Filing Your Supplemental Initial Report in Louisiana

When you file your Articles of Organization for your Louisiana limited liability company (LLC), you’re officially registered with the state. However, one step of completing the registration process is to include an Initial Report with your Articles of Organization. This requires you to make some decisions about your business at the outset, such as where it will be located and who your registered agent will be. 

The problem is that at the time you submit your forms, you may still have decisions to make. One of those big decisions is determining who is going to be a part of your business. If you don’t know who your initial members and managers are at the time you submit your Articles of Organization and Initial Report, you will need to submit this information to the Louisiana Secretary of State in the form of a Louisiana LLC Supplemental Initial Report. 

What information is required for Initial Reports and Supplemental Initial Reports?

Louisiana no longer requires corporations to file initial reports. Instead, information about the initial office, registered agent, and directors may be provided in the Articles of Incorporation.

LLCs, on the other hand, must file an initial report along with their Articles of Organization. The information required includes:

• Name and address of the registered office
• Name and address of each registered agent
• Names and address of all managers or members
• A notarized affidavit of acknowledgment and acceptance from each of the LLC’s registered agents
• Signature from each person who signed the Articles of Organization

Addresses for members, managers, and agents need to be municipal addresses, not P.O. boxes.

If the initial report doesn’t contain the names of the LLC’s managers or members, a Louisiana Supplemental Initial Report can be filed when they’re chosen. This report requires an additional fee.

How to File a Louisiana Initial Report

You will file your initial report with the Louisiana Secretary of State. You will need to submit a filing fee with your Articles of Organization and Initial Report.  Your forms may be expedited for an additional fee.

You can file your Articles of Organization and Initial Report, as well as any subsequent Supplemental Initial Report, online through the Secretary of State’s website, by fax, or in person at their Baton Rouge office, or by mail to:

Commercial Division
P. O. Box 94125
Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9125

There are multiple ways to pay for your Louisiana Supplemental Initial Report. These include:

• Personal or business check (make checks payable to the Secretary of State)
• Cash (if hand-delivered)
• Money order
• Credit Card (Visa, Master Card, Discover, or American Express)

Credit card payments are subject to an additional statutory convenience fee per transaction. 

What other information do you need to get your LLC up and running?

The information in your Louisiana Supplemental Initial Report pertains to the people who’ve chosen to be a part of the business. But there are a lot of other decisions to be made during your first member meeting. 

It’s important to have a detailed and comprehensive operating agreement (OA). This will go a long way in helping your business run smoothly. Operating agreements address things like:

• Interest percentage of each member
• Roles of members and managers 
• Authorization of officer/manager powers 
• Non-compete clause 
• Transfer of ownership 
• Dissolution of the LLC

You may want to have all members present when you record the necessary information for your Louisiana Supplement Initial Report. If you haven’t yet written, you may want to take advantage of our Louisiana operating agreement template. Experts in the area can answer questions and help you understand the complete picture.  

Annual Reports

In Louisiana, your Initial Report or Supplemental Initial Report will serve as your first Annual Report. According to Louisiana law, the annual report will then be required yearly, on or before the anniversary date of the business. Submit this form to the Secretary of State using the same methods you’d use for your Louisiana Supplemental Initial Report. 

There are no late fees for tardiness. However, if you don’t file your Louisiana LLC Annual Report by your anniversary date, the state will mark your LLC as “not in good standing.” If you don’t file your Annual Report for three years, the state will revoke your limited liability company’s registration. It’s certainly best to stay compliant. ZenBusiness’s Annual Report service can help you keep on track with this particular mandate as well as others — providing peace of mind so you can focus on your business. 

ZenBusiness has the tools you need to help you keep your business compliant

Filing your Initial Report is just another of the many hoops to jump through when starting a business. Luckily, you don’t have to go it alone. Discover the ways that the team at ZenBusiness can help you get started, stay compliant, and grow your company.