Minnesota LLC Cost: $155 to File Articles Online (2026)

Make your Minnesota business official. Have your LLC paperwork prepared and filed so you can focus on getting your business off the ground.

• Your business name checked before filing.
• Your formation paperwork prepared and submitted.
• Your formation documents together in an online account.

$0 service fee + $155 online state filing fee

Start my Minnesota LLC

Filing service by ZenBusiness. Choose Starter for the $0 service fee. State follow-up charges and optional services and renewals are separate.

We may earn a commission if you buy through our links, at no additional cost to you.

Get the paperwork handled and your company underway

With ZenBusiness, you provide the details and its team handles the Minnesota formation filing. You get electronic documents and customer support by phone, chat and email.

Use your approved LLC records to open a company bank account, organize your ownership agreement and do business under the company name. The state-specific costs and next steps below help you plan what comes after approval.

What it costs to start a Minnesota LLC

A Minnesota LLC costs $155 to file Articles of Organization online (or $135 by mail) with the Minnesota Secretary of State. The mandatory annual renewal is $0, due by December 31 starting the calendar year after formation—miss it and the LLC can be administratively terminated.

Use the Minnesota SOS fee schedule. Online/in-person is the $155 expedited channel; mail is $135.

Budget example: $155 online Articles plus a free first annual renewal the following December is inexpensive—if you actually file the free renewal. Set a December reminder the day you form. The $20 gap between mail ($135) and online ($155) buys the expedited online/in-person channel. Most filers choose $155 for speed; mail remains available if you are not time-sensitive.

Minnesota has no SOS franchise tax for LLCs. Department of Revenue obligations are separate. Minnesota’s free annual renewal is a genuine cost advantage—but free does not mean optional. Administrative termination after a missed renewal can interrupt banking, contracts, and good-standing certificates. Name reservations and certificates of good standing are optional SOS products with their own fees on the schedule. Buy them only when a bank, landlord, or counterparty actually requests them.

Choose the services you want with your filing

Starter’s base formation service does not renew. Registered-agent service, an EIN service, an operating agreement and faster preparation are optional purchases.

The preselected website-builder trial renews at $15/month after 30 days; you can remove it at checkout. Optional Worry-Free Compliance is free for the first year and renews at $199/year. Registered-agent service is listed separately at $199/year; first-year promotions may differ.

Review the services and renewal terms in your order. Provider details checked October 14, 2026 against ZenBusiness’s formation plans.

How to start your Minnesota LLC

Use your company details to get the formation paperwork prepared and submitted. Here is how the filing service works:

1. Enter your business details. Choose Minnesota, your company name and the information requested for the filing.
2. Review your services and order. Select Starter for the $0 base service fee. ZenBusiness prepares and submits the formation document from your answers.
3. Save your approved company records. Once the filing office accepts the paperwork, use the documents to finish your banking and business setup.

Your Minnesota filing checklist and required next steps

1. Check the name on the Minnesota business search and include an LLC designator.
2. Provide a Minnesota registered office. A physical street address is required. Naming a registered agent is optional; if you name one, provide the agent information required by the Articles.
3. Complete Articles of Organization under Chapter 322C (add professional-firm attachments if applicable).
4. File online via MBLS for $155 (or mail for $135).
5. Confirm acceptance and calendar the first free annual renewal for December 31 of the following year.

Check your proposed name in the Minnesota business search.

How long does approval take?

Online filings are typically faster than mail, but approval still depends on SOS review. ZenBusiness preparation (often 7–10 business days) is not Minnesota’s approval clock. Leave buffer for name issues. After acceptance, download or save the filed Articles from MBLS. Banks often ask for evidence of filing and a current renewal status printout even though the renewal fee is $0.

Can I file directly with Minnesota?

Yes. You can prepare and submit the filing yourself through the Minnesota official LLC filing service. A formation service handles preparation and submission from the information you provide. The government charges and required follow-up steps above still apply.

