Form an LLC in Kansas
Kansas cut its LLC filing fee to $85 in 2026 – CountSure files on the new KBOS portal, tracks your biennial report year, and keeps you in good standing. $85 to file, no franchise tax, and a report only every two years.
Requirements, costs & steps for an Kansas LLC
What you need to know?
Reduced filing fee:
$85 online or $90 by mail for Articles of Organization, cut from $160 in February 2026 and now aligned with the corporation fee.
Biennial report, not annual:
Kansas switched to a biennial information report in 2024. It is due April 15, every other year.
Formation-year schedule:
Form in an even year and you report in each following even year (formed in 2026, first report in 2028); form in an odd year and you report in each following odd year.
No franchise tax:
Kansas’s franchise tax does not apply to any tax year beginning after December 31, 2010, so no Kansas LLC or corporation owes it today, whatever its size.
Resident agent required:
Kansas calls it a resident agent. It must have a physical Kansas street address, not a PO box.
Kansas LLC at a glance
The essentials for forming and maintaining a Kansas LLC.
Requirement |
Detail (2026) |
|---|---|
Formation document
|
Certificate of OrganiArticles of Organization (Form DL)zation (draft your own - no state form)
|
Filing agency
|
Kansas Secretary of State (KBOS portal)
|
State filing fee
|
$85 online / $90 by mail (reduced Feb 2026)
|
Typical processing time
|
Minutes online; a few business days by mail
|
Registered agent
|
Required; physical Kansas address (no PO box)
|
Ongoing report
|
Biennial information report (every 2 years)
|
Report fee
|
$90 online / $110 by mail
|
Report due
|
April 15 (even or odd year, per formation year)
|
Franchise tax
|
None (no franchise tax after tax year 2010)
|
Income tax
|
Pass-through to members (see taxes below)
|
How to form an Kansas LLC, Step by Step
Seven steps from name check through your biennial information report.
Choose and check your LLC name
Your name must include “Limited Liability Company,” “Limited Company,” “LLC,” “L.L.C.,” “LC,” or “L.C.,” and be distinguishable from existing Kansas entities. Search the Secretary of State’s business database. You can reserve a name for 120 days for $30 online or $35 by mail if desired.
Appoint a resident agent
Kansas requires a resident agent with a physical Kansas street address (no PO box), available during business hours. You can serve as your own if you have a Kansas address, or CountSure can act as your resident agent.
File Articles of Organization on KBOS
File online through the Kansas Business Operating System for $85 (or by mail for $90). You provide the LLC name, the resident agent, and the registered office, and an authorized person signs. Online filings are usually approved within minutes.
Create an operating agreement
Not filed with the state, but strongly recommended. It sets ownership, profit splits, and management, and reinforces your liability protection.
Get an EIN from the IRS
Free, and needed for banking, hiring, and to register with the Kansas Department of Revenue.
Register for Kansas taxes
Register with the Kansas Department of Revenue for sales tax (if you sell taxable goods) and withholding (if you have employees) at ksrevenue.gov.
Calendar your biennial report
File your first information report in the next matching even or odd year, due April 15, and every two years after. Miss it and your LLC becomes delinquent; if the report is still not filed within three months after the due date, the LLC forfeits.
Naming & Member Requirements
A compliant name and a clear management structure keep your KBOS filing moving. Here’s what Kansas requires.
- Required ending: “Limited Liability Company,” “Limited Company,” “LLC,” “L.L.C.,” “LC,” or “L.C.”
- Restricted words: Terms implying banking, insurance, or regulated activity generally need approval.
- Optional reservation: Reserve an available name for 120 days for $10 before filing.
- Trade name: Kansas does not require you to register a trade name; you simply use a name no other registered entity is using.
- Members & agricultural land: One member minimum - Kansas allows single-member LLCs, with no residency or age requirement. Management is governed by your operating agreement; the biennial report lists members who own 5% or more of the capital.
Ongoing Kansas LLC Compliance & Taxes
Biennial information report
Kansas replaced its annual report with a biennial information report effective January 2024, so LLCs now file every two years instead of every year. The report is due by April 15 of your reporting year. The schedule follows the parity of your formation year: form in an even year and you report in each following even year (an LLC formed in 2026 first reports in 2028, then 2030); form in an odd year and you report in each following odd year (formed in 2027: 2029, then 2031). The fee is $90 online or $110 by mail. A late report puts the LLC into a three-month delinquency period; if it is still not filed after that, the LLC forfeits.
Franchise tax: none
Income tax
Sales tax and licenses
Kansas LLC Cost Breakdown
Item |
Cost (2026) · paid to |
|---|---|
Certificate of Organization
|
$85 online / $90 mail · Secretary of State (reduced Feb 2026)
|
Biennial report
|
$90 online / $110 mail · Secretary of State, April 15, every 2 years
|
Name reservation (optional)
|
$30 online / $35 mail · 120-day hold, non-renewable
|
Franchise tax
|
$0 · none since tax year 2011
|
Registered agent (optional service)
|
~$49–$300/yr · third party
|
EIN
|
$0 · IRS (free)
|
Insight From Our Team
“The headline in Kansas right now is the fee cut. Filing dropped from a hundred and sixty dollars to eighty-five in early 2026, and a lot of the guides online still quote the old number, so clients are pleasantly surprised. The thing I make sure people get right is the report schedule. Kansas is biennial, not annual, and which year you file in depends on whether you formed in an even or odd year. Set that two-year reminder correctly and Kansas is genuinely low maintenance. And there is no franchise tax to worry about at all.”
Parth Shah
CountSure
Related Guides & Services
- All state formation guides
Frequently Asked Questions
As of February 2026 it is $85 online or $90 by mail, reduced from $160. That is a one-time fee for the Articles of Organization. After that, you file a biennial information report every two years.
No. Kansas switched to a biennial information report in 2024, so LLCs file every two years, due April 15. Whether you file in even or odd years depends on your formation year.
No. Kansas’s franchise tax does not apply to any tax year beginning after December 31, 2010, so no Kansas business owes it today.
It is simply Kansas’s term for a registered agent: a person or company with a physical Kansas street address who accepts legal documents for your LLC during business hours.
Online filings through KBOS are usually approved within minutes. Mailed filings take a few business days after the state receives them.
April 15 of your reporting year. Entities formed in even years report in each following even year; entities formed in odd years report in each following odd year.
Get Started
Start your Kansas LLC with CountSure
- Free 30-minute consultation with a CPA
- Fixed-fee, fully transparent pricing
- 100% remote - no travel or visa required
