The Mississippi Secretary of State keeps business records through its Business Services and External Affairs team on North Street in Jackson. LLCs, corporations, nonprofits and fictitious business names all register there. The public lookup is the business search on the corp.sos.ms.gov portal, which people often shorten to the MS SOS business search.
Mississippi is unusual on cost. A domestic LLC files an annual report each spring, but the state charges no fee for it. The catch is that every report is filed online, and a missed one can lead to administrative dissolution.
How the MS SOS business search works
The Business Search lets you look up a company by name, business ID, officer or registered agent. It also takes profile type, NAICS code, address, postal code and formation date, which is useful when you only know part of the story. You can combine several fields at once.
| Official business search | corp.sos.ms.gov/corpreporting/Corp/BusinessSearch3 (corp.sos.ms.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Name availability check | No online check (sos.ms.gov, checked ) |
- Match modes offered: Starting With, All Words, Any Words, Sounds Like, Exact Match.
- Several fields can be combined to narrow results.
From sos.ms.gov, checked .
Sounds Like is the mode to try when you are not sure of the spelling. Exact Match works best when you already have the full legal name.
Mississippi filing fees
A Certificate of Formation for an LLC on form F0100 costs $50. Articles of Incorporation on form F0001 also cost $50, and nonprofits pay the same. An LLC formed in another state pays $250 to register in Mississippi.
| Form an LLC | $50 (sos.ms.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Form a corporation | $50 (sos.ms.gov, checked ) |
| Form a nonprofit | $50 (sos.ms.gov, checked ) |
| Register an out-of-state LLC | $250 (sos.ms.gov, checked ) |
| Reserve a name | $25 (sos.ms.gov, checked ) |
| Annual or biennial report | LLC: $0; corporation: $25; foreign llc: $250; nonprofit status report: $25 (sos.ms.gov, checked ) |
| Good standing certificate | $25 (sos.ms.gov, checked ) |
Rather not file it yourself? Ask our private filing service about forming or reporting in Mississippi. State fees are separate.
Online filings move quickly. The office says emails usually go out the same day, sometimes within minutes, and corrections come back within 24 hours. Paper filings take far longer, so file online when you can.
Mississippi annual report rules
Corporations and LLCs file by April 15, and the window opens on January 1. Nonprofits file a status report by May 15 instead. The fee depends on the entity: $0 for a domestic LLC, $25 for a corporation, $25 for a nonprofit status report and $250 for a foreign LLC.
The fee, the due date, late penalties and the filing steps are in our Mississippi annual report guide.
The fee schedules show no late fee. The real cost of missing a report is administrative dissolution. If you are closing the company anyway, read our guide on how to dissolve an LLC properly instead of letting it lapse.
Naming a Mississippi LLC
An LLC name must include "limited liability company", L.L.C. or LLC. Some words are off limits in an LLC name, such as bank, banking, insurance, trust, corporation, partnership and words with a similar meaning.
| LLC name must include | limited liability company, L.L.C., LLC (sos.ms.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Words that are limited | bank, banker, bankers, banking, trust company, insurance, trust, corporation, incorporated, partnership, limited partnership (sos.ms.gov, checked ) |
| How different a name must be | Name "must be distinguishable upon the records of the Secretary of State" from any live domestic or foreign corporation, nonprofit, LP, LLP or LLC, and from unexpired reserved names. Can be overridden with the other holder's written consent plus an undertaking to change name. Miss. Code 79-29-109 (LLC). (sos.ms.gov, checked ) |
| Reservation fee | $25 (sos.ms.gov, checked ) |
| Reservation lasts | 180 days for LLC names (Miss. Code 79-29-111). Same applicant cannot re-reserve the same name until more than 60 days after expiry. (sos.ms.gov, checked ) |
| Reservation form | corp.sos.ms.gov/forms/BusinessServices/NameReservations/NameReservations (corp.sos.ms.gov, checked ) |
Your name has to be distinguishable on the state's records from every live entity and unexpired reservation. You can still use a close name if the other holder gives written consent and promises to change its own name. A domestic name reservation costs $25, while a foreign corporation pays $50.
Registered agent in Mississippi
Required. Agent must have a physical Mississippi address. LLC agent may be a resident individual or an entity authorized in the state. (sos.ms.gov, checked )
The agent needs a physical address in Mississippi, so a mailbox alone will not do. Our page on changing a registered agent explains how to switch.
Mississippi certificate of good standing
The Secretary of State sells a Certificate of Good Standing through its online services. A press release gives the price as $25 for online processing, and the certificate is issued immediately.
| What the state calls it | Certificate of Good Standing (sos.ms.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Fee | $25 (sos.ms.gov, checked ) |
| Where to order | sos.ms.gov/online-services-directory (sos.ms.gov, checked ) |
Certificates and copies become available as soon as you pay. Our guide to the certificate of good standing explains who usually asks for one.
Fictitious business names in Mississippi
Mississippi registers fictitious business names at the state level on form F0070. The first filing costs $25, and amendments, withdrawals and assignments are $25 each.
Mississippi Secretary of State registers fictitious business names (form F0070). Fee $25. Amendment, withdrawal and assignment are $25 each. (sos.ms.gov, checked )
Contact Mississippi Business Services
| Office | Mississippi Secretary of State (sos.ms.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Division | Business Services & External Affairs (sos.ms.gov, checked ) |
| Officeholder | Michael Watson (yallbusiness.sos.ms.gov, checked ) |
| Phone | 601-359-1633 (sos.ms.gov, checked ) |
| Mailing address | P.O. Box 136, Jackson, MS 39205-0136 (sos.ms.gov, checked ) |
| Street address | 660 North Street, Jackson, MS 39201 (sos.ms.gov, checked ) |
Mail goes to P.O. Box 136 in Jackson, while visitors go to 660 North Street. The office takes questions through a Contact Us form instead of a printed email address. Keep your business ID at hand when you call so staff can find your record.
Sources
- www.sos.ms.gov/business-services-external-affairs: office name, division, mailing address, street address, phone, contact page. Checked .
- yallbusiness.sos.ms.gov/Home: officeholder. Checked .
- corp.sos.ms.gov/corpreporting/Corp/BusinessSearch3: business search. Checked .
- www.sos.ms.gov/online-services-directory: name check, certificate ordering, search tips. Checked .
- www.sos.ms.gov/content/documents/pol_res/llcs/1revisedLLCact.pdf: LLC name endings, restricted words, name rule, name reservation term, registered agent rule. Checked .
- www.sos.ms.gov/content/documents/Business/FeeSchedule.pdf: name reservation fee, LLC filing fee, corporation filing fee, nonprofit filing fee, foreign LLC fee, assumed names (DBA). Checked .
- corp.sos.ms.gov/forms/BusinessServices/NameReservations/NameReservations: name reservation form. Checked .
- www.sos.ms.gov/content/documents/Business/Services%20&%20Fees%20Document.pdf: report fee. Checked .
- www.sos.ms.gov/business-services/business-faqs: good standing certificate. Checked .
- www.sos.ms.gov/news/secretary-state-warns-new-businesses-ongoing-certificate-existence-scams: certificate fee. Checked .