Missouri LLC Formation Costs: Total Fees Revealed

Hire Professionals to Form an LLC in Missouri for Just $39!

Additional LLC Filing Fees

When forming an LLC, there are additional payments that are optional:

$25 – Missouri LLC Name Reservation

It is absolutely optional to reserve a company name. It is not a requirement for founding an LLC. However, a name reservation may be useful if you already have a great name but are still ironing out certain details before establishing your company. A 60-day name hold costs $25 and may be renewed twice for an extra $25. However, if you are ready to file your articles of organization, you should skip this step because doing so will immediately lock in your name.

To be clear, name reservations aren’t always necessary and aren’t required by most states. If you’re concerned that someone else will register the name you want, you might just form your LLC rather than reserving it.

Whether you reserve your business name or not, you should always run a Missouri business name search to ensure that the name you chose is accessible.

$7 – Doing Business As Name:

If your firm has many projects and locations, a “Doing Business As” (DBA) or fictitious name may be the best solution for you. A DBA name is a pseudonym used by your firm to distinguish one project or office location from your organization’s registered name.

To register a DBA in Missouri, a Registration of Fictitious Name form must be completed and a fee of $7.00 must be paid. We can speed up the process by using our Missouri DBA Service.

$10 + $0.50/pg. – Certified Document Copies

The Secretary of State may provide certified copies of your Missouri business paperwork for a fee of $10 (plus $0.50 per page if purchasing paper copies).

$10 – Certificate of Good Standing

Some companies will want you to provide evidence that your LLC complies with all applicable laws and tax regulations. A Certificate of Good Standing from the Missouri Secretary of State is required if you need to provide proof that you have adhered to your obligations. By acquiring a Certificate of Good Standing from the SOS online and paying a $10 charge, you can get one.

The Best Way to Form Your Own Missouri LLC

Read our full guide on how to start an LLC in Missouri

LLC – Missouri You must submit the $50 online Articles of Organization to the Missouri Secretary of State in order to establish a Missouri LLC. Applying is possible online or by mail. The legal document that formally establishes your Missouri Limited Liability Company is called the Articles of Organization. In Missouri, there are five basic steps to forming an LLC:

Step 1: Choose an Entity Name for your Missouri LLC [Price: $25]

Make careful you adhere to these naming rules:

Before completing your LLC papers, ensure that your chosen business name is available for use. The quickest way to confirm is to use the corporate entity search engine on the Secretary of State’s website.

If you have decided on a desired alias but need some extra time to finish your LLC paperwork, you may reserve a name by submitting an Application for Reservation of Name form. Each business entity name you choose to maintain will cost you $25.

In Missouri, you may only keep the name for 60 days before having to renew your reservation. Any name has a 180-day legal holding period.

MISSOURI APPLICATION FOR RESERVATION OF NAME

File Online with the Missouri Secretary of State

FILE ONLINE

– OR –

File by Mail

DOWNLOAD FORM

Fee: $25

Mail to:

Attn: Corporations Division
P.O. Box 778
Jefferson City, Missouri 65102

The Missouri Articles of Organization cost $105 to submit by mail and $50 to submit online. When filing electronically, there is also a $1.25 credit card processing cost or a $0.50 eCheck fee.

Missouri typically processes online submissions as soon as they are received. Mail-in filings are more costly and take much longer to complete (around 5–10 business days). If it wasn’t evident before, Missouri strongly prefers that businesses file their papers online.

Step 2: Choose a Registered Agent [Price: $39 on its 1^st yr.]

It might be difficult to find a Registered Agent that satisfies both your company’s demands and Missouri law. With our Missouri Registered Agent Service, we can assist you in locating the ideal Registered Agent for your LLC at the ideal cost.

LLCs in Missouri must have a registered agent to receive and process legal filings on their behalf. An agent can be an LLC member, owner, or employee, but they must be at least 18 years old and have a physical address in the state.

You can also hire someone or a firm to act as your registered agent in Missouri. You should budget between $50 and $300 each year for such services.

Series LLCs, like regular LLCs, must appoint a Missouri registered agent to receive service of process (legal notifications) on their behalf. During normal business hours, your registered agent must be available at a physical Missouri address, which must be included on your Missouri Series LLC’s Articles of Organization.

The Missouri registered agent for your Series LLC might be the registered agent for each separate series of your Missouri Series LLC. Remember that many registered agents will demand extra service costs for each series.

Step 3: File the Articles of Organization [Price: $50 (online) / $100 (mail)]

Domestic or Foreign LLC: Because this is a state of formation, the majority of new businesses will pick Domestic. If a company has significant activities in another state, such as maintaining a warehouse or recruiting employees, it may be required to apply for a Foreign LLC.

