Step 1 · Form the entity
How to form an LLC in Mississippi (2026)
File a Mississippi LLC with the Secretary of State: $50 Certificate of Formation, a Mississippi registered agent, and a free annual report due April 15.
File a domestic Mississippi LLC with the Mississippi Secretary of State when you live in Mississippi and will do the work from Mississippi. The Certificate of Formation costs $50, and the annual report is free but due by April 15. Five steps: confirm Mississippi facts, prepare the Certificate of Formation with a Mississippi registered agent, file online, pay $50, then get a free EIN. Compare structures on LLC vs sole proprietorship.
How much does it cost to form an LLC in Mississippi?
The Mississippi Secretary of State Services & Fees Document lists the Certificate of Formation of a Mississippi LLC at $50, re-checked 19 October 2026. The annual report is no fee and the EIN is free, so most single-member owners pay $50 to the state in year one. Pay what the portal shows and keep the receipt.
How do I file a Mississippi Certificate of Formation online?
File through the online filing system linked from SOS Business Services. Have a distinguishable LLC name, the principal office address, and a registered agent with a Mississippi street address ready, choose the Certificate of Formation for a Mississippi LLC, then pay the $50 fee. Save the filed certificate when the SOS accepts it.
Does a Mississippi LLC need a registered agent?
Yes. The Certificate of Formation names a registered agent with a Mississippi street address, and it goes on the public record. State notices, including annual report reminders, go to that agent. Changing the agent later is a separate SOS filing. DIY versus commercial tradeoffs: Registered agent basics for a new LLC.
Does a Mississippi LLC file an annual report?
Yes. Every Mississippi LLC files an annual report with the SOS, and the fee schedule lists it as no fee for a domestic LLC. File online any time on or after January 1; it is due by April 15. Missing it can lead to administrative dissolution. Cross-state renewals: LLC annual report and annual registration.
Do I get an EIN before or after filing the Mississippi LLC?
After. The IRS tells applicants to form the state entity first, and the EIN application on IRS.gov is free. Apply the day the SOS accepts the Certificate of Formation if you need a business bank account right away. Walkthrough: Get an EIN; then open a first business checking account.
Does a Mississippi LLC need newspaper publication?
No. The Mississippi Certificate of Formation path has no newspaper publication step for a standard LLC, so skip any publication add-on a filing service tries to sell. New York and Nebraska are different and do require publication; see New York and Nebraska.
Mississippi LLC fee table (re-checked 19 October 2026)
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate of Formation (Mississippi LLC) | $50 | Forms the LLC |
| Annual report (Mississippi LLC) | $0 | Due April 15; opens January 1 |
| Certificate of Dissolution (Mississippi LLC) | $50 | When you close the LLC |
| Registration of a foreign LLC | $250 | For an LLC formed in another state |
| Annual report (foreign LLC) | $250 | Foreign LLCs only |
| Cancellation of a foreign LLC | $25 | Foreign LLCs only |
| EIN | $0 | Free on IRS.gov |
Fees re-checked against the Mississippi SOS Services & Fees Document on 19 October 2026. If the portal shows a different checkout total, pay what the portal shows and keep the receipt.
DIY or a formation shop. The walkthrough on this page is for Mississippi Certificate of Formation. If you would rather pay a shop to handle the filing paperwork, compare these:
| Service | Best for |
|---|---|
| Swyft Filings | Fast online filing with compliance reminders |
| Bizee | Budget-minded formation packages |
| Zenind | Formation bundled with registered agent |
| MyCompanyWorks | Simple, no-frills formation filing |
| MyCorporation | LLC formation plus DBA, EIN and registered agent add-ons |
| CorpNet | Formation packages with a year of registered agent and EIN bundled |
| BizFilings | Established filing service (Wolters Kluwer) |
| doola | Non-US founders forming a US LLC |
| Harbor Compliance | Registered agent and multi-state compliance |
| Business Anywhere | Registered agent + virtual business mailbox |
| ZenBusiness | All-in-one formation packages |
Prices, registered agent renewals, and checkout traps side by side: LLC formation services compared by fit.
