Kansas LLC at a glance
A Kansas LLC is quick to set up online and, since the current forms took effect in 2026, cheaper than many guides still say. The Secretary of State’s Articles of Organization form (Form DL, revised 27 February 2026) lists the fee as $85 online and $90 on paper.
| Item | Kansas rule |
|---|---|
| Formation document | Articles of Organization (Form DL) |
| State filing fee | $85 online, $90 on paper |
| Where to file | Kansas Secretary of State, online or by mail |
| Processing | Online filings are processed within minutes |
| Ongoing report | Business entity information report every two years, due 15 April |
| Report fee | $90 online, $110 on paper |
| Resident agent | Required, with a Kansas street address (no PO box) |
| Publication requirement | None listed for LLCs |
Older articles quote higher Kansas fees and describe an annual report. Both have changed, so rely on the current forms linked on this page. To see how Kansas compares with other states, use our LLC state fee comparison tool.
How to start an LLC in Kansas
You start an LLC in Kansas by filing Articles of Organization online for $85, which the Secretary of State processes within minutes. The register a business page links the online filing system and the paper forms. Here are the steps in order.
- Choose and check the name. Form DL says the name must include one of "L.L.C., L.C., LLC, LC, LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY, or LIMITED COMPANY", in English or in another language written in Roman characters. Search the Secretary of State’s business records first. Kansas also offers a 120-day name reservation (Form NR) if you are not ready to file.
- Appoint a resident agent. Kansas calls the registered agent a resident agent. It can be an individual, a business registered in Kansas, or the LLC itself, at a Kansas street address (details below). Our registered agent service can serve.
- File the Articles of Organization. File online and pay $85, or mail Form DL with $90 to the Secretary of State in Topeka. Online, the form says "Processing happens within minutes and your certified copy of the Articles of Organization can be printed." On paper, the certified copy is mailed to the sender. Our articles of organization guide explains the form in general terms.
- Sign an operating agreement. It is not filed with the Secretary of State, but it sets out ownership and management and banks usually ask for it.
- Get an EIN. The EIN is free from the IRS. With an SSN or ITIN you can apply online; without one you apply by fax, mail or phone, as the IRS EIN page explains. Our EIN application service handles the no-SSN route.
- Register for Kansas taxes you need. The Department of Revenue’s online business tax registration covers sales tax and withholding accounts.
- Note your reporting year. Formed in an even year, you report in each following even year; formed in an odd year, in each following odd year. Add 15 April of that year to our compliance deadline calendar.
Want our filing team to do it? We check the name, prepare and submit the Articles, and keep the certified copy in your portal. The package also includes a resident agent, a US address with mail forwarding and your EIN letter.
Kansas LLC cost
The Kansas LLC cost in state fees is $85 to form online and $90 every two years for the information report, which averages $45 a year. These are the current official fees from the Secretary of State’s forms.
| Fee | Online | Paper |
|---|---|---|
| Articles of Organization (Form DL) | $85 | $90 |
| Business entity information report (every two years) | $90 | $110 |
| Change of resident agent (Form ROA) | $30 | $35 |
| Certificate of Cancellation (Form KC) | $30 | $35 |
| Certificate of Reinstatement (Form RL) | Not listed | $35 plus an $85 penalty plus each missing report |
Worked example: an LLC formed online in October 2026 pays $85 now. Because 2026 is an even year, its first information report is due by 15 April 2028, at $90 online. So the state fees over the first three and a half years are $85 + $90 = $175, with the next report due in 2030. Form DL says checks and credit or debit cards are accepted. Add a commercial resident agent or filing help if you use them.
Kansas LLC registration: what goes on record
Kansas LLC registration creates a public business entity record with the Secretary of State, searchable online. The Articles show the LLC’s name, its resident agent and registered office, and the other details Form DL asks for. After formation, you change these details through the Secretary of State’s change a business page: a Certificate of Amendment for most changes and Form ROA for a new resident agent. The LLC must be in good standing to amend.
Kansas LLC annual report (now the biennial information report)
Kansas LLCs no longer file an annual report. They file a business entity information report every two years, due by 15 April, for $90 online or $110 on paper. The Secretary of State’s information reports page says: "Information reports are filed biennially. Businesses forming in even years file reports in each succeeding even year. Businesses forming in odd years file reports in each succeeding odd year."
- Legal basis: K.S.A. 17-76,139 requires the biennial report and says it "shall be filed not later than April 15."
- Fee: $90 online or $110 on paper, according to the LLC information report form (Form ILC).
- Late: the Secretary of State gives a three-month delinquency period after 15 April in which the report can still be filed.
- Forfeiture: once that period passes, the LLC forfeits and cannot file other documents until it files the past-due reports and is reinstated.
- Reinstatement: the Certificate of Reinstatement (Form RL) lists a $35 fee, an $85 penalty for businesses that forfeited for not filing a report, and $110 for each missing report. The reinstatement page says missing reports are limited to the last 10 years (5 reporting years).
