The Kansas Secretary of State keeps the business register through its Business Services Division in the Docking State Office Building in Topeka. New LLCs and corporations register there, and so do companies from other states. The same office sells certified copies and certificates of good standing.
Kansas has two habits worth knowing up front. Online filing is fast, with online filings processed within minutes and a certified copy ready to print. And the regular report is a biennial information report, not an annual one, with its year set by when you formed the company.
Kansas corporation and business search
The Business Entity Search covers LLCs, corporations and other registered entities. You can type a business name, a business ID or a resident agent's name. If you are starting a company, the Name Availability page tests a name against the register.
| Official business search | sos.ks.gov/eforms/BusinessEntity/Search.aspx (sos.ks.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| You can search by | business name, entity or file number, registered agent (sos.ks.gov, checked ) |
| Name availability check | sos.ks.gov/eforms/BusinessEntity/NameAvailability.aspx (sos.ks.gov, checked ) |
File stamp copies of filings are free to view online. When a bank or another state needs proof, order a certified copy or a certificate of good standing instead.
Kansas status terms
A company that is current shows as active and in good standing. A missed information report moves it to Delinquent, and three months later it becomes Forfeited.
| Status shown | What it means |
|---|---|
| Active and in good standing | Business is current with its filings. |
| Delinquent | The information report was not filed by the due date. A three-month period follows in which it can still be filed late. |
| Forfeited | The information report deadline was missed (after the delinquency period) or the business has no active Kansas resident agent and registered office. No other documents can be filed until reports are filed and a certificate of reinstatement is approved. |
| Dissolved | Business has been formally closed. |
Status wording from sos.ks.gov, checked .
A forfeited company cannot file anything else until it is reinstated. Losing your resident agent or registered office can also lead to forfeiture, even when every report is on time.
Kansas filing fees
Kansas charges less when you file online. Articles of organization for an LLC are $85 online and $90 on paper, and the same split applies to for-profit corporations. A not-for-profit corporation pays $20. A company from another state pays $115 for its foreign application.
| Form an LLC | $85 (sos.ks.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Form a corporation | $85 (sos.ks.gov, checked ) |
| Form a nonprofit | $20 (sos.ks.gov, checked ) |
| Register an out-of-state LLC | $115 (sos.ks.gov, checked ) |
| Reserve a name | $35 (sos.ks.gov, checked ) |
| Annual or biennial report | LLC: $90 online, $110 paper (information report) (sos.ks.gov, checked ) |
| Good standing certificate | $5 (sos.ks.gov, checked ) |
Rather not file it yourself? Ask our private filing service about forming or reporting in Kansas. State fees are separate.
A name reservation on Form NR costs $35. There is no paid expedite option listed, and the office describes online filings as processed within minutes.
The Kansas information report
Every for-profit LLC and corporation files an information report every two years. The due date is April 15 of your odd or even year, based on the year of formation. Not-for-profit corporations use June 15 instead. For an LLC the fee is $90 online and $110 on paper.
| Fee | LLC: $90 online, $110 paper (information report) (sos.ks.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| When it is due | Information reports are biennial. For-profit entities due April 15 of their odd or even year (based on formation year); not-for-profit due June 15. (sos.ks.gov, checked ) |
| If you file late | Three-month delinquency period after the due date, then forfeiture. A forfeited business cannot file other documents until reinstated. (sos.ks.gov, checked ) |
| Where to file | sos.ks.gov/businesses/register-a-business.html (sos.ks.gov, checked ) |
| Processing time | Online filing: processed within minutes, certified copy available to print immediately (sos.ks.gov, checked ) |
After the due date there is a three-month delinquency period in which you can still file. After that, the company forfeits. Our guide on annual report deadlines by state shows how other states time their reports.
Kansas name rules
An LLC name must contain L.L.C., L.C., LLC, LC, "Limited Liability Company" or "Limited Company". Corporate names have a much wider list in K.S.A. 17-7919, including "company", "corporation", "foundation", "institute", "limited" and abbreviations such as Co., corp., inc. and ltd.
| LLC name must include | L.L.C., L.C., LLC, LC, Limited Liability Company, Limited Company (sos.ks.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Corporation name must include | Association, church, college, company, corporation, club, foundation, fund, incorporated, institute, society, union, university, syndicate, limited, Co., corp., inc., ltd., public benefit corporation / P.B.C. / PBC (public benefit corporations only) (ksrevisor.gov, checked ) |
| How different a name must be | If the name is already in use by another registered business, a Consent to Use of Similar Business Name (Form CN) must be filed with the formation document (K.S.A. 17-7918). (sos.ks.gov, checked ) |
| Reservation fee | $35 (sos.ks.gov, checked ) |
| Reservation form | sos.ks.gov/forms/business_services/NR.pdf (sos.ks.gov, checked ) |
If another registered business already uses a similar name, Kansas lets you go ahead only with a Consent to Use of Similar Business Name, Form CN, filed with your formation document.
Resident agent rules in Kansas
Kansas calls it a resident agent. Must be an individual, a business registered in Kansas, or the business itself. Registered office must be a Kansas street address, no PO box. (sos.ks.gov, checked )
Kansas law uses the term "resident agent" for the person or company that receives legal papers. To move your agent or office, see our guide on changing a registered agent.
Kansas certificate of good standing
The state calls it a Certificate of Good Standing, often shortened to CGS. A regulation in the Kansas Register set the fee at $5, sold online only. You buy it through your user account on the copies and certifications page.
What it costs, where to order it and what blocks it are in our Kansas good standing guide.
Contact the Kansas Secretary of State
| Office | Kansas Secretary of State (sos.ks.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Division | Business Services Division (sos.ks.gov, checked ) |
| Officeholder | Scott Schwab (sos.ks.gov, checked ) |
| Phone | 785-296-4564 (sos.ks.gov, checked ) |
| Hours | 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (sos.ks.gov, checked ) |
| Mailing address | Docking State Office Building, 915 SW Harrison Street, Topeka, KS 66612 (sos.ks.gov, checked ) |
| Street address | Docking State Office Building, 915 SW Harrison Street, Topeka, KS 66612 (sos.ks.gov, checked ) |
Paper filings go by mail to the Docking State Office Building at 915 SW Harrison Street. Some older forms still show a Memorial Hall address, so use the address on a current form. Have your business ID ready when you call so staff can pull up the right record.
Sources
- sos.ks.gov/: office name, division, officeholder, mailing address, street address, phone, contact page, hours. Checked .
- sos.ks.gov/businesses/register-a-business.html: business search, name reservation form, online filing. Checked .
- sos.ks.gov/eforms/BusinessEntity/Search.aspx: search fields. Checked .
- sos.ks.gov/forms/business_services/LAO.pdf: name check, LLC name endings, name rule, LLC filing fee, registered agent rule. Checked .
- ksrevisor.gov/statutes/chapters/ch17/017_079_0019.html: corporation name endings. Checked .
- sos.ks.gov/forms/business_services/NR.pdf: name reservation fee. Checked .
- sos.ks.gov/forms/business_services/AI.pdf: corporation filing fee, nonprofit filing fee, processing time. Checked .
- sos.ks.gov/forms/business_services/FA.pdf: foreign LLC fee. Checked .
- sos.ks.gov/forms/business_services/ILC.pdf: report fee. Checked .
- sos.ks.gov/businesses/information-reports.html: report due date, late penalty, status terms. Checked .
- sos.ks.gov/publications/register/Volume-45/Issues/Issue-07/02-12-26-53865.html: certificate fee. Checked .