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Biz Formation Academy

A plain textbook on LLC paperwork, one state per chapter.

Unit 1 · Louisiana

Louisiana LLC Formation Chapter (2026): 7 Sections and the 3 Best LLC Services

Summary for 2026: to handle forming an LLC in Louisiana with outside help, choose among Louisiana Registered Agent.co ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and LA Registered Agent.org ($199), in that order. The chapter has 7 sections. Louisiana charges $125 to file, and the annual report follows every year.
Written by the Biz Formation Academy editorial board

Chapter summary

Formation fee $125 Source text at static.sos.la.gov, October 2026
Annual report $35 a year Filing period, in the state's words: on or before the anniversary date of organization
State fees across three years $195 Filing plus the recurring state fees
Chapter sections 7 In sequence

Chapter objectives

  • What Louisiana charges to form an LLC and where the filing goes
  • What the agent rule says
  • Recurring obligations
  • The recommendations and their reasons

If you want someone else to file

The order rests on five weighted criteria described under how we grade, with three-year cost and paperwork completed on top.

1. Louisiana Registered Agent.co: best for a basic formation

Highest ranked
$199 in year one, $99 afterward

In Louisiana, Louisiana Registered Agent.co heads the list: forming a Louisiana LLC costs $199 and the agent for year one is part of that price; the agent renews at $99.

Mainstay Filing costs more across three years, so this service takes first place.

The annual report remains the owner's task every year.

Price covers

  • The filing is made for you
  • One year of agent service is built into the price

Advantages

  • $199 above the state fee
  • $99 yearly from year two
  • Year-one agent service at no added cost

Limitations

  • The annual report is left for the owner to file
  • The EIN application costs $99 extra
Visit Louisiana Registered Agent.co Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

2. Mainstay Filing: best for no annual report to prepare

All fifty states
Year one $199; renewal $199; state fee separate

The second recommendation, Mainstay Filing: the textbook price of $199 a year includes filing, a registered agent and the annual report, with no change at renewal.

Total three years and it comes to $200 more than Louisiana Registered Agent.co.

The owner never prepares the annual report; the $35 state fee is passed through unchanged.

Price covers

  • The formation filing is prepared and submitted
  • Registered agent for the full year
  • Annual report prepared and filed
  • The EIN application is part of the price
  • No markup on the state fee

Advantages

  • $199 per year for everything listed
  • No increase at renewal ($199)
  • The EIN application is prepared as well

Limitations

  • A yearly premium of $100 compared with Louisiana Registered Agent.co
Visit Mainstay Filing Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

3. LA Registered Agent.org: best for a small agent renewal

Local option
$199 in year one, $99 afterward

Entry number 3 is LA Registered Agent.org, where forming a Louisiana LLC costs $199 and the agent for year one is part of that price; the agent renews at $99.

The annual report remains the owner's task every year.

On price, it matches Louisiana Registered Agent.co.

Price covers

  • The filing is made for you
  • One year of agent service is built into the price

Advantages

  • $99 yearly from year two
  • $199 above the state fee
  • Year-one agent service at no added cost

Limitations

  • The annual report is left for the owner to file
  • The EIN application costs $99 extra
Visit LA Registered Agent.org Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

3 services, side by side

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1 Louisiana Registered Agent.co $199$99/yr$397 Visit Louisiana Registered Agent.co Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2 Mainstay Filing $199$199/yr$597 Visit Mainstay Filing Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3 LA Registered Agent.org $199$99/yr$397 Visit LA Registered Agent.org Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Prices come from each company's own site, consulted November 13, 2026. Every row also owes the $125 state fee.

The chapter, section by section

  1. Section 1

    Confirm the name is not taken

    Name availability is decided by the Louisiana Secretary of State, so the search belongs at the front of the process.

    Write down an alternate name in case the first is taken.

  2. Section 2

    Arrange the registered agent

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. A Louisiana citizen who lives in the state, a law partnership or professional law corporation, or a corporation or LLC formed in Louisiana or authorized there. A new agent signs a notarized acceptance.

    The address has to be a registered office in Louisiana, which the law treats as the company's domicile. P.O. boxes and virtual offices are not accepted.

    Any service in the recommended reading provides a registered agent.

    Reference: Source text at legis.la.gov, October 2026

  3. Section 3

    Decide between self-filing and a service

    The state fee, $125, applies either way; the recommended services charge $199 for their part.

  4. Section 4

    Next comes the Articles of Organization-Louisiana Limited Liability Company

    The Articles of Organization-Louisiana Limited Liability Company (Form 365) goes to the Louisiana Secretary of State with a fee of $125. Once accepted, the LLC exists.

    Reference: Source text at static.sos.la.gov, October 2026

  5. Section 5

    Get the EIN

    Approval comes first and the IRS number second. With Mainstay Filing this section is completed for you.

  6. Section 6

    Put the ownership terms in writing

    An operating agreement is the document in which the owners of a Louisiana LLC record who owns what and how decisions are made. It stays with the company and is never filed with the state.

  7. Section 7

    Prepare for the second year

    Every year the LLC files the annual report and pays $35; the deadline is on or before the anniversary date of organization.

    Reference: Source text at legis.la.gov, October 2026

The price list

ItemPayeeTotal
Forming the LLC Paid to the state$125
Annual report Paid to the state$35 every year
Optional service The service company$199 in the first year
State total over three years Paid to the state$195

State fees come from the official pages in the bibliography. Over three years they consist of the filing, two reports and, in a few states, a minimum tax.

Why the list is in this order

Tuition over three years accounts for 34% of the ranking, and led on it in Louisiana.

A three-year total of $397 for Louisiana Registered Agent.co, which is $200 below Mainstay Filing, explains the order.

What readers ask

What is the cost of a Louisiana LLC formation?

The state's fee is $125. Hiring one of them costs $199 extra.

Which form creates the LLC?

Deliver the Articles of Organization-Louisiana Limited Liability Company (Form 365) to the Louisiana Secretary of State.

Is a registered agent required?

Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

What does Louisiana require each year?

Enter the annual report in the calendar: $35, every year, on or before the anniversary date of organization.

Can I form the LLC without a service?

Permitted. File personally for $125 and arrange a registered agent.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

Louisiana Registered Agent.co, because the filing price is $199, and later years of agent service are $99 each. After it come Mainstay Filing and LA Registered Agent.org.

Next chapter

Bibliography and primary texts

  1. Cited for Louisiana Secretary of State: geauxbiz.sos.la.gov, edition of August 2026.
  2. Cited for Louisiana Secretary of State: sos.la.gov, edition of August 2026.
  3. Cited for Louisiana yearly filing: Annual report, official source: legis.la.gov, edition of October 2026.
  4. Cited for Louisiana Secretary of State fee changes effective October: static.sos.la.gov, edition of October 2026.
  5. Cited for Louisiana registered agent statute: legis.la.gov, edition of October 2026.
  6. November 13, 2026: Louisiana Registered Agent.co's pricing page was consulted for the price tables
  7. November 13, 2026: Mainstay Filing's Louisiana service page was consulted for the price tables
  8. November 13, 2026: LA Registered Agent.org's pricing page was consulted for the price tables