Start an LLC in Minnesota
Use our free business tools below to complete your Minnesota LLC Articles of Organization. This is the document you file directly with Minnesota’s Secretary of State to form your LLC.
If you want more, hire us and we’ll form your LLC in Minnesota for just $39 + state fees. We’ll get your business stood up in minutes with a free domain, website, email, business phone, and more.
How To Start An LLC In Minnesota
When you start an LLC in Minnesota, you get flexible management, pass-through taxation, and personal asset protection. It costs $135 to form your LLC. The good news is that your annual report is free, meaning the state doesn’t require an upkeep fee to keep your LLC in good standing.
To start an LLC in Minnesota, you’ll need to file Articles of Organization with the Minnesota Secretary of State and pay the accompanying filing fee. Want to hire someone to form your LLC for you? We’ve got you covered. Northwest can form your LLC for just $39 + state fees. Rather deal with the paperwork yourself? No problem. This comprehensive guide goes over every stage of starting an LLC in Minnesota.
1. Name Your LLC
To register your LLC in Minnesota, you’ll have to choose a business name that follows the legal requirements listed in MN Statute § 322C.0108. To put it briefly, your LLC name must:
- Contain the words Limited Liability Company or the abbreviation LLC.
- Not already be taken by another Minnesota business.
- Not contain the words Corporation, Incorporated, or an abbreviation of those two words.
- Not give the impression that your business offers services it isn’t permitted to offer.
Tip: Have a business name in mind? You can check to see if it’s available before you submit your Articles of Organization. You can also reserve your business name if it’s available but you’re not ready to file yet. Name reservations last one year and cost $35 ($55 online).
2. Register a Domain Name
Now that you’ve got your business name squared away, it’s time to start thinking about domain names. A domain name is your website’s address, like how ours is northwestregisteredagent.com. Just like us, many businesses choose to use their business name as their domain name to streamline customer interactions and prevent confusion.
Once you register your domain name, you can get a business email address. For example, [email protected]. The main benefit to having a business email address is the professionalism it offers your business. You can organize your communication with clients, customers, and vendors. Plus, it lets you keep your personal email address private.
Tip: When you hire us to start your LLC, you get a domain name free for a year.
3. File Minnesota LLC Articles of Organization
Once you’re ready to make your business official, you file paperwork with the Minnesota Secretary of State. This paperwork is called the Articles of Organization. If you file by mail or in person, it is $135. If you file online, it’s $155.
All of the information you put on your Minnesota Articles of Organization will become part of the public record. Here is what’s included:
Your business name must be legally compliant with all Minnesota LLC naming statutes. Most importantly, your name can’t be the same as another business registered with the Minnesota Secretary of State, and it has to include Limited Liability Company or LLC.
This must be an actual street address (not a P.O. Box). The registered office is where your company’s important legal mail will be sent to your registered agent.
Per Minnesota law, your registered office must be where your registered agent is located. Your registered agent is the person who accepts legal mail on behalf of your company. This means if you’re served a lawsuit, your registered agent is the person who will accept that service of process.
This is the person who will be be completing your Articles of Organization. Filing yourself? That’s you. Hiring us to do it for you? That’s us.
This is where the Secretary of State will send official notices.
If there’s an issue with your filing, the state will contact the person whose name and phone number you list here.
If you want, you can answer some or all of these survey questions about your business.
How do you file Minnesota Articles of Organization?
You can file the Articles of Organization online, by mail, or in person.
By mail or in person:
Minnesota Secretary of State—Business Services
Retirement Systems of Minnesota Building
60 Empire Drive, Suite 100
St Paul, MN 55103
Online:
4. Adopt an Operating Agreement
An operating agreement is basically a how-to manual for your business. Operating agreements are not legally required in Minnesota, but most businesses choose to adopt one anyway. Operating Agreements tell other people how to run the business if you’re not there to manage a situation, and hold the business accountable to itself. You can put anything from membership interest to dissolving the business in here.
Tip: Since operating agreements are legally binding documents, they can be confusing to start. That’s why we had our attorneys draft a Minnesota Operating Agreement template. It’s free to use!
5. Get an EIN
An Employer Identification Number (EIN) is an unique number given to businesses by the IRS for tax purposes. It’s a lot like a social security number. Technically, you don’t have to get an EIN. But without one, you can’t hire employees, have more than one member, change tax status, or open a business bank account. Plus, you’ll have to use your personal social security number on things like vendor documents if you don’t have an EIN.
Tip: You can get an EIN directly with the IRS, or hire us to take care of it for you.
6. Get a Business Bank Account
All LLCs have liability protection, meaning that their business is by default a separate entity than its owners. However, that liability protection can be weakened if the business and the owners mix finances. This can happen if your business doesn’t have a separate bank account apart from your personal finances.
To open a business bank account, you’ll need your LLC’s Articles of Organization, Operating Agreement, EIN, and an LLC Resolution to Open a Bank Account.
7. File Minnesota Annual Renewal
All Minnesota LLCs are required to file an annual renewal by December 31st each year. The annual renewal is a report that updates the state on your business’s contact and ownership information. The good news? Unlike most states, the Minnesota Annual Renewal is completely free to file!
Tip: If you’re worried about remembering your annual renewal, you can hire us to file for you!
8. File the BOI Report
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) is an agency that asks most business owners to file a Beneficial Ownership Information Report within 90 days of forming. This report tells the federal government basic information about your beneficial owners and company applicants. You can file directly with FinCEN or hire us to do it for you.
*This is informational commentary, not advice. This information is intended strictly for informational purposes and does not constitute legal advice or a substitute for legal counsel. This information is not intended to create, nor does your receipt, viewing, or use of it constitute, an attorney-client relationship. More information is available in our Terms of Service.
Ready to Start an LLC in Minnesota?
