The short answer
- To form the LLC
- $45 to file the Certificate of Organization.
- Every year after
- $150 a year, due May 1.
- If you file late
- Arkansas adds a $25 penalty plus 10% a year interest on the $150 franchise tax. After one missed report, Arkansas administratively dissolves the LLC; reinstating it means every missed $150 franchise tax report, with its $25 penalty and interest.
- Five years, filing it yourself
- $795: the formation fee plus five years of the state's recurring fee, with no service fees.
Start your Arkansas LLC
Our service fee and the Arkansas filing & processing are itemized on the checkout review screen before you pay.
Start your Arkansas LLCWhat's included
- Name availability check before we file
- Certificate of Organization prepared and filed with Arkansas
- Submitted within 3 business days, or the same day as an option
- Approved documents emailed, plus a private order page
- Arkansas's after-formation deadlines in writing
- A real person by email
Arkansas LLC one-time costs
What Arkansas charges once, when the LLC is formed, and the optional costs that arrive at the same time. The state fee is the same whether you file yourself or use a service.
- Amount
- $45
- Notes
- Paid to Arkansas to file the Certificate of Organization. One time.
- Amount
- Free if you serve yourself; our agent service can be added in the application
- Notes
- Required in Arkansas; a street address in the state.
- Amount
- Free if you write it, or our self-help template after checkout
- Notes
- Not filed with the state.
- Amount
- Our fee, itemized at checkout
- Notes
- Optional. Our fee and the Arkansas filing & processing appear as separate lines before you pay.
State fees verified October 2026 and set by the state, not by us. Online filing prices; a few states charge a different amount on paper.
Arkansas LLC ongoing costs
What Arkansas charges to keep the LLC in good standing, when it is due, and what the state does when a report is late or missed.
- The state's rule
- $150 a year
- Notes
- Filed with the Arkansas Secretary of State, every year.
- The state's rule
- May 1
- The state's rule
- Arkansas adds a $25 penalty plus 10% a year interest on the $150 franchise tax.
- The state's rule
- After one missed report
- Notes
- Administrative dissolution, revocation or forfeiture by the state, after notice.
- The state's rule
- Depends on the case
- Notes
- Reinstating it means every missed $150 franchise tax report, with its $25 penalty and interest
- The state's rule
- None
- Notes
- Arkansas adds no LLC tax beyond the figures above.
State fees verified October 2026 and set by the state, not by us. Due rules, penalties and dissolution triggers are read from each state's statute or filing office page; the reinstatement figure is the state's own total at that point.
Arkansas LLC annual fee
Arkansas's recurring requirement: $150/year, due May 1. Arkansas calls the filing the Annual Franchise Tax Report, and it goes to the Arkansas Secretary of State at sos-franchise.ark.org. The Annual Franchise Tax Report is due May 1, every year.
If you file late: Arkansas adds a $25 penalty plus 10% a year interest on the $150 franchise tax. After one missed report, Arkansas administratively dissolves the LLC; reinstating it means every missed $150 franchise tax report, with its $25 penalty and interest.
The due date, filing window and portal are covered step by step in Arkansas LLC annual report.
Other recurring obligations
- Annual LLC Franchise Tax Report + payment. May 1 of the year after formation, then annually. $150 flat if on time; penalty and interest if late.
Arkansas LLC filing fee: $45
The filing fee is what Arkansas charges to file your Certificate of Organization, the document that creates the company. Arkansas charges $45. It is the one cost nobody can avoid: it is the same whether you file directly with the state or hire a service, and no legitimate service can waive it. Which form Arkansas uses, where it is filed and what it asks: how to register an LLC in Arkansas.
Arkansas posts its current processing times on its own site; we do not quote one.
By filing fee, Arkansas ranks 3 of 51 jurisdictions, cheapest first; the median state charges $100.
Five-year Arkansas LLC cost: $795
$45 to form, plus $150 a year in report fees for five years, comes to $795 paid to Arkansas over five years, assuming every report is filed on time. Taxes on the company's income, licenses and a registered agent service are separate.
See your exact Arkansas total before you pay
Our service fee and the Arkansas filing & processing are itemized on the checkout review screen before you pay, each on its own line.
What the Arkansas state fee does not include
The filing fee buys the state's approval of the Certificate of Organization and nothing else. These are the costs that sit outside it.
- Registered agent. Arkansas requires one, with a street address in the state. Serving as your own agent is free; the address becomes public record. Our registered agent service can be added in the application. Arkansas registered agent requirements.
- Operating agreement. Not filed with the state and free if you write it yourself. Our self-help template is available after checkout.
- Business licenses and permits. Set by the city, county or licensing board for your line of business, not by the formation filing. Many Arkansas LLCs need none; a restaurant, contractor or salon usually needs several.
- Taxes. An LLC's income is taxed through its owners' returns unless it elects otherwise, and sales tax or employer registrations are separate state accounts with no formation fee attached.
- Filing service. Our fee is itemized on the checkout review screen before you pay, with same-day submission as an option. The state fee is identical either way.