What Distinguishes a Domestic LLC from a Foreign LLC?

Duration: In this section, you may indicate how long it will last. The majority of LLCs will be perpetual in nature; however, certain businesses (typically those involved in investing) will have a specified termination date.

It is established in this section whether the LLC is controlled by its members or by a manager.

– Member-Managed LLCs actively participate in the company’s day-to-day management.

– Manager-Managed LLCs are run by a manager who is recruited by the members, much like a company’s CEO.

The majority of LLCs are run by their members.

Give some basic information about the company’s operations. A few basic pieces of information are necessary; otherwise, the LLC file will be refused. If you want to make the company’s purpose more open-ended, you may add “and participate in any approved commercial activity for which a Limited Liability Company may be created in Missouri” to the original purpose statement.

Leave this box empty if you want the LLC to start operations on this day; otherwise, choose a start date that is less than 90 days from now.

A series LLC provides liability protection for a variety of asset classes or businesses, each of which is protected from the liabilities of the others in the series. The Series LLC is a unique option that is commonly employed by real estate investment businesses.

LLC The Organizers An organizer is someone who takes part in the formation of the Articles of Organization. The Organizer, who might be a mentor, lawyer, or accountant, may or may not become a member, but all of the founding members will be acknowledged as organizers.

GET YOUR MISSOURI ARTICLES OF ORGANIZATION

Option 1: On the Missouri Secretary of State website, register. Select “Create LLC” from the “LLC Filings” menu on the user homepage after logging in.

CREATE ACCOUNT

– OR –

Option 2: Visit the Missouri Secretary of State website to get the Articles of Organization in PDF format. Mailing this form to the Missouri Corporations Division is required.

DOWNLOAD PDF

Basic information about your limited liability company is listed in the Missouri articles of organization, including the name of your LLC, its purpose, the names and addresses of its Missouri registered agents, its management structure, and the addresses of its organizers (the individual or individuals who have prepared and filed your Articles).

Paper filing typically takes one week to process once the paperwork is received. Online filings are typically handled within one to three days.

FILE THE MISSOURI ARTICLES OF ORGANIZATION

Option 1: Visit the Missouri Secretary of State website and register or log in. Then, submit your online form by completing the necessary fields under “Create an LLC.”

FILE ONLINE

– OR –

Option 2: Visit the Missouri Secretary of State website to get the Articles of Organization in PDF format.

DOWNLOAD PDF

State Filing Cost: $50 online; $105 by mail

Mail to: 
State of Missouri Secretary of State
Corporations Division
P.O. Box 778 / 600 W. Main St., Rm. 322
Jefferson City, MO 65102

How long will it take to incorporate my Missouri LLC?

Online: instantly after payment is received; by mail: between 3 to 6 business days.

What distinguishes a domestic LLC from a foreign LLC?

If an LLC operates in the state in which it was created, it is referred to as a “domestic LLC.” Usually, when we talk about an LLC, we’re talking about a domestic LLC. If an existing LLC wants to take its operations to another state, a foreign LLC must be created.

Step 4: Create an Operating Agreement [Price: FREE]

The following clauses must be present in your operating agreement:

• List of owners, including contact information (address, phone number, and email) and their ownership percentage (which should be 100%).
• Smaller shareholders
• Exit strategy: Are you seeking for a long-term commitment or do you want to start the business and then sell it?
• What happens if a member passes away, gets sick, gets divorced, or quits?
• Name of the business, its postal address, and its physical address
• Distributions, including the amount and your desire to establish a capital fund
• Control level for personnel who do operational duties (sign checks, order inventory, hire/fire, etc.).
• List of owners, including contact information (address, phone number, and email) and their ownership percentage (which should be 100%).
• Methods for getting more cash (debt or equity)
• Added Benefit

An operating agreement may be as comprehensive as you like, and it can really help your business by giving you some important guidelines in the event of a sticky situation. Nevertheless, it is ideal to have your operating agreement in place before you launch your business, and it has to be approved by all parties.

The state mandates it. Every Missouri LLC is required to create an operating agreement to regulate the company’s operational operations under Missouri Business Statutes Section 347.081.

In Missouri, LLCs must have an operating contract. These documents provide information on the firm’s plans and the owners’ or members’ anticipated operations. Operating agreements define daily responsibilities, members with the most direct influence over how the company operates, and voting rights for each member in connection to their financial contribution.

An operating agreement is also ideal for legitimizing the business by laying out a specific game plan and long-term goals for the LLC.

Step 5: Obtain an Employer Identification Number [Price: FREE]

Finally, if you still want assistance with the finances of your new business, consider ZenBusiness Money. With its aid, you may manage clients, send and collect money, and create invoices all in one place. We hope you found our explanation on how to create an LLC in Missouri useful.

