5 Best LLC Formation Services in Louisiana

If you’re planning to starting an LLC in Louisiana, you should seriously consider the many benefits of organizing as a limited liability company. If you’re not certain about the requirements for establishing and registering an LLC, an LLC formation service can be of tremendous help.

Disclaimer: the rates and offerings below are subjected to changes made by the service providers.

Basics of an LLC

You can organize your business as a sole proprietorship, a partnership, a corporation, or an LLC. There are a number of reasons why so many new Louisiana business owners today are choosing the LLC option. It offers a lot of the advantages of the other types of business structure and avoids some of the disadvantages. Here’s what an LLC gives you:

Here are five best LLC services that can help you through the steps in Louisiana.

Tailor Brands

Tailor Brands offers a one-stop online platform that simplifies the steps in starting, managing, and growing a business. An LLC formation service is only one of our options.

Services and offerings

Tailor Brands can establish your LLC and also provides complementary services such as crafting an operating agreement, acting as a registered agent, obtaining business licenses and permits, and tax and insurance consultancy. 

We also offer branding services, including logo creation, website design, and other design and marketing options.

Pricing

There is a free LLC option (the “Lite” plan) that allows you to initiate the process in a few minutes, while only paying the state filling fees ($105). 

There is also a $199 plan (“Essential” plan) that provides the operating agreement, annual compliance service, expedited processing, as well as a $249 plan (“Elite” plan) which adds marketing and branding services such as domain registration, a DIY website builder, a social, business card tools, free logo creation and more.

Overall

Tailor Brands is a business builder platform for all small business needs. The upper-level Elite plan is especially valuable for small businesses that are only getting started. When it comes to LLC formation and everything that comes with it, we help our clients navigate the system quickly and effectively.

ZenBusiness

ZenBusiness offers business launch services for S-Corporations and C-Corporations as well as for LLCs.

Services and offerings

ZenBusiness provides a menu-driven service by which you can select what you want. In addition to filing your registration, they can create an operating agreement, obtain your EIN, and provide a website builder and a business email address. They offer compliance and registered agency as annual fee services.

Pricing

There is a free version as well as a Pro version at $199/year and Premium at $349/year. You can add individual services to the lower-cost versions. There is a 60-day money-back guarantee.

Overall

ZenBusiness offers an ongoing business partnership to their clients. In addition to navigation of startup, they provide annual fee services such as LLC compliance. They would be an appropriate choice for businesses that want continuing support.

LegalZoom

LegalZoom bills themselves as a one-stop shop for entrepreneurs. They employ lawyers and tax professionals and are strongly oriented toward legal services.

Services and offerings

The vendor provides a suite of services around LLC formation including operating agreements, registered agency, business licenses, annual reports, and consultation with attorneys regarding legal issues. They also offer related business services such as business banking, insurance, websites, payment systems, and estate planning. Another LegalZoom option is LZ Books, a suite of bookkeeping and tax products.

Pricing

There is a free service, a Pro service at $249, and a Premium service at $299. There are ongoing fees for registered agent service and standard reports.

Overall

The LegalZoom services are targeted toward business owners who require legal guidance throughout the formation and start-up process. It will also appeal to those who want a comprehensive lineup of legal services.

Bizee

Bizee, formerly known as Incfile, offers formation services for S-Corporations, C-Corporations and nonprofits as well as for LLCs.

Services and offerings

Bizee offers a wide range of new business products backed by customer phone support. In addition to formation services such as filing the registration and acting as a registered agent, they also provide a business bank account, a domain name, and a business email address. They maintain a resource center with articles, guides, tips, a blog, and business and tax information specific to Louisiana.

Pricing

The Silver Package is $0, the Gold Package is $199, and the Platinum Package in $299. Registered agent service is free for one year and $119/year thereafter.

Overall

Bizee can be a good choice for anyone who wants a broad suite of services with phone support. The initial cost of registered agency service is attractive.

Northwest Registered Agent

Northwest Registered Agent started business as a registered agency service and expanded into LLC formation. They have opened offices in every state and have grown into a national service.

Services and offerings

In addition to their specialty of registered agent services, Northwest will register your LLC, obtain an EIN, and create a customized operating agreement. They also offer ongoing support such as compliance reporting. They are particularly proud of operating branches in all states and providing guides who are familiar with rules and procedures in Louisiana and elsewhere.

Pricing

There is a free option where you sign up for an account and follow a step-by-step guide for downloading the forms and filing them yourself. A $100 product will perform the startup services, including an operating agreement. Registered agency service and compliance reporting are $125 and $100 annually, respectively. There is a 90-day refund policy.

Overall

For small business owners that have questions involving the intricacies of regulations in Louisiana, the local support service is a valuable plus. The free guide is good if you can devote the time to doing the process yourself.

Can you form your LLC in Louisiana by yourself?

Yes, you can. The online formation services generally list all the steps, and you can find online guides with more details about how to accomplish each one of them. The Louisiana Secretary of State website provides resources to assist you in getting your business off the ground.

However, the work isn’t a slam dunk. It’s going to take some time and some study to figure out exactly how, for example, to create Articles of Organization or write an operating agreement.

Most people who are starting a business have enough to do without developing the expertise needed to do the entire LLC formation process. They want to spend their time refining their offerings, marketing what they have, and developing and executing their business plan.

There’s also the confidence factor. When you turn the job over to an LLC formation professional, you won’t lose any sleep wondering whether you’ve forgotten something or concerned that you haven’t done every step correctly.

Conclusion

The idea of forming a legal entity may sound intimidating, but it doesn’t need to be. There are many online LLC formation services that will do the work for you at a cost that is well worth it in terms of the hours you will save and uncertainty you will avoid.