How to Dissolve an LLC in Missouri
Missouri is a two-filing state: a Notice of Winding Up then Articles of Termination, $25 each. Here is the exact order, both form numbers, and the step most guides skip.
Quick Answer
Missouri takes two filings to dissolve an LLC, not one. File a Notice of Winding Up (Form LLC-13) for $25, wind up the business, then file Articles of Termination (Form LLC-5) for $25. Budget $50 in state fees total.
To dissolve an LLC in Missouri you file twice, not once. First you file a Notice of Winding Up (Form LLC-13) with the Secretary of State for $25, which puts on record that the company is closing. Then, once the business is actually wound up, you file Articles of Termination (Form LLC-5) for another $25. Total state cost is $50.
That two-step structure is the single thing most Missouri dissolution guides get wrong, and it is the reason some owners think their LLC is closed when the state still shows it as active.
What Forms Do You File to Dissolve a Missouri LLC?
Two separate forms, filed at two different points in the process, both with the Missouri Secretary of State's Corporations Division.
Form LLC-13, Notice of Winding Up. This comes first. It tells the state and your creditors that the LLC has begun winding up its affairs. Filing it starts the wind-up period during which you settle debts, close accounts, and distribute whatever is left to the members.
Form LLC-5, Articles of Termination. This comes last. It confirms the wind-up is finished and formally ends the LLC's existence. Missouri will not treat the company as terminated until this one is on file.
Filing the Notice of Winding Up alone does not close your LLC. It only announces that you have started. The Articles of Termination is the filing that actually ends the entity.
Both forms go to the Corporations Division and can be submitted by mail, by fax, or in person. Current forms and mailing details are on the Secretary of State's site at sos.mo.gov.
How Much Does It Cost to Dissolve an LLC in Missouri?
$50 in state filing fees, split across the two required filings.
| Filing | Form | Fee | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notice of Winding Up | LLC-13 | $25 | At the start of wind-up |
| Articles of Termination | LLC-5 | $25 | After wind-up is complete |
| Total | $50 |
If you have seen Missouri quoted at a flat $25, that figure is only counting the termination filing. It leaves out the notice you are required to file before it. Plan for $50 so the second invoice is not a surprise.
Do You Need Tax Clearance to Dissolve a Missouri LLC?
No. Missouri does not require a tax clearance certificate from the Department of Revenue before it will accept your dissolution filings. That makes it noticeably faster than neighbors like Illinois, and much faster than states that gate dissolution behind a clearance letter that can take weeks on its own.
That is a filing rule, not a tax amnesty. You still owe every final return and every outstanding balance. Missouri simply does not make you prove it to the Secretary of State first, which means the clock on your dissolution is not held hostage by the Department of Revenue's queue.
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Get StartedHow Long Does It Take to Dissolve an LLC in Missouri?
Plan on three to five weeks end to end, though the paperwork itself moves faster than that. The Secretary of State typically processes a mailed filing within about a week. The rest of the time is the wind-up period between your two filings: closing bank accounts, paying final vendors, settling the last payroll if you had employees, and distributing remaining assets.
You control most of that timeline. An LLC with no debts, no employees, and one bank account can move from Notice of Winding Up to Articles of Termination quickly. One with outstanding contracts or an unpaid vendor cannot, and should not.
What Happens If You Skip the Notice of Winding Up?
The Articles of Termination assume a wind-up already happened. Filing termination without ever having filed the notice leaves a gap in the record, and it removes the creditor notice period that protects the members personally.
The bigger practical risk is the one that costs money: an LLC that was never properly terminated stays on Missouri's rolls as an active entity. Active entities keep accruing obligations, and registered agent providers keep billing for a company you believe is gone. We see this constantly, and it is almost always traced back to a half-finished dissolution.
What Do You Still Owe After Dissolving a Missouri LLC?
Three things outlive the filing.
Final federal return. File your last federal return with the "final return" box checked. Dissolving with the state does not tell the IRS anything.
Final Missouri returns. Any state income or sales tax returns for the final period still have to be filed, and any balance still has to be paid.
Your EIN. Dissolution does not cancel it. The IRS keeps an EIN permanently, and closing the associated business account is a separate written request. We cover exactly how that works in what happens to your EIN after dissolution.
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Dissolve My LLCClosing a Missouri LLC Without Missing the Second Filing
Missouri is not a difficult state to close in. It is a state where the process has two halves and people stop after the first one. If you file the notice, wind the business up properly, and then remember to file the termination, you are done for $50 and a few weeks.
If you would rather not track two filings and a wind-up period yourself, we handle Missouri dissolutions start to finish for $99 plus the state fees at cost. Start on our dissolution page and we will sequence both filings for you.
Gabriel Gil
Business Dissolution Specialist at Prodezk. Helping 15,000+ clients across 193 countries for over 24 years.
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