How to Start an LLC in Mississippi (2026 Guide)

Forming a Mississippi LLC takes one online filing: a Certificate of Formation submitted through the Mississippi Secretary of State’s business portal, for a $50 fee (as of October 2026). You’ll need a registered agent with a physical Mississippi address, and each year starting the year after formation you’ll file an annual report by April 15. That report is free.

Mississippi is one of the simplest states to maintain an LLC in, but the free report isn’t optional. LLCs that skip it can be administratively dissolved, so treat April 15 as a real deadline even though no money changes hands.

Updated October 2026.

Best LLC Formation Services in Mississippi (2026)

Here are our top picks for forming an LLC in Mississippi, ranked. Mainstay Filing comes first for its flat yearly price; the two Mississippi registered agent services below it are options if you only need an agent.

1. Mainstay Filing

Mainstay Filing is our top pick in Mississippi. It costs $199/year + state fee at cost and covers lLC formation filing, registered agent for the year, EIN application, annual report preparation and filing. The price stays the same every year, with no add-on menu.

2. Mississippi Registered Agent.co

Mississippi Registered Agent.co is a Mississippi registered agent service at $99/year. It provides $99 per year, flat; in-state street address for the registered office; legal documents served on the company are scanned and sent to the owner online. It’s a fit if you only need a registered agent rather than full formation help.

3. Registered Agent MS.org

Registered Agent MS.org is a Mississippi registered agent service at $99/year. It provides in-state street address for the registered office; legal documents served on the company are scanned and sent to the owner online. It’s a fit if you only need a registered agent rather than full formation help.

Mississippi LLC at a glance

The formation fee is set in Miss. Code section 79-29-1203 and appears in the Secretary of State’s copy of the Revised LLC Act; annual report rules are on its annual reports page. Mainstay Filing’s Mississippi LLC cost page shows state fees alongside service costs.

Step 1: Choose a Mississippi LLC name

The name must include “Limited Liability Company,” “LLC” or “L.L.C.” (or another accepted form) and be distinguishable from other names on the Secretary of State’s records.

Brainstorm with the namechk business name generator, then search the Secretary of State’s business database through the same portal you’ll file in. Our Mississippi business name search guide explains how to check for similar names.

Also check:

• Federal trademarks in the USPTO database
• Domain and social handle availability with namechk

Step 2: Choose a registered agent

Mississippi LLCs must maintain a registered office and registered agent in the state under Miss. Code section 79-29-113. The agent can be a Mississippi resident or a domestic or authorized foreign corporation, nonprofit or LLC, and the agent’s business office must be the same as the registered office, a physical Mississippi street address.

Mississippi follows the Model Registered Agents Act, which separates commercial agents (businesses that register with the Secretary of State as agents for many companies) from noncommercial agents, such as an owner or attorney. Either kind works for a small LLC.

If you’d rather not list your own address or be on call for legal papers, Mainstay Filing includes a year of registered agent service in its formation package. Our Mississippi registered agent guide covers the rules in depth. To change agents later, you file an amendment through the portal for $10; Mississippi no longer uses a separate change-of-agent form.

Step 3: File the Certificate of Formation online

Mississippi moved business filings to its online portal years ago, and the Secretary of State accepts the Certificate of Formation there. Create an account, choose the LLC formation filing and complete:

1. The LLC’s name
2. The registered agent’s name and Mississippi address
3. The LLC’s principal office address
4. An optional effective date
5. The organizer’s signature

Pay the $50 fee by card. Mississippi doesn’t offer paid expedited processing, so there’s no rush option to buy.

Once the filing is approved, download the stamped Certificate of Formation from your portal account and keep it with your records. You’ll need it to open a bank account, and the same account is where you’ll file annual reports and any amendments later.

Step 4: Write an operating agreement

Mississippi doesn’t require an operating agreement to be filed. You should still sign one covering ownership, contributions, management, voting, distributions and member exits. Without it, the Revised LLC Act’s default rules apply.

A single-member LLC benefits too, because a written agreement helps show the business is separate from its owner.

Step 5: Get an EIN and register for Mississippi taxes

Apply for a free EIN on the IRS website. Register with the Mississippi Department of Revenue through its online tax system if you’ll collect sales tax or withhold wages, and with the Mississippi Department of Employment Security if you’ll have employees.

Then open a business bank account in the LLC’s exact name using the filed Certificate of Formation and your EIN letter. Keeping business money separate is one of the simplest ways to protect the liability shield.

FinCEN’s beneficial ownership page says U.S.-formed companies are exempt from BOI reporting under the final rule effective August 2026.

Step 6: File the free annual report by April 15

Every Mississippi LLC files an annual report with the Secretary of State, due April 15. The filing window opens January 1, and the first report is due in the calendar year after the LLC is formed. An LLC formed in 2026 files its first report between January 1 and April 15, 2027.

There’s no fee for a domestic LLC’s report and no statutory late fee. But an LLC that doesn’t file receives a notice of intent to dissolve, and it can be administratively dissolved if it doesn’t cure the problem. File online through the business services portal.

Step 7: Licenses and permits

Mississippi doesn’t issue a general statewide business license. Cities and counties often require local privilege licenses, and regulated professions need a state license from the relevant board. Check with your city hall or county before you open.

How much does a Mississippi LLC cost?

For many owners, $50 is the total state cost of forming and keeping a Mississippi LLC, apart from local licenses and tax registrations.

Mississippi LLC FAQs

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