How to form an LLC in Michigan (2026)

What are the steps to form an LLC in Michigan?

Most steps of forming a Michigan LLC run through one office, LARA, from the first name search to the Annual Statement the company files in later years. The list gives each step's form and fee.

1. Check that your LLC name is available with the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Corporations Division. You can reserve a name for $25 for six months.
2. Name a resident agent in Michigan: a person or company with a Michigan address who accepts legal papers for the LLC.
3. File the Articles of Organization (Form CSCL/CD-700) with the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Corporations Division. The state fee is $50. Filing methods: Online (MiBusiness Registry Portal), by mail or in person.
4. Wait for approval. Faster options: 24-hour $50 (formation); same day $100 (formation); 2-hour $500; 1-hour $1,000, on top of the filing fee.
5. File the recurring report (Annual Statement): due February 15 each year, starting the year after formation, fee $25.

Michigan uses its own terms. The law calls the agent a resident agent, and the address where that agent receives legal papers is the registered office. The Articles of Organization carry a line that reads "The name of the resident agent at the registered office is", so you need the agent lined up before you file.⁵

One step sits outside LARA. An EIN, the federal tax ID number banks and payroll providers ask for, comes from the IRS, and it is free; the IRS never charges a fee for an EIN. The EIN guide covers when an LLC needs one. If you'd rather pay a service to handle the filing, the Michigan LLC services list ranks each provider with its first- and second-year totals in this state.⁶

How do you check and reserve a Michigan LLC name?

Search LARA's business entity records for your name before filing, and if you aren't ready yet, reserve it with Form 540. The reservation fee is $25, and the hold lasts six months following the month of filing.⁷

That wording has a practical effect. Because the clock starts after the month you file, a reservation made early in a month holds the name a little longer than one made at the end of it.

Reserving is optional. It makes sense when members are still agreeing on terms or you are still choosing a resident agent and don't want another business to claim the name in the meantime.

Who can be a resident agent for a Michigan LLC?

Michigan allows an individual resident in this state whose business office or residence is identical with the registered office to serve as resident agent. Under MCL 450.4207, a domestic corporation or LLC, or a foreign corporation or LLC authorized to transact business in Michigan can also serve, as long as its business office is the same address as the registered office.⁸

The rule ties the agent to the address. Whoever serves has to actually be at the registered office, so you can't name a friend in Detroit and list an office in Grand Rapids. The registered office itself may, but need not be, the same as its place of business, which means a home-based business can keep its working address separate from the agent's.⁹

The registered office goes on state filings more than once. It appears on the Articles of Organization, and the Annual Statement restates the name of its resident agent and the address of its registered office in this state every year. An owner who acts as the agent from home therefore lists that home address on a state filing every year, not just once at formation.⁹

A resident agent service puts its own Michigan address there instead. Northwest Registered Agent lists its agent at $125 per year, InCorp Services at $129/year, and Bizee (formerly Incfile) lists Registered Agent (1st year included) in its Premium plan, then bills $149/year (ongoing annual fee). See Northwest's prices, the plans that include an agent, and the registered agent guide for what the role involves.^{10, 11, 12, 13}

How do you file the Articles of Organization, and how fast is it?

You can file the Articles of Organization online through the MiBusiness Registry Portal, send them with a check or money order by mail, or hand them in at 2407 N Grand River Ave, Lansing. Our state record has no standard processing time for regular filings, so this page doesn't quote one.¹

What Michigan does publish is a price list for faster review. You ask for it with Form CSCL/CD-272 Expedited Service Request, and every tier is charged on top of the filing fee.³

1. 24-hour $50 (formation)³
2. same day $100 (formation)³
3. 2-hour $500³
4. 1-hour $1,000³

The cheapest tier is worth a second look. Its fee, $50, equals the $50 filing fee, so asking for review within a day doubles what the state charges you.^{2, 3}

A provider's stated speed is a separate clock from LARA's review. Some services state that they prepare and submit within a day, but the state still works through its own queue unless someone pays for one of the tiers above. The LLC timeline guide explains the difference, and the fastest filing list compares providers' published times.

What does a Michigan LLC cost in the first and second year?

