How to Start a Missouri LLC

Within the State of Missouri, business owners can take advantage of various incentives and financing, provided your LLC meets the specific criteria. For example, Missouri offers a Missouri Works program to provide significant benefits to new and existing companies that are creating and retaining jobs in Missouri.

For entrepreneurs wanting to start a business in Missouri, creating a Missouri limited liability company (LLC) is generally the fastest and easiest way. With more simplified rules and regulations, an LLC is an ideal business entity for startups and small to medium-sized businesses, granting you the advantages and protections that larger Missouri corporations benefit from.

Learn more about the benefits of the LLC business structure.

In this guide, you’ll find information on naming your LLC, getting a Registered Agent, the fees you’ll need to pay, Missouri business taxes and much more. We also cover your registration needs, filing your Missouri LLC and how you'll correspond with the Missouri Secretary of State.

Step 1: Complete a Missouri LLC Search and Choose a Unique Business Name

To start the process, you’ll need a name for your LLC that’s distinctive and stands out, but one that’s not used by any other business or corporation in the state. If you’re having trouble coming up with a name, try using Bizee’s Business Name Generator to brainstorm ideas. You'll also need to follow a few naming rules, which you can read about in detail on the Missouri Business Names page.

Once you’ve chosen a name, you’ll need to make sure it’s available in Missouri. To find out whether another company in the state is already using your desired business name, use our tool to do a business name search. You can also carry out an entity name search on the Missouri Secretary of State online business entity search.

Step 2: Provide an Official Address for your LLC

Regardless of whether your business is in an office building, a home (if the company is run from a residence) or any other physical location, every Missouri LLC must have a designated street address. It can be located outside the State of Missouri, but it cannot be a P.O. Box.

Step 3: Assign a Registered Agent

A Registered Agent is someone who receives official legal and tax correspondence and is responsible for filing reports with the Missouri Secretary of State. Every LLC in Missouri is required to have a Registered Agent.

This position can be filled by you, another manager in your business or a dedicated Registered Agent service. If your Missouri Registered Agent is a person, they must have a physical street address in Missouri and must be present during business hours to receive important documents on behalf of your business. In Missouri, you appoint your Registered Agent when you file your Articles of Organization and formally create your Missouri LLC.

All of Bizee’s packages include Registered Agent service. It’s free for the first year and just $119 per year after that. You can also log in to our dashboard and easily view any document we've received on your behalf.

Step 4: File Your Certificate of Formation with the Missouri Secretary of State

Once you've gathered all the information for your Missouri LLC, you’ll need to file your Articles of Organization with the Missouri Secretary of State (SOS).

Your Articles of Organization can be filed online by using an online business system provided by the Missouri Secretary of State, filed in person or filed by mailing a printed form to the SOS. The Missouri LLC filing fee is $105 if you choose to submit a paper version or $50 if you complete the application online.

You only need to file your Articles of Organization once, but all corporations must log in to Missouri's online business portal and file an annual registration report every year. The fee for this is $20. The Missouri SOS also allows businesses to elect to submit a biennial registration report every other year instead, and the fee for this is $40. Bizee can either remind you to do it, or we can do it for you.

What are the Fees and Requirements to Form a Business in Missouri?

*includes a $2 online filing fee

Annual Report

Step 5: Get an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the Internal Revenue Service

You’ll need an EIN to identify your business to the IRS. You use this number when filing and paying taxes or when submitting payroll information and payments for your employees. An EIN is also required to open a business bank account. You can obtain one directly from the IRS, or you can have Bizee obtain one for you as part of the Missouri LLC formation process.

Step 6: Create an Operating Agreement

A kind of "instruction manual" that explains how you'll run your business, an LLC Operating Agreement details key components of your business — how decisions will be made, how the business is divided among members and what will happen if a member leaves the company.

Although some states require that a company have this document in place, Missouri does not mandate that you are required to have an LLC Operating Agreement. At Bizee, we think it’s still a good idea to have one regardless.

Other Missouri LLC Types

Professional LLC

Professional Limited Liability Companies (PLLCs) are different from regular LLCs in that they typically have licensing requirements applicable to certain fields, such as law and medicine. In order to form a PLLC, you may need a state license to practice.

Learn more about PLLC vs. LLC and which one is right for your business.

Foreign LLC

If your business is already operating in another state and expanding to Missouri — or vice versa — you’ll need to form a Foreign LLC.

Learn more about Missouri Foreign LLC registration.

Helpful Resources from the State of Missouri

More Information in This Guide