$50 to form your Missouri LLC

Missouri LLC Cost: $50 Filing, No Annual Report (2026)

Forming an LLC in Missouri costs $50 to file Articles of Organization online with the Secretary of State (or $105 by paper). Missouri is one of a handful of states with no annual report, no franchise tax, and no recurring state-level LLC fee at all. Year-one cost (DIY, no add-ons): $50. Five-year cost: $50. The only state with a meaningfully cheaper 5-year baseline is New Mexico, also $50. Missouri’s filing fee is fixed in RSMo § 347.179 and has not changed since 2017.

Reviewed by LLC Formation Cost Editorial Team, fact-checked against primary government sources • Last updated 2026-05-30 • 5 primary government sources cited

TL;DR

Missouri LLCs file Articles of Organization with the Missouri Secretary of State for $50 online ($105 paper). After that, there is no annual report, no biennial report, no franchise tax, and no privilege tax at the entity level. LLCs taxed as pass-throughs flow profits to the Missouri individual return at the state’s flat 4.7% rate (reduced from 5.4% in 2024 under SB 3). Missouri eliminated the corporate franchise tax in 2016 under HB 1455, and LLCs were never subject to it because the prior franchise tax statute (RSMo § 147.010) limited coverage to corporations. Active-duty military filers pay $0 in formation fees under RSMo § 351.069, one of the most generous military-exemption provisions in the country. The trade-off: Missouri does not allow fully anonymous LLCs by statute, organizer and registered-agent information is published in the public record, and member names appear on the optional Annual Registration Report if the LLC voluntarily files one. Using a commercial registered-agent service as both organizer and RA achieves practical member-level privacy at the Missouri state level, though FinCEN BOI reporting (federal, non-public) still requires disclosure of beneficial owners to the US Treasury. For founders looking strictly at the dollar cost over five years, Missouri ties with New Mexico for the cheapest LLC baseline in the country at $50 total.

Missouri LLC cost breakdown (2026)

Line item	Cost	Source
Articles of Organization (online)	$50	sos.mo.gov
Articles of Organization (paper)	$105	sos.mo.gov
Annual Report	$0 (none required)	sos.mo.gov
Franchise Tax	$0 (repealed 2016)	dor.mo.gov
Registered Agent service (Missouri-resident agent required)	$50-$200/yr	sos.mo.gov
Name reservation (optional)	$25	sos.mo.gov
Year 1 total (DIY, online, no RA service)	$50
Year 1 with commercial RA service	$100-$250
Year 2+ ongoing (DIY)	$0
5-year total (DIY)	$50

All figures verified 2026-05-30 from the Missouri Secretary of State and Department of Revenue.

Why Missouri is one of the cheapest states for LLC formation

Missouri is structurally cheap for three reasons that compound:

• No annual report. Missouri is one of only four states (with Ohio, New Mexico, and Arizona) that does not require LLCs to file any periodic report. There is an optional Annual Registration Report for record-keeping, but it carries no fee and no penalty for non-filing.
• No franchise tax. Missouri repealed its corporate franchise tax effective January 2016 (HB 1455). LLCs were never subject to the franchise tax in the first place, even before repeal, because Missouri’s franchise tax statute (RSMo § 147.010) applied only to corporations.
• $50 online filing fee. This is the lowest filing-fee tier in the country, tied with Arkansas ($45), Kentucky ($40), Hawaii ($51), and a few others. Online filing through the Missouri Online Business Filing portal is the cheap path. The $105 paper filing fee covers handling cost and is the same RSMo § 347.179 fee plus a paper-processing surcharge.

The hidden Missouri cost is not at the state level. It is the registered-agent requirement (RSMo § 347.030), every Missouri LLC must maintain a Missouri-resident registered agent with a physical Missouri street address. Non-residents who do not have a Missouri address pay $50-$200/yr for a commercial agent service. That is the only mandatory recurring cost.

Filing steps (DIY, no service)

1. Pick a name. Search availability at the Missouri Business Entity Search. Names must include “Limited Liability Company,” “Limited Company,” “LLC,” “LC,” “L.L.C.,” or “L.C.” Missouri prohibits use of “bank,” “trust,” “insurance,” and other restricted terms without regulatory approval.
2. Designate a registered agent. Required by RSMo § 347.030. Must have a Missouri street address (no P.O. boxes).
3. File Articles of Organization. $50 online through the SOS business portal, or $105 by paper to Corporations Division, P.O. Box 778, Jefferson City, MO 65102.
4. Get a federal EIN. Free at irs.gov.
5. Draft an operating agreement. Required by Missouri statute (RSMo § 347.081), but not filed with the state. Single-member templates fine; multi-member or asset-protection structures justify attorney drafting.
6. Register for state taxes. If selling tangible goods, register for sales tax at the Missouri Department of Revenue. Employer registration if hiring W-2 employees.
7. Open a business bank account. Missouri banks (Commerce Bank, Central Bank, UMB) accept Articles + EIN + operating agreement.
8. File FinCEN BOI report. Required under the Corporate Transparency Act within 30 days of formation. Free to self-file at fincen.gov/boi.
9. Optional Annual Registration Report. No fee, no penalty for skipping. Useful only to keep public record current.
10. Maintain registered agent. If using a commercial service, renew the contract annually ($50-$200/yr).