How to pay less for an Arkansas LLC
- File the Certificate of Organization yourself. Arkansas takes it online at sos-corpfilings.ark.org for the $45 state fee alone.
- Be your own registered agent if you have an Arkansas street address and are there during business hours. The trade-off is privacy: the address goes on the public record.
- Write your own operating agreement. No state charges for it and Arkansas does not file it.
- File the Annual Franchise Tax Report on time. Arkansas adds a $25 penalty plus 10% a year interest on the $150 franchise tax. A missed one leads to dissolution and a reinstatement bill.
- Form where you do business. An LLC that operates in Arkansas but is formed elsewhere must register in Arkansas as a foreign LLC anyway, paying Arkansas's registration fee and its recurring report on top of the home state's.
How Arkansas compares
By filing fee, Arkansas is number 3 of 51 jurisdictions, cheapest first. The filing fee is paid once; the recurring line is what separates states over time.
- Filing fee
- $45
- Recurring
- $150 a year
- Five-year total
- $795
- Filing fee
- $50
- Recurring
- None
- Five-year total
- $50
- Filing fee
- $300 minimum
- Recurring
- $50 per member a year, $300 minimum to $3,000 maximum
- Five-year total
- $1,800 for one member
- Filing fee
- $50
- Recurring
- Free (Annual Report still required)
- Five-year total
- $50
- Filing fee
- $125
- Recurring
- $35 a year
- Five-year total
- $305
- Filing fee
- $300
- Recurring
- Free (Public Information Report still required)
- Five-year total
- $300
- Filing fee
- $100
- Recurring
- $25 a year
- Five-year total
- $225
State fees verified October 2026 and set by the state, not by us.
Every state's fee is in LLC cost by state, and the case for and against forming elsewhere is in cheapest states to form an LLC.
Filing yourself vs. using us
Filing directly with Arkansas costs only the state's own fee: $45. The state takes formations at sos-corpfilings.ark.org. Through us, you pay our service fee plus the Arkansas filing & processing, for the name check, the Certificate of Organization prepared and submitted, the approved documents emailed to you and Arkansas's deadlines in writing. Both lines are itemized on the checkout review screen before you pay.
Sources
State fees verified October 2026; page last updated November 1, 2026. The figures above are read from Arkansas's own fee schedule, forms and statutes:
- sos.arkansas.gov (sos.arkansas.gov/business-commercial-services-bcs/forms-fees/llc)
- sos.arkansas.gov (sos.arkansas.gov/uploads/bcs/LL-01.pdf)
- sos.arkansas.gov (sos.arkansas.gov/uploads/bcs/LLC_Fees1_1.pdf)
- sos.arkansas.gov (sos.arkansas.gov/uploads/bcs/LLC1_FT_2025.pdf)
- sos-franchise.ark.org (Arkansas Secretary of State, Annual Franchise Tax Report filing)
Standard Filings is a filing service, not a law firm. This page is general information from each state's published filing rules and fee schedules, not legal or tax advice.
Arkansas LLC cost FAQ
How much does it cost to start an LLC in Arkansas?+
Arkansas charges $45. That is the state's own fee and it is the same whether you file yourself or use a service. If you have us file it, our service fee and the Arkansas filing & processing are itemized on the checkout review screen before you pay.
Does Arkansas charge an annual fee for an LLC?+
Yes. Arkansas's recurring requirement: $150/year, due May 1. That works out to $150 a year.
When is the Arkansas LLC annual report due?+
The Annual Franchise Tax Report is due May 1, every year.
What is the late penalty for an Arkansas LLC report?+
Arkansas adds a $25 penalty plus 10% a year interest on the $150 franchise tax. After one missed report, Arkansas administratively dissolves the LLC; reinstating it means every missed $150 franchise tax report, with its $25 penalty and interest.
Is there a franchise tax in Arkansas?+
No. Arkansas charges no franchise, privilege or LLC tax on top of its Annual Franchise Tax Report; the LLC's income is taxed through its owners' returns in the ordinary way, and any state income tax registration is separate from the formation and report fees here.
How much is a registered agent in Arkansas?+
Nothing from the state: Arkansas charges no fee for naming a registered agent. Serving as your own agent is free if you have a street address in Arkansas and are there during business hours; the address becomes public record. A commercial registered agent charges a yearly fee that the agent sets, in exchange for keeping its Arkansas address on the record and forwarding what arrives.
Can I file the Arkansas Certificate of Organization myself?+
Yes. Arkansas accepts the Certificate of Organization directly from business owners at sos-corpfilings.ark.org, and you pay only the state's $45 fee. Arkansas posts its current processing times on its own site; we do not quote one.
What does your service add to the state fee?+
Our service fee covers a name availability check, your Certificate of Organization prepared and filed, the approved documents emailed to you, and Arkansas's deadlines in writing. The Arkansas filing & processing is a separate line, and both are itemized on the checkout review screen before you pay.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Fees change; confirm the current amount with Arkansas before you rely on it.
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