How do you set upa company in Louisiana.
Teamed employs your Louisiana team under its own registered entity, so you hire and pay staff without filing formation paperwork yourself.
At a glance
Louisiana entity setup, the numbers that matter
Louisiana has repealed the corporation franchise tax, so the minimum franchise tax sits at $0 with no tax basis at all, per the Louisiana Department of Revenue. Registering a new entity with the Louisiana Secretary of State carries a formation fee of $125, effective 1 October 2026 under Act 921 of the 2026 Regular Session. Those are the two figures that actually move the needle when you're comparing entity setup against an EOR here.
- Minimum franchise tax
- $0
- Franchise tax basis
- none
- Formation / registration fee
- $125
Getting registered
What it takes to register in Louisiana
Setting up a Louisiana LLC or corporation means filing formation documents with the Secretary of State, appointing a registered agent with a physical Louisiana address, and paying the state's formation fee, which is $125 under the fee schedule effective 1 October 2026. You'll also need an EIN from the IRS, a Louisiana withholding tax account, and unemployment insurance registration before your first employee gets paid.
None of that is unusually hard on its own, but stacked together it's weeks of admin before you can legally run payroll. Teamed skips that sequence entirely, since your Louisiana hires sit under Teamed's existing registered entity from day one.
Franchise tax status
Louisiana's franchise tax no longer applies
Louisiana has repealed the corporation franchise tax, and the Department of Revenue confirms the minimum franchise tax is now $0 with no tax basis remaining. That's a real simplification compared with states that still calculate franchise tax on capital or net worth, and it removes one recurring compliance line item entirely.
It doesn't remove the rest of the picture, though. Corporate income tax, payroll tax registrations, and annual report obligations still apply to any entity you form, franchise tax repeal or not.
Costs and timing
What you'll actually pay and when
The clearest number to plan around is the $125 formation fee the Secretary of State charges to register your entity, effective 1 October 2026. Beyond that fee, budget for a registered agent, any legal help drafting your operating agreement or bylaws, and the ongoing cost of running compliance in a state where you don't already have people on the ground.
If you're hiring one or two people to test the Louisiana market, that overhead rarely pays for itself quickly. If you're building a real office with dozens of hires planned, it usually does.
The honest take
An EOR is often the smarter first move
An employer of record is sometimes the better answer, not a lesser one, especially for a small or still-changing headcount, or when you're testing whether Louisiana is even the right market. Talk to a member of the team about your actual plans, and if you want the numbers side by side, run them through the crossover calculator, since the right answer depends on salaries and how long you intend to stay.
Your own entity
Your own entity, when it's time. We set it up, migrate you in, and hand it back intact.
When Louisiana stops being a test and becomes a real operating base, Teamed's Global Entity and Employment Operations service, which we call GEMO, is ready. It sets up your own Louisiana entity, migrates your employees off the EOR arrangement and onto your payroll, and hands the entity back to you fully intact. It's the same team and process across 100+ countries, so the migration follows a pattern Teamed has already run many times over.
Before you commit
Sometimes an employer of record is the better fit
An employer of record is sometimes the better answer, not a lesser one, especially for a small or still-changing headcount, or when you're testing whether Louisiana is even the right market. Talk to a member of the team about your actual plans, and if you want the numbers side by side, run them through the crossover calculator, since the right answer depends on salaries and how long you intend to stay.
Contractors, employer of record and your own entity all run on one platform at Teamed, so moving between them later does not mean changing provider or re-onboarding anybody. Real HR and legal experts handle the work rather than a ticket queue.
Talk to a member of the team and we will tell you plainly which one suits where you are. If you would rather look at the numbers yourself first, the crossover calculator models it on local salaries and employer costs rather than on a headcount rule of thumb.
Who carries it
Your own entity, when it's time. We set it up, migrate you in, and hand it back intact.
Global Entity and Employment Operations, which we call GEMO, is how Teamed forms your company, registers it for tax and payroll, runs it month to month and keeps its filings current, across 100+ countries. You stay the employer. We do the work behind it.
When Louisiana stops being a test and becomes a real operating base, Teamed's Global Entity and Employment Operations service, which we call GEMO, is ready. It sets up your own Louisiana entity, migrates your employees off the EOR arrangement and onto your payroll, and hands the entity back to you fully intact. It's the same team and process across 100+ countries, so the migration follows a pattern Teamed has already run many times over.
They set up our EU entity and moved hires across without missing a payroll.
Questions
Louisiana entity setup, common questions
Do I need to register a business in Louisiana to hire employees there?
If you want to employ someone directly, yes, you need a registered entity with the Secretary of State along with state tax and unemployment insurance accounts. An employer of record like Teamed lets you skip that registration and hire under Teamed's existing Louisiana presence instead.
Is there still a franchise tax for Louisiana corporations?
No. Louisiana has repealed the corporation franchise tax, and the Department of Revenue confirms the minimum franchise tax is now $0 with no remaining tax basis. Other obligations like corporate income tax and annual reports still apply.
How much does it cost to register an entity in Louisiana?
The Louisiana Secretary of State charges a formation fee of $125, effective 1 October 2026 under Act 921 of the 2026 Regular Session. That fee covers registration only, not registered agent costs, legal drafting, or ongoing compliance.
How fast can I start hiring in Louisiana without forming an entity?
Using an EOR, you can generally start hiring within days rather than the weeks it takes to file formation documents, get an EIN, and open state tax accounts. Teamed's existing Louisiana registration means the entity step simply isn't on your critical path.
Should I set up my own entity or use an EOR in Louisiana?
It depends on your headcount, how long you plan to stay, and your salary levels, which is exactly what the crossover calculator is for. For a small or uncertain team, an EOR is a genuinely fair choice, not a stopgap, and Teamed can migrate you to your own GEMO entity later without disruption.
Where these figures come from
Sources
Figures on this page come from the Louisiana Department of Revenue and the Louisiana Secretary of State.
Looking for a job in Entity Setup yourself? Teamed does not hire people directly. Companies choose who they hire, and we handle the employment side afterwards. Here is why we cannot help with your search.