A Missouri LLC costs $50 to file online, as of 2026, and it’s one of the few states with no LLC annual report and no franchise tax. You form it by filing the Articles of Organization with the Missouri Secretary of State, then your state-level upkeep stays light. The steps below cover the filing, the fees, and what you owe afterward.
Missouri LLC: file for $50, no annual report
- Where you file: the Missouri Secretary of State, Corporations Division, through the Missouri Business Filings portal at bsd.sos.mo.gov.
- The document: Articles of Organization, Form LLC 1.
- Filing fee, as of 2026: $50 online or $105 by paper.
- How long it takes: online filings are often processed immediately; paper runs slower.
- Yearly upkeep: no LLC annual report and no franchise tax.
- Who it’s for: business owners in Missouri who want to separate personal and business liability.
- Contact: Missouri SOS Business Services, Jefferson City, (573) 751-4153 or (866) 223-6535.
How to start an LLC in Missouri: the six steps with the Secretary of State
The whole process runs through the Missouri Secretary of State, and you can finish most of it online in one sitting. Six steps take you from a name to an open bank account.
Step 1: Name your Missouri LLC and check it against the state database
Your name has to include a designator: limited liability company, limited company, LLC, L.L.C., LC, or L.C. It can’t contain corporation, incorporated, LP, or LLP, and it can’t imply you’re a government agency.
It also has to be distinguishable from every name on file. Search the Missouri business entity database first, because a near-duplicate is the top reason a Missouri LLC registration gets bounced.
Not ready to file? Hold a name for 60 days with an Application for Reservation of Name (Form BE 1) for $25, renewable to 180 days total.
Step 2: Appoint a Missouri registered agent with a physical address
Every Missouri LLC must keep a registered agent and registered office in the state at all times. The agent accepts legal papers and state notices during business hours. The listed location must be a real Missouri street address, not a P.O. box on its own.
You can serve as your own agent for free with a Missouri address you don’t mind making public. To keep your address off the record, or if you’re out of state, a registered agent service in Missouri costs far less than a full formation package.
Step 3: File the Articles of Organization (Form LLC 1) with the Secretary of State
This is the filing that creates the company. You submit the Articles of Organization (Form LLC 1) to the Corporations Division in Jefferson City through the state’s online portal, Missouri Business Filings.
The Missouri LLC filing fee is $50 online and $105 by paper, as of 2026. Online submissions are often processed immediately; mailed paper filings sit in the queue and take longer.
Missouri also lets you set a delayed effective date up to 90 days out, handy for a clean January 1 start. A separate $55 pre-clearance review is a document check, not an expedite service.
Running more than one venture? Missouri recognizes the series LLC under Chapter 347, where each protected series files an attachment (Form LLC 1A) with the parent articles.
Step 4: Adopt an operating agreement (required in Missouri, but never filed)
Here’s the thing: Missouri doesn’t merely suggest an operating agreement, it requires one. Under RSMo section 347.081, the members shall adopt one.
You don’t file it with the state. The Secretary of State keeps only the articles, so it stays an internal document in your own records.
A good one sets out ownership splits, voting, and what happens when a member leaves; see what a Missouri operating agreement should cover.
Every week someone tells me Missouri “recommends” an operating agreement. The statute says members shall adopt one, even for a single-member LLC.
Step 5: Get your EIN from the IRS
With the LLC formed, your federal EIN comes next. File the LLC first, then the EIN, so the name on your tax ID matches your articles.
The IRS issues it free in minutes. A single-member LLC uses it to bank and hire; a multi-member LLC needs it to file partnership returns. You can get a Missouri EIN directly, without paying a service a markup.
Step 6: Open a business bank account and handle any licenses
Take your stamped articles, EIN, and operating agreement to the bank and open a dedicated business account. Mixing personal and business money is the fastest way to weaken the liability shield you just paid for.
Licenses are the other piece: business licenses in Missouri are local, not statewide. The next section covers what your city and trade require.
Northwest fits best if you want the Missouri filing paired with agent service and formation documents.
Missouri’s online Articles of Organization are cheap to file yourself. Northwest makes more sense when you want the filing, registered agent coverage, and operating-agreement paperwork organized together before you open the bank account.
What a Missouri LLC actually costs: the $50 filing fee and what comes after
A Missouri LLC costs $50 to form online, or $105 on paper, as of 2026, per the Secretary of State’s schedule of fees.
After that, the recurring cost is low. Missouri charges no annual report fee and no franchise tax, though sales tax, employer taxes, or local licenses can still apply depending on the business.
Optional costs appear only if you choose them: $25 to reserve a name, $7 for a fictitious name, or a registered agent service. For depth, see what a Missouri LLC costs year by year, and if you’re weighing help, compare the main Missouri formation services first.
The state fee is $50 whether you click the buttons or pay a service $300 to click them for you.
Missouri LLC taxes and yearly upkeep: no annual report, no franchise tax
Missouri keeps the yearly upkeep lighter than most states. A Missouri LLC has no annual report to file and no annual report fee. Missouri also stopped imposing a corporate franchise tax for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2016, which leaves the yearly state paperwork unusually light.
That doesn’t make it tax-free. Profits pass through to owners by default, so the LLC itself usually pays no Missouri income tax. A multi-member LLC files a Missouri Partnership Return (MO-1065), and members report their shares.
