Start a Free LLC in Michigan

Per the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), as of September 2026, Michigan charges $50 to file the Articles of Organization. After that, the Annual Statement costs $25 every year. With LLC Register, formation is included in the $99-a-year Michigan registered agent service, so year one costs $149.

Standard review takes up to 10 business days. Expedited filing is available for $50 extra within 24 hours, with same-day ($100), 2-hour ($500) and 1-hour ($1,000) tiers also offered. Your LLC exists once the state accepts your filing.

To start an LLC in Michigan, choose an available name, appoint a Michigan registered agent, and file the Articles of Organization with the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) 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 MiBusiness Registry Portal, or by mail with the paper Articles of Organization (Form CSCL/CD-700). The Articles of Organization costs $50.

In Michigan you form an LLC by filing the Articles of Organization (Form CSCL/CD-700) with the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA). Other states call this document the articles of organization or the certificate of formation. The filing fee is $50.

Yes. Expedited filing is available for $50 extra within 24 hours, with same-day ($100), 2-hour ($500) and 1-hour ($1,000) tiers also offered. Standard review takes up to 10 business days.

Use the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA)'s free online business name search to check whether your LLC name is available. Your Michigan LLC name must include "limited liability company" or the abbreviation "L.L.C." or "L.C.", and cannot contain "corporation", "incorporated", "corp." or "inc.". It must be distinguishable from every other name on record with LARA.

Your Michigan LLC name must include "limited liability company" or the abbreviation "L.L.C." or "L.C.", and cannot contain "corporation", "incorporated", "corp." or "inc.". It must be distinguishable from every other name on record with LARA. The rules are set by the Michigan Limited Liability Company Act, 1993 PA 23 (MCL 450.4101 et seq.)

Yes. You can reserve a name for $25 with Form CSCL/CD-540; the reservation expires at the end of the sixth full calendar month after you file it. A reservation is optional; filing the formation document also secures the name.

Yes. Every Michigan LLC must have a registered agent. Your resident agent's business office or residence must match your registered office in Michigan. The agent can be a Michigan resident, a Michigan LLC or corporation, or an authorized foreign LLC or corporation.

Yes. A member or manager who is a Michigan resident can serve as the LLC's resident agent if their address is the registered office. 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 resident agent's business office or residence must match your registered office in Michigan. The agent can be a Michigan resident, a Michigan LLC or corporation, or an authorized foreign LLC or corporation. A PO box can usually serve as a mailing address, but the registered agent needs a physical address in Michigan.

File the Certificate of Change of Registered Office and/or Resident Agent (CSCL/CD-520) with the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA). The fee is $5.

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

Yes. Michigan LLCs must file the Annual Statement every year. The state fee is $25.

The Annual Statement is due by February 15 every year. Your first one is due by February 15 of the year after formation, unless you formed after September 30, in which case your first Annual Statement is not due until the following year. It is filed with the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA).

Per the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), as of September 2026, the Annual Statement state fee is $25. It is due by February 15 every year. LLC Register files it for you at no extra service fee while your registered agent service is active.

Filing after February 15 adds a $50 late filing penalty to the fee. An LLC that misses its Annual Statement for two years running is no longer in good standing by operation of law. File as soon as possible to keep your LLC in good standing.

Michigan has no franchise or privilege tax on LLCs. Its Corporate Income Tax applies only to an LLC that elects or is required to file federally as a C corporation.

Michigan taxes LLC profits that pass through to members under its flat individual income tax (4.25% for the 2026 tax year); an LLC taxed as a partnership or S corporation may instead elect the Flow-Through Entity Tax. 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 a Sales Tax License with the Department of Treasury through Michigan Treasury Online, or by mailing Form 518.

Before you hire, register for an unemployment insurance account with the Unemployment Insurance Agency and for income tax withholding with the Department of Treasury through Michigan Treasury Online. You also need an EIN from the IRS before you run payroll.

It depends on your industry and location: Michigan regulates some professions and activities through state licenses, and many cities and counties require local business licenses. Start with the Michigan Business Roadmap (LARA).

Michigan does not require an operating agreement, and you never file one with the state; without one, the LLC Act's default rules apply. LLC Register includes an operating agreement with every Michigan 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 Michigan or be a U.S. citizen to form a Michigan LLC. You do need a registered agent with a physical address in Michigan. Non-U.S. owners without a Social Security number apply for an EIN with IRS Form SS-4.

Yes. Michigan 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.

No. Michigan's LLC Act does not provide for series LLCs.

Yes. Licensed professionals can form a Professional Limited Liability Company (PLLC) whose members must all be licensed for the professional service offered; its name must include "Professional Limited Liability Company" or an abbreviation such as "PLLC".

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

Order a Certificate of Good Standing from the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) for $10. 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 Michigan by filing the Application for Certificate of Authority to Transact Business in Michigan (CSCL/CD-760) with the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA). The fee is $50, and the LLC needs a Michigan registered agent.

File the Certificate of Amendment to the Articles of Organization (CSCL/CD-715) with the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) for $25. Amend when you change your LLC's name or other information in the formation document.

File the Certificate of Dissolution (CSCL/CD-730) with the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) for $10. Before you file, wind up the business: pay debts, close tax accounts and distribute what is left to the members.

File a Certificate of Assumed Name with LARA for $25; it stays valid through December 31 of the fifth calendar year after you file it. 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. Michigan taxes LLC profits that pass through to members under its flat individual income tax (4.25% for the 2026 tax year); an LLC taxed as a partnership or S corporation may instead elect the Flow-Through Entity Tax.

An LLC separates your personal assets from business debts and lawsuits, keeps pass-through taxation, and needs less paperwork than a corporation. In Michigan it costs $50 to form and the Annual Statement is $25 every year.

A sole proprietorship costs nothing to start, but you are personally liable for the business's debts. A Michigan 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 Michigan. An out-of-state LLC doing business here must also register as a foreign LLC in Michigan for $50 and keep a Michigan registered agent, so you pay two states' fees.

No. Formation is included in the $99-a-year Michigan 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: Michigan LLC formation in year one, a Michigan registered agent, an operating agreement, and filing of your Annual Statement 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 Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Corporations Division, Corporations, Securities & Commercial Licensing Bureau, handles LLC formations, amendments and annual filings. Its office is at 2407 N. Grand River Ave., Lansing, MI 48906 (office); mailing: P.O. Box 30054, Lansing, MI 48909.

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