Form an LLC in Louisiana
Louisiana files through geauxBIZ with an Initial Report alongside your Articles – CountSure prepares both, handles paper notarization if needed, and tracks your anniversary report. $125 to file from Oct 1, 2026 ($100 before) – and no franchise tax.
Requirements, costs & steps for an Louisiana LLC
Louisiana keeps LLC costs simple: $125 to file and a $35 annual report (from October 1, 2026; $100 and $30 before then), with no franchise tax on a standard pass-through LLC. Two things make Louisiana different from most states. You file through the geauxBIZ portal, and you file an Initial Report alongside your Articles of Organization. Paper filings must also be notarized. This guide covers the real costs, the filing order, and those Louisiana specifics in plain terms. Want it handled for you? Our Louisiana LLC formation service prepares both documents, files everything, and tracks your anniversary deadline.
What you need to know?
filing fee:
$125 for the Articles of Organization through geauxBIZ from October 1, 2026 ($100 before then), plus a $5 fee for card payments.
Notarization on paper filings:
Paper Articles of Organization and the agent’s acceptance in the Initial Report must be notarized, which most states do not require; online geauxBIZ filings are signed electronically.
Initial Report:
Filed alongside the Articles at no extra fee; it names your registered agent and your members or managers.
Annual report on your anniversary:
$35 from October 1, 2026 ($30 before then), plus $5 if paying by card, due each year by your formation anniversary. Missing three consecutive years leads to revocation of the LLC’s articles.
No franchise tax, flat 3% income tax:
A pass-through Louisiana LLC owes no franchise tax; profits pass through and are taxed at the flat 3% individual rate.
Louisiana LLC at a glance
The essentials for forming and maintaining a Louisiana LLC.
| Requirement | Detail (2026) |
|---|---|
| Formation document | Articles of Organization (Form 365) + Initial Report |
| Filing agency | Louisiana Secretary of State (geauxBIZ portal) |
| State filing fee | $125 from Oct 1, 2026 ($100 before); +$5 card fee |
| Notarization | Required for paper filings; online filings e-signed |
| Typical processing time | ~1–2 business days online; expedite $35/$60 ($30/$50 before Oct 1) |
| Registered agent | Required; physical Louisiana address (no PO box) |
| Annual report | $35 ($30 before Oct 1, 2026), by formation anniversary |
| Franchise tax | None for a pass-through LLC |
| Income tax | Flat 3% individual (2025+); profits pass through |
| Publication | Not required |
How to form an Louisiana LLC, Step by Step
Eight steps from name check through your anniversary annual report.
Choose and check your LLC name
Your name must include “Limited Liability Company,” “L.L.C.,” or “LLC,” and be distinguishable from existing Louisiana entities. Search the Secretary of State’s business database on geauxBIZ. You can reserve a name for 120 days for $25 if desired.
Appoint a registered agent
Louisiana requires a registered agent with a physical Louisiana street address (no PO box), available during business hours. You can serve as your own if you live in the state, or CountSure can act as your agent.
Prepare your Articles and Initial Report
This is the Louisiana step people miss: the Articles of Organization go in with a separate Initial Report. On paper, the Articles must be acknowledged before a notary and the registered agent’s acceptance must be sworn before a notary; online geauxBIZ filings are signed electronically. The Initial Report names your registered agent, registered office, and members or managers.
File through geauxBIZ
Submit the Articles and Initial Report through the geauxBIZ portal for $125 from October 1, 2026 ($100 before then), plus $5 if you pay by card. Businesses in 14 parishes, including Orleans, East Baton Rouge and Jefferson, must file online, so online is the safe default. Online filings are usually processed in one to two business days; expedited service is $35 (24-hour) or $60 (priority) from October 1, 2026 ($30 and $50 before then).
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 for Louisiana taxes.
Register for state and local taxes
Register with the Louisiana Department of Revenue through geauxBIZ for sales tax (if you sell taxable goods) and withholding (if you have employees). Check your parish and city for a local occupational license, especially in New Orleans / Orleans Parish.
Calendar your anniversary annual report
File the $35 report ($30 before October 1, 2026) by your formation anniversary each year through geauxBIZ. The report opens up to four weeks early. Missing three consecutive years leads to revocation of the LLC’s articles.
Naming & Member Requirements
A compliant name and a clear management structure keep your geauxBIZ filing moving. Here’s what Louisiana requires.
- Required ending: “Limited Liability Company,” “L.L.C.,” or “LLC.”
- Restricted words: Terms implying banking, insurance, or regulated activity generally need approval.
- Optional reservation: Reserve an available name for 120 days for $25 before filing.
- Trade name: Registering a trade name with the Secretary of State costs $95 from October 1, 2026 ($75 before then), and Louisiana trade name registrations last 10 years. A DBA itself is filed separately with the parish Clerk of Court.
- Members & management: One member minimum - Louisiana allows single-member LLCs, with no residency or citizenship requirement. Member-managed or manager-managed, named in the Initial Report and confirmed on each annual report.
