Start a Free LLC in Minnesota

Per the Minnesota Secretary of State, as of September 2026, Minnesota charges $135 to file the Articles of Organization. After that, the Limited Liability Company | Annual Renewal is free to file every year. With LLC Register, formation is included in the $99-a-year Minnesota registered agent service, so year one costs $234.

Online and in-person filings are processed immediately. Mailed filings have no published turnaround and are handled in the order received. Expedited filing is available for $20 extra by filing online or in person instead of by mail. Your LLC exists once the state accepts your filing.

To start an LLC in Minnesota, choose an available name, appoint a Minnesota registered agent, and file the Articles of Organization with the Minnesota Secretary of State for $135. 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, in person, or by mail, online and in-person filings cost $155 and receive expedited service, while mail filings cost $135 and are processed in the order received. The Articles of Organization costs $135.

In Minnesota you form an LLC by filing the Articles of Organization with the Minnesota Secretary of State. Other states call this document the articles of organization or the certificate of formation. The filing fee is $135.

Yes. Expedited filing is available for $20 extra by filing online or in person instead of by mail. Online and in-person filings are processed immediately. Mailed filings have no published turnaround and are handled in the order received.

Use the Minnesota Secretary of State's free online business name search to check whether your LLC name is available. Your Minnesota LLC name must include "limited liability company" or the abbreviation "LLC", must not contain "corporation" or "incorporated", and must be distinguishable from other business names on file with the Secretary of State.

Your Minnesota LLC name must include "limited liability company" or the abbreviation "LLC", must not contain "corporation" or "incorporated", and must be distinguishable from other business names on file with the Secretary of State. The rules are set by the Minnesota Revised Uniform Limited Liability Company Act (Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 322C).

Yes. You can reserve a name for $35; the reservation lasts one year and can be renewed. A reservation is optional; filing the formation document also secures the name.

Minnesota does not require a registered agent. Minnesota requires every LLC to keep a registered office with a physical Minnesota street address, but naming a registered agent is optional. If you do name one, the agent must be a Minnesota resident or entity whose business office is the registered office.

Yes, though Minnesota does not require you to name a registered agent at all, only a registered office. If you choose to name one, you or another member can serve as long as you are a Minnesota resident. Your address becomes public record, and someone must be there during business hours to accept legal papers.

Not as your registered agent's address. Minnesota requires every LLC to keep a registered office with a physical Minnesota street address, but naming a registered agent is optional. If you do name one, the agent must be a Minnesota resident or entity whose business office is the registered office. A PO box can usually serve as a mailing address, but the registered agent needs a physical address in Minnesota.

File the Notice of Change of Registered Office/Registered Agent (Minn. Stat. 5.36), or an Amendment to Articles of Organization with the Minnesota Secretary of State. The fee is $35.

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

Yes. Minnesota LLCs must file the Limited Liability Company | Annual Renewal every year. There is no state fee to file it.

The Limited Liability Company | Annual Renewal is due by December 31 every year. Your first one is due by December 31 of the year after your LLC is formed. It is filed with the Minnesota Secretary of State.

Per the Minnesota Secretary of State, as of September 2026, there is no state fee to file the Limited Liability Company | Annual Renewal. It is due by December 31 every year. LLC Register files it for you at no extra service fee while your registered agent service is active.

Missing the December 31 deadline terminates your LLC without further notice. You can reinstate by filing the current year's renewal and paying $65 by mail or $85 online or in person. File as soon as possible to keep your LLC in good standing.

Minnesota has no franchise or privilege tax on LLCs as such. A multi-member LLC taxed as a partnership (or as an S corporation) owes the state's minimum fee only once its Minnesota property, payroll and sales total at least $1,280,000; a single-member LLC reported only on the owner's return does not owe it.

Minnesota taxes an LLC according to its federal classification: a single-member LLC is reported on the owner's Form M1, a multi-member LLC files the Partnership Return (Form M3) with income passing through to members, and an LLC that elects corporate treatment pays the Minnesota corporate franchise 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 Minnesota Tax ID Number (sales and use tax account) with the Department of Revenue.

Before you hire, register for an unemployment insurance account with the DEED Unemployment Insurance Program and for a withholding tax account with the Department of Revenue. You also need an EIN from the IRS before you run payroll.

It depends on your industry and location: Minnesota regulates some professions and activities through state licenses, and many cities and counties require local business licenses. Start with the Starting a Business, Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED).

Minnesota does not require a written operating agreement, and you never file one with the state; it may be oral, implied or written, and chapter 322C's default rules apply if you skip it. LLC Register includes an operating agreement with every Minnesota 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 Minnesota or be a U.S. citizen to form a Minnesota LLC. You do need a registered office address in Minnesota. Non-U.S. owners without a Social Security number apply for an EIN with IRS Form SS-4.

Yes. Minnesota 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. Minnesota's LLC law (chapter 322C) does not provide for series LLCs.

Yes. Licensed professionals can form a Professional Limited Liability Company under the Minnesota Professional Firms Act (chapter 319B) by electing chapter 319B in the articles and naming the professional service.

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

Order a Certificate of Good Standing from the Minnesota Secretary of State for $5. 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 Minnesota by filing the Foreign Limited Liability Company | Application for Certificate of Authority with the Minnesota Secretary of State. The fee is $185, and the LLC needs a Minnesota registered agent.

File the Minnesota Limited Liability Company | Amendment to Articles of Organization with the Minnesota Secretary of State for $35. Amend when you change your LLC's name or other information in the formation document.

File the Statement of Termination (Minn. Stat. 322C.0702); an optional Statement of Dissolution may be filed first with the Minnesota Secretary of State for $35. 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 the Secretary of State for $30, then publish it in a qualified newspaper in your county for two successive issues. 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. Minnesota taxes an LLC according to its federal classification: a single-member LLC is reported on the owner's Form M1, a multi-member LLC files the Partnership Return (Form M3) with income passing through to members, and an LLC that elects corporate treatment pays the Minnesota corporate franchise tax.

An LLC separates your personal assets from business debts and lawsuits, keeps pass-through taxation, and needs less paperwork than a corporation. In Minnesota it costs $135 to form and the Limited Liability Company | Annual Renewal is free every year.

A sole proprietorship costs nothing to start, but you are personally liable for the business's debts. A Minnesota LLC costs $135 to form and protects your personal assets, with the same pass-through taxes by default.

Usually not if your business operates in Minnesota. An out-of-state LLC doing business here must also register as a foreign LLC in Minnesota for $185 and keep a Minnesota registered agent, so you pay two states' fees.

No. Formation is included in the $99-a-year Minnesota registered agent service. The state still charges its $135 filing fee, which we pass through at cost.

For $99 a year plus the $135 state fee: Minnesota LLC formation in year one, a Minnesota registered agent, an operating agreement, and filing of your Limited Liability Company | Annual Renewal 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 Minnesota Secretary of State, Business Services, handles LLC formations, amendments and annual filings. Its office is at First National Bank Building, 332 Minnesota Street, Suite N201, Saint Paul, MN 55101.

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.