Cheapest LLC formation in South Dakota

What does South Dakota charge to form an LLC?

The Secretary of State sets the fees, and no service can discount them. Package prices are quoted before these fees.

The fee that always applies is the one for the Articles of Organization: $150 online, $165 by paper. The gap is the paper surcharge (paper adds a $15 fee). Online is also the faster route, since the state lists online filings processed immediately and paper filings on average 1-3 business days.^{1, 3}

A name reservation, at $25, is optional. It holds a name you aren't ready to file under; if you are ready, filing the Articles does the same job for no extra charge.¹

The other fixed cost recurs. Every South Dakota LLC files an annual report, due by the 1st day of the anniversary month of the original filing, at $55 online, $70 by paper. The first one falls in the second year, so a first-year budget leaves it out and any budget that runs into the second year must include it. South Dakota has no corporate income tax, and the only franchise tax listed is the bank franchise tax, so there is no state franchise or corporate income tax on the LLC to add.^{1, 4, 5}

An LLC formed elsewhere and registering here pays a different fee: $750 online, $765 on paper (Foreign Certificate of Authority). At $750 online, that is the largest fixed charge on this page; the South Dakota registered agent guide explains the agent rules for both.¹

What raises the cost of a South Dakota LLC?

Four things lift the bill above the state fees: filing on paper, the registered agent, a missed annual report, and the add-ons sold during checkout.

Paper instead of online

Every paper filing costs more. The Articles go from $150 to $165, the yearly report from $55 to $70, and a change of agent filed on paper carries the same surcharge (paper filing adds $15). If a service files for you, ask which route it uses and whether the surcharge is passed on.^{1, 6}

Expedite is rarely worth paying. The state lists a $50 expedite fee, but it also lists online filings processed immediately, so there is little left to speed up.^{1, 3}

The registered agent

A paid agent is the one formation-related cost that comes back every year. You have three options.

1. Serve as your own agent. The statute asks for an actual street address or rural route box number in this state. If you have one, the agent costs nothing, but that address goes on the public record and you need to be there to accept papers.⁷
2. Take a first year bundled with formation, then pay the provider's renewal or switch.
3. Buy agent service on its own at the prices listed below.

Switching later costs $10 with the state, so a bundled agent that renews high can be replaced cheaply, subject to the provider's own notice and cancellation terms. File the change first, then cancel the old service; how to change a registered agent has the order.¹

A late annual report

A report that goes delinquent draws a $55 late fee once the report is 2 months past due. Separately, SDCL 47-34A-809 lists an annual report not delivered within 60 days of its due date as a ground for administrative dissolution. Reinstatement then costs $150 plus delinquent annual reports and fees. It also requires an approved Tax Clearance Certificate from the SD Department of Revenue, and the application must be mailed. A reminder service, or setting your own reminder for the anniversary month, costs far less than any of that. Staying compliant in South Dakota covers the report in full.^{1, 3, 8}

Add-ons and trials

Checkouts offer an EIN, an operating agreement, a business address and compliance products. Each one is its own purchase. Compliance products do have a job here, because the report is yearly, but some start as a free trial or free year and then bill each year. Compare a provider's report filing price with the state's online fee of $55, which is what filing it yourself costs.¹

Which providers have the lowest published prices for a South Dakota LLC?

The table lists each provider's agent price, renewal and cheapest formation package. Rows follow our score, highest first, with ties in editorial order, not price order.

Below, in the same order, is what each provider's cheapest route adds to the South Dakota fees in the first year and after.

Tailor Brands. Lite is $0 plus state fees and lists no agent, so budget $199/year or serve yourself. Report filing is included in Essential and Elite, the yearly plans that start at $199/yr plus state fees. See the Tailor Brands review.^{9, 10}

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. Starter also carries Worry-Free Compliance free for 1 year (then $199/yr). Without that, ZenBusiness files a single report for $100 per report. See the ZenBusiness review.^{11, 12, 13}

LegalZoom. The cheapest package is $0 + state filing fees. The agent is $249/year (first-time registered agent customers); LegalZoom says the agent renews at the purchase rate each year; rate subject to change. One report filing costs $99 + state filing fees, bills once. See the LegalZoom review.^{14, 15, 16}

Bizee. Basic is $0 + state fee, and the agent is free for the first year with any Bizee formation package. It renews at $149/year (ongoing annual fee), so in the second year the bill is that renewal plus the state's report fee. See the Bizee review.^{17, 18}

Swyft Filings. Basic is $0 + state fees. The agent is $149 per quarter ($596/year), the highest yearly agent figure here. Every plan includes a trial of its report product, ComplianceGuard $199/year, which is a 14-day free trial then auto-charged, so a trial left running becomes a yearly bill. See the Swyft Filings review.^{19, 20, 21}

doola. Starter is $297/yr, and the agent is included, though doola gives no term for it (duration not stated). The plan itself bills every year, so its full price recurs. See the doola review.^{22, 23}

Northwest Registered Agent. Formation is $39 + State Fees, and its corporation page describes "a total that includes one year of registered agent service"; the LLC page doesn't repeat that, so confirm it. The agent alone is $125 per year. Its report service is $100 + state fees, charged at filing, and Northwest says registered agent customers are auto-enrolled, so check that enrolment if you plan to file yourself. See the Northwest review.^{24, 25, 26, 27}

Rocket Lawyer. Formation is tied to a membership, with the first registration free with a Rocket Lawyer membership. Standard ($149/year) doesn't include the agent; the agent is $125 with a Plus or Pro membership, meaning Plus ($249/year) or Pro ($349/year) plus the agent price each year. See the Rocket Lawyer review.^{28, 29, 30}

InCorp Services. Formation is priced starting at $99 plus state fees, with the registered agent sold separately at $129 per state per year. Its report filing is $89 + state fees, the lowest published report filing price on this page. See the InCorp review.^{31, 32, 33}

Harbor Compliance. Formation is priced starting at $99 plus state fees. The agent starts at $99 first year (new customers) and renews at $159 annually, and stopping that renewal takes notice at least 90 days before the end of the current term. See the Harbor Compliance review.^{34, 35, 36}

Agent prices outside South Dakota are on cheapest registered agent services, and package details are in South Dakota LLC formation services compared.