How to Start an LLC in Missouri (2026 Guide)
Missouri is one of just four states in the country with no LLC annual report — file once for $50 and the Secretary of State never asks again. The one thing most guides skip: Missouri actually requires an operating agreement by law, even though nobody files it anywhere. Here's all 8 steps, done right.
To start a Missouri LLC, file Articles of Organization with the Missouri Secretary of State for $50 online (often approved the same business day) or $105 by mail (~5–7 business days). Missouri is one of only four states — with Arizona, New Mexico, and Ohio — that requires no ongoing annual report or fee for LLCs. Missouri law (RSMo § 347.081) does require every LLC to adopt an operating agreement, though it's never filed with the state. State income tax is graduated, roughly 2.00%–4.80% for 2026, and sales tax is 4.225% statewide plus local rates (averaging around 8.44% combined).
- State filing fee
- $50 online / $105 mail
- Processing time
- Same business day (online)
- Annual report
- None — ever
- Income tax
- ~2.00%–4.80% graduated
- Sales tax
- 4.225% + local (~8.44% avg)
- Filing agency
- Secretary of State
Why Form an LLC in Missouri?
Missouri offers something almost no other state does: form your LLC once, and the Secretary of State genuinely never asks for another filing or fee again. What you get:
- A $50 formation fee — filed online, often approved the same business day.
- Zero ongoing state filings — Missouri is one of only four states with no LLC annual report requirement at all.
- No franchise tax on LLCs — one of the cleanest ongoing cost structures in the country.
- A legally mandatory operating agreement — unusual among states, but it means Missouri's law already expects you to do the one thing every LLC should do anyway.
"No annual report" doesn't mean "no compliance obligations": Missouri LLCs still must maintain a registered agent continuously, keep records current, and handle Department of Revenue taxes. Founders coming from other states sometimes assume Missouri works like everywhere else and go looking for an annual filing that simply doesn't exist here — and then miss the parts that do matter, like the registered agent and the legally required operating agreement.
How to Start a Missouri LLC in 8 Steps
Your name must be distinguishable from every Missouri entity and contain a designator like "LLC" or "L.L.C." Search free on the Secretary of State's business database.
Every Missouri LLC must continuously maintain a registered agent — a Missouri resident or authorized entity with a physical in-state street address.
File the Articles of Organization
The $50 online filing that creates your LLC — often approved the same business day. Mail costs more than double at $105.
Create Your Operating Agreement (Required by Law)
Unlike most states, Missouri law actually requires every LLC to adopt one — though it's never filed with the state and can even be oral (written is strongly recommended).
Get Your Free EIN from the IRS
Your federal tax ID for banking, hiring, and Missouri Department of Revenue registration. Always free at IRS.gov.
Understand Why There's No Annual Report
Missouri LLCs file nothing recurring with the Secretary of State — one of only four states with this structure. Here's what to watch instead.
Get Business Licenses & Permits
No statewide general license — but sales tax registration, and local licensing in cities like St. Louis, Kansas City, and Springfield.
A graduated state income tax topping out near 4.80%, 15.3% federal SE tax, and a 4.225% statewide sales tax plus local rates.
What a Missouri LLC Really Costs (2026)
| Cost Item | Amount | When |
|---|---|---|
| Articles of Organization (required) | $50 online / $105 mail | One-time, at formation |
| Annual report (required) | None — doesn't exist | Never |
| Registered agent service (optional) | $0–$125/yr | Annual, if hired |
| Name reservation (optional) | $25 | 60 days, renewable to 180 |
| Fictitious name / DBA (required if used) | $7 | 5-year term |
| EIN from the IRS | $0 — always free | At IRS.gov |
| Franchise tax (LLC) | $0 | Never — LLCs exempt |
Bottom line: $50 to form and genuinely $0/yr to maintain at the state level — Missouri has one of the simplest ongoing cost structures of any state in the country. Model your exact setup below.
Missouri LLC Cost Calculator
Missouri LLC Cost Calculator
First-year + 3-year totals · verified July 2026
Excludes taxes and local permits. There is no annual report fee to model in any year \u2014 Missouri simply doesn't have one for LLCs.
No Annual Report — What That Actually Means
Missouri, Arizona, New Mexico, and Ohio are the only four states that don't require LLCs to file any kind of recurring report with the Secretary of State. In Missouri's case, this is written directly into Chapter 347, RSMo — the LLC Act simply contains no annual report provision. That doesn't mean zero ongoing obligations, though: you still must maintain your registered agent continuously, keep your Department of Revenue tax accounts current, and — because Missouri actually requires one by statute — keep your operating agreement in place.
Missouri LLC Taxes at a Glance
Default LLCs pass profits to your personal return, taxed at Missouri's graduated rate, roughly 2.00%–4.80% for 2026 — though the top bracket kicks in at a fairly low income threshold, so many filers land close to the top rate. Add federal self-employment tax of 15.3% on 92.35% of net profit. The LLC itself owes no entity-level income tax and no franchise tax — Missouri repealed the franchise tax for LLCs entirely. Sellers collect 4.225% state sales tax plus local add-ons, averaging around 8.44% combined. Past roughly $60–80K profit, model an S-Corp election — details in Step 8.
Ahmad Adil's Take: Missouri is genuinely one of the lowest-maintenance states in this entire series — no annual report means there's no recurring deadline to forget, no free-filing trap, nothing. That said, I've watched founders coming from annual-report states get a little too relaxed here and let their registered agent address go stale, since there's no yearly filing forcing them to confirm it. My rule for Missouri: since the state won't remind you of anything, build your own light annual check-in — confirm your registered agent is current and pull out your operating agreement once a year to make sure it still reflects reality. Missouri does the easy part for you; don't skip the parts it doesn't.
- ✓Forms your Missouri LLC for $39 + the $50 state fee
- ✓Files online with the Secretary of State
- ✓Free Missouri registered agent the first year
- ✓No upsells · No data selling · Privacy by Default
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Missouri LLC — FAQ
Ahmad Adil is the founder and CEO of LLC School. The figures here — the $50 Articles of Organization, the fact that Missouri has no LLC annual report, and Missouri’s graduated income tax topping out near 4.7% — reflect current Missouri Secretary of State and Department of Revenue guidance. This is educational content, not legal or tax advice.
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