How to Start an LLC in Louisiana (2026 Guide)
Louisiana requires Articles of Organization and an Initial Report, formal agent acceptance and an anniversary-date annual report. Use the current SOS forms and fees while following the eight steps below.
The current Louisiana SOS fee schedule and October 2026 forms list $125 for domestic LLC Articles, $35 for an Annual Report and $30 for Form 983 agent/office change. Optional routine expedite adds $35 and priority expedite adds $60. Credit-card payments carry a separate $5 statutory convenience fee. Use the current channel’s total rather than the older 100/30/25 filing amounts. Maintain the required physical Louisiana registered office and qualifying agent under R.S.12:1308. Complete the applicable agent affidavit and acknowledgement of acceptance. The paper form requires the agent’s notarized acceptance. For geauxBIZ, follow the actual acknowledgement request and deadline shown in that submission; no universal seven-day deadline or formation-effective date is certified here. Check the accepted filing and certificate before treating the LLC as formed.
- State filing fee
- $125 plus applicable$5 card fee
- Expedite
- $35 routine · $60 priority
- Annual report
- $35 · anniversary date
- State income tax
- 3% flat
- Franchise tax
- Repealed (2026)
- Sales tax
- 5% state + parish rates
Why Form an LLC in Louisiana?
Louisiana has a flat 3% individual income-tax rate, and its corporation franchise tax is repealed for periods beginning January 1,2026. Default owner taxation, corporate elections, sales/payroll taxes and eligible state elections require separate checks. The current domestic LLC Articles filing fee is $125.
An LLC separates your personal assets from business debts and lawsuits — the liability shield that sole proprietorships lack. Still comparing structures? Read LLC vs Sole Proprietorship. But know upfront: Louisiana is America's only civil-law state, and its LLC process has quirks no other state shares. We flag every one below.
- Flat 3% income tax (2025 onward) with a $12,500 standard deduction ($25,000 married filing jointly) — down from graduated rates topping 4.25%.
- Franchise tax repealed for 2026 — even LLCs taxed as corporations no longer owe it.
- No entity-level tax on default pass-through LLCs — unlike some neighboring states that impose separate business-level levies.
- Annual Report — $35 filing fee, plus any applicable $5 card convenience fee, due by the exact anniversary date.
- Optional expedited review — current routine expedite adds $35 and priority expedite adds $60. Confirm channel, cutoff and completeness requirements.
Check the actual parish/city for occupational licenses and taxes. Sales-tax administration depends on physical presence and remote-seller status; qualifying remote sellers use the Commission as the single state/local collector rather than universally registering with each parish.
How to Start a Louisiana LLC in 8 Steps
Here's the complete roadmap. Each step links to a full guide with forms, fees, and exact filing instructions.
Your name must be distinguishable from every Louisiana entity and contain "Limited Liability Company," "L.L.C.," or "L.C." (LLC is accepted in practice). Search free at the Secretary of State, or reserve a name for $25.
Maintain the required physical Louisiana registered office and qualifying agent under R.S.12:1308. Complete the applicable agent affidavit and acknowledgement of acceptance. The paper form requires the agent’s notarized acceptance. For geauxBIZ, follow the actual acknowledgement request and deadline shown in that submission; no universal seven-day deadline or formation-effective date is certified here. Check the accepted filing and certificate before treating the LLC as formed.
File Articles of Organization + Initial Report
File the current Articles of Organization and Initial Report through the accepted channel. The current Articles fee is $125; a $5 card convenience fee is separate if applicable. Confirm completeness and official acceptance.
Not required, but critical in Louisiana: without one, default rules give every member one vote regardless of investment — and Louisiana's community property law can make spouses co-owners of membership interests.
Get Your Free EIN from the IRS
Your federal tax ID — required for banking, hiring, and registering with the Louisiana Department of Revenue. Always free at IRS.gov, about 15 minutes online.
File Your Annual Report (Every Year)
The current Annual Report filing fee is $35, plus any applicable $5 card convenience fee. File by the exact anniversary date shown in the SOS record. Check actual filing history and follow any official delinquency or revocation notice.
Get Business Licenses & Permits
No statewide general license — but parishes and cities levy occupational license taxes, sales tax registration happens at both state and parish level, and regulated professions need their boards' licenses.
Understand Louisiana LLC Taxes
Flat 3% state income tax on pass-through profits, 15.3% federal self-employment tax, 5% state sales tax plus parish rates, and parish occupational taxes. Full breakdown in Step 8.
