Start a Free LLC in Arkansas

Per the Arkansas Secretary of State, as of September 2026, Arkansas charges $50 to file the Certificate of Organization. After that, the Annual Franchise Tax Report costs $150 every year. With LLC Register, formation is included in the $99-a-year Arkansas registered agent service, so year one costs $149.

Processing takes about 3–5 business days, whether you file online, by mail or in person. Arkansas does not offer paid expedited processing for LLC formations. Your LLC exists once the state accepts your filing.

To start an LLC in Arkansas, choose an available name, appoint an Arkansas registered agent, and file the Certificate of Organization with the Arkansas Secretary of State for $50. Then sign an operating agreement, get a free EIN from the IRS, open a business bank account and register for any state taxes. LLC Register files it for you as part of the $99-a-year registered agent service.

Yes. You can file online through the Corporations/LLC/Nonprofit Online Filing System, or by mailing or dropping off a paper form to the Business and Commercial Services office. The Certificate of Organization costs $50.

In Arkansas you form an LLC by filing the Certificate of Organization (Form LL-01) with the Arkansas Secretary of State. Other states call this document the articles of organization or the certificate of formation. The filing fee is $50.

No. Arkansas does not offer paid expedited processing for LLC formations. Processing takes about 3–5 business days, whether you file online, by mail or in person.

Use the Arkansas Secretary of State's free online business name search to check whether your LLC name is available. Your Arkansas LLC name must contain "Limited Liability Company", "Limited Company" or an abbreviation such as "LLC" or "L.L.C.". A licensed-profession LLC must instead use "Professional Limited Liability Company" or "P.L.L.C."

Your Arkansas LLC name must contain "Limited Liability Company", "Limited Company" or an abbreviation such as "LLC" or "L.L.C.". A licensed-profession LLC must instead use "Professional Limited Liability Company" or "P.L.L.C." The rules are set by the Uniform Limited Liability Company Act, Act 1041 of 2021, Arkansas Code Annotated § 4-38-101 et seq.

Yes. You can reserve a name for $25 with an Application for Reservation of a Limited Liability Company Name. A reservation is optional; filing the formation document also secures the name.

Yes. Every Arkansas LLC must have a registered agent. Your registered agent needs a physical street address in Arkansas, a P.O. box or mail drop is not accepted, and accepts legal papers and official notices on your LLC's behalf.

Yes. A member or manager who is an Arkansas resident with a physical street address in the state can serve as the LLC's registered agent. Your address becomes public record, and someone must be there during business hours to accept legal papers.

Not as your registered agent's address. Your registered agent needs a physical street address in Arkansas, a P.O. box or mail drop is not accepted, and accepts legal papers and official notices on your LLC's behalf. A PO box can usually serve as a mailing address, but the registered agent needs a physical address in Arkansas.

File the Notice of Change of Registered Agent for LLC (Form DO-03) with the Arkansas Secretary of State. There is no fee to file it.

Serving as your own Arkansas registered agent is free if you qualify. Commercial registered agents charge a yearly fee. LLC Register's Arkansas registered agent service is $99 a year and includes LLC formation and annual report filing.

Yes. Arkansas LLCs must file the Annual Franchise Tax Report every year. The state fee is $150.

The Annual Franchise Tax Report is due on or before May 1 every year. Your first one is due by May 1 of the year after your LLC is formed. It is filed with the Arkansas Secretary of State.

Per the Arkansas Secretary of State, as of September 2026, the Annual Franchise Tax Report state fee is $150. It is due on or before May 1 every year. LLC Register files it for you at no extra service fee while your registered agent service is active.

A late report adds a $25 penalty plus daily interest on the tax and penalty owed, and the Secretary of State won't accept any other filings from your LLC until the franchise tax is paid. File as soon as possible to keep your LLC in good standing.

Arkansas charges every LLC and PLLC a flat $150-a-year franchise tax, reported on the Annual Franchise Tax Report due May 1, this is the same filing as the annual report above, not an extra charge.

Arkansas taxes individual income on a graduated schedule topping out at 3.7% for 2026 and later years, so a default pass-through LLC's profits are taxed once on the members' Arkansas returns. An LLC that elects corporate tax treatment instead pays Arkansas's corporate income tax, whose top rate drops to 4.1% for 2027 and later years. Federally, a single-member LLC is taxed like a sole proprietorship and a multi-member LLC like a partnership, unless it elects to be taxed as a corporation.

If you sell taxable goods or services, register for an Arkansas Sales and Use Tax Permit through the Department of Finance and Administration's ATAP portal for a $50 fee.

