Cheapest LLC formation in Arkansas

What does Arkansas charge to form and keep an LLC?

The Secretary of State sets these amounts, and no provider can discount them. Package prices are quoted before them.

The fee you can't skip is the Certificate of Organization: $45 online, $50 by paper. Online is the cheaper rate, so it is worth asking which one a service's quote uses. The state's pages we cite list no expedite fee, and most filings are done within two business days of receipt.^{1, 6}

A name reservation is optional, at $22.50 online or $25 by paper for 120 days. Skip it if you're ready to file.⁷

An LLC formed in another state pays a different fee to register in Arkansas: $270 online or $300 paper. That is a bigger one-time cost than forming a new Arkansas LLC.⁸

Then there is the yearly bill. The $150 annual LLC franchise tax is a tax paid with the report, and the state's form says, "If this report is timely filed, all limited liability companies are liable for only the $150.00 payment." Paying online adds a small charge, because online filing adds a $5.00 card processing fee. A later change of agent is listed by the state as "No fee". For two neighbouring states, see the Oklahoma registered agent page and the Missouri registered agent page.^{1, 4}

What pushes the cost of an Arkansas LLC up?

Four things raise the bill above the state's fixed amounts: a paid registered agent, a provider's paid speed or yearly plan, report-filing and other add-ons, and penalties for a late report.

The registered agent

The agent is a cost you control, and there are three ways to cover it.

1. Be your own agent. Ark. Code Ann. § 4-20-102 counts an individual as a noncommercial agent, and the report instructions say "The registered agent's address must be a street address in Arkansas, and the agent must be located at that address." That costs nothing but puts your address on the record, and you need to be there to take papers. The Arkansas registered agent guide explains the rule.^{2, 9}
2. Take a free or discounted first year with a formation package, then pay the renewal.
3. Buy the agent alone at a published yearly price.

Because the state lists a change of agent on Form DO-03 as "No fee", leaving an expensive renewal costs nothing at the state level. Provider terms can still cost money, as Harbor Compliance's notice rule below shows. How to change a registered agent gives the steps.¹

Paid speed and yearly plans

The state already turns most filings around within two business days of receipt, so a provider's speed upgrade, as its pages describe it, mostly buys faster handling on its own side. Some higher tiers are also billed every year instead of once, which turns a formation price into a recurring one.

Report filing and add-ons

Checkout pages offer an EIN, an operating agreement, a business address and compliance plans. Compliance plans file annual reports, though none of the plan pages we cite names Arkansas's franchise tax report or says it pays the tax; examples are Swyft Filings' ComplianceGuard $199/year, which starts with a 14-day free trial then auto-charged, and ZenBusiness's Worry-Free Compliance free for 1 year (then $199/yr). Filing the report yourself costs no service fee. Our page on staying compliant in Arkansas shows what the report asks for.^{10, 11}

A late or missed report

A late report adds a $25 late filing penalty plus daily interest on what's owed. The state warns that not paying can lead to revocation of the authorization to do business, and failure to deliver the annual report within six months of the due date is one of the grounds for administrative dissolution. The tax doesn't stop either; the state says, "Franchise taxes continue to accrue, even for revoked businesses, until the business is dissolved, withdrawn, or merged." The state's pages we cite don't publish a reinstatement fee.⁴

Which providers have the lowest published prices for an Arkansas LLC?

The table lists each provider's published agent price, renewal and cheapest formation package, in the order of our score, highest first, with ties in editorial order; it isn't sorted by price.

Below, in the same order, is what each provider's cheapest route adds to the Arkansas filing fee in year one and what keeps recurring after it.

Tailor Brands lists its Lite package at $0 plus state fees, without a registered agent, so budget $199/year for one or act as your own. The next tier, $199/yr plus state fees, recurs each year. More in the Tailor Brands review.^{12, 13}

ZenBusiness's Starter is $0 + state fees (does not renew). The agent is an add-on (+$199/yr), with 50% off the first year ($99) when you form an LLC, and renews at $199/yr. Starter's free compliance year then renews too, so note the date. See the ZenBusiness review.^{11, 14}

LegalZoom's Basic is $0 + state filing fees. Its agent costs $249/year (first-time registered agent customers); it renews at the purchase rate each year, with the rate subject to change. See the LegalZoom review.^{15, 16}

Bizee's Basic is $0 + state fee and includes the agent's first year (Free first year with any Bizee formation package). Forming the LLC then costs the state fee alone; each later year adds $149/year (ongoing annual fee) to the franchise tax. See the Bizee review.^{5, 17}

Swyft Filings starts at $0 + state fees, with no agent listed in the package. Its agent is $149 per quarter ($596/year), the highest yearly figure among the providers here. Every Swyft plan also opens a trial of its report service, ComplianceGuard $199/year, described as a 14-day free trial then auto-charged; it starts charging unless you cancel in time. See the Swyft Filings review.^{10, 18, 19}

doola's Starter costs $297/yr and includes the agent and EIN, but the plan is priced per year, and its terms say recurring fees automatically renew at the rates then in effect. See the doola review.^{20, 21}

Northwest charges $39 + State Fees for formation. Its corporation page lists one year of registered agent service included with formation; the LLC page doesn't confirm that. The agent alone is $125 per year. Its pages also say "RA customers auto-enrolled in Compliance Services billed in annual auto-pay", and its report filing is $100 + state fees, charged at filing, so a report-filing charge could follow each May. See the Northwest review.^{22, 23, 24, 25, 26}

Rocket Lawyer ties formation to a yearly membership (First registration free with a Rocket Lawyer membership). Standard is $149/year without an agent; the agent costs $125 with a Plus or Pro membership, so add Plus ($249/year) or Pro ($349/year). See the Rocket Lawyer review.^{27, 28, 29}

InCorp prices formation starting at $99 plus state fees, with the registered agent sold separately at $129 per state per year. Its terms say the agent is billed at then-current fee unless a cancellation condition is met. See the InCorp review.^{30, 31, 32}

Harbor Compliance charges $99 first year (new customers) for the agent, renewing at $159 annually. To stop the renewal you give notice at least 90 days before the end of the current term. See the Harbor Compliance review.^{33, 34}

Agent prices across all states are on cheapest registered agent services.