Start a Missouri LLC the Easy Way
Starting a business in Missouri should be straightforward, but many new entrepreneurs quickly run into the same challenge: choosing the right business structure while navigating confusing legal requirements and inconsistent information. Without clear guidance, business owners risk exposing their personal assets, overpaying for formation services, or delaying their launch simply because they don’t know where to start.
Whether you’re in St. Louis, Kansas City, Springfield, or anywhere else in the state, forming a Limited Liability Company (LLC) is a clear path to protecting your business and its owners. This page walks you through the essentials so you can confidently launch your business.
Fast and Cheap Filing
The Missouri Secretary of State has made it easy to your LLC entirely online, and the state can process your filing within 1 to 3 business days. Many states also offer fast filing times, but they usually come with an exorbitant fee for expedited service. If you file online, your LLC can be created in just a day.
No Franchise Tax
Unlike Missouri corporations, Missouri LLCs are not required to pay an annual franchise tax to the state. As long as your LLC keeps its default tax status, your business will be exempt from paying the Missouri state franchise tax.
Total Privacy
Unlike other states, Missouri does not require the names of an LLC’s members or managers on state paperwork. LLCs are required to list their organizer’s information, though. This means if a member or manager chooses to act as an organizer, they still have to provide their personal information.
No Annual Report
Almost every other state in the Union requires annual reporting from business entities, but not Missouri! There are no annual reporting requirements or state filing fees for LLCs, which makes a Missouri LLC a far cheaper option than forming an LLC in another state.
We Make Missouri LLC Formation Stress-Free
With Missouri Registered Agent, you can skip the paperwork and stress. Here’s what makes our process to launch your business is simple:
- File your LLC online with the Missouri Secretary of State
- Use our business address to protect your privacy
- Receive same-day document scanning and instant delivery
- Access your documents anytime in your online account
- Get lifetime customer support from real Missouri experts
Fast, affordable, 100% Missouri-based.
We handle every step of your LLC formation for just $192 total — including state fees, filing, and a full year of registered agent service.
It doesn’t have to be complicated to your business. Missouri Registered Agent LLC helps you launch your business quickly while protecting your privacy and staying compliant.
We take care of your filings, organize your legal documents online, and even help you build your business identity — all in one place.
Table of Contents
DIY – How to Start a Missouri LLC (Step-by-Step Guide)
While the process to an LLC might seem complicated, we’ve created this guide to walk you through everything you need to know to make your dream of owning a business in Missouri a reality.
You can avoid future headaches by hiring a professional service like Missouri Registered Agent LLC to form your Missouri LLC, or if you have the time and energy to spare, you can create your own company by following these 7 steps:
1. Choose a Name for your Business
Choosing the right name for your Missouri LLC may not be as easy as it seems. Before filing your formation paperwork, you’ll need to choose a name that not only represents your business accurately, but also follows the state’s guidelines.
- Must include a proper designator that indicates which type of business entity you’re operating: Limited Liability Company, Limited Company, LLC, LC, L.L.C. or L.C.
- Cannot include the words corporation, incorporated, limited partnership, limited liability partnership, limited liability limited partnership, Ltd, or any other abbreviation that implies your LLC is a different type of business entity.
- May not already be in use by another entity.
May not already be in use by another entity.
Our expert tip: Use the Missouri Business Entity Search to check availability.
2. Appoint a Registered Agent
In order to create your Missouri LLC, you will need to appoint a Missouri Registered Agent. A registered agent is a person or company that accepts service of process on behalf of your business. Any Missouri resident can act as your registered agent as long as they are eighteen years or older, but they must be physically available to accept legal mail during regular business hours at a physical address in Missouri. (P.O. boxes and virtual offices do not count).
You can appoint yourself as your own registered agent, but that means you’ll need to include your name and address on your Articles of Organization. Keep in mind Articles of Organization become public record once they’re filed. If you’re interested in protecting your privacy, it may be beneficial to appoint a registered agent who doesn’t mind having their information “out there.”
- Professional Registered Agent PROS: Hiring a professional registered agent protects your privacy and ensures you receive all your legal mail as quickly as possible.
- Professional Registered Agent CONS: You can save money by being your own registered agent, but you’ll need to be present to accept legal during normal business hours year-round.
Our expert tip: Hiring us keeps your personal information private and ensures compliance.