Choose your Minnesota registered office and optional agent

Minnesota requires a registered office with a physical Minnesota street address, but appointing a registered agent is optional. If you appoint an agent, follow the eligibility and address instructions in the official Articles of Organization form.

If you need help receiving legal documents, a commercial registered-agent service is an option. Compare its services and renewal terms; buying agent service is not a Minnesota formation requirement.

Plan addresses before filing. SOS records are public—enter accurate registered-office and agent information.

Professional firms under Chapter 319B need additional attachments with the Articles. If you provide licensed professional services, confirm whether 319B applies before filing a plain LLC.

Minnesota LLC annual renewal: $0 by December 31

Minnesota’s annual renewal fee is $0 but still mandatory. Renewals begin in the calendar year after you filed Articles, due by December 31.

Missing it can cause administrative termination. Reinstatement is $25 by mail or $45 online. A free filing is easy to forget—set reminders anyway.

Example: Articles filed in 2026 → first renewal due by December 31, 2027, then every December 31 thereafter.

Treat December as a compliance month even though no money is due. A calendar reminder on December 1 is enough for many owners; do not wait until December 30 if the portal is busy.

If the LLC is administratively terminated, reinstate with a current renewal plus the reinstatement fee before you rely on the entity for contracts or banking.

Get your Minnesota LLC filing underway

Put the formation paperwork in ZenBusiness’s hands. Starter has a $0 service fee plus the applicable Minnesota charges detailed above.

Start my Minnesota LLC

Continue to ZenBusiness to enter your details and review your order. Optional services and renewal details.

We may earn a commission if you buy through our links, at no additional cost to you.

Put your approved LLC to work

• Document how the LLC works. An operating agreement can set ownership, contributions, decision-making, distributions, and exit arrangements. Minnesota’s filing office generally does not require you to file the agreement with the formation paperwork—keep it with your company records. For multiple owners, resolve disagreements before money or contracts are committed.Use the basic LLC operating agreement tool as a starting point.
• Get an EIN when needed. Form the entity first, then use the free IRS application if eligible. A paid EIN service handles the application for you. Save the confirmation for banking and tax records.
• Open your business bank account. Ask the bank for its document checklist and establish a bookkeeping process. Use the correct legal business name on applications and contracts; keep any trade-name registrations consistent.
• Complete taxes and operating approvals. LLC formation does not itself select S-corporation taxation or issue a professional license. The IRS explains LLC tax classifications. Identify the state and local requirements for your actual work before opening.
• Check the current BOI rule. As of this review, FinCEN exempts entities created in the United States from beneficial-ownership reporting. A newly created domestic LLC generally falls within that exemption. Consult FinCEN directly for the current rule.

After filing, review Minnesota Department of Revenue registration for sales tax or employer accounts if your operations require them.

Insurance guidance for your Minnesota business

Match coverage to your services, employees, equipment and client contracts. Start with the relevant guide:

• Minnesota cleaning business insurance
• Minnesota food truck insurance
• Minnesota HVAC insurance
• Minnesota landscaping insurance
• Minnesota daycare insurance

Continue with the Minnesota business guide for the broader startup process.

Minnesota minimum fee for some partnership-taxed LLCs

The Secretary of State annual renewal is free, but that does not rule out a Department of Revenue charge. An LLC taxed as a partnership is subject to Minnesota’s minimum fee when the total of its Minnesota-source property, payroll, and sales or receipts reaches the current $1.25 million threshold. The fee follows a bracketed schedule and is due with Form M3 on the corresponding federal-return due date.

Farming and other exceptions apply, and a single-member LLC reporting only on Form M1 is not subject to this minimum fee. Check the current Minnesota Department of Revenue minimum-fee guidance for the applicable bracket and inflation-adjusted amounts.

Minnesota LLC questions before you start

This guide is for creating a new Minnesota LLC. If you already have an LLC formed in another state, check Minnesota’s foreign-entity registration requirements before creating a second company.

Page updated October 14, 2026. State-source review: September 14, 2026. ZenBusiness package terms checked October 14, 2026.