Business Registers in Arkansas: Secretary of State

Overview

Arkansas business registration runs through the Secretary of State (SOS), specifically its Business and Commercial Services (BCS) division, which keeps the official record of entities formed or registered to do business in the state. Searches and filings go through the SOS at sos.arkansas.gov.

Arkansas rolls its recurring filing and its main state tax into one document. Rather than a plain annual report, corporations and LLCs file an Annual Franchise Tax Report with the SOS, due May 1 each year, which both confirms the entity's details and pays the franchise tax. The obligation starts the year after formation. This matters for KYB work because an entity's good-standing status in Arkansas turns on whether the franchise tax is paid, not just on a routine information filing.

Not every entity is in scope. LLCs and corporations pay the franchise tax, while limited partnerships, limited liability partnerships, and sole proprietors are exempt and file no franchise tax report at all. Nonprofits are also exempt from the franchise tax, but they still file a separate annual report with the SOS, free of charge, on a different deadline.

Arkansas has no state-level beneficial ownership register. At the federal level, the Corporate Transparency Act (2021) created a BOI registry run by FinCEN, but a March 2025 interim final rule lifted the obligation for all U.S. companies and U.S. persons. Only foreign reporting companies remain subject to it.

For KYB and AML work, the free SOS search returns an entity's status, filing number, registered agent, principal office, filing history, and good-standing status. Corporate officers and directors appear from the franchise tax report; LLC member and manager data is limited to what the formation documents contain.

Official Registers

Secretary of State (Business Entity Search)

The SOS Business and Commercial Services division maintains the official register through its Business Entity Search. It records domestic and foreign corporations, LLCs, nonprofit corporations, limited partnerships, and limited liability partnerships.

Search and access. The Business Entity Search is free and needs no account. Search by entity name or filing number. Each record shows the entity name, filing number, type, status, registration date, registered agent name and address, principal office, officers where reported, and the filing and franchise tax history. Good-standing status is visible directly.

Filing number. Arkansas assigns each entity a filing number at registration, which is the primary identifier across the register and the key most lookups run on.

Filings. Formation documents go in online through the SOS portal or by mail. Articles of Organization for domestic LLCs cost $45 online or $50 by mail. Articles of Incorporation for domestic for-profit corporations cost $50. Nonprofit Articles of Incorporation cost $50. Foreign entities file an application for registration to do business in the state.

Certificates. Certificates of Good Standing and certified copies of filed documents are available from the SOS for a fee.

Registration and Publication Requirements

Corporations

All domestic and foreign for-profit corporations must register with the SOS and maintain a registered agent at an Arkansas address.

Annual Franchise Tax Report. Corporations file an Annual Franchise Tax Report with the SOS, due May 1. For a corporation with authorised stock, the tax is 0.3% of the value of its outstanding capital stock, with a minimum of $150; a corporation without authorised stock pays a flat $300. The report carries the principal office, the registered agent, and the officers and directors, all of which become part of the public record. Late filing draws penalty and interest after May 1.

Continued non-payment leads the SOS to revoke the corporation's charter or its authority to do business, after which it must be reinstated to return to good standing.

Financial statements. There is no public financial disclosure requirement, though a corporation's outstanding capital stock value is reflected in its franchise tax calculation.

LLCs

All domestic and foreign LLCs must register with the SOS and maintain a registered agent in Arkansas. Domestic formation costs $45 online or $50 by mail.

Annual Franchise Tax Report. LLCs file an Annual Franchise Tax Report and pay a flat franchise tax of $150 each year, due May 1, regardless of size or income. The LLC report confirms the registered agent and pays the tax; it does not list members or managers, so LLC ownership and management data on the public record comes from the Articles of Organization rather than a recurring filing.

Nonprofit corporations

Nonprofits register with the SOS and are exempt from the franchise tax, so they file no franchise tax report. They do, however, file a separate annual report with the SOS, at no charge, due August 1 each year, which keeps their officers, directors, and registered agent current on the public record. Federal 501(c) status comes from the IRS; the state filing does not grant it.

Limited partnerships and LLPs

Limited partnerships and limited liability partnerships register with the SOS and maintain a registered agent in Arkansas. Both are exempt from the franchise tax.

Sole proprietors and general partnerships

Sole proprietors and general partnerships do not register as entities with the SOS and do not appear in the business search.

Summary table

With Topograph

Topograph queries Arkansas's Secretary of State system to return structured company data for entities registered in the state.

Available Data

Company Profile

• Arkansas filing number
• Entity name
• Entity type and state of formation
• Current status and good-standing status
• Registration date
• Registered agent name and address
• Principal office address

Officers and Management

• Officers and directors as reported in a corporation's Annual Franchise Tax Report
• LLC member and manager detail where present in the formation documents

Available Documents

Financial statements aren't filed publicly in Arkansas. For LLCs, the public record reflects the formation documents rather than the franchise tax report, so management data may be limited. Domestic companies are also exempt from federal BOI reporting following the March 2025 FinCEN rule.

---