Arkansas Secretary of State office — contact, fees, and licensing
Official Resource
Arkansas Official SOS WebsiteThe Arkansas Secretary of State's Business and Commercial Services (BCS) Division registers corporations, LLCs, limited partnerships, and nonprofits; processes franchise tax filings; and maintains the state's business entity records. Walk-in services are available at the Little Rock office during business hours.
Updated August 2026
Office contact
- BCS Division address
- Victory Building, 1401 W. Capitol Avenue, Suite 250, Little Rock, AR 72201
- Northwest Arkansas office
- Today's Bank Building, 300 North College, Suite 201F, Fayetteville, AR 72701
- Phone (local)
- (501) 682-3409
- Phone (toll-free)
- (888) 233-0325
- Office hours
- Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Central Time
- Online filing portal
- ark.org/sos — Corporations/LLC/Nonprofit Online Filing System
- BCS homepage
- sos.arkansas.gov — Business and Commercial Services
Annual franchise tax — all entities
Arkansas does not use traditional annual report filings. Instead, all registered domestic and foreign corporations and LLCs pay an annual franchise tax to the Secretary of State. The tax rate varies by entity — it is calculated based on authorized shares or net assets depending on the formula chosen. Filing is done online at sos-franchise.ark.org. Entities that dissolve must file a Final Franchise Tax Report alongside their Articles/Statement of Dissolution; the minimum for that final report is $150.
Entity formation and filing fees
Arkansas offers a roughly 10% online filing discount on most formation documents. Paper fees apply to mail and walk-in submissions. All fees below are from the BCS official fee schedule PDFs, confirmed from the live SOS website August 2026. Verify current amounts at sos.arkansas.gov — Forms and Fees before filing.
| Filing | Paper fee / Online fee |
|---|---|
| LLC — Certificate of Organization | $50 paper / $45 online |
| For-Profit Corporation — Articles of Incorporation | $50 paper / $45 online |
| Nonprofit Corporation — Articles of Incorporation | $50 paper / $45 online |
| Foreign Corporation — Certificate of Authority | $300 paper (not available online) |
| Foreign LLC — Statement of Authority | $300 paper (not available online) |
| Name reservation | $25 paper / $22.50 online |
| Certificate of Existence (good standing) | $15 (online or paper) |
| Document copy (per page) | $0.50 |
| Certified copy surcharge (per document) | $5.00 |
Key Arkansas state licensing agencies
Arkansas Secretary of State — Business and Commercial Services
- What it covers
- Entity formation, franchise tax, registered agent filings, fictitious names
- Website
- sos.arkansas.gov/bcs
Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration — Revenue Division
- What it covers
- State sales tax identification number (required before making taxable sales)
- Website
- dfa.arkansas.gov
Arkansas Division of Workforce Services
- What it covers
- Unemployment insurance tax employer registration, required once an employer has employees
Industry boards and commissions
- What it covers
- State licenses for regulated professions: real estate, contractors, healthcare, and others — contact the relevant board for the specific profession
This guide is informational only and is not affiliated with the Arkansas Secretary of State's office or any state agency listed above. Contact information and fees verified against official Arkansas Secretary of State sources, August 2026. Verify current fees at the official state website. Last verified: August 2026.