) / cost varies by attorney | Not required by Louisiana law for any LLC, including single-member LLCs |
Mailed filings pay $100 through September 30, 2026; online filing through GeauxBIZ adds the $5 statutory convenience fee charged on card payments. Both channels moved to $125 on October 1.
La. R.S. 12:1308(A) requires a Louisiana registered office and an agent who is a Louisiana citizen residing in the state, or an entity authorized to do business here. Go 90 consecutive days without one and La. R.S. 12:1363(A) lets the Secretary of State revoke the articles, though the statute requires at least 30 days' written notice to the registered agent before revocation becomes effective. The SOS FAQ notes that the registered address must be physical rather than a P.O. box. A commercial registered agent can let the LLC use the agent's registered-office address rather than the owner's home address on that public filing.
Optional LLC formation costs in Louisiana
Beyond the state's filing fee, the rest of your budget depends on how much you outsource and which optional filings you need.
Professional services
Attorney formation packages and standalone operating agreement drafting are priced case by case in Louisiana, and reliable state-specific benchmarks are hard to pin down. The most recent Clio Legal Trends Report puts the national average attorney hourly rate at $349 in 2025; Louisiana rates can run above or below that figure depending on the market and practice area, so get a written quote before committing. Online LLC formation filing services sit between DIY filing and a full attorney package.
Additional filings
Beyond attorney and agent costs, a handful of optional SOS filings round out most formation budgets.
Name reservation: $25, reserves the name for a limited period; confirm the current reservation window with GeauxBIZ
Trade name registration: a 10-year renewable term under La. R.S. 51:216(A); the $75 registration fee under La. R.S. 49:222(B)(5)(b) rises to $95 on October 1, 2026
Additional certified copies: $15 per document, rising to $20 on October 1, 2026; additional certificates $20, rising to $25; certified copies with amendments $25, rising to $30
Expedite: $30 for 24-hour service (rising to $35), $50 while you wait (rising to $60)
Parish occupational license tax: varies by parish and municipality; East Baton Rouge, for example, sets a $50 minimum with a reduced $25 rate for businesses opening July through December, then scales with gross receipts. Check both parish and municipal requirements, since local licensing rules can differ even within the same parish.
Ongoing annual costs for a Louisiana LLC
After formation, the state itself asks for little each year, but the parish occupational license renewal scales with revenue, and the annual report fee is rising too. A missed annual report or a lapsed registered agent puts the LLC's good-standing status at risk, and continued non-compliance can lead to revocation under the statutes below.
Louisiana LLC annual report: $30 (rising to $35 on October 1, 2026), plus a $5 card convenience fee, due on or before the anniversary of organization under La. R.S. 12:1308.1; confirm the exact filing window with the SOS each year. La. R.S. 12:1308.2(A) authorizes revocation after three consecutive years of non-filing, with at least 30 days' written notice to the registered agent first.
Registered agent service: commonly $100 to $250 a year for a commercial provider; price and bundled services vary
Parish occupational license renewal: rates and brackets are set locally and vary significantly by parish and industry; check your specific parish and municipal fee schedule rather than assuming a statewide figure
Accounting: costs vary materially by transaction volume, payroll complexity, and the scope of tax and advisory work; get quotes based on your actual bookkeeping needs
Louisiana's corporate franchise tax is repealed for taxable periods beginning on or after January 1, 2026, under Act 6 of the 2024 Third Extraordinary Session, signed December 4, 2024. That repeal doesn't erase liability for franchise tax owed on earlier taxable periods, including any delinquent returns or assessments.
For tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2025, individual owners' Louisiana taxable income is generally subject to the state's flat 3% individual income tax rate, while an LLC that elects to be taxed as a C corporation is subject to Louisiana's flat 5.5% corporate income tax rate.
Automate Louisiana LLC formation and annual reports with Discern
Between the fee increase taking effect this October, the registered agent requirement, and an annual report due on your own organization anniversary rather than a fixed calendar date, tracking one Louisiana LLC by hand is manageable. Tracking several becomes a spreadsheet problem fast. Discern provides registered agent coverage and automated annual report filing for Louisiana LLCs, with autofilings that run in perpetuity once set up.
If your Louisiana LLC is one of several entities across different states, Discern handles registered agent service, annual report filings, and foreign registrations from a single platform, so a fee change in Baton Rouge does not mean re-learning a new deadline calendar. Customers with 200+ registrations spend just 5 to 10 minutes a year on this kind of compliance work.
FAQs about LLC formation costs in Louisiana
These are the cost questions Louisiana founders ask most often.
Are there any hidden fees when forming a Louisiana LLC?
The parish occupational license tax is the one most founders miss. First-year minimums are small, but renewals run on gross receipts, so an operating retailer owes far more than the minimum floor. Licensing rules are set locally, so check both your parish and any municipal system that applies to your address.
Can I get a refund if my Louisiana LLC filing is rejected?
Official SOS and GeauxBIZ materials don't publish a written refund policy for rejected filings. Contact the Louisiana Secretary of State or GeauxBIZ directly to confirm the current correction process and whether the filing fee is retained on rejection.
How do Louisiana LLC costs compare to neighboring states?
Texas charges $300 to form, more than double Louisiana's current fee and still well above Louisiana's post-October $125 rate. Texas also requires a Franchise Tax Report and Public Information Report generally due May 15 each year, subject to the Texas Comptroller's deadline rules and any available extension. On state filing fees alone, Louisiana is the cheaper state to form in. Mississippi charges $50 to form and currently charges no state fee for a domestic LLC annual report, which undercuts Louisiana's filing fee and annual report cost on both counts; confirm current Mississippi figures directly with the Mississippi Secretary of State.
Updated on
2026-09-14
