2025 fees Arkansas Secretary of State Rank #27 of 51

LLC Costs in Arkansas (AR)

$320 all-in for your first year - $45 to file, $150 annual report, plus a registered agent. Arkansas is $63 (16%) cheaper than the national average for first-year LLC costs.

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Annual franchise tax report of $150 is due by May 1 each year. Despite the low filing fee, ongoing costs are moderate due to the annual franchise tax.

Updated 2025 · Source: Arkansas Secretary of State

Lower Articles filing fee

Lower Articles filing fee. $45 one-time SOS filing sits in the bottom third of Articles/formation fees nationwide. The $45 one-time Articles filing fee in Arkansas is the standout line item, putting the $320 first-year total at #27 of 51. Fees are those published by the Arkansas Secretary of State; registered agent is a $125/yr market-rate line, not a vendor quote.

According to the Arkansas Secretary of State fee schedule; registered agent normalized at $125/yr. See methodology. How we calculate →

$45
One-time filing fee
$150 /yr
Annual report
$320
First-year total
#27 of 51
Cost rank (1 = cheapest)

Published SOS fee schedule

Fee strip AR · Arkansas SOS FY 2026 · rank #27

Arkansas · FY 2026 · 3-5 business days · no pub

  • ONLINE Online filing
  • ONLINE www.sos.arkansas.gov
  • ONLINE 3-5 business days
  • ONLINE +$300 expedite
  • ONLINE near Connecticut
  • ONLINE 16% below avg

Stamps derive from this state's Secretary of State fee schedule (filing, report, publication, rank, nearest peer), not a recommendation of where to form. Read with small business tax planning → · All 51 SOS fee rows →

1. Arkansas$3202. Connecticut$3253. New Hampshire$3254. New Jersey$3255. Oregon$3256. Rhode Island$325
1. Arkansas$3202. Connecticut$3253. New Hampshire$3254. New Jersey$3255. Oregon$3256. Rhode Island$325
First-year SOS-fee total for Arkansas and nearest-cost peers. Source: each Secretary of State + 51-row aggregate.

Cost vs. speed: where Arkansas sits among all 51 filing offices

Arkansas delivers both: below-average cost and a 4-business-day turnaround faster than the national median. 2×2 strategic matrix plotting 30 entities by First-year cost ($) (X) and Processing time (business days) (Y), with a crosshair dividing the plot into four quadrants. Slow & expensiveCheap but slowFast but priceyFast & cheap $0$500$1,000$1,500 0d10d20d30d First-year cost ($) Processing time (business days) Cost vs. speed: where Arkansas sits among all 51 filing offices
Arkansas delivers both: below-average cost and a 4-business-day turnaround faster than the national median.
Arkansas delivers both: below-average cost and a 4-business-day turnaround faster than the national median. National median processing time: 6 business days; national average first-year cost: $383. Source: each state's Secretary of State published processing-time guidance + the 51-row SOS fee aggregate.

Complete cost breakdown for Arkansas

How your $320 first-year total breaks down Annual Franchise Tax Report (yr 1) is the largest piece - 47%
  • State filing fee $45
  • Annual Franchise Tax Report (yr 1) $150
  • Registered agent $125
Cost Item Amount
State Filing Fee $45
Annual Franchise Tax Report $150
Registered Agent $125/yr
Expedited Filing (optional) $300
Total, First Year $320

Ongoing tax burden after formation

Arkansas's effective property tax rate of 0.55% ranks among the lowest nationally (#12 of 51 lowest), a bigger long-run factor than the $320 formation cost above for any LLC that owns real estate.

Corporate income tax
5.3%
5.3% corporate tax rate, #19 of 51 lowest nationally
Effective property tax rate
0.55%
Of assessed property value, per year

Sources: Tax Foundation state corporate tax rates, Census ACS effective property tax rates.

Fee check: Verify current LLC fees with the Arkansas Secretary of State at https://www.sos.arkansas.gov. Not legal or tax advice.

Arkansas LLC Quick Facts

Filing Fee $45
Annual Report $150 /yr
Processing Time 3-5 business days
Expedited $300 → Same day
Online Filing Available
First-Year Total $320
File with Arkansas SOS

Similar Cost States

Ohio $224 Idaho $225 Iowa $235 South Carolina $235

Lower-cost alternatives

These states undercut AR's first-year SOS-fee total:

Vermont $285 Wyoming $285 North Dakota $310

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified. Report a data error on this page.

Sources used on this page
  • Arkansas Secretary of State - LLC filing fee, annual-report requirement, and processing time. www.sos.arkansas.gov
  • Federation of Tax Administrators - cross-check of state fee and tax figures. taxadmin.org
LLC fees and requirements sourced from the Arkansas Secretary of State. See our methodology for details.

Verify with the Arkansas Secretary of State →