How to form an LLC in Kansas (2026)

File a domestic Kansas LLC with the Kansas Secretary of State when you live in Kansas and will do the work from Kansas. Articles of Organization cost $85 online or $90 on paper (Form DL). Five steps: confirm Kansas facts, gather the Articles with a resident agent, file online, pay $85, then get a free EIN. Compare structures on LLC vs sole proprietorship.

How much does it cost to form an LLC in Kansas?

Kansas Secretary of State Form DL (Rev. 2/27/26) lists Articles of Organization at $85 online or $90 on paper, re-checked 14 October 2026. After that, the Information Report costs $90 online every two years. File through the SOS Register a Business page. Pay what the portal shows and keep the receipt.

How do I file Kansas Articles of Organization online?

Go to Register a Business on sos.ks.gov and choose Articles of Organization for a domestic LLC. Enter a name containing LLC or a similar ending, the resident agent and registered office, and the organizer, then pay $85. The filed Articles are your formation proof; keep the receipt.

Does a Kansas LLC need a registered agent?

Yes. Kansas calls it a resident agent, and Form DL requires the Articles of Organization to name one, either an individual or a business, at a Kansas registered office. The agent goes on the public record and receives service of process for the LLC. DIY versus commercial tradeoffs: Registered agent basics.

When is the Kansas LLC Information Report due, and what does it cost?

Every two years. The SOS says businesses formed in even years file in each later even year and odd-year businesses in odd years, with for-profit reports due by April 15. Form ILC (Rev. 1/23/26) lists $90 online or $110 on paper. Calendar the first one when the Articles are filed.

Do I get an EIN before or after the Kansas LLC?

After. The IRS tells applicants to form the state entity first, and the EIN application on IRS.gov is free. Apply the same day the Secretary of State accepts your Articles of Organization if you need a business bank account right away. Walkthrough: Get an EIN; then open a first business checking account.

Does a Kansas LLC need newspaper publication?

No. Kansas Form DL and the Secretary of State Register a Business path include no newspaper publication step for a standard domestic Kansas LLC. Skip any “Kansas LLC publication” add-on a vendor tries to sell you. New York is different and does require publication; see How to form an LLC in New York.

Kansas LLC fee table (re-checked 14 October 2026)

Fees re-checked on the Kansas SOS Forms DL, ILC and FA and the Information Reports page on 14 October 2026. If the portal shows a different checkout total, pay what the portal shows and keep the receipt.

File in Kansas if the work is in Kansas

A domestic Kansas LLC is organized by filing Articles of Organization with the Kansas Secretary of State (Form DL; K.S.A. 17-7673). Online filing runs through sos.ks.gov Register a Business; paper Form DL is also accepted. A company already formed somewhere else that wants to transact business in Kansas files a Foreign Application — a different instrument (Form FA: $115).

Filing in Wyoming, Delaware, or Georgia does not move Kansas work out of Kansas. A foreign entity that transacts business here still needs a Kansas resident agent and Kansas foreign registration, plus the formation state’s agent and report. Home-state filing is the cheaper default for a one-state operator. Multi-state registration overview: Foreign LLC and certificate of authority.

What to have on the desk before opening Register a Business

Checked against Form DL (Rev. 2/27/26), the Information Reports page, and Form ILC on 14 October 2026:

• A distinguishable LLC name including LLC, L.L.C., LC, L.C., Limited Liability Company, or Limited Company (K.S.A. 17-7920). Search SOS name availability before ordering letterhead.
• Resident agent (individual, a Kansas-registered business, or the LLC itself) and a Kansas registered office that is a street address — not a P.O. box.
• Organizer / payment method for the $85 online Articles fee ($90 paper).

No newspaper or other advertising is required on the standard domestic Articles of Organization path. Series LLC and professional paths are out of scope for a default 1099 single-member LLC on this page.

File through Kansas SOS Register a Business

The primary path on this page is Kansas SOS at sos.ks.gov (online Articles of Organization). Form DL’s fee schedule lists $85 online / $90 paper. Online filings typically process within minutes; print the certified copy from the site.

Optional consent-to-name, certified copies, or other line items belong on the current forms and checkout screen — this page does not invent add-ons. Pay what the portal shows and keep the receipt.

After the Articles of Organization are filed

Formation with the SOS is not a Kansas Department of Revenue account, a sales-tax permit, a city license, or a professional license. Those have their own filings.

The IRS tells applicants to form the state entity first, then obtain an Employer Identification Number. That application on IRS.gov is free.

Kansas does not require an operating agreement to be filed with the Articles of Organization. A written agreement still matters between members. Banks often ask for one anyway. See LLC operating agreement basics.

Information Report — biennial, due April 15

Kansas requires an Information Report every two years (not annually). Businesses forming in even years file in each succeeding even year; odd-year formations file in succeeding odd years. For-profit entities are due by April 15 of the report year (SOS Information Reports page). Form ILC (Rev. 1/23/26) lists $90 online / $110 paper.

An LLC formed in 2026 (even) first faces the even-year Information Report due 15 April 2028. A three-month delinquency window follows the due date; after that the entity can forfeit for failure to file. Cross-state renewals: LLC annual report and annual registration.

Overview of admin status vs reinstate: Reinstate an administratively dissolved or revoked LLC (confirm catch-up Information Reports and reinstatement fees on the SOS portal — this page does not invent reinstatement totals).

What this page does not cover

• Series LLC, professional LLC, conversions, or foreign registration of an out-of-state company beyond the fee citation above.
• Sales-tax, employer withholding, unemployment, Workers’ Compensation, or local business licenses.
• Kansas Attorney General foreign-principal real-property registration near military installations (Form DL notice) — confirm on ag.ks.gov if it applies.
• Whether an S corporation election is worth the payroll. That is a CPA conversation after there is real net income.
• Any promise that an LLC prevents a personal guarantee on a bank account or a business card. It usually does not.
• Telling a Georgia operator to file Kansas as a sophistication upgrade.
• Voluntary dissolution — confirm the current SOS dissolution fee before filing; see Dissolve or cancel an LLC.
• Processor fees or portal line items that are not printed on the sources above.