To start a business in Louisiana, file your formation documents with the Secretary of State through the GeauxBiz portal, get a federal Employer Identification Number from the IRS, register for state taxes with the Department of Revenue, and pick up whatever occupational license your parish requires. Filing fees run $100 for an LLC or $75 for a corporation, and most owners can be legally operating within a couple of weeks if they have their information ready before they start.1Louisiana Secretary of State. Get Forms and Fee Schedule
Pick the Right Entity Type
The structure you choose decides how much personal liability you carry, how the IRS taxes your income, and how much paperwork lands on your desk each year. Most new Louisiana businesses pick between an LLC and a corporation.
An LLC is the common choice for small businesses. It shields personal assets from business debts and keeps management flexible. By default, a single-member LLC is taxed like a sole proprietorship and a multi-member LLC is taxed like a partnership, so profits pass through to your personal return. You can also elect corporate tax treatment later if the math works out.
A corporation fits better if you plan to raise outside investment or eventually go public. A C-corporation files its own return and pays corporate income tax on profits; shareholders then pay tax again on any dividends. An S-corporation election avoids that second layer by passing income through, but it limits who and how many can own shares.
A sole proprietorship is the simplest route. You register a trade name and start operating. The trade-off is zero liability protection, so your personal bank account, car, and home are all exposed if the business is sued or can’t pay its debts. If liability protection matters at all, the LLC or corporation filing fee is worth paying.
Choose and Clear Your Business Name
Your proposed name must be distinguishable from every existing corporation, LLC, and trade name on file with the Secretary of State.2Louisiana Secretary of State. Corporation and Limited Liability Company Name Reservation Instructions Search the Secretary of State’s Commercial Database before you commit. Check both exact spelling and phonetic variations, because something like “Bayou Builds” and “Bayou Bldz” can be treated as deceptively similar. If a previously registered entity was revoked, that name stays off-limits for three years after the revocation date.3Louisiana Secretary of State. Frequently Asked Questions
You can reserve a name through the Secretary of State’s office if you’re not ready to file formation documents yet. One boundary worth knowing: registering a business name in Louisiana only protects it within the state’s filing system. It doesn’t give you trademark rights. If you plan to operate across state lines or sell nationally, a federal trademark registration through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office creates rights throughout the country; a state registration protects you only in that state.4United States Patent and Trademark Office. Why Register Your Trademark
Appoint a Registered Agent
Every LLC and corporation in Louisiana must keep a registered agent with a physical street address in the state.3Louisiana Secretary of State. Frequently Asked Questions The agent is the person or company authorized to accept lawsuits, tax notices, and other legal documents on your behalf. A P.O. box alone won’t satisfy the rule. The state needs a location where someone can physically hand over documents during normal business hours.
The agent can be an individual who lives in Louisiana or an eligible business entity that keeps an office here. Plenty of owners name themselves to save on costs, which works fine if you have a Louisiana address and are reliably available. If you travel often or want your home address off public records, professional registered agent services typically run $100 to $300 per year.
File Through the GeauxBiz Portal
GeauxBiz is Louisiana’s one-stop system for filing formation documents, and it also helps identify which federal, state, and local licenses your business may need.5Louisiana Secretary of State. Start a Business Create a user account, choose to start a new business, and work through the forms. You’ll need your registered agent’s information, the names and addresses of all founders or officers, and an electronic signature from the authorized filer.
What You File
For an LLC, you file Articles of Organization along with a mandatory Initial Report (Form 973) that includes an affidavit from your registered agent. The two documents go in together as a single package.6Louisiana Secretary of State. Articles of Organization – Louisiana Limited Liability Company You’ll specify whether the LLC is member-managed or manager-managed and whether it exists perpetually or for a set term.
For a corporation, you file Articles of Incorporation. These have to include the total number of authorized shares and the names, addresses, and terms of office for your initial directors.7Justia. Louisiana Revised Statutes 12:203 – Articles of Incorporation
Fees and Timing
The filing fee for a domestic LLC is $100, which covers both the Articles of Organization and the required Initial Report. A domestic corporation pays $75 for its Articles of Incorporation.1Louisiana Secretary of State. Get Forms and Fee Schedule Credit card payments add a $5 statutory convenience fee. If you want faster turnaround, the Secretary of State offers 24-hour expedited processing for $30 or same-day priority expedite for $50.8Louisiana Secretary of State. File Business Documents
Standard processing time isn’t published on the Secretary of State’s website, so plan for some wait if you skip the expedite fee. Once approved, your digital Certificate of Existence or approved Articles will appear in your GeauxBiz dashboard. Download and save them right away. You’ll need them to open a bank account and apply for licenses.
Get Your Federal EIN
An Employer Identification Number is the nine-digit number the IRS assigns to your business. You need it to open a commercial bank account, hire employees, and file federal tax returns. The IRS issues EINs online for free, and the number is usually assigned immediately, so there’s no reason to pay a third-party service.9Internal Revenue Service. Get an Employer Identification Number Apply after your state formation is approved and before you start operating.
