How to Start an LLC in Arkansas

Arkansas keeps LLC formation cheap and simple. You file one document, a Certificate of Organization, with the Arkansas Secretary of State's Business and Commercial Services Division, and the state fee is $45 online or $50 on paper. Note the document name: since Arkansas adopted the Uniform Limited Liability Company Act (Act 1041 of 2021, codified at Ark. Code Ann. § 4-38-201), the formation document is a Certificate of Organization, not "Articles of Organization" as many older guides still say.

The Form and the Law Behind It

Section 4-38-201 puts it plainly: one or more persons may act as organizers to form a limited liability company by delivering a certificate of organization to the Secretary of State for filing. The paper version is Form LL-01 (official PDF), and the same filing can be made through the state's online system for $5 less. The Secretary of State's LLC forms and fees page lists both prices.

Seven Steps to Your Arkansas LLC

1. Check your name. It needs an LLC designator ("LLC," "L.L.C.," or "Limited Liability Company") and must be distinguishable from the names already registered with the Secretary of State. Search the state's records before you print anything.
2. Choose a registered agent. Arkansas follows the Model Registered Agents Act (Ark. Code Ann. §§ 4-20-104 and 4-20-105). Your agent can be a commercial registered agent, a noncommercial agent (an individual or an entity serving in Arkansas), or the holder of a designated office or position within your company. The one thing the LLC cannot do is name itself. The agent needs an Arkansas street address or rural route box number; a PO box alone will not do. More on our registered agent page.
3. File the Certificate of Organization, Form LL-01. Submit online for $45 or mail the paper form with $50 to the Business and Commercial Services Division. The certificate states your company name, registered agent, and organizer details.
4. Put an operating agreement in writing. Arkansas will not ask for it, but your bank will, and if members ever disagree, the agreement decides instead of the default statute.
5. Get your EIN. The IRS issues it free at IRS.gov in minutes. Anyone charging for this is selling you a form you could file yourself over coffee.
6. Know your franchise tax schedule. Every Arkansas LLC owes a flat $150 annual franchise tax, due May 1 each year. Your brand-new LLC is exempt until the calendar year after formation, so a 2026 formation first pays in 2027. Details on our annual requirements page.
7. Open the business bank account and keep it separate. The liability shield only holds if company money and personal money never mix.

Why an LLC in the First Place

The LLC wraps your business in a legal entity of its own, so business debts and lawsuits stop at the company line instead of reaching your home and savings. Federal taxes flow through to the members by default, with no separate corporate return unless you elect one.

Filing on Your Own or Through Us

Everything above can be done directly with the Secretary of State. If you want it handled, we prepare and file the Certificate of Organization for $199 plus the state fee, and that price carries your first year of registered agent service with it; the agent service then renews at $99 a year.

Form Your Arkansas LLC