Form an LLC in South Dakota: Fees & Filing Steps
A clean South Dakota registered agent setup for $99 per year. You get the office address on file, scanned legal mail, and compliance reminders ahead of state deadlines.
A South Dakota LLC takes one filing to exist and modest attention to keep. The state's cut is $150 if you file electronically, and after approval the calendar holds exactly one recurring state filing a year. Here is the whole sequence, with the real numbers.
Have Us File It: $199
We prepare the Articles of Organization, lodge them with the South Dakota Secretary of State, and watch the filing until it clears. Flat $199.
What an LLC Does for You in South Dakota
LLCs are the workhorse small-business entity — they shield the owner's personal-side assets and pass income straight to the owner's tax return. Across South Dakota, the LLC is popular with consultants, e-commerce operators, real estate investors, and independent contractors thanks to its low formality and clear liability shield.
The $150 South Dakota LLC Filing Fee
Electronically filed Articles of Organization: $150. Mailed paper: $165, once the state's $15 paper charge lands on top. Authorize series in the articles and the filing runs $200. The authority is SDCL 47-34A-212; the current numbers sit on the Secretary of State's filing fee schedule.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Our LLC formation service | $199 one-time |
| State filing fee (South Dakota Secretary of State) | $150 online / $165 paper |
| Registered agent (required for every South Dakota LLC) | $99/year |
| State annual report | $55/year online / $70 mail |
Filing service: $199 to us. State fee: paid directly to South Dakota Secretary of State. Statutory agent: $99/year, separate billing.
The Formation Document: Articles of Organization
Official name: Articles of Organization (Domestic Limited Liability Company). Form number: none. South Dakota skips form numbers entirely, so the name is the identifier. Statutory basis: SDCL 47-34A-203. Two ways in: e-file through the state's SOS Enterprise system at sosenterprise.sd.gov for $150, or print the state's PDF and mail it for $165. Online filings clear intake sooner; beyond that, timing follows the Secretary of State's workload.
Forming a South Dakota LLC, Step by Step
- Clear the name. LLC suffix on the end, distinguishable from everything already in state records. The free entity search answers availability fast. Bank, insurance, trust, and government words stay off the table without separate authorization.
- Set the registered agent. Required from day one under SDCL Ch. 59-11: an agent at an actual South Dakota street address, listed publicly. Our $99/year plan takes the public slot so your address stays private.
- Submit the Articles of Organization. Name, principal address, agent details, management style, organizers. $150 online, $165 by mail, to the South Dakota Secretary of State.
- Put an operating agreement in writing. Not filed with anyone, still essential. It fixes ownership, money splits, voting, and exits before a dispute does. Skip it and the LLC act's generic defaults decide instead.
- Get the EIN. Free from IRS.gov, roughly ten minutes, required for bank accounts and payroll. Never worth paying a service for.
- Run the compliance loop. Agent always on file. Annual report every year in your anniversary month, $55 online or $70 mailed. Business money kept apart from personal money. Taxes on time. Falling behind risks administrative dissolution and the end of your liability shield until reinstatement.
Rather hand it off? $199, one time, and the filing is ours to worry about.
The South Dakota Registered Agent Rule
Every South Dakota LLC needs a registered agent. There's no exception, no exemption, and no way to operate without one. The agent's job is to:
- Preserve a verifiable South Dakota address (a PO box alone isn't enough)
- Be present throughout the standard business day to receive legal mail
- Deliver everything that arrives — lawsuits, tax notices, state correspondence promptly enough to maintain response windows open
Some LLC owners list their home address as agent and later regret it. That address shows up in South Dakota Secretary of State's public database and stays there.
Our agent product in South Dakota is $99 a year. Our office handles the public-record exposure so yours doesn't get any.
Common South Dakota LLC Questions
How much does it cost to form an LLC in South Dakota?
$150 to the state for e-filed Articles of Organization, $165 on paper, $200 if the articles authorize series. Budget $55 a year for the annual report after that.
How long does it take to form an LLC in South Dakota?
No fixed promise; it moves with the Secretary of State's queue. E-filings via sosenterprise.sd.gov typically confirm ahead of mailed paperwork.
Does South Dakota require an annual report?
Yes. $55 online each year, due in your anniversary month, $70 if you file on paper.
Do I need a registered agent for my South Dakota LLC?
Yes, the agent requirement applies to every South Dakota LLC: a registered agent at a South Dakota location. The requirement begins at formation and lasts while the LLC exists.
Can I form an LLC in South Dakota if I live in another state?
Yes. South Dakota still requires a registered agent; our $99/year service handles that part. South Dakota doesn't restrict LLC ownership to residents.
Launch It Clean
DIY is fully available: e-file the Articles at the state's portal, hand over the $150, and keep a registered agent on file like everyone else. Or list our agent service on the formation paperwork from day one; the $99 annual plan covers the South Dakota address, same-day document scans, and deadline reminders before every filing.
Looking only for the agent? Our stand-alone agent product runs $99 a year.
Got other questions about South Dakota LLCs or how the agent plan works? See our FAQ or contact us across business hours.
Ready to get started?
Begin coverage today — the annual rate funds office address, scanning, and reminders. No extras tacked on.