Louisiana raised its business filing fees on October 1, 2026, so older guides you find online are probably out of date: forming an LLC now costs $125 in state fees. Louisiana is also unusual in one practical way. Your registered agent has to sign a notarized affidavit accepting the job, and it goes in with your formation paperwork. After that, the main ongoing obligation is an annual report, $35 a year, due on or before the anniversary date of organization.
Louisiana LLC basics in one table
Fees and deadlines from official state sources| Formation document | Articles of Organization (Form 365), filed together with an Initial Report that names your registered office and agent |
|---|---|
| Filing fee | $125; paying by credit card adds a $5 convenience fee |
| Processing and expedite | Standard processing time is not published. Expedited options: $35 (processed within 24 hours) or $60 (processed while you wait), on top of the filing fee |
| Annual report | $35, due on or before the anniversary date of organization |
| State LLC tax | No separate annual LLC tax or fee was found in official sources; income tax treatment follows how the LLC is classified for federal purposes |
| Registered agent | Required. A Louisiana resident or a qualifying business entity, with a Louisiana street address (not just a P.O. box) |
| Newspaper publication | Not required by the LLC formation statute |
| Where to file | Online through geauxBIZ, starting from the Secretary of State’s Start a Business page |
Step 1Pick a name Louisiana will accept
Your LLC’s name must include “limited liability company,” “L.L.C.” or “L.C.” It also has to be distinguishable from names already on the Secretary of State’s records, including corporations, partnerships, other LLCs, reserved names and registered trade names.
Louisiana law blocks a few things outright: the phrase “doing business as” or “d/b/a,” wording that suggests you are a government agency, and wording that falsely suggests a charity or nonprofit. Other words need extra steps. “Insurance” is limited to independent insurance agencies and brokerages, banking terms such as “bank,” “trust” or “credit union” need written approval from the Office of Financial Institutions, and names using engineering, surveying or architecture terms require advance notice to the relevant licensing board.
You can check preliminary availability in the state’s business filings search. If you are not ready to file, you can reserve a name for $25. Under the current statute the reservation lasts a nonrenewable 120 days.
Step 2Line up a registered agent (and their notarized affidavit)
Every Louisiana LLC must keep a registered office in the state and at least one registered agent at all times. The agent can be an individual who is a Louisiana citizen living in Louisiana, or an eligible business entity authorized to do business in the state that has filed a certificate with the Secretary of State naming at least two people at its in-state address who can accept legal papers. The office must have a real street address, not only a post office box.
What sets Louisiana apart is the paperwork: each registered agent signs a notarized affidavit of acknowledgment and acceptance, and it is part of your Initial Report. Line this up before you sit down to file. If your agent later resigns, you have 30 days to appoint and file a successor.
Step 3File your Articles of Organization and Initial Report
Louisiana splits formation into two parts that are filed together:
- Articles of Organization. These state the LLC’s name, its purpose (you can simply say any lawful activity), and whether it is a low-profit LLC. You can optionally say whether managers will run the company and add other lawful provisions. The articles must be acknowledged by a signer or executed by authentic act.
- Initial Report. This lists the registered office address, each registered agent’s name and address, the agent’s notarized acceptance, and the names and addresses of the first managers (or members, if the members will manage) if you have chosen them. If you haven’t named them yet, you file a supplemental initial report once you do ($30).
The filing fee is $125. The Secretary of State encourages online filing through the geauxBIZ portal, and businesses in Ascension, Bossier, Caddo, Calcasieu, East Baton Rouge, Jefferson, Lafayette, Livingston, Orleans, Ouachita, Rapides, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa and Terrebonne parishes are required to file available documents online there. geauxBIZ also lets you register with the Department of Revenue in the same visit.
The state does not publish a standard turnaround time. If you need it fast, the Secretary of State offers a 24-hour expedite for $35 or same-visit “while you wait” handling for $60, in addition to the filing fee.
Step 4Keep up with the annual report
Your LLC must file an annual report on or before the anniversary date of organization, so your first one comes due a year after formation. The fee is $35. The report confirms your registered office, registered agent, and managers (or members, if member-managed), and it is filed online through geauxBIZ.
Skipping it has real consequences. An LLC that is delinquent on annual reports is not in good standing and cannot do commercial business with the state, and any such contract can be declared void. If you go three consecutive years without filing, the Secretary of State must revoke your articles of organization after sending at least 30 days’ written notice to your registered agent. You can apply for reinstatement within three years of revocation by filing the current annual report and paying the reinstatement fee.
