Step 1 · Form the entity
How to form an LLC in Missouri (2026)
File a Missouri LLC on Online Business Filing: $50 online Articles of Organization ($105 paper). Keep a MO registered agent; no SOS annual report for LLCs.
File a domestic Missouri LLC on the Secretary of State Online Business Filing system when you live in Missouri and will do the work from Missouri. Online Articles of Organization cost $50 ($105 on paper). Five steps: confirm Missouri facts, gather the Articles with a Missouri 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 Missouri?
The Missouri SOS Schedule of Fees lists original Articles of Organization at $50 filed online and $105 on paper, re-checked 20 October 2026. That is the RSMo §347.179 fee ($45 / $100) plus the $5 Technology Fund fee. File through Online Business Filing to pay the lower $50. Pay what the portal shows and keep the receipt; vendor convenience fees are separate.
How do I file Missouri Articles of Organization online?
Open Online Business Filing from sos.mo.gov/business/corporations, create or sign into an account, and start Articles of Organization for a new domestic Missouri LLC. Enter a distinguishable name, a Missouri registered agent and registered office, management structure, and organizer details the form asks for, then pay the $50 online fee. Keep the acceptance receipt.
Does a Missouri LLC need a registered agent?
Yes. Missouri Articles of Organization name a registered agent and a registered office in Missouri for service of process, and both go on the public record. Changing the registered office, the agent, or both later is a $10 filing on the SOS fee schedule. DIY versus commercial tradeoffs: Registered agent basics.
Does a Missouri LLC file an annual report with the Secretary of State?
No. A typical Missouri LLC does not file a recurring annual or periodic report with the Secretary of State; the Chapter 347 fee section, RSMo §347.179, lists no LLC report fee. Corporation annual reports are a separate path and out of scope here. Keep the registered agent current. Cross-state renewals: LLC annual report and annual registration.
Do I get an EIN before or after the Missouri 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 Online Business Filing accepts the 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 Missouri LLC need newspaper publication?
No. The Missouri Articles of Organization path and the RSMo §347.179 fee list include no newspaper publication step for a standard domestic Missouri LLC. Skip any “Missouri LLC publication” add-on a vendor tries to sell you. New York is different; see How to form an LLC in New York.
Missouri LLC fee table (re-checked 20 October 2026)
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Articles of Organization (online) | $50 | Online Business Filing |
| Articles of Organization (paper) | $105 | Form LLC-1 by mail |
| Foreign LLC registration | $105 | Different from domestic formation |
| Amendment of Articles | $25 | |
| Change of registered office or agent (or both) | $10 | |
| Articles of termination | $25 | |
| Notice of winding up | $25 | |
| Name reservation | $25 | Optional |
| Certificate of good standing | $10 | |
| Statement of correction | $10 | |
| EIN | $0 | Free on IRS.gov |
Amounts are the totals on the Missouri SOS Schedule of Fees, re-checked 20 October 2026; each includes the $5 Technology Fund fee on top of the RSMo §347.179 base fee. RSMo §347.179(2) waives the Articles and name-reservation fees for certain Missouri-resident National Guard or active-duty military organizers who provide proof of service; read the statute before claiming it. 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 Missouri SOS / Online Business Filing Articles of Organization. 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 Missouri if the work is in Missouri
A domestic Missouri LLC is organized by filing Articles of Organization with the Missouri Secretary of State, Corporations Division (Chapter 347). Online filing runs through the Online Business Filing system. A company already formed somewhere else that wants to transact business in Missouri applies for registration as a foreign LLC — a different instrument ($105 on the SOS fee schedule).
Filing in Wyoming, Delaware, or Georgia does not move Missouri work out of Missouri. A foreign entity that transacts business here still needs a Missouri registered agent and Missouri 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.
Do not try to hide from the Missouri Secretary of State. 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 Online Business Filing
Fees checked against the Missouri SOS Schedule of Fees on 20 October 2026:
- A distinguishable LLC name. Search the SOS business entity records before ordering letterhead.
- Articles of Organization details, including the registered agent and Missouri registered-office address, duration, member- or manager-managed election, and purpose as the current online form requires.
- Registered agent who can accept service of process in Missouri. See Registered agent basics for a new LLC.
- Organizer details and a payment method. Card and e-check payments can carry a vendor convenience fee on top of the $50 filing fee.
No newspaper or other advertising is required on the standard domestic Articles of Organization path. Series LLCs and professional entities are out of scope for a default 1099 single-member LLC on this page.
File through Online Business Filing
The primary path on this page is the Online Business Filing system linked from sos.mo.gov/business/corporations. Create or sign into an account, choose a domestic Limited Liability Company, complete Articles of Organization, and pay. The SOS fee schedule lists the online filing at $50 and paper at $105.
Optional name reservation ($25), a fictitious-name registration, or other line items belong on the current statute 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 Missouri Department of Revenue tax account, a sales-tax license, 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.
Next: the money path. After the Articles of Organization 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.
Missouri 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.
No SOS annual report for a typical LLC
Missouri does not require a recurring Secretary of State annual report for a standard limited liability company; the Chapter 347 fee section lists no LLC report fee. Keep the registered agent and registered office current (a change is $10) and meet any Missouri Department of Revenue filings that apply to your tax classification.
Cross-state renewals (for states that do charge SOS reports): LLC annual report and annual registration. This page does not compute anyone’s tax.
Overview of admin-dissolve vs reinstate if standing is later lost: Reinstate an administratively dissolved or revoked LLC.
What this page does not cover
- Professional entities, series LLCs, 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 Missouri as a sophistication upgrade.
- Voluntary dissolution — a notice of winding up is $25 and articles of termination are $25 on the SOS fee schedule; confirm the current SOS instrument before filing; see Dissolve or cancel an LLC.
- Vendor convenience fees or portal line items that are not statute filing fees.
Sources
- Missouri SOS — Schedule of Fees and Charges (Chapter 347: LLC certificates $105 paper / $50 online; amendments, winding up, termination $25; good standing $10; name reservation $25; change of registered agent/office $10; statement of correction $10; includes $5 Technology Fund fee) — as of Re-checked 20 October 2026
- RSMo §347.179 — Base statutory fees before the $5 Technology Fund fee (Articles of Organization $100 paper / $45 online); §347.179(2) military fee waiver — as of Re-checked 20 October 2026
- Missouri SOS — Corporations / Business Services (Online Business Filing) — as of 22 September 2026
- Missouri SOS — Registering a Limited Liability Company (Online Business Filing step-by-step) — as of 22 September 2026
- Missouri SOS — E-Payment Convenience Fees (vendor convenience fee; not retained by the state) — as of 22 September 2026
- IRS — Get an employer identification number (EIN is free; form the state entity first) — as of Re-checked 15 October 2026