Cheapest LLC formation in Louisiana

What does Louisiana charge to form and keep an LLC?

Louisiana's fees are set by law, so no service can lower them. They also rose on October 1, 2026, and the table shows the current amounts.¹

The one charge every new Louisiana LLC pays is $125 to file the Articles with the initial report. Before the increase it was $100, so a quote or guide from earlier in the year may understate the bill. A service adds its own price to this fee, and the provider prices on this page are all quoted before it.¹

Reserving a name costs $25. A reservation is optional; if you are ready to file, a name search and a prompt filing do the same job.⁷

After formation, the recurring state cost is the annual report: $35, due on or before the anniversary date of organization. That fee rose on the same date (it was $30). No franchise tax applies to new periods, because the Department of Revenue says "The franchise tax has been repealed for franchise tax periods beginning on or after January 1, 2026."^{1, 8, 9}

A company formed in another state that registers to do business in Louisiana pays $185 instead of the formation fee. If you are weighing a neighbouring state, compare its yearly filing too, for example on the Texas registered agent page or the Mississippi page.¹

What makes a Louisiana LLC cost more?

Five things lift the bill above the state fees: paying for speed, a paid agent's renewals, a notary, report-filing subscriptions, and add-ons sold at checkout. Most of them are choices made at checkout.

Faster processing

Louisiana sells faster processing at $35 for 24-hour service or $60 for while-you-wait service. We couldn't confirm a standard processing time from the Secretary of State, which makes it harder to judge whether the extra is worth it; without a lease, contract or bank deadline waiting on the LLC, the standard queue may do. Services sell their own rush handling too; ZenBusiness, for one, charges +$79 for its Rush upgrade on Starter. Ask whether that price covers the state's expedite fee or sits on top of it.^{1, 10}

The registered agent, year after year

A paid agent bills every year on top of the report. You have three options.

1. Be your own agent. Louisiana accepts a citizen of the state who resides in this state (La. R.S. 12:1308), and then the agent costs nothing. The LLC still needs a registered office in Louisiana (La. R.S. 12:1308(A)(1)), which would be your own address. The Louisiana registered agent guide covers who qualifies and the privacy trade-off.³
2. Take the free first year bundled with a formation package, then pay the renewal, or move to a cheaper agent.
3. Buy agent service alone, at the standalone prices below.

Moving to a different agent costs $30 at the state, filed with a notarized acceptance by the new agent. File the change before cancelling the old service so the LLC always has an agent. The steps are in how to change a registered agent.^{1, 3}

A notary for the acceptance

The initial report lists each registered agent (with notarized acceptance), so the formation itself needs a notarized signature. A commercial agent may hand you a signed acceptance; if you act as your own agent, you pay the notary yourself. Notary fees aren't set in the facts we cite, so check locally.²

Annual report filing services

Here, a small state fee meets much larger service prices. The report costs $35 at the state, while services that publish a filing price charge from $89 + state fees to $199 per state per year plus filing fees. Free trials and free first years are the usual entry point: ZenBusiness's Starter includes Worry-Free Compliance free for 1 year (then $199/yr), and Swyft Filings charges $199/year for ComplianceGuard after a 14-day free trial that converts on its own. The statute sets no late fee, though articles are revoked after three consecutive years without an annual report, so a reminder may be all you need. The report itself is covered on staying compliant in Louisiana.^{1, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14}

Add-ons at checkout

EIN filing, operating agreement templates, business addresses and bookkeeping trials all appear in formation checkouts. An EIN can also be requested from the IRS directly, and a template operating agreement may not suit an LLC with several owners. Treat each add-on as its own purchase.

Which providers have the lowest published prices for a Louisiana LLC?

The table shows each provider's agent price, renewal and cheapest formation package. It follows our score, highest first, ties in editorial order, so it is not sorted by price.

Below, in the same order, is what each cheapest option adds to the $125 state fee in year one, and what keeps billing after that.¹

Tailor Brands

Its Lite package is $0 plus state fees and doesn't list an agent, so budget $199/year for one or act as your own. Renewal is $199/year (renews at the same price). Essential costs $199/yr plus state fees each year and includes annual compliance (report filing and updates). See the Tailor Brands review.^{15, 16}

ZenBusiness

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, renewing at $199/yr. A one-off report filing costs $100 per report, against the state's $35. See the ZenBusiness review.^{1, 10, 17, 18}

LegalZoom

Basic is $0 + state filing fees and covers the Articles of organization; the EIN and operating agreement cost extra. Its agent is $249/year (first-time registered agent customers) and renews at the purchase rate each year, with the rate subject to change. A single report filing costs $99 + state filing fees, bills once. See the LegalZoom review.^{19, 20, 21}

Bizee

Basic is $0 + state fee and comes with the agent's first year at no charge. From year two, the agent costs $149/year (ongoing annual fee), which with the $35 report makes up the yearly bill. Bizee offers report filing with no standalone price stated. See the Bizee review.^{1, 4, 6, 22}

Swyft Filings

Basic is $0 + state fees, with no agent listed. The agent costs $149 per quarter ($596/year), billed quarterly, so compare the yearly total. Every plan starts ComplianceGuard on a 14-day free trial, after which it costs $199/year unless cancelled. See the Swyft Filings review.^{13, 23, 24}

doola

Starter is $297/yr and includes the agent, but the plan itself bills each year, so its full price returns in year two. Also, Starter does not include ongoing compliance filings. See the doola review.^{25, 26}

Northwest Registered Agent

Formation is $39 + State Fees, described as a total that includes one year of registered agent service on its corporation page; confirm that holds for an LLC. The agent alone is $125 per year. Its report service costs $100 + state fees, charged at filing, and registered agent customers are auto-enrolled, so an owner filing the $35 report alone would need to opt out. See the Northwest review.^{1, 27, 28, 29, 30}

Rocket Lawyer

Formation is tied to a membership ("Your first one is FREE with a Rocket Lawyer membership"), and memberships bill yearly. Standard ($149/year) leaves out the agent. The agent is priced at $125 with a Plus or Pro membership, meaning Plus ($249/year) or Pro ($349/year). The yearly cost is membership plus agent. See the Rocket Lawyer review.^{31, 32, 33}

InCorp Services

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. Report filing is $89 + state fees, the lowest published filing price on this page. See the InCorp review.^{11, 34, 35, 36}

Harbor Compliance

Formation starts at $99 plus state fees. The agent is $99 first year (new customers), then $159 annually, and ending it takes notice at least 90 days before the end of the current term. See the Harbor Compliance review.^{37, 38, 39}

Agent prices beyond Louisiana are on the cheapest registered agent services page.