How to Start an LLC in Kansas (2026)

Q: How much does it cost to start an LLC in Kansas?

The Kansas Secretary of State form instructions list the paper Articles of Organization fee at $90, and filing online through the state business centre costs less. Your EIN is free from the IRS. After that, the information report is $90 online or $110 on paper, and it is only due every two years.

Q: When is the Kansas information report due?

April 15, every two years, in the year that matches the parity of your formation year. Businesses formed in an even-numbered year report in each following even year, and businesses formed in an odd year report in each following odd year. It costs $90 online or $110 on paper.

Q: What is a resident agent in Kansas?

It is Kansas's term for the registered agent: an individual, a business registered in Kansas, or the LLC itself, who receives legal documents such as subpoenas and summonses. The registered office must be a Kansas address where the agent can regularly be found, including building number and street, and a PO box is not acceptable.

Q: What if my Kansas LLC name is already taken?

Kansas offers a route most states do not. Under K.S.A. 17-7918 the existing business can sign a Consent to Use of Similar Business Name, Form CN, which you submit with your formation document. It is worth asking if the conflicting business is in a different line of work and the name really matters to you.

Last updated: August 28, 2026

To start a Kansas LLC, file the Articles of Organization with the Kansas Secretary of State, name a resident agent with a Kansas street address, and get a free EIN. The state's own form instructions list the paper fee at $90, with a lower fee for filing online. Kansas then wants an information report every two years, $90 online or $110 on paper, due April 15.

Quick note: we're operators, not attorneys or accountants. This is general educational info, not legal or tax advice. Kansas calls it a resident agent and an information report, so searches using the usual "registered agent" and "annual report" wording can mislead you.

Kansas is average on cost and unusual on vocabulary and timing: a resident agent instead of a registered agent, an information report instead of an annual report, and a two-year cycle whose year depends on when you formed. Here is the whole process in plain English, written for people starting something real like a courier route.

Your report year matches your formation year Kansas files the information report every two years, and which year you file in depends on when you started: businesses formed in an even year report in each following even year, and businesses formed in an odd year report in each following odd year. It is due April 15 of that year. Form in 2026 and your next report lands in 2028, which is a long enough gap to forget entirely.

How to start a Kansas LLC in 6 steps

Name it, appoint a Kansas resident agent, file the Articles of Organization, write an operating agreement, get a free EIN, then file the information report every two years by April 15.

Name your Kansas LLC

Under K.S.A. 17-7920 the name must contain one of: L.L.C., L.C., LLC, LC, LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY, or LIMITED COMPANY. Check availability in the Kansas name availability search. If the name is already in use, Kansas allows a Consent to Use of Similar Business Name (Form CN) signed by the existing business, which is a route most states do not offer.

Appoint a Kansas resident agent

Kansas says resident agent, and it can be an individual, a business registered in Kansas, or the LLC itself. The registered office must be a Kansas address where the agent is regularly present, with building number and street, and it cannot be a PO box. Northwest includes agent service free the first year with their $39 filing.

File the Articles of Organization

File Form LAO with the Kansas Secretary of State. The form instructions list the paper filing fee at $90, and filing online through the Secretary of State's business centre costs less. Checks and cards are both accepted, and a certified copy comes back to you.

Write an operating agreement

Kansas does not require one, but write it anyway. It sets out ownership, management, and who can sign, it backs your liability protection, and banks usually ask for it at account opening. It matters more than usual in Kansas because the information report asks you to name members owning 5% or more.

Get a free EIN from the IRS

Your EIN is free at irs.gov and takes about ten minutes. You need it for the business bank account, contracts, and hiring. Never pay a third-party site for one.

File the information report every two years

Kansas requires an information report every second year, $90 online or $110 on paper, due April 15. Two things to have ready: a physical principal office address (no PO box) and the name and address of every member who owns 5% or more of the capital.

Kansas LLC cost breakdown

About $90 to form and $90 every two years. Averaged out, Kansas costs roughly $45 a year to maintain.

Item	Cost	Required?
Articles of Organization (paper, per the state form)	$90	Yes
Articles of Organization (online)	Less than paper, see the SOS business centre	Alternative
EIN	Free from the IRS	Yes (free)
Resident agent service	$0 (yourself) to $300/yr	No
Information report (online)	$90 every two years	Yes
Information report (paper)	$110 every two years	Alternative

Kansas figures as of August 2026, taken from the Secretary of State form instructions for the Articles of Organization (Rev. 2/27/26) and the Information Report (Rev. 1/23/26). Online filing fees are shown in the Kansas business centre at checkout. Confirm before filing.

Rather have it filed for you? Northwest will form your Kansas LLC for $39 + the $90 state fee and act as your registered agent the first year, keeping your home address off the public record. See the $39 formation service → Affiliate link. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Setting up to run courier routes in Kansas?

The LLC is step one. Our course covers the rest: insurance and certifications, the business bank account, and how to find routes and win contracts with Kansas clinics, labs, and hospitals.

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Kansas LLC FAQs

How much does it cost to start an LLC in Kansas?

The state form lists $90 for paper Articles of Organization, and online costs less. Your EIN is free. Then $90 online for the information report every two years.

When is the Kansas information report due?

April 15 every second year. If you formed in an even year you report in even years, and odd-year formations report in odd years. It is $90 online.

What is a resident agent in Kansas?

It is Kansas's term for the registered agent. The registered office must be a real Kansas street address where the agent is regularly present, never a PO box.

What if my Kansas LLC name is already taken?

Kansas allows a Consent to Use of Similar Business Name (Form CN) signed by the existing business, filed with your formation document. Most states have no equivalent.

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