Online filings are typically processed same-day or within one business day. There is no expedite fee in Missouri because standard online turnaround is already fast.

Page-unique facts

• Missouri is one of only four states with no annual report requirement for LLCs. The other three are New Mexico, Ohio, and Arizona. Source: sos.mo.gov.
• Missouri is one of five states (CA, DE, ME, MO, NY) that legally requires an operating agreement. Per RSMo § 347.081, every LLC must have an operating agreement, oral or written. Most banks and courts require written.
• Active-duty military pay $0 to form an LLC in Missouri. Under RSMo § 351.069, active-duty service members can claim a fee waiver on Articles of Organization. Source: Missouri Secretary of State Military Filer Page.
• Missouri repealed its corporate franchise tax in 2016. HB 1455 phased out the franchise tax over five years. LLCs were never subject to it.
• No state-level publication requirement. Unlike Arizona, Nebraska, and New York, Missouri does not require LLCs to publish notice of formation in any newspaper.
• Personal income tax cut to 4.7% in 2025. Missouri reduced the top personal income tax rate from 5.4% to 4.7% under SB 3 (2024 session), with further step-downs planned to 4.5% if revenue triggers are met. This is one of the lowest top-rate personal income taxes among non-zero-tax states.
• Missouri SOS processes online filings within hours. The bsd.sos.mo.gov portal typically returns approved Articles of Organization within 1-4 hours during business days, faster than most state filing systems.

What Missouri’s $50 baseline buys you over 5 years

Five-year cost projections clarify why Missouri’s structure matters:

• Year 1: $50 (online filing) plus $0 ongoing fees. If you serve as your own registered agent at a Missouri address, total cost is $50.
• Years 2-5: $0 in mandatory state filings. No annual report, no biennial report, no franchise tax. The LLC simply maintains its registered agent and operates.
• 5-year DIY total: $50.
• 5-year total with commercial RA service ($120/yr market rate): $50 + ($120 × 5) = $650.
• Comparable cheap states: New Mexico ties at $50 (no annual fee), Ohio at $99 (no annual fee), Arizona at $50 (no annual fee). Wyoming sits at $400 ($100 filing + $60 × 5 annual reports) for the strongest combination of cheap + privacy.

For a Missouri-resident solo founder running a service business, the math is hard to beat at the state level. The remaining costs (EIN at $0 from the IRS, operating agreement template at $0-$99, business bank account at $0-$15/month depending on the bank) are federal or commercial choices, not Missouri state-level obligations.

FAQ

Is Missouri really $50 total to form an LLC?

Yes, $50 for online filing through the Missouri SOS business portal. There is no annual report, no franchise tax, and no recurring state fee. The only ongoing cost is the registered-agent requirement, $0 if you serve as your own RA at a Missouri address, $50-$200/yr if you hire a commercial service. Five-year DIY total: $50 flat. Source: sos.mo.gov, verified 2026-05-30.

Does Missouri require an annual report?

No. Missouri does not require LLCs to file an annual or biennial report. There is an optional Annual Registration Report you can file voluntarily for public-record cleanup, but it has no fee and no consequence for skipping. Missouri is one of only four states (Missouri, New Mexico, Ohio, Arizona) with this characteristic. Source: Missouri SOS Business Services.

Does Missouri have a franchise tax?

No, not for LLCs. Missouri’s corporate franchise tax was repealed effective January 2016 (HB 1455), and LLCs were never subject to it. LLCs taxed as pass-throughs report income on members’ Missouri individual returns at the state’s flat 4.7% rate. LLCs that elect C-corp status owe Missouri’s 4% corporate income tax (one of the lowest in the country). Source: Missouri Department of Revenue Business Tax.

Does Missouri require an operating agreement?

Yes. RSMo § 347.081 statutorily requires every Missouri LLC to adopt an operating agreement. Oral agreements are permitted by the statute, but banks and courts almost always require written. A written operating agreement is the standard expectation, free SBA template, $39-$99 online template, or $400-$1,500 attorney-drafted. Source: RSMo Chapter 347.

How long does Missouri LLC formation take?

