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Written by: Carolyn Young
Carolyn Young is a business writer who focuses on entrepreneurial concepts and the business formation. She has over 25 years of experience in business roles, and has authored several entrepreneurship textbooks.
Edited by: David Lepeska
David has been writing and learning about business, finance and globalization for a quarter-century, starting with a small New York consulting firm in the 1990s.
Published on August 16, 2022
Updated on April 9, 2024
If you’re starting an LLC in Louisiana, the business entity formation process is one of the first and most important hurdles. This step can be terribly complex and time-consuming, which is why many entrepreneurs turn to professional formation services.
But which are the best LLC formation services in Louisiana? This article takes a closer look, stepping into an entrepreneur’s shoes, to help you choose the service that puts you on the road to success.
Here we summarize our top picks of business formation services in Louisiana.
Best Overall
Best Registered Agent Service
Best Turnaround Time
Best for Small Budget
Best for Legal Services
Best Support for Small Business Owners
ZenBusiness offers various plans for prospective business owners in Louisiana.
The Starter plan is $0 plus Louisiana filing fees, covering business name availability search and formation with full support.
The Pro plan, at $199 plus state fees, encompasses the Starter plan services, a Louisiana LLC operating agreement template, an EIN, annual compliance service, and rush filing.
Their Premium plan, at $349 plus Louisiana fees, provides all Pro services, a business document template library, domain name, website, and email.
ZenBusiness is our winner as the best overall LLC filing company in Louisiana due to its low-cost base service, including LLC filing and a 100% accuracy guarantee starting at $0 plus state fees.
In addition, ZenBusiness is a Public Benefit Corporation, meaning it’s a for-profit company with a community goal similar to a nonprofit.
In addition to LLC formation, they provide various add-on services, from registered agents to business tools, although these can raise costs. Historically, ZenBusiness has garnered positive feedback from its customers.
ZenBusiness offers valuable services for budding entrepreneurs. While registered agent services are an add-on, their excellent customer support, user-friendly site, and positive reviews make them a top choice.
Northwest’s plan, at $39 plus state fees, includes business formation in Louisiana, free registered agent services for a year, a business address, a Louisiana LLC operating agreement, and a few extras.
This plan is an excellent value since registered agent services and an operating agreement, which are very important, are included.
But if you do not choose the registered agent services, you’re still charged the full plan price.
Northwest Registered Agent, as the name implies, is best known for their registered agent services. As a registered agent, they offer more personalized customer support and fast correspondence notification.
We recommend Northwest Registered Agent because of their transparent pricing, outstanding customer service, and a commitment to maintaining your privacy. They pride themselves on personalizing their approach to meeting your registered agent needs, which are their specialty.
For Louisiana filing fees only, Swyft Filings’ Basic package includes verification of your company name, preparation of the articles of organization, and document filing with the Louisiana state. You’ll also get online access to your documents and lifetime customer support.
You can purchase the Standard package for $199 plus state fees. This includes all the services included in the Basic package, but with the addition of a Louisiana LLC custom operating agreement and a federal tax ID, or EIN. You will also get access to custom banking resolution services and custom organizational minutes, which is a form that helps you set up your very first meeting as an LLC.
Swyft Filings’ Premium package includes everything in the Standard Package with the advantage of expedited filing, as well as a business document library, compliance notifications, and a business domain name and website. You also get a digital LLC kit, which includes a digital company “seal”, a ledger for tracking transfers of ownership, and customized ownership certificates. The Premium package is available for purchase for $299 plus Louisiana filing fees.
Swyft Filings offers excellent customer support and has a good track record in customer reviews.
Swyft Filings offers fast processing but doesn’t include registered agent services in their packages, making additions somewhat costly. However, they provide good value overall and strong customer support.
The free Silver package includes the preparation and filing of the articles of organization, unlimited name searches, business tax consultation, business banking account offer, and lifetime compliance alerts, with free registered agent services for a year. Lifetime company alerts mean that Bizee will remind you of any reporting due dates based on your state’s requirements. You’ll also get access to a personalized online dashboard and unlimited phone and email support.
