Staying compliant in Louisiana

How does the Louisiana annual report work?

The annual report is due each year on or before the anniversary date of organization, costs $35, and updates the state's record of who your agent is, where your registered office sits, and who runs the LLC (La. R.S. 12:1308.1).^{1, 2}

When it is due

The deadline follows your LLC, not the calendar year. An LLC organized in March reports by its March anniversary; one organized in November reports by November. There is no single statewide due date to watch for, so put your own anniversary date in your calendar the day the articles are filed.

What it asks for

The statute asks for these details.

• the registered office address, not a P.O. box only¹
• the name and address of each registered agent¹
• each manager (or member if member-managed)¹

The registered office has to be a municipal address, "not a P.O. box only", and the agent has to meet the eligibility list in La. R.S. 12:1308. If either has drifted since your last filing, the report is where it shows.^{1, 5}

What it costs and how to file

The fee is $35; it was $30 before the October increase. This page's sources don't cover the Secretary of State's filing channels for the report, so check its site for the current options. The annual reports explainer covers how these filings compare across states, and if you run an LLC next door, Texas compliance and Mississippi compliance work on their own schedules.²

Does Louisiana charge LLCs a franchise tax?

No franchise tax applies to current periods, because the state has repealed it. The state's tax guidance puts it plainly: "The franchise tax has been repealed for franchise tax periods beginning on or after January 1, 2026."³

The cited page doesn't say which LLCs paid it before, and for an LLC today that history is mostly academic. What it means in practice is that the annual report fee is the recurring charge at the state business registry.

Other taxes still apply in the usual way. Sales tax, payroll withholding and income tax depend on what your business does and how it's owned, and this page doesn't cover them. Ask the Louisiana Department of Revenue which registrations apply, ask the IRS about federal filings, and keep those dates on a separate list from the Secretary of State items here.

What happens if a Louisiana LLC misses its annual report?

Louisiana's statute sets no late fee for a missed annual report; instead, the Louisiana Secretary of State (Commercial Division) revokes the articles of an LLC that fails to file an annual report for three consecutive years (La. R.S. 12:1308.2).⁴

Two features of the rule stand out.

1. A single missed year doesn't trigger a fine on the statute's terms. The penalty attaches to a run of missed reports.
2. When it comes, it is severe. Revocation takes away the articles that created the LLC in the first place.

The long runway makes it easy to put the report off. Banks, landlords and licensing bodies may ask for proof of good standing, and this page's sources don't say how the Secretary of State treats an LLC that is behind on its reports when someone asks for one. A lawyer can tell you how a lapse affects contracts signed in the meantime.

This page's sources don't include Louisiana's reinstatement fee or the steps to restore revoked articles. If your LLC's articles have been revoked, ask the Secretary of State what it needs before doing anything else. How a gap in your agent entry shows up on the annual report is covered in the Louisiana registered agent guide.

How do you keep your Louisiana registered agent and office current?

Keep a qualifying agent and a registered office in Louisiana on record at all times, file a change ($30) when either one moves, with a notarized acceptance from any new agent, and check both each time you file the annual report.^{2, 5}

Changes between reports

A change of agent needs a notarized affidavit of acknowledgment and acceptance signed by the new registered agent. Arrange the notary before you cancel anything, and keep the old agent until the state files the change. If your agent resigns, the resignation is effective only on written notice to the LLC and the secretary of state, and a successor agent must be appointed within 30 days. A missed resignation letter can leave an LLC with a dead agent entry on its next report. Out-of-state LLCs register here by applying for authority ($185); this page's sources don't quote the agent rule for them, so ask the Louisiana Secretary of State (Commercial Division) what applies. Step-by-step instructions are on changing a registered agent.^{2, 5}

What providers' compliance features cover

With the franchise tax repealed, the annual report is the state deadline these features track in Louisiana. The providers below appear in list order by our score.

• Tailor Brands includes annual report filing in its Essential and Elite plans, not Lite, and doesn't publish a standalone price.⁶
• ZenBusiness sells single filings (Annual Report Filing $100 per report) or a yearly plan (Worry-Free Compliance $199/year).⁷
• LegalZoom charges $99 + state filing fees for a one-time annual report.⁸
• Bizee (formerly Incfile) advertises free lifetime compliance notifications and offers report filing, with no standalone price stated.^{9, 10}
• Swyft Filings sells ComplianceGuard $199/year, charged automatically after a 14-day free trial.¹¹
• doola includes annual report notifications with its agent service and files the report in the Tax and Compliance and Business-in-a-Box™ plans.^{12, 13}
• Northwest Registered Agent charges $100 + state fees per filing and says registered agent customers are auto-enrolled.¹⁴
• Rocket Lawyer files reports for $100 with Pro membership, excluding state fees.¹⁵
• InCorp Services charges $89 + state fees.¹⁶
• Harbor Compliance charges $199 per state per year plus filing fees.¹⁷

Read the fee wording closely. Most of these providers say state fees are extra, so their filing service in Louisiana costs the provider's fee plus the state's $35 each year. The facts on this page don't say whether the ZenBusiness prices include the state fee.

Reminders don't file anything. And a filing service still needs accurate data from you: if a manager leaves or the office moves, tell the provider before the anniversary so the report it files is correct. Some subscriptions also renew on their own schedule. Swyft Filings bills its agent service at $149 per quarter and auto-renews until cancelled, and Harbor Compliance needs notice at least 90 days before the end of the current term to stop a renewal. Before cancelling any service, read how to cancel an agent service. The Louisiana agent services comparison and the list of services with compliance tools set these terms side by side.^{18, 19}

What does a Louisiana LLC's compliance calendar look like?

The first year is mostly setup work, and the first annual report is due by the first anniversary of organization; after that, the same date repeats each year.

Year one

1. Formation. The articles and initial report go in together; the initial report names your registered office and agent. See forming a Louisiana LLC for the steps and the cheapest way to form one for the fees.
2. Managers or members. If the initial report didn't name them, a supplementary report is due as soon as they have been selected.²⁰
3. Taxes. Ask the Louisiana Department of Revenue and the IRS which registrations apply, and note their dates separately.
4. Diary the anniversary. Your annual report is due on or before the anniversary date of organization, and that date controls every year after.

Year two and after

1. Annual report. File by the anniversary, with the $35 fee, confirming office, agent and managers.
2. Agent renewal, if you use a paid service. Check any notice period in its terms before the renewal date.
3. A record check. Look up your LLC on the Secretary of State's records once a year, ideally a few weeks before the report, and fix anything wrong with a change filing.
4. If you get a resignation letter, file a change straight away: the replacement deadline runs from the resignation, not from your next report.

The glossary defines terms such as revocation and registered office, and what a registered agent does explains the role behind the agent entries.