Before you hire, register with the Arkansas Division of Workforce Services for unemployment insurance tax, and with the Department of Finance and Administration for state income tax withholding. You also need an EIN from the IRS before you run payroll.

It depends on your industry and location: Arkansas regulates some professions and activities through state licenses, and many cities and counties require local business licenses. Start with the Arkansas Secretary of State Business and Commercial Services.

Arkansas does not require an operating agreement, and you never file one with the state. LLC Register includes an operating agreement with every Arkansas LLC it forms.

You need an EIN if your LLC has employees or more than one member, and most banks ask for one to open a business account. A single-member LLC without employees can use the owner's Social Security number for federal taxes, but an EIN keeps it off business paperwork.

Apply for free on the IRS website once the state has approved your LLC; online applicants receive the EIN immediately. Owners without a Social Security number can apply with Form SS-4 by fax or mail.

Yes. You do not have to live in Arkansas or be a U.S. citizen to form an Arkansas LLC. You do need a registered agent with a physical address in Arkansas. Non-U.S. owners without a Social Security number apply for an EIN with IRS Form SS-4.

Yes. Arkansas allows an LLC with a single owner. By default the IRS taxes a single-member LLC like a sole proprietorship, reported on the owner's personal return.

Yes. Arkansas allows both a Domestic Series LLC and a separate Domestic Protected Series, each formed with its own $50 application.

Yes. Licensed professionals can form a professional LLC by using the "Professional Limited Liability Company" or "P.L.L.C." designation in the name, and the LLC pays the same $150 flat franchise tax as any other Arkansas LLC.

No. Arkansas does not require newspaper publication to form an LLC.

Order a Certificate of Existence (Certificate of Good Standing) from the Arkansas Secretary of State for $15. Banks, lenders and other states often ask for one as proof your LLC is current with the state.

An LLC formed in another state registers to do business in Arkansas by filing the Application for Certificate of Registration of Foreign Limited Liability Company (Form FL-01) with the Arkansas Secretary of State. The fee is $300, and the LLC needs an Arkansas registered agent.

File the Certificate of Amendment to Certificate of Organization with the Arkansas Secretary of State for $25. Amend when you change your LLC's name or other information in the formation document.

File the Statement of Dissolution (Form LL-04, with a Final Franchise Tax Report) with the Arkansas Secretary of State for $50. Before you file, wind up the business: pay debts, close tax accounts and distribute what is left to the members.

File an Application for Fictitious Name (Form DN-18) with the Arkansas Secretary of State for $25 ($22.50 online) if your LLC will trade under a name other than its legal name. A DBA lets your LLC trade under another name without forming a new company.

Yes. An eligible LLC can elect S corporation tax status by filing IRS Form 2553. The election can reduce self-employment tax once profits are high enough to pay yourself a reasonable salary. Arkansas taxes individual income on a graduated schedule topping out at 3.7% for 2026 and later years, so a default pass-through LLC's profits are taxed once on the members' Arkansas returns. An LLC that elects corporate tax treatment instead pays Arkansas's corporate income tax, whose top rate drops to 4.1% for 2027 and later years.

An LLC separates your personal assets from business debts and lawsuits, keeps pass-through taxation, and needs less paperwork than a corporation. In Arkansas it costs $50 to form and the Annual Franchise Tax Report is $150 every year.

A sole proprietorship costs nothing to start, but you are personally liable for the business's debts. An Arkansas LLC costs $50 to form and protects your personal assets, with the same pass-through taxes by default.

Usually not if your business operates in Arkansas. An out-of-state LLC doing business here must also register as a foreign LLC in Arkansas for $300 and keep an Arkansas registered agent, so you pay two states' fees.

No. Formation is included in the $99-a-year Arkansas registered agent service. The state still charges its $50 filing fee, which we pass through at cost.

For $99 a year plus the $50 state fee: Arkansas LLC formation in year one, an Arkansas registered agent, an operating agreement, and filing of your Annual Franchise Tax Report every year. Renewal is $99 a year. State fees are passed through at cost.

No. FinCEN has exempted companies created in the United States from beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting. Only foreign companies registered to do business in a U.S. state still have to report.

The Arkansas Secretary of State, Business and Commercial Services (BCS) Division, handles LLC formations, amendments and annual filings. Its office is at Victory Building, 1401 W. Capitol Avenue, Suite 250, Little Rock, AR 72201 (mail: P.O. Box 8014, Little Rock, AR 72203-8014; second office: 300 North College, Suite 201F, Fayetteville, AR 72701).

Yes, you should. Mixing business and personal money can weaken the liability protection your LLC gives you. Banks usually ask for your filed Certificate of Organization, your EIN and your operating agreement.