The Gold package includes all the services included in the Silver package, plus an operating agreement template, banking resolution, an EIN tax number, and the filing of IRS Form 2553, which allows LLCs to reap the tax benefits of an S Corporation. It costs $199.
The Platinum package, at $299, includes everything in the Gold package with the advantage of free expedited filing, as well as a domain name and business email. You’ll also receive access to business contract templates, which can be extremely helpful for new business owners. There are over 25 different contracts, all created and reviewed by attorneys.
Bizee provides substantial value, especially with their Silver package that costs only state fees and includes a year of registered agent service. For first-time entrepreneurs looking to save, Bizee stands out in the competition.
Rocket Lawyer does not have business formation service packages. Their fee for business formation is $99, or it’s free if you get a $39.99 membership. With a membership, you can also get discounted registered agent services for $111.99, rather than the normal price of $149.99.
If you opt for a membership, you’ll also have access to business document templates, including an operating agreement.
Rocket Lawyer simplifies business start-up, though it lacks some services offered by competitors. Their membership stands out, providing ongoing legal assistance and offering the best value.
MyCorporation’s Basic plan, at $99 plus state fees, includes business formation in Louisiana, a name availability search, and online document storage.
Their Standard plan, at $124 (plus state fees) annually, has the added benefit of annual report filing for your Louisiana LLC.
The Deluxe plan, at $224 (plus state fees) annually, includes the annual report filing plus registered agent services.
Finally, their Premium plan, at $324 (plus state fees) annually, includes a service called MaintainMyBiz.
Note that MyCorporation marks up your state fees to make an additional profit, which is highly unusual in the industry.
MyCorporation offers quite a few additional services for added fees. These include some services that other business formation services do not offer, such as unemployment insurance and tax withholding registration.
We put MyCorporation on the list because of the extensive list of services they offer, although we are not a fan of the marked-up state fees that are not disclosed. They have, however, been in business for a long time and have a good Trustpilot rating.
A business formation service handles the business formation process for you, making it nearly seamless while offering additional services that can make life easier for a new business owner. Whether you’re forming a limited liability company (LLC) or a corporation, a business formation service takes care of all the red tape, freeing you up to focus on growing your business.
With so many business formation services to choose from, it can be difficult to decide which is best for you. There are four essential elements that can help you make your decision.
Each service offers various products and services, and their plans are all designed differently. You may need some services but not others, so you need to choose the service that offers everything you need. For example, only some of the providers offer annual report filing.
If it’s important to you to get that task off your plate, you’ll want a service that offers that feature. Another feature you might need is a digital dashboard where you can always access your business formation documents.
You’ll want to choose a service that has everything you need to make starting and running your business as easy as possible.
Of course, you’ll want to get the best value for your money!
Compare the cost of each service for everything you need. The price can really add up when you start adding extras, so be careful not to go too far. You also want to get good value and great customer service, so if you’re considering the cheapest service, check the reviews to see how people felt about it.
Business formation turnaround times vary with each service, so if you’re in a hurry to get your business up and running, you’ll want to look for the quickest service. You don’t want your order to sit in an office for too long before your paperwork gets filed with the state. Some services differentiate themselves with fast turnaround times, so if they also offer good value, that might be your best choice.
One good way to learn about the quality of anything you’re buying is to listen to what people are saying about it. When we review services we look at Better Business Bureau and Trustpilot ratings and reviews. It’s wise to look at both positive and negative reviews to find out what people love about the service, and about issues customers have encountered.
Remember that fake reviews are common, so you’ll have to take some of the reviews with a grain of salt.
As an entrepreneurial advisory site, we take our responsibilities seriously. We understand that countless entrepreneurs, and potential entrepreneurs, rely on our judgments and insights, particularly when it comes to creating their business.
As a result, our writers do their utmost to gain a comprehensive understanding of the services offered and the actual customer experience. In nearly every case, we:
Thanks to this full immersion in the actual customer experience, our reviewers are able to provide the most complete and insightful analysis of various LLC formation services.
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