Learn the steps to form an LLC in Michigan – from choosing your name to filing your Articles of Organization. $1 + $50 state fee. Start today.
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Filing fee: $50 (Articles of Organization) — online or by mail
Processing time: Roughly 5-10 business days online; about a month by mail. Expedited tiers from 24-hour (+$50) up to 1-hour (+$1,000)
State agency: Michigan LARA — Corporations Division (Corporations Online Filing System)
Annual statement due: February 15 each year — $25 (LLCs formed after September 30 skip their first one). Two missed years and your LLC loses good standing.
State tax rate: Flat 4.25% income tax on pass-through income (some cities add 1-2.4%) and 6% statewide sales tax with no local add-ons; no franchise tax and no general state business license
Start your U.S. business journey today. Form your company with confidence and let Brio handle the paperwork.
Forming an LLC in Michigan takes 5 steps: choose and check your business name, appoint a resident agent (what Michigan calls a Registered Agent) with a physical Michigan address, file Articles of Organization online or by mail, draft an operating agreement, and get an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS. The state filing fee is just $50.
Michigan is one of the cheapest states end-to-end for an LLC: $50 to form, a $25 annual statement, no franchise tax, and free sales tax registration. Pass-through LLC income is taxed at a flat 4.25% on your personal return — among the lower flat rates in the country — and the 6% sales tax has no local add-ons. An LLC gives you personal liability protection and pass-through taxation without the administrative overhead of a corporation.
Michigan also keeps compliance forgiving: standard LLCs face no late fee on the annual statement, and even after two missed years the company loses good standing rather than being dissolved outright — restoring it costs just $50 plus the missed $25 statements. And if you’re ever in a genuine hurry, Michigan has the deepest expedite menu anywhere: 24-hour service for $50, same-day for $100, 2-hour for $500, even 1-hour for $1,000.
Unlike some states, Michigan doesn’t require you to reserve your name before filing — you simply claim it when you file your Articles of Organization. If you’re not ready to file yet, you can optionally reserve a name (Form CSCL/CD-540). The fee is $25, and the reservation holds your name for a generous 6 months.
Your LLC name must include “Limited Liability Company” or an abbreviation like “LLC,” “L.L.C.,” “LC,” or “L.C.” — and it can’t contain “Corporation,” “Corp.,” “Incorporated,” or “Inc.” One thing filers miss: the name must be distinguishable from all corporations and limited partnerships on record with LARA, not just other LLCs, so check the state’s full entity search before you file.
Every Michigan LLC must have a resident agent — Michigan’s term for a registered agent — designated to receive legal notices and government documents on behalf of the business at its registered office. The agent must have a physical street address in Michigan (a P.O. box doesn’t count) and be available during regular business hours.
You can serve as your own resident agent if you’re a Michigan resident 18 or older with a physical address in the state and can be there during business hours. Many business owners use a professional registered agent service instead — it keeps your personal address off public records and ensures someone is always available to receive documents.
The Articles of Organization (Form CSCL/CD-700) is the document that legally creates your Michigan LLC. You file it with LARA’s Corporations Division through the Corporations Online Filing System, or by mail. Online filing costs $50 and standard review takes roughly 5-10 business days, with approved documents delivered electronically; mail filings take about a month in total. Expedited review is available at every speed: 24-hour (+$50), same-day (+$100), 2-hour (+$500), or 1-hour (+$1,000).
The Articles must include your LLC’s name, its purpose, its duration if not perpetual, and your resident agent’s name and registered office street address in Michigan. If you’re forming a professional LLC (for licensed professions like law or medicine), you use Form CSCL/CD-701 instead and every member must hold the relevant license.
Michigan doesn’t require you to file an operating agreement with the state, but you should have one. It’s the internal document that defines how your LLC is managed — who owns what, how profits are distributed, and how decisions get made. Without one, Michigan’s default LLC statutes fill in the gaps, which may not reflect what you actually want.
Your operating agreement should specify whether the LLC is member-managed or manager-managed. In a member-managed LLC, all owners share day-to-day authority. In a manager-managed LLC, a designated manager handles operations while other members retain economic rights. A written agreement is the version that holds up when disputes arise.
An Employer Identification Number (EIN) is a 9-digit federal tax ID issued by the IRS. Your Michigan LLC needs one to open a business bank account, hire employees, and file federal taxes. Applying online at irs.gov is free and issues your EIN immediately after you complete the application.
To use the IRS online application, the responsible party must have a valid Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), and the business must have its principal place of business in the United States. The IRS does not charge a fee for issuing an EIN.
Michigan LLCs file one report with LARA: an annual statement due February 15 each year, at just $25. There’s a helpful exemption for late-year formations — an LLC formed after September 30 skips the statement due the immediately following February 15. There’s no initial report, no franchise tax, and no annual LLC tax.
Michigan has no general state business license, but if you sell taxable goods you’ll need a free sales tax license from the Michigan Department of Treasury (issued in minutes online through Michigan Treasury Online) to collect the 6% sales tax. Miss the annual statement and there’s no fine for a standard LLC — but after two consecutive missed years the company loses good standing: it can’t get a certificate of good standing, can’t sue in Michigan courts, and loses the exclusive right to its name until you file a $50 restoration plus the missed $25 statements.
The required Michigan state fee is $50 to file the Articles of Organization with LARA — one of the lowest formation fees in the country. The annual statement is $25, and reserving your name before filing is optional at $25 for 6 months. Expedited processing is extra if you want it (from $50 for 24-hour up to $1,000 for 1-hour service). There’s no additional state fee to get your EIN; the IRS issues EINs for free.
Yes. Michigan allows a single person to form and own an LLC – this is called a single-member LLC. You can complete the Articles of Organization filing online through LARA’s Corporations Online Filing System without an attorney. You’ll still need a resident agent with a physical Michigan address, but that can be yourself if you’re a Michigan resident 18 or older.
No. Michigan charges a $50 Articles of Organization fee – that’s a required state fee you can’t avoid, though it’s among the cheapest anywhere. What you can avoid is paying extra for formation help. We handle your Michigan LLC filing for $1; you only pay the required state fees.
Yes, though Michigan calls it an annual statement: $25, due February 15 each year (an LLC formed after September 30 skips its first one). There’s no late fine for a standard LLC, but let it slide two years running and the company loses good standing — no certificate of good standing, no right to sue in Michigan courts, and your name loses protection. Restoration costs $50 plus each missed $25 statement, so it’s far cheaper to just file.
Yes – Michigan calls it a resident agent, but it’s the same thing as a registered agent: a person or entity that receives legal notices and official government documents on behalf of your LLC at its registered office. The agent must have a physical street address in Michigan — not a P.O. box — and be available during regular business hours. You can serve as your own resident agent or use a professional service.
The mistakes that come up most often are missing the February 15 annual statement — for an LLC formed early in the year it can come due only months after formation, and two missed years means losing good standing and possibly your name — misreading the late-year exemption (formed after September 30 skips the first statement; formed in September doesn’t), and checking the name only against other LLCs when Michigan requires it to clear corporations and LPs too. Owners also pay third parties for a sales tax license Michigan issues free, and forget city income taxes in places like Detroit (2.4%) or Grand Rapids (1.5%).
Standard online review takes roughly 5-10 business days, with approved documents delivered electronically the moment they clear. Mail filings take about a month including transit. If you’re in a hurry, Michigan has an expedite tier for every budget: 24-hour for $50, same-day for $100, 2-hour for $500, or 1-hour for $1,000 on top of the $50 filing fee.
Thinking about another state? Compare Wyoming, Delaware, Texas and Florida — or browse all 50 state guides.
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