A Michigan LLC costs the $50 filing fee in its first year, plus any plan, name hold or expedite fee you choose. Year two brings the $25 Annual Statement fee and any plan or agent renewal.²

The table lists each provider's totals in Michigan with the plan we compare, in rating order with ties settled as how we rate describes.

First year: state filing fee plus the provider's compared plan. Second year: the recurring state fee plus the plan's renewal, if it renews.

Totals are our arithmetic on the published figures. Registered agent renewals are extra unless a plan includes the agent. Try other plans in the calculator.

Michigan's second-year column has a figure for every provider because the state publishes one flat statement fee. That figure can still hide a renewal. Inc Authority shows $50 in year one and $25 in year two, yet its free resident agent renews at $249/year after the first year, and the column leaves that out. Tailor Brands shows $299 and then $274, because its Elite plan renews each year. The Inc Authority profile and the Tailor Brands profile list what each plan covers.¹⁴

The statement fee is set to fall. State law charges $25 through a cutoff date and $15.00 if paid after September 30, 2027. And an LLC formed/qualified after September 30 doesn't file at the very next February deadline, so a company formed late in the year may owe nothing to the state in its second calendar year.^{2, 4}

To price your own mix, use the LLC cost calculator. The cheapest services list, the ranking by cost across both years and the national LLC cost guide cover the same question across states.

What does a Michigan LLC file after it is formed?

A Michigan LLC files an Annual Statement with LARA by February 15 each year, starting the year after formation, and pays $25. The statement is short: it gives the name of its resident agent and the address of its registered office in this state.^{2, 4, 9}

An LLC formed/qualified after September 30 is not required to file at the February deadline right after it forms. Its first statement comes due the following year.⁴

Missing statements cost standing before they cost money. Our record confirms no late fee for Michigan LLCs; instead, after 2 consecutive missed years and 60 days after the administrator's notice, the LLC is not in good standing. The way back is a $50 Certificate of Restoration of Good Standing (Form 770/771) plus $25 for each missing annual statement. Michigan calls this restoration of good standing rather than reinstatement. Review can take up to 10 business days for non-expedited submissions.^{15, 16}

Formation plans treat this filing differently. Tailor Brands lists mandatory report filing on its Essential and Elite plans, and ZenBusiness lists filing of state-required annual reports on Pro and Premium. Northwest Registered Agent sells the filing at $100 + state fees, which is more than the $25 state fee on its own. The annual report guide and the package contents guide explain which plan items file for you and which only send reminders.^{2, 17, 18, 19}

There is no federal ownership filing to add. Under current rules, U.S. companies are permanently exempt from BOI reporting under a FinCEN final rule effective August 14, 2026.²⁰

How do you change a Michigan resident agent later?

You change a Michigan resident agent by filing the Certificate of Change of Registered Office and/or Change of Resident Agent (Form CSCL/CD-520) with LARA, and the fee is $5. The same form moves the registered office, so one filing covers both if they change together.^{2, 21}

File the change before you cancel an agent service. Michigan's statute doesn't list a missing agent among the grounds for dissolution. If the LLC has no agent, though, process may be served on the administrator (LARA). A lawsuit could then be delivered to a state office instead of to the company.⁹

Agents can also step down. The agent files a written resignation with LARA and with a member or manager, and the appointment ends 30 days after filing with LARA or when a successor is appointed, whichever is first. Michigan law says the LLC shall promptly appoint a successor resident agent, so a resignation letter starts a short clock.²²

What if your LLC was formed in another state?

An LLC formed elsewhere registers in Michigan with an Application for Certificate of Authority (Form 760) and pays $50, the same as the $50 fee to form a new Michigan LLC.^{2, 23}

Our Michigan record gives the fee for this filing but not the agent rules for registered companies, so read the form's own instructions before you file. Registered companies also owe the Annual Statement, which LARA lists as due each year after organization/qualification. Neighboring states charge differently for formation: Ohio charges $99 and Indiana charges $75 online, $100 by paper filing. The state fees table compares formation and foreign registration everywhere, and the foreign LLC guide explains when registering is required.^{4, 24, 25}