How to Form an LLC in Louisiana
For $99 a year, get a Louisiana agent with a registered address on file, same-day scanning of legal documents, and compliance reminders before state deadlines.
Getting a Louisiana LLC up and running involves one main filing, a continuing agent requirement, and predictable annual housekeeping. The formation document is the Articles of Organization (Form 365), the official Louisiana filing fee is $125 since October 1, 2026, and the Louisiana Secretary of State handles the processing. What's next: the fee math (including the card surcharge), the form itself, and every step in order.
Get Your Louisiana LLC — $199
$199 gets you a complete preparation service through the Louisiana Secretary of State, plus our registered agent service for your first year.
What an LLC Does for You in Louisiana
A limited-liability company is a flexible business form that limits owner liability while keeping tax filing relatively simple. Louisiana small operators favor the LLC structure because it provides real liability protection without the paperwork demands of a corporation.
Louisiana LLC Filing Fee: $125
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Our LLC formation service | $199 one-time |
| Secretary of State fee, Articles plus Initial Report | $125 (plus $5 by card) |
| Registered agent (required for every Louisiana LLC) | Covered for year one; renews at $99/year |
| State annual report fee | $35/year |
Our part is $199 for the filing service. The state's $125 goes to the Louisiana Secretary of State directly, and card payments pick up Louisiana's statutory $5 convenience fee, which is why a geauxBIZ filing paid by card totals $130. Your first year of our agent service is included; renewals are $99/year.
Fee change: Act 921 of the 2026 Regular Session raised the Articles of Organization fee from $100 to $125 on October 1, 2026. Older copies of Form 365 and its transmittal sheet still print the previous amounts.
Louisiana annual report note: the state fee is $35 (plus the $5 convenience fee if you pay by card). Your initial report is filed together with your Articles at no extra fee, then the report comes due by your anniversary date each year.
Articles of Organization: Form 365
Louisiana's formation document is the Articles of Organization-Louisiana Limited Liability Company, listed as Form 365 on the Secretary of State's forms schedule. Under La. R.S. 12:1304, "one or more persons capable of contracting" may form an LLC by filing the articles of organization and the initial report with the secretary of state. That pairing matters: Form 365 travels with an Initial Report, and the state expects both together. The required contents of the articles are laid out at R.S. 12:1305.
You can file online through geauxBIZ or send the paper form by mail. Businesses in certain parishes have been required to file online since 2018, and online is faster for everyone else anyway. Mail filings take longer to process, and the state offers expedited handling for an extra charge if you're in a hurry.
How to Form a Louisiana LLC, Step by Step
- Name your LLC. The name must signal LLC status with an approved designator and must be distinguishable from every other registered entity. Pull up the Secretary of State's entity search and confirm your name is open before you file anything. Leave out restricted terms like "bank," "insurance," or "trust" unless you're licensed for them.
- Line up your registered agent. Louisiana requires an agent in place from day one, with a Louisiana municipal address (not just a post office box), and the agent signs a notarized affidavit of acceptance. The agent's name and address go into the public entity database. Our agent plan costs nothing in year one when we handle your formation, then $99 per year, and our information appears on the public record so yours doesn't have to.
- File Form 365 with the Initial Report. This is where the LLC becomes a legal entity: submit the Articles of Organization and Initial Report to the Louisiana Secretary of State, paying the $125 fee ($130 when you pay by card through geauxBIZ). The Articles cover the company name and purpose; and the Initial Report, filed alongside, gives the registered office and agents (each agent signs a notarized acceptance) plus the initial members or managers.
- Draft an operating agreement. Louisiana treats operating agreements as internal documents: not filed, not reviewed by the state, but indispensable for actually running the business. It sets ownership percentages, decides how profits flow, defines who can make decisions, and specifies the exit process for members. Without one, Louisiana's standard LLC defaults apply, and those may not match what you and your members want.
- Pull an EIN from the IRS. An Employer Identification Number is the LLC's federal tax identifier. Banks ask for it, payroll providers require it, and federal returns include it. Apply on the IRS website; expect about ten minutes online, with your EIN issued at the end. Avoid paying an outside service for this since the IRS application is free.
- Maintain compliance going forward. Keep a current registered agent with a Louisiana address on record every day the LLC exists, file the annual report by your anniversary date through geauxBIZ, keep the LLC's accounts fully separate from your personal accounts, and stay current on federal and state tax returns. Slip on any of those and the state can move your LLC out of good standing, and eventually terminate it, until you bring everything current.
Done filing things yourself? Hand the Louisiana paperwork to our team for $199.
Registered Agents in Louisiana
All Louisiana LLCs must maintain a registered agent. It's a statutory requirement, not a recommendation. The agent must:
- Hold an actual Louisiana location with a street address (PO box-only setups don't work)
- Sign a notarized acknowledgment and acceptance of the appointment
- Relay state mail and lawsuits fast enough to preserve the LLC's response time
List yourself as the agent (as a Louisiana resident individual) and your street address goes on the searchable state record for anyone to find.
Our Louisiana office handles this; when we file your LLC, the first twelve months cost nothing, and it's $99 a year after. We take the public-facing agent role and your address stays off the record.
Questions People Ask
How much does it cost to form an LLC in Louisiana?
The official state filing fee is $125 since October 1, 2026 (Act 921), or $130 when you pay by card online. After formation, the annual report costs $35 each year, filed by your anniversary date; geauxBIZ opens it four weeks ahead.
How long does it take to form an LLC in Louisiana?
Louisiana sets no published processing window. You can pay $35 for 24-hour expedite or $60 for while-you-wait priority service.
Does Louisiana require an annual report?
Yes, annually, due by your anniversary date. The state fee is $35 whether you file on geauxBIZ or mail it in.
Do I need a registered agent for my Louisiana LLC?
Yes. Louisiana LLCs must maintain a registered agent at a Louisiana physical address without any gap from formation forward.
Can I form an LLC in Louisiana if I live in another state?
Yes. Louisiana does not require LLC owners to be residents. The one in-state requirement is the agent, and the $99/year agent product takes care of that.
Start Your Louisiana LLC the Right Way
Anyone can file directly with the Louisiana Secretary of State through geauxBIZ. The state collects $100 at filing ($125 starting October 1, 2026), and the registered agent rule still applies.
Our agent service can be listed on your formation paperwork from day one. With year one bundled into our formation price and $99 per year after, you get our Louisiana address on file, same-day scanning of anything that arrives, and filing reminders ahead of time.
Looking for the registered agent on its own? The registered agent option is $99 annually on its own.
Got other questions about Louisiana LLCs or the registered agent piece? See the FAQ or contact us within the normal workday.
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