Optional branches (not always required to file)
File in Mississippi if the work is in Mississippi
A domestic Mississippi LLC is organized by filing a Certificate of Formation with the Mississippi Secretary of State (Mississippi SOS Fee Schedule / Services & Fees Document). Online filing runs through SOS Business Filings online. A company already formed somewhere else that wants to transact business in Mississippi files a foreign LLC registration — a different instrument (official fee materials: $250 for Application for Registration of Foreign LLC — confirm current attachments).
Filing in Wyoming, Delaware, or Georgia does not move Mississippi work out of Mississippi. A foreign entity that transacts business here still needs a Mississippi registered agent and Mississippi foreign registration, plus the formation state’s agent and recurring fees. Home-state filing is the cheaper default for a one-state operator. Multi-state registration overview: Foreign LLC and certificate of authority.
Do not try to hide from the Mississippi SOS. An LLC is a public filing. The registered agent’s name and address go on the record so the state and private parties can reach the company. Privacy products that promise invisibility are selling something the statute does not offer.
What to have on the desk before opening SOS Business Filings online
Checked against official Mississippi SOS fee materials and statutes on 23 September 2026:
- A distinguishable LLC name that includes an allowed identifier. Search SOS entity records before ordering letterhead.
- Certificate of Formation contents: LLC name, principal office, Mississippi registered agent with Mississippi street address, and organizer / authorized signature as the form requires.
- Registered agent who can accept service of process in Mississippi. See Registered agent basics for a new LLC.
- Organizer / payment method for the $50 Certificate of Formation fee.
- No newspaper or other advertising is required on the standard domestic Certificate of Formation path.
File through SOS Business Filings online
The primary path on this page is SOS Business Filings online (www.sos.ms.gov/business-services). Create or sign in, choose domestic LLC formation, enter the entity details, and pay. Official fee materials list $50 for Certificate of Formation.
Optional certified copies, expedites, or other line items belong on the current fee table and checkout screen — this page does not invent add-ons. Pay what the portal shows and keep the receipt.
After the Certificate of Formation is filed
Formation with the SOS is not a state tax account, a sales-tax license, a city business 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.
Next: the money path. After the Certificate of Formation is accepted:
- Get an EIN — free on IRS.gov after the state entity exists
- Open business checking — park operating cash in the LLC’s name
- First brokerage — only if the work needs one
Full first-30-days desk list: After you form an LLC. Setup overview on the setup checklist. Formation shops, if you want one instead of DIY, stay in the callout above.
Mississippi does not require an operating agreement to be filed with the Certificate of Formation. A written agreement still matters between members. Banks often ask for one anyway. See LLC operating agreement basics.
Missed an April 15 annual report? See Reinstate an administratively dissolved or revoked LLC and confirm catch-up totals on the portal before paying.
What this page does not cover
- Professional LLC, series 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.
- 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 Mississippi as a sophistication upgrade.
- Voluntary dissolution — confirm current SOS fee lines before filing; see Dissolve or cancel an LLC.
- Processor fees or portal line items that are not printed on the sources above.
Sources
- Mississippi Secretary of State — Business Services (online business filings / annual reports) — as of Re-checked 19 October 2026
- Mississippi SOS — Annual Reports (Corporations and LLCs due April 15; file online) — as of Re-checked 19 October 2026
- Mississippi SOS — Business FAQs (fees set in statute; link to fee list) — as of Re-checked 19 October 2026
- Mississippi SOS — Services & Fees Document / Fee Schedule (Certificate of Formation of MS LLC $50; Annual Report of MS LLC No fee; Certificate of Dissolution of MS LLC $50; Foreign LLC registration $250; Foreign LLC annual report $250; Certificate of Cancellation of Foreign LLC $25) — as of Re-checked 19 October 2026
- IRS — Get an employer identification number (EIN is free; form the state entity first) — as of Re-checked 19 October 2026