A two-year cycle is easy to forget. A missed report can cost $35 + $85 + $110 = $230 to fix on paper, against $90 to file on time online. Our LLC annual report filing service also covers biennial reports like this one.
Kansas registered agent (resident agent)
Every Kansas LLC must name a resident agent and a registered office in Kansas. Form DL says the resident agent "must be either an individual, a business registered in Kansas, or the business itself who will receive any legal documents (i.e. subpoenas, court orders, summons, etc.) for the business."
The registered office must be "an address in Kansas where the resident agent may be regularly present", with the building number, street, city, state and zip code, and it "can't be a PO box." Changing the agent costs $30 online or $35 on paper with Form ROA. If you do not have a Kansas address you can use every business day, appoint a commercial agent such as our registered agent service, which also keeps your home address off the public record.
State taxes that affect a Kansas LLC
Kansas charges no yearly state fee on an LLC beyond the biennial report. The taxes to watch depend on activity, mainly sales tax and payroll.
- Sales tax: the Department of Revenue’s sales tax page says Kansas imposes a 6.5% state retailers’ sales tax, plus applicable local taxes.
- Remote sellers: under K.S.A. 79-3702, a retailer without a Kansas presence must collect once it has more than $100,000 of cumulative gross receipts from sales to Kansas customers in the current or immediately preceding calendar year. The Department’s marketplace and remote seller page has the notices.
- Income tax: with the default federal treatment, an LLC’s profit is reported by its owners. An election to be taxed as a corporation changes the federal and Kansas filings, so take advice from a licensed tax professional first.
Our sales tax registration service can file a Kansas sales tax application when you need one.
Forming a Kansas LLC as a non-resident
You do not need to live in Kansas or the US to form a Kansas LLC. The in-state requirement is the resident agent and registered office, not the owners. A founder abroad follows the same steps with a few additions.
- Resident agent: a commercial agent, since you have no Kansas address.
- EIN: requested by fax, mail or phone without an SSN or ITIN.
- Form 5472: a single-member LLC wholly owned by a foreign person files Form 5472 with a pro forma Form 1120 every year, even with no income. The penalty for not filing is $25,000, and it cannot be e-filed. Our Form 5472 guide has the details.
- BOI: US-formed LLCs no longer file beneficial ownership reports with FinCEN since the final rule published 14 August 2026.
Kansas’s low fees and two-year cycle make it cheap to run, but founders with no Kansas customers, staff or premises usually compare Wyoming and New Mexico first. See our Wyoming vs Delaware vs New Mexico LLC comparison and best state for an LLC. If you do business in Kansas, forming here avoids registering an out-of-state LLC as well. Whether you owe US income tax depends on whether you have US trade or business income, which a licensed tax professional should review.
How to dissolve a Kansas LLC
You close a Kansas LLC by filing a Certificate of Cancellation (Form KC), which costs $30 online or $35 on paper. The form says the LLC’s status "must be either in good standing or showing as registered", and that a forfeited LLC must first reinstate. So if an information report is overdue, file it before cancelling.
The Secretary of State’s close a business page notes that other state or federal agencies may need documents too. Close sales tax and withholding accounts with the Department of Revenue, file final returns, and settle debts first. A foreign-owned single-member LLC also files a final Form 5472. Our LLC dissolution service can prepare the cancellation.
Doing it yourself vs using Borderless Filings
Filing a Kansas LLC yourself is quick: $85 online and a certified copy within minutes. If you live in Kansas and can act as your own resident agent, that may be all you need.
Our service adds a name and agent check before filing, submission by our filing team, a resident agent and US address, the EIN without an SSN, secure document storage, and reminders for the biennial report that is easy to lose track of. Prices are on our pricing page, with the state fee at cost, and you can start your order online. For nearby states see our Missouri LLC, Colorado LLC, Nebraska LLC and Oklahoma LLC pages, or all US LLC states.
Sources
- Kansas Secretary of State: Form DL, Articles of Organization (rev. 2/27/26)
- Kansas Secretary of State: Form ILC, Information Report, Limited Liability Company (rev. 1/23/26)
- Kansas Secretary of State: Form RL, Certificate of Reinstatement (rev. 6/12/26)
- Kansas Secretary of State: Form KC, Certificate of Cancellation (rev. 1/23/26)
- Kansas Secretary of State: Form ROA, Certificate of Amendment to the Resident Agent (rev. 1/23/26)
- Kansas Secretary of State: File Information Report
- Kansas Secretary of State: Register a Business
- Kansas Secretary of State: Change or Amend a Business
- Kansas Secretary of State: Reinstate a Business
- Kansas Secretary of State: Close a Business
- Kansas Statutes 17-76,139: Business entity information report
- Kansas Statutes 79-3702: Retailers’ sales tax definitions
- Kansas Department of Revenue: Sales Tax
- Kansas Department of Revenue: Marketplace Facilitators and Remote Sellers
- IRS: Get an employer identification number
- IRS: Instructions for Form 5472
- FinCEN: Beneficial Ownership Information Reporting
Fees, deadlines and rules on this page were last checked on 27 September 2026.