Online filings are typically processed same-day or within one business day. Paper filings take 3-5 business days. Missouri does not charge an expedite fee because standard online turnaround is already fast. Source: Missouri Online Business Filing portal.

Can I form an anonymous LLC in Missouri?

Not fully. Missouri requires the organizer’s name and address on the public Articles of Organization, and the registered agent’s name and address are also public. Member names do not appear on the Articles by default. If you want maximum anonymity, hire a commercial registered-agent service and list them as both organizer and RA, members will not appear on any public Missouri filing. The federal FinCEN BOI report (non-public) still applies. Source: sos.mo.gov Business Filings.

What is Missouri’s state personal income tax on pass-through LLC income?

A flat 4.7% as of tax year 2025 (reduced from 5.4% in 2024 under SB 3, with planned step-downs to 4.5% in coming years if revenue triggers are met). Pass-through LLC profits flow to Missouri-resident members’ returns at 4.7%. Non-resident Missouri LLC owners report Missouri-source income on Form MO-1040, with the rate applying only to Missouri-sourced earnings. Source: Missouri Department of Revenue.

How does Missouri compare to neighboring states for LLC formation?

Compared to neighbors: Missouri ($50 filing, $0/yr) is structurally cheaper than Kansas ($85 filing, $50 biennial), Iowa ($50 filing, $30 biennial), and Nebraska ($100 filing + $150-$300 publication + $28 biennial). It is on par with Oklahoma ($104 filing, $25/yr) over 5 years and cheaper than Arkansas ($45 filing, $150 annual franchise tax) over the same window. The closest match nationally is New Mexico ($50 filing, $0/yr), which Missouri ties for the cheapest LLC baseline in the United States.

State quirk: the 2016 franchise-tax repeal that almost did not apply

Missouri’s franchise-tax repeal under HB 1455 is well known among Missouri corporations, who paid the tax until phase-out completed in 2020. The quirk is that LLCs were never subject to the franchise tax in the first place. RSMo § 147.010 limited the franchise tax to corporations and certain insurance entities, leaving LLCs structurally exempt from day one. When the legislature debated repeal in 2015-2016, opponents argued LLCs were paying through pass-through nexus, they were not. The repeal removed a tax LLCs had never owed, which is why Missouri-formed LLCs in 2014 cost the same as Missouri-formed LLCs in 2026, $50, with no franchise-tax history to navigate. This is also why Missouri’s 5-year cost ties for the cheapest baseline in the country: the state simply never built a recurring LLC fee structure to begin with. Compared to neighboring Kansas, which charges $85 to file plus a $50 biennial report, or Iowa, which charges $50 plus $30 biennial, Missouri’s flat $50 once-and-done structure is genuinely an outlier. The closest national peer is New Mexico, which also charges $50 with no annual fee, and the only meaningful difference between Missouri and New Mexico at this baseline is the operating-agreement statute (Missouri requires one by RSMo § 347.081; New Mexico does not).

Common mistake in Missouri

The most common Missouri LLC mistake is filing on paper for $105 instead of online for $50. The Missouri SOS accepts both, the paper form (LLC-1) costs more because of processing surcharges, not because of state revenue policy. The online filing portal at bsd.sos.mo.gov is the cheap path and processes same-day. The second most common mistake: skipping the operating agreement because Missouri does not file one with the state. RSMo § 347.081 still requires one, even though the state never sees it, and a Missouri bank will demand a written agreement before opening a business checking account regardless of statute. The third common mistake: assuming Missouri’s no-annual-report rule means no maintenance obligations. The LLC must still maintain a Missouri-resident registered agent at a valid Missouri street address; if the agent resigns or moves and the LLC fails to designate a replacement within 60 days, the SOS can administratively dissolve the LLC under RSMo § 347.179. Founders using a friend or family member as RA should verify quarterly that the address remains valid, especially after the agent moves or sells property.

Sources

1. Missouri Secretary of State Business Services, last verified 2026-05-30
2. Missouri Online Business Filing Portal, last verified 2026-05-30
3. Missouri Department of Revenue Business Tax, last verified 2026-05-30
4. RSMo Chapter 347 (LLC Act), last verified 2026-05-30
5. IRS Publication 3402, Taxation of Limited Liability Companies, last verified 2026-05-30

About the author

Aissam Baidi is the founder and researcher behind llcformationcost.com. He verifies Missouri LLC fees directly from sos.mo.gov on a quarterly cycle and cross-checks the Missouri Department of Revenue tax bulletins for changes to the personal income tax rate and business tax classifications. Connect on LinkedIn.

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Not legal advice. Estimates based on publicly available data from each state’s Secretary of State office. Consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction.