South Dakota LLC Cost (2026): Fees and Due Date

The short answer

To form the LLC: $150 to file the Articles of Organization.
Every year after: $55 a year, due on the first day of the anniversary month.
If you file late: $55 added by South Dakota. After one missed report, South Dakota administratively dissolves the LLC, and the state's total to reinstate it at that point is $260.
Five years, filing it yourself: $425: the formation fee plus five years of the state's recurring fee, with no service fees.

Start your South Dakota LLC

Our service fee and the South Dakota filing & processing are itemized on the checkout review screen before you pay.

What's included

Name availability check before we file
Articles of Organization prepared and filed with South Dakota
Submitted within 3 business days, or the same day as an option
Approved documents emailed, plus a private order page
South Dakota's after-formation deadlines in writing
A real person by email

South Dakota LLC one-time costs

What South Dakota 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.

State filing fee

Amount: $150
Notes: Paid to South Dakota to file the Articles of Organization. One time.

State expedite (optional)

Amount: Set by the state
Notes: $50 expedite fee.

Registered agent

Amount: Free if you serve yourself; our agent service can be added in the application
Notes: Required in South Dakota; a street address in the state.

Operating agreement

Amount: Free if you write it, or our self-help template after checkout
Notes: Not filed with the state.

Our filing service

Amount: Our fee, itemized at checkout
Notes: Optional. Our fee and the South Dakota filing & processing appear as separate lines before you pay.

South Dakota LLC one-time and optional costs, 2026
Cost	Amount	Notes
State filing fee	$150	Paid to South Dakota to file the Articles of Organization. One time.
State expedite (optional)	Set by the state	$50 expedite fee.
Registered agent	Free if you serve yourself; our agent service can be added in the application	Required in South Dakota; a street address in the state.
Operating agreement	Free if you write it, or our self-help template after checkout	Not filed with the state.
Our filing service	Our fee, itemized at checkout	Optional. Our fee and the South Dakota 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.

South Dakota LLC ongoing costs

What South Dakota charges to keep the LLC in good standing, when it is due, and what the state does when a report is late or missed.

Annual Report fee

The state's rule: $55 a year
Notes: Filed with the South Dakota Secretary of State, every year.

Due

The state's rule: First day of the anniversary month
Notes: State wording: First day of anniversary month ($55 online, $70 by mail).

Late penalty

The state's rule: $55
Notes: After the state's grace period.

After missed reports

The state's rule: After one missed report
Notes: Administrative dissolution, revocation or forfeiture by the state, after notice.

Reinstatement

The state's rule: $260
Notes: The state's total to reinstate after one missed report: reinstatement fee plus the missed reports and penalties it requires.

Franchise or privilege tax

The state's rule: None
Notes: South Dakota adds no LLC tax beyond the figures above.

South Dakota LLC ongoing costs, 2026
Item	The state's rule	Notes
Annual Report fee	$55 a year	Filed with the South Dakota Secretary of State, every year.
Due	First day of the anniversary month	State wording: First day of anniversary month ($55 online, $70 by mail).
Late penalty	$55	After the state's grace period.
After missed reports	After one missed report	Administrative dissolution, revocation or forfeiture by the state, after notice.
Reinstatement	$260	The state's total to reinstate after one missed report: reinstatement fee plus the missed reports and penalties it requires.
Franchise or privilege tax	None	South Dakota 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.

South Dakota LLC annual fee

South Dakota's recurring requirement: $55/year, due first day of anniversary month ($55 online, $70 by mail). South Dakota calls the filing the Annual Report, and it goes to the South Dakota Secretary of State at sosenterprise.sd.gov. South Dakota keys the deadline to your own formation date: on the first day of the anniversary month, every year. In the state's words: First day of anniversary month ($55 online, $70 by mail).

If you file late: $55 added by the state for a late report. After one missed report, South Dakota administratively dissolves the LLC, and the state's total to reinstate it at that point is $260.

The due date, filing window and portal are covered step by step in South Dakota LLC annual report.

Other recurring obligations

Annual report. each year by the first day of the formation-anniversary month ($55 late fee if still unfiled 2 months later). $55 online / $70 paper.

South Dakota LLC filing fee: $150

The filing fee is what South Dakota charges to file your Articles of Organization, the document that creates the company. South Dakota charges $150. 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 South Dakota uses, where it is filed and what it asks: how to register an LLC in South Dakota.

South Dakota's published processing time: Online filings are processed immediately.

Faster review from the state: $50 expedite fee.

By filing fee, South Dakota ranks 40 of 51 jurisdictions, cheapest first; the median state charges $100.

Five-year South Dakota LLC cost: $425

$150 to form, plus $55 a year in report fees for five years, comes to $425 paid to South Dakota over five years, assuming every report is filed on time. One late report adds $55. Taxes on the company's income, licenses and a registered agent service are separate.

See your exact South Dakota total before you pay

Our service fee and the South Dakota filing & processing are itemized on the checkout review screen before you pay, each on its own line.