The main state-level obligations land like this for a standard Missouri LLC, as of 2026:
| Obligation | Applies to a Missouri LLC? | Amount (2026) | Collected by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual report | No | $0 | Not applicable |
| Franchise tax | No (repealed for years beginning on or after Jan 1, 2016) | $0 | Not applicable |
| State income tax (default) | Paid by members, not the LLC | Members’ individual rates | Missouri DOR |
| Corporate income tax (if the LLC elects C-corp) | Only if elected | 4% | Missouri DOR |
| Pass-through entity tax (elective) | Only if elected | 4.7% (2025 top individual rate) | Missouri DOR |
| Sales/use tax (taxable goods) | If applicable | Varies | Missouri DOR |
Two elections can change this. An LLC can choose corporate treatment and pay Missouri’s 4% corporate income tax, or eligible owners can opt into the elective pass-through entity tax. The Missouri Department of Revenue explains both.
One federal note, as of 2026: domestic LLCs are exempt from FinCEN beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting under the March 2025 interim rule. A standard Missouri LLC has nothing to file there for now.
Missouri is genuinely low-maintenance, and that’s its real edge over flashier states.
- No annual report No annual report means one less deadline to blow.
- But it does not travel The minute you do business in another state, you’ll likely foreign-qualify there and pick up its reports and fees.
Business names, DBAs, and licenses for a Missouri LLC
A few extras come up once the LLC exists, and Missouri handles them differently than you’d expect.
Do you need a DBA (fictitious name) in Missouri?
If your LLC operates under any name other than the one on its articles, you must register that as a fictitious name. Missouri law (RSMo section 417.210) gives you five days from when you first use it.
You file the Registration of Fictitious Name with the Secretary of State for $7, and it lasts five years. It doesn’t give you exclusive rights; it just puts the public on notice that your LLC uses the name.
Does a Missouri LLC need a business license?
There’s no statewide license every Missouri LLC must hold. What applies is local and industry-specific: a city or county business license, plus any professional permits your work requires.
If you sell taxable goods, register for a sales tax license with the Missouri Department of Revenue. Regulated trades, like contractors or salons, also answer to their own licensing boards.
Where Missouri LLC filings go wrong
Most rejected or troubled filings in Missouri come down to a short list of avoidable errors.
- Name too close to an existing one: the Secretary of State rejects names that aren’t distinguishable, so search the database first.
- Using a P.O. box for the registered office: Missouri wants a physical street address, and a box alone gets bounced.
- Confusing forming with incorporating: an LLC files Articles of Organization, not Articles of Incorporation, which is the corporation path.
- Skipping the required agreement: it’s mandated by statute even though you never file it.
- Assuming online and paper cost the same: it’s $50 online but $105 on paper, a $55 gap for the identical result.
Missouri LLC FAQ: costs, timing, and filing rules
These are the questions Missouri founders search for most, answered straight. Where a number matters, it’s current as of 2026.
How much is an LLC in Missouri?
It’s $50 to file online, or $105 by paper, and that’s the whole state cost to form one. There’s no annual report fee and no franchise tax afterward, so for most owners the $50 is the only mandatory state charge in year one.
Can you start a Missouri LLC for free?
Not entirely. The $50 online fee is mandatory, and no legitimate service waives it. What’s free is doing it yourself: you can file the form for free with the Secretary of State in about fifteen minutes instead of paying a formation company a markup. The real exception is active-duty military in Missouri, including the National Guard, who can form a business without the state filing fee.
Does Missouri require an LLC annual report?
No. Missouri LLCs don’t file an annual report at all, which is unusual; most states make you file and pay every one or two years. Your LLC stays active without any yearly state filing, as long as you keep a valid registered agent on record. That single difference is one of the biggest reasons people form here.
Does a Missouri LLC pay franchise tax?
No. Missouri repealed its corporate franchise tax for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2016, so there’s nothing like the $800 California charges. You’ll still owe federal and Missouri income tax on profits that pass through to you, but no separate state tax applies just for existing as an LLC.
How long does it take to get an LLC in Missouri?
Filed online through Missouri Business Filings, approval is often the same day, sometimes within minutes. Mailed paper filings take longer, since they’re processed in the order received. There’s no formal expedite tier for LLCs, so online is your fastest route; see our breakdown of Missouri LLC processing times.
Do you need an operating agreement in Missouri?
Yes, and it surprises people. Missouri statute says members shall adopt an operating agreement, so it’s required even for single-member LLCs, but you never file it. Skip it and your LLC runs entirely on Missouri’s default rules, which may not match what you and any co-owners intended.
Does a Missouri LLC need a business license?
There’s no statewide one. Licensing happens at the city or county level and by industry, so a restaurant, a contractor, and a freelance designer face very different rules. Check with your local clerk and any board that governs your trade, and register for sales tax if you sell taxable goods.
Can someone who lives out of state form a Missouri LLC?
Yes. Missouri law lets any person form an LLC here, resident or not, but you must still keep a Missouri registered agent and registered office in the state. The catch: forming here doesn’t exempt you from your home state. If you run the business where you live, you’ll likely register there too, which often means double the filings.
- Limited Liability Company (LLC), Internal Revenue Service
- Business Services, Missouri Secretary of State
- Missouri Business Filings online portal
- Schedule of Fees and Charges, Missouri Secretary of State (PDF)
- Frequently Asked Questions, Missouri Secretary of State
- Chapter 347, Limited Liability Companies, Missouri Revisor of Statutes
- Small business tax types, Missouri Department of Revenue
Looking for an overview? See Missouri LLC Services
Start Your Missouri LLC with Bizee
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