Essential Steps to Take After Creating an LLC

Keep Personal and Business Assets Separate

Your personal assets—your house, vehicle, and other valuables—are at danger if your Missouri LLC is sued while your personal and business accounts are combined. This is known as “piercing the corporate veil” in business law.

With the following actions, you may begin safeguarding your LLC in Missouri:

1. Create an LLC bank account.

Most Series LLCs avoid allowing the individual series to share a bank account with the parent business because doing so is necessary to maintain each series’ separate limited liability.

However, because many banks are unfamiliar with the Series LLC business structure, they may not recognize the distinction between the parent company and each series at first. The best choice is to call the bank ahead of time to clarify your organization’s needs and ensure that it is willing to set separate bank accounts for your Missouri Series LLC and each series within it.

2. Obtaining a business credit card:

• Aids in classifying and separating all business costs for the purpose of year-end taxation.
• Increases your business credit score, which is a necessary step to obtaining a line of credit or loan in the future.
• Gives you the ability to keep track of departmental spending by giving each employee a card with a different budget.

3. Employing a business accountant:

• Helps you avoid penalties, fines, and other expensive tax blunders while preventing your company from overpaying taxes.
• Simplifies bookkeeping and payroll, giving you more time to concentrate on your expanding business
• Properly manages your business finance, identifying areas of unplanned loss or additional profit

Expanding its Operations in Missouri by Employing People

Keep within the law if you intend to hire staff by doing the following:

• Check to see whether new hires are eligible to work in the US
• Inform the State that new hires have been made.
• Employees should have access to workers’ compensation insurance.
• Employer taxes are withheld.
• Posters promoting workplace compliance should be printed and displayed in prominent locations.

What is the Missouri state minimum wage? Missouri’s hourly minimum wage is $11.15.

How frequently must I pay my employees in Missouri? Employers in Missouri are obligated to pay their staff every two months.

FAQ: Costs of Forming an LLC in Missouri – Variables

Hire a Pro Company to Assist You with Forming an LLC in Missouri

Creating a Missouri LLC may be challenging and time-consuming. We’ve put together a list of the top two services for creating an LLC because it would be useful to have some assistance.

#1: ZenBusiness can assist you in Missouri when forming an LLC

ZenBusiness offers affordable LLC setup services with a variety of useful features. Two of these factors will benefit the majority of LLCs. Registered agent service is included with each ZenBusiness solution for a whole year. They provide Pro and Premium Packages so you don’t have to worry about compliance. As part of this assurance, ZenBusiness will submit your yearly report and inform you of any additional legal requirements. People who have the entry-level package can purchase worry-free compliance for $119 per year.

For $49, ZenBusiness can assist you with forming an LLC in Missouri. They have over 4,500 verified reviews and a 98 percent client satisfaction rating.

You can also take a look at our full review of ZenBusiness here.

#2: Northwest Registered Agent can help you create an LLC in Missouri.

With decades of expertise, Northwest Registered Agent is a fantastic service for creating an LLC. They provide excellent, knowledgeable customer service. They provide you privacy, which is their finest quality. Even so, they create their own code. They never sell your information nor do they outsource any of their services.

Northwest can assist you right immediately with Missouri LLC formation. They have over 4,150 verified reviews and a 98 percent client satisfaction rating. A complimentary year of registered agent service will be provided!

And here’s our extensive guide and review about Northwest Registered Agent.

To Summarize

In this piece, we have discussed a significant number of expenditures that are specific to Missouri LLCs, some of which are typical of LLCs operating everywhere in the state. As can be seen, there are a great deal of charges that are peculiar to the operation of certain types of LLCs. The most important thing to realize is that you should not seek for justifications to avoid paying these fees since the consequences may be severe and may easily be avoided. This is the most important lesson to learn.

Many of the costs that a normal LLC will be expected to pay in Missouri are detailed in the fees mentioned above. Other one-time, recurring, or ad hoc fees that are not stated above may apply in some uncommon cases.

In addition, starting a Missouri LLC isn’t as expensive as it seems.
The total cost shouldn’t exceed:

• $49 if you’re forming a basic LLC with all the basic options with ZenBusiness.
• $39/mo if you’re forming a top-notch LLC with Northwest.
• ~$50 if you’re forming an LLC yourself.

Naturally, your LLC will have to pay self-employment, payroll, federal, state, and sales taxes. More tax information may be found on the Missouri Business Tax website.

Having said that, there are still some ways in which you can select an inexpensive business formation organization to handle the filing of your Articles of Organization and to offer registered agent service. This is one way in which you can still make financially responsible selections regarding your LLC formation and maintenance charges.