Start your South Dakota LLC →

What the South Dakota state fee does not include

The filing fee buys the state's approval of the Articles of Organization and nothing else. These are the costs that sit outside it.

Registered agent. South Dakota 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. South Dakota 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 South Dakota 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 a South Dakota LLC

File the Articles of Organization yourself. South Dakota takes it online at sosenterprise.sd.gov for the $150 state fee alone.
Be your own registered agent if you have a South Dakota 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 South Dakota does not file it.
File the Annual Report on time. A late one costs $55 more, and a missed one leads to dissolution and a reinstatement bill of $260.
Skip state expedite unless a date depends on it. The state's standard queue costs nothing extra.
Form where you do business. An LLC that operates in South Dakota but is formed elsewhere must register in South Dakota as a foreign LLC anyway, paying South Dakota's registration fee and its recurring report on top of the home state's.

How South Dakota compares

By filing fee, South Dakota is number 40 of 51 jurisdictions, cheapest first. The filing fee is paid once; the recurring line is what separates states over time.

South Dakota

Filing fee: $150
Recurring: $55 a year
Five-year total: $425

North Dakota

Filing fee: $135
Recurring: $50 a year
Five-year total: $385

Minnesota

Filing fee: $155
Recurring: Free (Annual Renewal still required)
Five-year total: $155

Iowa

Filing fee: $50
Recurring: $30 every 2 years
Five-year total: $125

Nebraska

Filing fee: $100
Recurring: $25 every 2 years online ($30 on paper); the state does not publish the fee in one place
Five-year total: Depends on the company

Wyoming

Filing fee: $100
Recurring: $60 a year (minimum; $0.0002 per dollar of Wyoming assets when that is more)
Five-year total: $400

Montana

Filing fee: $35
Recurring: Free (Annual Report still required; fee waived for 2026 and 2027 reports filed by April 15; $35 after)
Five-year total: $35

South Dakota and its neighbors
State	Filing fee	Recurring	Five-year total
South Dakota	$150	$55 a year	$425
North Dakota	$135	$50 a year	$385
Minnesota	$155	Free (Annual Renewal still required)	$155
Iowa	$50	$30 every 2 years	$125
Nebraska	$100	$25 every 2 years online ($30 on paper); the state does not publish the fee in one place	Depends on the company
Wyoming	$100	$60 a year (minimum; $0.0002 per dollar of Wyoming assets when that is more)	$400
Montana	$35	Free (Annual Report still required; fee waived for 2026 and 2027 reports filed by April 15; $35 after)	$35

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 South Dakota costs only the state's own fee: $150. The state takes formations at sosenterprise.sd.gov. Through us, you pay our service fee plus the South Dakota filing & processing, for the name check, the Articles of Organization prepared and submitted, the approved documents emailed to you and South Dakota'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 South Dakota's own fee schedule, forms and statutes:

sdsos.gov (sdsos.gov/docs/business/llc-domestic-articlesoforganization.pdf)
sdsos.gov (sdsos.gov/general-information/filing-fees.aspx)
sdsos.gov (sdsos.gov/Business-Services/corporations/corporate-forms/limited-liability-compa...)
sdlegislature.gov (sdlegislature.gov/api/Statutes/59-11-25.html)
sosenterprise.sd.gov (South Dakota Secretary of State, Annual 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.

South Dakota LLC cost FAQ

How much does it cost to start an LLC in South Dakota?+

South Dakota charges $150. 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 South Dakota filing & processing are itemized on the checkout review screen before you pay.

Does South Dakota charge an annual fee for an LLC?+

Yes. South Dakota's recurring requirement: $55/year, due first day of anniversary month ($55 online, $70 by mail). That works out to $55 a year.

When is the South Dakota LLC annual report due?+

South Dakota keys the deadline to your own formation date: on the first day of the anniversary month, every year. In the state's words: First day of anniversary month ($55 online, $70 by mail).

What is the late penalty for a South Dakota LLC report?+

South Dakota adds $55 to a report filed after the due date once the state's grace period passes. After one missed report, South Dakota administratively dissolves the LLC, and the state's total to reinstate it at that point is $260.

Is there a franchise tax in South Dakota?+

No. South Dakota charges no franchise, privilege or LLC tax on top of its Annual 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 South Dakota?+

Nothing from the state: South Dakota charges no fee for naming a registered agent. Serving as your own agent is free if you have a street address in South Dakota 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 South Dakota address on the record and forwarding what arrives.

Can I file the South Dakota Articles of Organization myself?+

Yes. South Dakota accepts the Articles of Organization directly from business owners at sosenterprise.sd.gov, and you pay only the state's $150 fee. South Dakota's published processing time: Online filings are processed immediately. State expedite is optional: $50 expedite fee.

What does your service add to the state fee?+

Our service fee covers a name availability check, your Articles of Organization prepared and filed, the approved documents emailed to you, and South Dakota's deadlines in writing. The South Dakota 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 South Dakota before you rely on it.