Starting an LLC in Louisiana
Louisiana registered agent representation, billed at $99 per year. Includes the office address on your filings, same-day scanning of legal mail, and reminders for state deadlines.
An LLC in Louisiana is established through a single formation filing, requires an agent at all times, and carries a short list of annual maintenance items. Plan on $100 for the state's portion, around roughly a week for the state to process it, and a modest annual rhythm after that. What's ahead: the steps, the costs in detail, and where our $199 service joins the process.
Start Your Louisiana LLC — $199
$199 flat — we handle the documentation, send it to Louisiana Secretary of State, and wait for approval. Allow roughly a week.
Start Your Louisiana LLC — $199
The Louisiana LLC, Briefly Explained
A LLC-style liability company is the small-business entity that combines liability protection for the owner with simple tax treatment by default. Small businesses across Louisiana default to the LLC structure for liability protection that doesn't come with corporate-level formality.
The Cost Picture for Louisiana LLCs
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Our LLC formation service | $199 one-time |
| State filing fee (Louisiana Secretary of State) | $100 one-time |
| Registered agent (required for every Louisiana LLC) | $99/year |
| State annual report fee | $35/year |
Our filing fee is $199. State fees flow to Louisiana Secretary of State. The agent service is $99 annually, billed separately.
The Louisiana LLC Formation Process
1. Name Your Louisiana LLC
Your chosen LLC name in Louisiana needs an LLC suffix and needs to be clearly different from anything already on file at the state. Always do a quick search through Louisiana Secretary of State's entity records before committing to a name.
Words implying banking, insurance, or government affiliation are restricted in entity names. Skip them unless you've already cleared the relevant authority.
2. Line Up Your Registered Agent
Every Louisiana LLC must have a RA on file at all times — a person or company with a physical address in Louisiana willing to receive legal mail on the LLC's behalf. Whatever address you put down for the agent is publicly visible through Louisiana Secretary of State's entity search.
Sign up for our $99/year agent product. Our information appears on the public listing so yours doesn't have to.
3. Lodge Your Articles of Organization at Louisiana Secretary of State
This is the actual formation step: submit your Articles to Louisiana Secretary of State along with a $100 filing fee. The filing covers the LLC's name, the LLC's principal address, the RA's contact details, management type (members vs. Managers), and organizer information.
Online filings go through the Louisiana Secretary of State website and move faster than paper submissions through the state.
Standard turnaround is roughly a week from submission. Expedited tracks can usually be added at extra cost.
4. Write the Operating Agreement
The state doesn't ask for an operating agreement at filing time, but you should write one before the LLC opens for business. Topics covered: who owns the LLC, how profits and losses are allocated, who makes decisions, and how member changes are handled. If no agreement exists, Louisiana's statutory defaults govern. Those defaults aren't designed for your specific business.
5. Obtain the Federal EIN
An Employer Identification Number functions as the federal income tax identifier for the LLC. Banks won't open a business account without it; neither will payroll or federal taxes work without it. Get the EIN at IRS.gov — plan on about a few minutes for the form, and the number is issued immediately.
Skip paying a third-party service for an EIN: the IRS provides them free in about ten minutes.
6. Handle Ongoing Compliance
After Louisiana Secretary of State approves your formation, the maintenance work begins:
- Keep the RA designation at a physical Louisiana address continuously
- Send in your annual report each year before the deadline
- Carry out an absolute split between the LLC's money and yours personally (distinct accounts, distinct ledgers)
- Meet the federal and state tax filings throughout the year
Neglecting these obligations gives Louisiana Secretary of State grounds to dissolve the LLC. After dissolution, owners lose liability protection until reinstatement.
Done filing things yourself? $199 hands the Louisiana filing to our team.
Set Up My Louisiana LLC — $199
The Registered Agent Piece
The Louisiana agent requirement is unconditional: every limited liability company, every day, agent on file. The agent must:
- Have on file a brick-and-mortar address in Louisiana (a PO box won't satisfy the rule alone)
- Remain available during the regular workday to receive legal service
- Transmit everything that arrives — lawsuits, tax notices, state correspondence swiftly so deadlines stay intact
Self-appointment as your own agent is allowed, but it has a downside. It then appears in Louisiana Secretary of State's publicly searchable records, searchable by anyone.
Our agent product in Louisiana is $99 a year. Our information appears on the public listing so yours doesn't have to.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to form an LLC in Louisiana?
Louisiana Secretary of State charges $100 for the formation filing. That's a fairly typical state filing fee. Beyond formation, the annual report runs to $35/year.
How long does it take to form an LLC in Louisiana?
Typical turnaround at Louisiana Secretary of State is roughly a week.
Does Louisiana require an annual report?
Yes. The yearly report fee is $35/year.
Do I need a registered agent for my Louisiana LLC?
Yes. Louisiana requires a designated agent at a Louisiana physical address from formation onward. The rule applies continuously starting at formation.
Can I form an LLC in Louisiana if I live in another state?
Yes. Out-of-state owners can form Louisiana LLCs freely. — and the one state-specific item is the Louisiana agent — our $99/year plan handles it.
File Your Louisiana LLC With Our Help
Self-filing with Louisiana Secretary of State is fully available at the Louisiana Secretary of State website. $100 is the state filing fee. The agent requirement is the one thing you can't skip.
Sign up for our agent service and list us on your Louisiana LLC's filing. At For $99 per year, lists our Louisiana address, forwards anything that arrives the same business day, and surfaces due-date reminders ahead of time.
File Your Louisiana LLC — $199
Need just the registered agent piece? The registered agent option comes to $99/year on a stand-alone basis.
Questions about Louisiana LLC formation or how the agent role works? Visit our FAQ page or reach out any weekday.
Ready to get started?
Lock in agent representation for the annual rate — address, scans, deadline reminders.