Skip to content
LLC 101 Guide

Unit 1 · Louisiana

Starting an LLC in Louisiana (2026): 7 Tasks and the 3 Best LLC Services

Short answer for 2026: if you want help setting up an LLC in Louisiana, go with Louisiana Registered Agent.co ($199), LA Registered Agent.org ($199) and Mainstay Filing ($199), ranked best first. Setting up the LLC means 7 tasks and a $125 fee to the state, then the annual report every year.

Prepared by the LLC 101 Guide instructors

Read this first

Formation fee
$125
Taken from static.sos.la.gov in October 2026
Annual report
$35 a year
Due date per the state: on or before the anniversary date of organization
What the state collects in three years
$195
State charges only
Tasks
7
Each one explained

Unit goals

  • How setting up an LLC works in Louisiana
  • What the agent rule says
  • What you file every year after that
  • Our recommendations, with reasons

If you want someone else to file

Graded on the grading page: three-year cost (34%), assignments completed (31%), renewal price, fit with Louisiana's rules and plain pricing.

Top of the class

1. Louisiana Registered Agent.co: best for Louisiana LLCs on a shoestring

Best overall$199 to open, $99 a year after year one

Our first pick is Louisiana Registered Agent.co; a $199 formation fee, followed by $99 yearly for the agent.

Three years cost less here than at Mainstay Filing, and three-year cost is 34% of the grade.

You still handle the annual report every year.

What the price covers

  • The formation filing
  • A year of agent service is part of the price

What works

  • $199 and the state fee
  • The agent renews at $99
  • A free first agent year

What to weigh

  • No annual report service on offer
  • The EIN application is not included ($99)
Visit Louisiana Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

2. LA Registered Agent.org: best for owners who file their own reports

Local choice$199 to open, $99 a year after year one

LA Registered Agent.org is a solid second-place option: a $199 formation fee, followed by $99 yearly for the agent.

You still handle the annual report every year.

On price, it is level with Louisiana Registered Agent.co.

What the price covers

  • The formation filing
  • A year of agent service is part of the price

What works

  • $199 and the state fee
  • A free first agent year
  • The agent renews at $99

What to weigh

  • No annual report service on offer
  • The EIN application is not included ($99)
Visit LA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

3. Mainstay Filing: best for skipping the annual report paperwork

All fifty states$199 a year that renews at $199

Our third choice, Mainstay Filing: a flat $199 covers formation, the registered agent and the annual report, and renewal costs $199.

Louisiana Registered Agent.co comes in $200 lower across three years, which holds this one back from first.

Each annual report is submitted for you, and the $35 state fee comes at cost.

What the price covers

  • Formation filing prepared and sent
  • Registered agent for the whole year
  • Annual report filed for you on time
  • The EIN application is part of the price
  • State fee billed at cost

What works

  • $199 a year covers filing, agent and report
  • It files your EIN application for you
  • $199 every year

What to weigh

  • After year one it costs $100 more each year
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

All the prices in one table

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Louisiana Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Louisiana Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2LA Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit LA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Mainstay Filing$199$199/yr$597Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Listed prices, read November 13, 2026. Each row still needs Louisiana's $125 fee.

Formation in order

  1. Task 1

    Name the company

    If another Louisiana company already has your name, the filing can come back rejected, so run a search at the Louisiana Secretary of State first.

    While you are searching, see whether the web domain is open too.

  2. Task 2

    Assign the registered agent role

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. A Louisiana citizen who lives in the state, a law partnership or professional law corporation, or a corporation or LLC formed in Louisiana or authorized there. A new agent signs a notarized acceptance.

    The address has to be a registered office in Louisiana, which the law treats as the company's domicile. P.O. boxes and virtual offices are not accepted.

    This role comes with each recommended service.

    Source: Taken from legis.la.gov in October 2026

  3. Task 3

    Do it yourself or hire a service

    With no service the bill is the state's $125 and nothing else. Each of the recommended services adds $199 and does the paperwork for you.

  4. Task 4

    Work through the Articles of Organization-Louisiana Limited Liability Company

    Here is the key filing: the Articles of Organization-Louisiana Limited Liability Company (Form 365) goes to the Louisiana Secretary of State with $125, and that is what creates the company.

    Source: Taken from static.sos.la.gov in October 2026

  5. Task 5

    Get an EIN

    State approval first, IRS number second. Mainstay Filing's yearly price already includes this application.

  6. Task 6

    Draft your operating agreement

    An operating agreement says who owns the Louisiana LLC and how decisions get made. It stays in your records and is not sent to the state.

  7. Task 7

    Stay in good standing in Louisiana

    To stay active, send the annual report every year ($35) by on or before the anniversary date of organization.

    Source: Taken from legis.la.gov in October 2026

The bill

What forGoes toTotal
Forming the LLCThe state$125
Annual reportThe state$35 every year
Paid helpThe service company$199 in the first year
Three-year state totalThe state$195
To get the three-year state number we add up the filing, the reports due in years two and three and any yearly minimum tax, and we keep service fees separate.

Why Louisiana Registered Agent.co is first

On course fee across three years (34% of the grade) won out, with right behind.

Louisiana Registered Agent.co costs $397 for years one to three, while Mainstay Filing costs $200 more.

Louisiana questions

What is the Louisiana state fee for a new LLC?

Expect $125 to file. Put $199 on top if a service does the filing.

Which form creates the LLC?

The Articles of Organization-Louisiana Limited Liability Company (Form 365), which you send to the Louisiana Secretary of State.

Is a registered agent required?

Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

What does Louisiana require each year?

Once a year the LLC sends in the annual report for $35, due on or before the anniversary date of organization.

Can I form the LLC without a service?

You may. File alone for $125 and line up a registered agent as well.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

Louisiana Registered Agent.co, because $199 gets you started and the agent costs nothing in year one; from year two it is $99. After it come LA Registered Agent.org and Mainstay Filing.

Reading list and sources

  1. Want proof for what the unit says about Louisiana Secretary of State? Go to geauxbiz.sos.la.gov; the copy we used dates from August 2026.
  2. Want proof for what the unit says about Louisiana Secretary of State? Go to sos.la.gov; the copy we used dates from August 2026.
  3. Want proof for what the unit says about Louisiana yearly filing: Annual report, official source? Go to legis.la.gov; the copy we used dates from October 2026.
  4. Want proof for what the unit says about Louisiana Secretary of State fee changes effective October? Go to static.sos.la.gov; the copy we used dates from October 2026.
  5. Want proof for what the unit says about Louisiana registered agent statute? Go to legis.la.gov; the copy we used dates from October 2026.
  6. Louisiana Registered Agent.co pricing page, opened November 13, 2026
  7. LA Registered Agent.org pricing page, opened November 13, 2026
  8. Mainstay Filing Louisiana service page, opened November 13, 2026