Ongoing Louisiana LLC Compliance & Taxes
Annual report, on your anniversary
Every Louisiana LLC files an annual report with the Secretary of State each year on the anniversary of formation, through geauxBIZ. The fee is $30 through September 30, 2026 and $35 from October 1, 2026 under Act 921, plus a $5 fee if you pay by card. The report can be filed up to four weeks before the due date. The report confirms your registered agent, registered office, and management. If you miss the deadline, the LLC is marked not in good standing, and failing to file for three consecutive years leads the Secretary of State to revoke the LLC’s articles after at least 30 days’ notice. Set a calendar reminder, because Louisiana ties the deadline to your specific formation date rather than a fixed statewide date.
No franchise tax for a pass-through LLC
A Louisiana LLC taxed as a pass-through entity owes no state franchise tax. In fact, Louisiana repealed its corporation franchise tax entirely for franchise periods beginning on or after January 1, 2026, so even an LLC that elects corporate taxation no longer faces it going forward. Older guides that mention a Louisiana franchise tax on LLCs are out of date.
Income tax
A default LLC does not pay Louisiana income tax at the entity level. Profits pass through to members, who report their share on their Louisiana personal returns at the flat 3% individual income tax rate (effective for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2025 under Act 11, HB 10, of the 2024 Third Extraordinary Session). If your LLC elects C-corporation treatment, Louisiana’s flat 5.5% corporate income tax applies instead.
Sales tax and local occupational licenses
If you sell taxable goods, register for sales tax with the Louisiana Department of Revenue through geauxBIZ. Louisiana’s combined state and local sales tax is among the highest in the country, so check your parish rate. Separately, many parishes and cities, New Orleans in particular, require a local occupational license to operate. Get a free EIN from the IRS.
Louisiana LLC Cost Breakdown
What you’ll actually pay to form and run a Louisiana LLC.
| Item | Cost (2026) · paid to |
|---|---|
| Articles of Organization + Initial Report | $125 ($100 before Oct 1, 2026) · Secretary of State (geauxBIZ) |
| Card payment fee | +$5 · if paying online by card |
| Expedited processing (optional) | $35 (24-hr) / $60 (priority) · Secretary of State |
| Annual report | $35 ($30 before Oct 1, 2026) · Secretary of State, on anniversary |
| Name reservation (optional) | $25 · Secretary of State (120-day hold) |
| Trade name registration (optional) | $95 ($75 before Oct 1, 2026) · Secretary of State, valid 10 years |
| Registered agent (optional service) | ~$49–$300/yr · third party |
| EIN | $0 · IRS (free) |
Insight From Our Team
“Louisiana surprises people in two directions. On the good side, the state repealed its corporation franchise tax starting in 2026, so a lot of the recurring cost older guides warn about is simply gone, and a normal pass-through LLC never paid it anyway. On the other side, the formation itself is fussier than most states because Louisiana runs on a civil-law tradition. There is a separate Initial Report to file with the Articles, and if you file on paper, both need notary work before they go in. We prepare the Articles and the report together so nothing bounces, then we set the annual-report reminder to your exact formation date, because Louisiana does not use a fixed statewide deadline.”
Parth Shah
CountSure
Related Guides & Services
- All state formation guides
Frequently Asked Questions
The state filing fee for the Articles of Organization and Initial Report is $125 from October 1, 2026 ($100 before then), plus $5 if you pay by card. After that, the main recurring cost is the annual report on your formation anniversary: $35 from October 1, 2026 ($30 before then).
On paper, yes. The Articles of Organization must be acknowledged before a notary and the registered agent’s acceptance on the Initial Report must be sworn before a notary, a step most states do not have. Filings made online through geauxBIZ are signed electronically.
No. A pass-through LLC never owed it, and Louisiana repealed the corporation franchise tax entirely for periods beginning on or after January 1, 2026, so even an LLC taxed as a corporation no longer faces it going forward.
By the anniversary of your formation date each year, filed through geauxBIZ for $35 from October 1, 2026 ($30 before then). The report opens up to four weeks early. Missing three consecutive years leads to revocation of the LLC’s articles.
Online filings through geauxBIZ are usually processed in one to two business days [VERIFY]. Expedited service costs $35 for 24-hour turnaround or $60 for priority same-day service from October 1, 2026 ($30 and $50 before then).
Louisiana moved to a flat individual income tax of 3% for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2025. LLC profits pass through to members at that rate. A corporation, or an LLC taxed as one, pays the flat 5.5% corporate rate.
Get Started
Start your Louisiana LLC with CountSure
From the Articles and Initial Report to your registered agent, EIN, and the anniversary annual report, CountSure handles your Louisiana LLC end to end, including the geauxBIZ filing and local parish licensing.
- Free 30-minute consultation with a CPA
- Fixed-fee, fully transparent pricing
- 100% remote - no travel or visa required