3. Register your Missouri LLC with the Secretary of State
To register your LLC with the state, you will need to file the Articles of Organization. The Missouri Articles of Organization are the legal documents filed with the Missouri Secretary of State to officially form a Limited Liability Company (LLC). This filing is the first step in creating an LLC and includes essential information such as the company’s name, its registered agent and office address in Missouri, its management structure, it’s business purpose, organizers, and more. Once approved, the articles of organization create the LLC as a legal entity and secure its name.
Our expert tip: We recommend filing your articles online through the Missouri filing portal, as it’s significantly cheaper ($51.25) than filing by mail ($105). If you don’t want to deal with the headache, all the paperwork, or have your personal information listed publically, you can just have our expert team take care of it.
- Processing time online: 1–3 business days
- Secretary of State Link: Missouri Online Business Filing
4. Creating Account with Missouri Online Business Filing System
First, you will need to create an online account with the Corporation’s Division. Yes, that means another username and password to remember, but this is the best way to get your paperwork filed faster and avoiding going to the post office.
You will need to provide information like a User ID, password, security questions, as well as your name, address, and contact information. Check the box at the bottom of the page to agree to the terms and conditions and voila! You now have an online account.
Our experts helped to brakedown the most commonly asked steps and fields below:
LLC Selection
Once you are logged into your account, you will have dozens of filings to choose from. Make sure you select “Create LLC” under “LLC Filings.”
This will bring you to a page that will ask you to confirm that you want to form an LLC and whether or not your LLC is domestic or foreign. Select “domestic” to create a Missouri LLC.
Duration
Here, you’ll have the opportunity to choose between several different options:
- Freeform: your LLC will dissolve upon the occurrence of a specific event.
- Perpetual: your LLC will exist until dissolution paperwork is filed.
- Date: your LLC will dissolve on a specific date.
LLC Managers and/or Members
In Missouri, an LLC is a business entity is either member-managed or manager-managed. Members are the owners, while managers are the individuals responsible for day-to-day operations.
Purpose
A purpose statement for an LLC in Missouri can be as simple or as detailed as you’d like, but it should clearly explains the purpose for your LLC. You want to make it clear what your company is doing and that your intention is to do it legally under Missouri law.
For example, if you are opening a T-Shirt printing company, your purpose statement might read something like, “The purpose of Show Me the Shirts LLC is to print, sell, and distribute custom T-shirts. Show Me the Shirts LLC will conduct and operate lawful business activities legally allowed in the state of Missouri.”
Future Effective Date
If you’d like to schedule when your LLC will be active you have the option to delay the effective date of formation. If you don’t choose a date (and most LLCs do not), your business will be active as soon as your application is processed by the Corporation’s Division.
Missouri Series LLC
You also have the option to designate your new LLC as a series LLC. This choice is optional, and you should only check this box if the LLC you’re forming will be a series to an already-established parent LLC.
A Missouri Series LLC is a limited liability company with established divisions called “series.” Each of these series has its own limited liability protection. A Missouri Series LLC is a good option for business owners looking to hold individual business under a single parent LLC, while keeping the limited liability intact for each series.
A Missouri Series LLC is created by filing Articles of Organization with the Corporation’s Division, as well as Missouri Form LLC 1A. This form is also available to file in your online account with the Secretary of State.
Organizers
Your Missouri LLC will need to list at least one organizer on your Articles of Organization. The organizer of your LLC will be the person (or people if more than one) who sign your articles. You can list up to 5 organizers. Your organizers don’t need to be member or managers of your LLC, but whomever is listed must also provide the following personal information on your Articles of Organization.
- Whether the organizer is an individual or an organization
- The organizer’s name (This will be publicly available)
- The organizer’s address (cannot be a P.O. Box or virtual office address)
Principal Office Address
Next, you’ll need to list the address of your Missouri LLC’s principal place of business. This must be a physical address where your business operates.
Important thing to note here is that the state of Missouri does not allow businesses to list a P.O. box or virtual office address as its principal office. It has to be a physical address.
5. Create a Missouri LLC Operating Agreement
A Missouri operating agreement is a legal document that governs the internal operations of a Missouri Limited Liability Company (LLC) and is required by state law (RSMo 347.081). It’s a binding contract between the LLC’s members that defines their roles, rights, and responsibilities, and it is not filed with the state, but rather kept internally. The agreement outlines key aspects of the business, such as ownership stakes, profit and loss distribution, member authority, and management structure.
