How to Start an LLC in Mississippi: 6 Steps for 2026

How to start an LLC in Mississippi really comes down to one online filing with the Secretary of State, and as of 2026 the fee is just $50. You submit a Certificate of Formation, then keep good standing with a free annual report each year. Here’s where to file, what it costs, and what people miss.

Is an LLC the right move in Mississippi, or do you need a DBA or business license?

An LLC is a legal entity you create with the Secretary of State, and it’s not a Mississippi business license. A license is permission to operate that your city or county may require.

A DBA is a trade name, not a way to form a business. An S corp isn’t an entity either; it’s a federal tax election you add later. Since you can file yourself, compare the Mississippi formation services before paying anyone.

How to form a Mississippi LLC: the six steps from name search to EIN

The core of starting an LLC in Mississippi is six steps, all running through the Secretary of State or the IRS. You won’t need a lawyer for the basics, and you can’t skip any of the steps. Here’s the sequence, with the real fees and the state quirks.

Step 1: Name your LLC and check it against the state

Your name must include limited liability company, L.L.C., or LLC, and it must be distinguishable from existing state records. HB1105, effective July 1, 2024, also blocks words like bank, trust, insurance, and incorporated.

Run your choice through the Mississippi business-name search before you commit. If it’s clear but you’re not ready to file, you can reserve it for 180 days for $25.

Step 2: Appoint a Mississippi registered agent

Every Mississippi LLC must keep a registered agent with a physical street address in the state, not a P.O. box, reachable in business hours. The agent can be you, another Mississippi resident, or an authorized company.

The registered office on file has to match that address. If you don’t have a Mississippi address, a registered agent service is the rare paid service that’s worth considering.

Step 3: File the Certificate of Formation online

Mississippi’s formation document is the Certificate of Formation, not the Articles of Organization most states use. You can only file it online, through the Secretary of State’s online filing system, after creating a free filing account.

Choose File Business Documents, enter the LLC name, registered office, and agent details, then pay the $50. Some paid filings are approved immediately; others go to staff review and come back the same day, sometimes within minutes.

Step 4: Write an operating agreement (recommended, not required)

Mississippi doesn’t require an LLC operating agreement, but the Secretary of State recommends one, and skipping it is the most common gap we see. Without it, the state’s default rules run your LLC.

A good agreement sets ownership percentages, profit splits, signing authority, and exit terms. Even a single-member LLC benefits; start from a Mississippi operating agreement and adapt it.

Step 5: Get your EIN from the IRS

Once the state approves your LLC, get an EIN from the IRS; it’s free and quick online. Form the LLC first, because the EIN name has to match the state record exactly.

You’ll need it to open a bank account, hire, and file taxes; even a single-member LLC should get one. Here’s how to apply for your EIN after you form for free.

Step 6: Open a business bank account and register for state taxes

Open a dedicated business bank account as soon as the EIN arrives, bringing the stamped Certificate of Formation, EIN letter, and operating agreement. Commingling personal and business money is what lets a court pierce the liability protection you just set up.

If you’ll sell taxable goods or hire, register with the Department of Revenue for sales tax or withholding first. That’s formation done; the rest is yearly upkeep below.

How much does a Mississippi LLC cost? The $50 filing fee, and what is recurring

The Mississippi LLC cost to form is $50, the flat Certificate of Formation fee as of 2026, per the state’s business filing fee schedule. There’s no formation tax and no publication fee, which keeps Mississippi cheap to start.

After that, the recurring cost is tiny: the domestic annual report is $0. So when people ask how much an LLC really runs here, it’s $50 up front and nothing yearly.

For the full breakdown, see the complete Mississippi LLC cost breakdown.

The Mississippi annual report: $0 to file, due every April 15

At the Secretary of State level, a Mississippi LLC files one thing a year, the Mississippi LLC annual report. You can submit it on or after January 1, and it’s due by April 15, filed online with the Secretary of State.

The domestic fee is $0, but the deadline still bites; miss it long enough and the state can administratively dissolve your LLC. You can file the annual report yourself in minutes.

This is where it gets state-specific: a Mississippi LLC pays no franchise or privilege tax of its own, because by default it’s a pass-through. The exception, per the Department of Revenue, is an LLC that elects corporate taxation, which can owe the corporate franchise tax. That tax is repealed for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2028.

Worth flagging: the $0 is for domestic LLCs only. A foreign LLC pays $250 for the same report, so don’t confuse the two.

Where Mississippi owners slip: the wrong form, the April 15 deadline, the license mix-up

A few mistakes recur on Mississippi filings. The first is hunting for Articles of Organization when the form you want is the Certificate of Formation.

The second is trying to mail it; Mississippi’s online only, so paper just stalls. The third is treating the Mississippi LLC filing fee as recurring; the $50 is one-time, the yearly report separate and free.

The last is the confusion that brings most people here: an LLC isn’t a business license or a DBA. Work out which you need before spending on the wrong thing.

Mississippi LLC questions: cost, free filing, DBAs, and S corps

Here are the questions Mississippi founders raise most, answered the way we’d answer on a call.