What a Louisiana LLC Really Costs (2026)
| Cost Item | Amount | When |
|---|---|---|
| Articles of Organization and Initial Report | $125 plus applicable card fee | At formation |
| Annual Report | $35 plus applicable card fee | By anniversary date |
| Optional expedited processing | $35 routine / $60 priority | Confirm current channel terms |
| Optional registered-agent service | Provider-set; check renewal terms | Eligible self/other agent options may avoid a provider fee |
| Name reservation (optional) | $25 | 120 days, nonrenewable |
| Optional trade-name filing | $95 per current SOS schedule | Confirm whether SOS trade-name or parish DBA is appropriate |
| EIN from the IRS | $0 — always free | At IRS.gov |
| Franchise tax | $0 — repealed 2026 | — |
Budget the current $125 Articles filing fee and $35 annual report, with applicable card fees, expedited review, licenses, taxes and provider charges separately. The planner illustrates selected filing-cost assumptions, not a complete operating or tax budget.
Louisiana LLC Cost & Speed Planner
Louisiana is one of the few states where you choose your approval speed. Pick your filing setup and see both your total cost and how fast your LLC will exist.
Louisiana LLC Cost & Speed Planner
First-year + 3-year totals with approval-time estimate · Check current official instructions
Filing-cost illustration only. Current Articles fee $125, Annual Report $35 and applicable $5 card convenience fee are modeled. Optional routine/priority expedite adds $35/$60. Confirm the actual submission channel, payment method and current queue; taxes, licenses and parish costs are excluded.
Louisiana's 4 Quirks No Other State Has
The Initial Report
Filed with your Articles (no extra fee) — it names your registered office, agent, and initial members/managers. Your formation isn't complete without it.
The agent affidavit
Maintain the required physical Louisiana registered office and qualifying agent under R.S.12:1308. Complete the applicable agent affidavit and acknowledgement of acceptance. The paper form requires the agent’s notarized acceptance. For geauxBIZ, follow the actual acknowledgement request and deadline shown in that submission; no universal seven-day deadline or formation-effective date is certified here. Check the accepted filing and certificate before treating the LLC as formed.
Civil law + community property
Louisiana's legal system descends from the Napoleonic Code, and it's a community property state — a married member's LLC interest may be co-owned by their spouse. Your operating agreement should address it.
Parish-administered taxes
Sales taxes are collected by parish-level collectors, and occupational license taxes are levied locally. Where you operate matters as much as what you sell.
Louisiana LLC Taxes at a Glance
By default your LLC is a pass-through: profits land on your personal return at Louisiana's flat 3% (after the $12,500/$25,000 standard deduction), plus federal self-employment tax of 15.3% on 92.35% of net profit. There's no franchise tax (repealed for 2026) and no entity-level tax on default LLCs. Selling taxable goods or services? Collect 5% state sales tax plus your parish's rate — combined rates around 10% are normal, the highest in the country. Once profits pass roughly $60–80K, an S-Corp election (Form 2553) may cut self-employment tax — full math in Step 8.
Ahmad Adil's Take: Louisiana used to be a state I'd warn founders about — graduated taxes plus a franchise tax plus parish complexity. The 2024–2026 reforms genuinely changed the math: flat 3% and zero franchise tax make it competitive with its neighbors for the first time in my career. The two things that still bite people are both calendar problems: the agent's 7-day acknowledgment window at formation, and the anniversary-date annual report that isn't a nice round deadline like June 30. Put both in your phone the day you file.
- ✓Optional formation assistance; confirm filing scope, service pricing and submission responsibilities.
- ✓Confirm reminder and follow-up filing services; the LLC remains responsible for its deadlines.
- ✓Confirm registered-agent eligibility, coverage, included periods and renewal charges.
- ✓Review address-use rules and privacy policies; a service does not remove all information from public filings.
Disclosure: LLC School may earn a commission via this link, at no cost to you. See our advertising disclosure.
Current Fees and Agent Acceptance
The current Louisiana SOS fee schedule and October 2026 forms list $125 for domestic LLC Articles, $35 for an Annual Report and $30 for Form 983 agent/office change. Optional routine expedite adds $35 and priority expedite adds $60. Credit-card payments carry a separate $5 statutory convenience fee. Use the current channel’s total rather than the older 100/30/25 filing amounts. Maintain the required physical Louisiana registered office and qualifying agent under R.S.12:1308. Complete the applicable agent affidavit and acknowledgement of acceptance. The paper form requires the agent’s notarized acceptance. For geauxBIZ, follow the actual acknowledgement request and deadline shown in that submission; no universal seven-day deadline or formation-effective date is certified here. Check the accepted filing and certificate before treating the LLC as formed.
Louisiana LLC — FAQ
Ahmad Adil is the founder and CEO of LLC School. For filing and ongoing compliance, confirm the requirements with the responsible state agency. This is educational information, not legal or tax advice.
About Ahmad Adil → Compare States →LLC School Guide
Find answers in our website