Our expert tip: We include a FREE custom Operating Agreement in your LLC package.
6. Obtain a Federal EIN (Employer Identification Number)
The state of Missouri does not issue EINs, but the IRS does. You can get an EIN by completing an Application for EIN Tax ID Number and filing it with the IRS. The form is free to file and takes just a couple of minutes to complete. An EIN is generally required for banking, hiring, and taxes.
- If you file for an EIN online, you’ll be able to get one immediately.
- If you mail in a paper application, it will take about 4 weeks to get your EIN from the IRS.
Our expert tip: You can hire us to file this for you so we can process it once approved by the state. No need to worry about when to file or accidently forgetting. Just add the service when you hire us for your incorporation or if you forget, you can hire us from within your secure, online account.
7. Maintain your LLC
A Missouri LLC does not need to file an annual report. Unlike corporations, which must file an annual or biennial registration report with the Missouri Secretary of State, LLCs have no annual report filing requirement to maintain good standing.
- No annual report required
- No franchise tax
- Just keep a registered agent on file
What you Get When you Hire Missouri Registered Agent LLC
Sure, you can do it yourself, OR we can make it even simpler. Missouri Registered Agent LLC gives you everything you need to ani LLC as well as manage, and grow your business — without paying hidden fees.
- Usable Missouri Business Mailing Address
- Business Mail Scanning
- Fast LLC Registration (Next Business Day Processing)
- FREE Operating Agreement, Membership Certificates & Resolutions
- Privacy Protection with Use of Our Address
- Real-Time Annual Report Reminders
- Structure-Specific Operating Agreement (Single- or Multi-Member)
- Online Account Dashboard
- Instant Document Delivery System
- Access to Additional Business Services
- No Hidden Fees!
All-inclusive. Affordable. Transparent.
Here’s Where your Money Goes
Many incorporation services hide their costs. We don’t. Here’s the full breakdown of our Missouri LLC package:
| Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| Missouri State Filing Fee | $52 |
| Our LLC Formation Service Fee | $100 |
| One Year Registered Agent Service | $40 |
| Total | $192 |
Transparent. Honest. No surprise renewals or upsells.
Missouri LLC FAQs
How long does it take to form an LLC in Missouri?
It takes about 1 to 3 business days to get an LLC approved in Missouri if you file online, while mail-in applications can take 3 to 4 weeks or longer. We file online since it is the fastest method with the Missouri Secretary of State’s online portal.
How much does it cost to start a Missouri LLC?
If you file online yourself, it is $51.25 (Filing and payment fee). Our full-service package—including filing, registered agent, and documents—is $192 total.
Can I be my own Missouri Registered Agent?
It’s possible to act as your own registered agent in Missouri. However, there are distinct advantages to hiring a professional registered agent service (like us):
Convenience: A registered agent must be available year-round to accept service of process during regular business hours. If you’re your own registered agent, going on vacation or working different hours could mean missing an important document.
Privacy: When you file your Certificate of Formation, you must list your registered agent’s name and physical address. If you’re your own registered agent, that could mean making your home address public.
Local experts: A good registered agent service should know their state business laws and provide additional support, going above and beyond the duties of a registered agent.
Our Missouri Registered Agent Service is just $40/year.
Do I need to file annual reports for my Missouri LLC?
No. Missouri LLCs have no annual reporting or renewal fees but you must still meet other ongoing compliance requirements, such as keeping a Registered Agent.
Do Missouri LLCs pay state taxes?
Unless your LLC has opted to be taxed as a corporation, your LLC does not need to file taxes in Missouri because it is typically a pass-through entity by default. The profits and losses are “passed through” to the owners (members), who then report the income on their personal income tax returns.
If I’ve already formed my LLC, can I still do business in Missouri?
If you already have an LLC in a different state but want to do business in Missouri, you don’t have to create a new LLC – just register your company as a Missouri Foreign LLC. We can help you expand your business to Missouri.
Why Missouri Registered Agent is a Top Choice
Thousands of Missouri entrepreneurs trust us to keep their businesses compliant, private, and protected.
✅ $40/year Registered Agent Service
✅ 100% Missouri-based support
✅ Instant document delivery
✅ Transparent pricing — no surprises
We’re local, affordable, and focused on assisting Missouri businesses.
Save hours of paperwork and skip the stress. We’ll handle your entire Missouri LLC formation from start to finish — for just $192 total.