Register for Louisiana State Taxes
Once you have your EIN, create an account on the Louisiana Taxpayer Access Point (LaTAP) through the Department of Revenue.10Louisiana Department of Revenue. File and Pay Online This is where all state tax reporting goes.
If you sell tangible goods or certain services, you’ll collect sales tax. Louisiana’s state rate is 4.45%, and parishes and municipalities add their own local taxes on top, so the total rate your customers pay varies by location.11Louisiana Department of Revenue. What Is the Current Louisiana State Sales Tax Rate You’ll also register for withholding tax if you have employees, and for corporate income or franchise tax if your entity requires it. LaTAP walks you through which accounts to set up based on your business activity.
Decide on Federal Tax Classification
How the IRS classifies your business is a separate decision from how Louisiana does. A single-member LLC is taxed as a sole proprietorship by default; a multi-member LLC is taxed as a partnership. Either can elect to be taxed as a C-corporation by filing Form 8832, or as an S-corporation by filing Form 2553.12Internal Revenue Service. LLC Filing as a Corporation or Partnership
The S-corporation election is where many owners find real tax savings. Under default LLC treatment, you pay self-employment tax at 15.3% on your entire share of business profits. With an S-corp election, you pay yourself a reasonable salary that gets hit with payroll taxes, and the rest of the profits pass through as distributions without the self-employment tax. The catch: it only pays off when profits are high enough that the payroll tax savings beat the cost of running payroll and filing a corporate return.
New entities that want S-corp treatment from day one must file Form 2553 within 75 days of formation. Existing businesses that wanted the election for 2026 generally needed to file by March 15, 2026. The IRS offers late-election relief if you can show reasonable cause.
Draft an Operating Agreement or Bylaws
Most new owners skip this step, and it causes more problems later than any other oversight. An operating agreement (for LLCs) or bylaws (for corporations) is the internal rulebook for how decisions are made, how profits get split, and what happens if an owner wants out. These documents aren’t filed with the state, but they’re critical to keeping your limited liability protection intact. Without one, an LLC can start to look like an informal partnership to a court, which puts your personal assets at risk.13U.S. Small Business Administration. Basic Information About Operating Agreements
At minimum, cover ownership percentages and capital contributions, how profits and losses are allocated, who has authority to sign contracts and make financial decisions, the process for admitting new members or transferring ownership, and what triggers dissolution. Keep a signed copy at your principal place of business alongside your formation documents and tax returns. Corporations should also keep minutes of shareholder and director meetings, because courts routinely look for these records when deciding whether to hold owners personally liable.
Get Local Licenses and Industry Permits
Louisiana parishes and municipalities require an occupational license for businesses operating in their jurisdiction. Contact your local parish sheriff’s office or city tax collector to find out what applies in your area. The license fee is typically based on gross receipts and renews annually. Operating without one can bring daily fines or a cease-and-desist order.
Beyond the general occupational license, your industry may trigger more. Food service businesses need health department permits. Retail locations and offices need zoning clearance confirming the property is approved for commercial use. Construction, childcare, professional services, and many other fields answer to their own state-level licensing boards. GeauxBiz can generate a preliminary list of permits that may apply to your business type, which is a good starting point. Always confirm directly with your local government office.
Line Up Insurance
Louisiana requires employers to carry workers’ compensation insurance once they have one or more employees and an annual payroll of at least $3,000. Beyond that legal minimum, most businesses need a commercial general liability policy covering claims from customers or third parties who are injured on your premises or by your products. If you use vehicles for business, a commercial auto policy is separate from your personal coverage.
Professional service providers such as accountants, consultants, and engineers should also look into professional liability insurance, which covers claims of negligence or errors in the services provided. A single slip-and-fall lawsuit can exceed what many small businesses earn in a year, and your LLC or corporate structure only protects personal assets if you’ve actually maintained the entity properly.
Stay Compliant After You’re Open
Louisiana requires every LLC and corporation to file an annual report with the Secretary of State. The fee is $25, and for corporations the report is due on the anniversary of the incorporation date each year.14Justia. Louisiana Revised Statutes 12:1-1621 – Annual Report for Secretary of State The report confirms your registered agent, principal office address, and current officers or directors. Missing it won’t immediately dissolve your entity, but repeated failures can lead to administrative revocation, meaning you lose legal standing and have to go through a reinstatement process to get it back.
Keep your registered agent and office address current. If your agent changes or the business moves, file an amendment. Letting this information go stale means you might not receive lawsuits or tax notices, which creates problems far more expensive than the cost of an update.
One federal requirement has shifted significantly. As of March 2025, domestic companies formed in the United States are exempt from Beneficial Ownership Information reporting to FinCEN under the Corporate Transparency Act. The filing requirement now applies only to foreign entities registered to do business in a U.S. state.15FinCEN. Beneficial Ownership Information Reporting This area of law has been in flux, so check FinCEN’s website periodically in case the rules change again.