Step 5Finish the setup
- Operating agreement. Louisiana does not ask you to file one, but a written agreement among the members sets out ownership, management and what happens if someone leaves. It is worth having even for a one-person LLC.
- EIN. Get a free Employer Identification Number from the IRS. You will need it to open a bank account or hire employees.
- State tax accounts and licenses. Through geauxBIZ you can register for a Louisiana revenue account and an unemployment insurance account, and get a checklist of federal, state and local licenses and permits that may apply. Check with your parish and city as well.
- Out-of-state LLCs. An LLC formed in another state that does business in Louisiana generally has to register as a foreign LLC instead of forming a new one.
What a Louisiana LLC costs
| Articles of Organization (one-time) | $125 |
|---|---|
| Credit card convenience fee (optional) | $5 |
| Name reservation (optional) | $25 |
| Expedite (optional) | $35 (24 hours) or $60 (while you wait) |
| Annual report (every year) | $35 |
| EIN | Free from the IRS |
How Louisiana compares
State filing fee to form an LLC, next to neighboring states. The national median is $100.
National median · Fees from each state's official sources; some states charge a different amount online or by mail. If you live and run your business in Louisiana, forming your LLC in another state usually means also registering it here as a foreign LLC, so you pay both states' fees.
Louisiana taxes to know about
The official sources reviewed for this guide show no separate state-level annual LLC tax beyond the annual report fee. For income tax, the Department of Revenue says an LLC’s treatment depends on how it is classified for federal income tax purposes, so a default single-member or multi-member LLC is generally handled differently from one that elects to be taxed as a corporation. Separately, the Department of Revenue states that the corporation franchise tax has been repealed for franchise tax periods beginning on or after January 1, 2026, though filings for earlier periods may still be owed. Ask a tax professional how these rules apply to your LLC.
File it yourself or use a formation service?
Louisiana’s process is manageable on your own, and doing it yourself costs only the state fee. The parts that trip people up are the notarized agent affidavit and the acknowledgment requirement, so plan for a notary. A formation service can handle the forms, provide a registered agent and track annual report deadlines for an added fee. Which makes sense depends on how comfortable you are with paperwork and whether you have someone in Louisiana who can act as your registered agent.
Recent changes
- October 1, 2026: higher filing fees. Act 921 of the 2026 Regular Session (House Bill 908) raised Commercial Division fees. For LLCs, the articles of organization went from $100 to $125, the annual report from $30 to $35, the 24-hour expedite from $30 to $35, and the while-you-wait expedite from $50 to $60.
- 2026: corporation franchise tax repealed. The Department of Revenue states the corporation franchise tax no longer applies to franchise tax periods beginning on or after January 1, 2026.
Louisiana LLC FAQ
How much does it cost to start an LLC in Louisiana?
The state filing fee is $125, plus $5 if you pay by card. Name reservation and expedited handling are optional extras.
When is my first Louisiana annual report due?
It is due on or before the anniversary date of organization, so the first one falls one year after your LLC was formed. The fee is $35.
Can I be my own registered agent in Louisiana?
Yes, if you are a Louisiana citizen who lives in the state and can give a Louisiana street address. You still sign the notarized acceptance affidavit.
Does Louisiana require publishing a notice in the newspaper?
No. The LLC formation statute does not include a publication requirement.
What happens if I stop filing annual reports?
Your LLC falls out of good standing right away. After three consecutive years without a report, the state revokes its articles, though you can seek reinstatement within three years.
Sources
- Louisiana Secretary of State: Fee Schedule (effective October 1, 2026)
- Louisiana Legislature: HB 908 (2026 Regular Session), Act 921
- Louisiana Legislature: text of Act 921 of 2026
- Louisiana Secretary of State: Forms and Fee Schedule (geauxBIZ mandatory parishes)
- Louisiana Secretary of State: Start a Business
- Louisiana Secretary of State: New Filings and Name Reservations instructions
- Louisiana Secretary of State: Search for Louisiana Business Filings
- La. R.S. 12:1305: Articles of organization; initial report
- La. R.S. 12:1306: Name
- La. R.S. 12:1307: Reservation of name
- La. R.S. 12:1308: Registered office and registered agent
- La. R.S. 12:1308.1: Annual report
- La. R.S. 12:1308.2: Revocation for failure to file annual reports; reinstatement
- Louisiana Department of Revenue: Corporate Income and Franchise Tax
- Louisiana Secretary of State: geauxBIZ launch announcement
- IRS: Get an Employer Identification Number