Arkansas Certificate of Good Standing: $25, ordered online
Arkansas issues it as a Certificate of Good Standing, ordered online from the Arkansas Secretary of State. The state fee is $25, and it is issued instantly online. It proves the LLC is current with the state on the day it is printed, so banks want one under 30 days old.
Arkansas’s $25 fee next to every other state
Tied with 5 other jurisdictions at $25, the seventh-highest fee of the 51. The median jurisdiction charges $12.
Tap or hover a dot to see which state it is.
- Arkansas
- Other states and DC
- Median
What it proves, and who will ask for it
A certificate of good standing is a one-page statement from the Arkansas Secretary of State, Business & Commercial Services that your LLC exists on the state’s records and is current on what the state requires of it. In Arkansas the official name is Certificate of Good Standing. It does not say anything about taxes owed elsewhere, licences or lawsuits; it says the entity is in good standing with the filing office on the date printed.
Four people ask for it: the bank opening the business account, a lender underwriting a loan, another state’s filing office when you register the LLC there as a foreign entity, and a buyer or investor doing diligence. All of them want a recent one, because the certificate is a snapshot and a company’s status can change the day after it is printed.
Arkansas’s own rules for the certificate of good standing, with sources
How Arkansas issues it, what it certifies, what affects the entity's status, and how a bank can check it. Checked Sep 18, 2026.
| Rule | What the official source says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Official name | Certificate of Good Standing, issued by the Arkansas Secretary of State (Business & Commercial Services). The SOS also issues a separate 'Certificate of Existence', which it describes as a statement of basic corporate information and current tax status. | sos-good-standing.ark.org |
| Online | Order at sos-good-standing.ark.org: enter the entity's Arkansas filing number (found through the SOS corporation search) and pay. The page does not ask for a login. You download the certificate as a PDF, and the download link stays active for 2 weeks from purchase. | sos-good-standing.ark.org |
| Mail, email or in person | Submit the SOS Records Request Form (it has a 'Certificate of Good Standing' checkbox) by mail to BCS, 1401 W. Capitol Ave., Suite 250, Little Rock, or by email to corprequest@sos.arkansas.gov, or pick up at the office. Certificates can be returned by mail or picked up, but not by email (email is for plain copies only). | sos.arkansas.gov |
| Online fee | $25.00 per certificate. | sos-good-standing.ark.org |
| Paper/records-request fee | Certificates cost $25.00 each, except Certificates of Existence, which cost $15.00. Credit-card payments on records requests carry a 4% transaction fee (minimum $1.00). The minimum mailed or card order is $2.50. | sos.arkansas.gov |
| What the certificate states | The SOS says the certificate certifies that a corporation or company 'is at this time qualified and in good standing, having met all the requirements governing this type of corporation or company in the state of Arkansas.' The SOS FAQ describes it as a statement that the entity 'has the authority to transact business in the state.' | sos-good-standing.ark.org |
| Unpaid franchise tax leads to revocation | Corporations, LLCs, banks and insurance companies must file an annual franchise tax report and pay the tax (A.C.A. § 26-54-101 et seq.). Under A.C.A. § 26-54-111, on or before January 31 each year the Secretary of State proclaims revoked the charters or authorities of all entities delinquent on a prior year's franchise tax. The SOS says revocation happens because of franchise-tax noncompliance, most often failure to pay the annual tax. | arkleg.state.ar.us |
| Other filings blocked | Under A.C.A. § 26-54-114, entities that fail to pay the franchise tax cannot make any other BCS filings. Franchise tax keeps accruing even on revoked entities until they are dissolved, withdrawn or merged. | sos.arkansas.gov |
| Late penalty | A late report or payment owes a $25.00 late-filing penalty plus interest at 0.000274 per day on the tax and penalty (A.C.A. §§ 26-54-107 and -114). Arkansas eliminated extensions in 1991 (Acts 1046 and 1140). | sos.arkansas.gov |
| Online verification | Yes. Anyone holding an Arkansas online Certificate of Good Standing can check that it is valid at sos-good-standing.ark.org/status by entering the certificate's web authorization code. | sos-good-standing.ark.org |
| Apostille | The Business & Commercial Services Division is Arkansas's Competent Authority for apostilles. The fee is $10 per apostille or $5 per certification, with no extra charge for expediting. The SOS aims to process requests within 24–48 hours. | sos.arkansas.gov |
| Franchise tax report due May 1 | All Arkansas LLCs pay a flat $150 annual franchise tax. Corporations with stock pay a minimum of $150, and corporations without stock pay $300. Reports and payment are due on or before May 1 (the 2026 report covered the year ending 12/31/2025). Filing online adds a $5.00 processing fee, and filing on paper adds none. | sos.arkansas.gov |
| Foreign registrations need a home-state certificate dated within 30 days | To register a foreign (out-of-state) entity in Arkansas, the SOS requires an original certificate of existence ('good standing') from the home state, dated within the last 30 days. | sos.arkansas.gov |
How to order it in Arkansas
Find the LLC on the state record
Open the official page and look the company up by name or file number. Check the status shown on the record: the certificate reports what the record says, so fix anything shown as delinquent before you order.
Order and pay online
Select the certificate of good standing, pay the $25 state fee on the state system, and download or wait for delivery. Turnaround at last check: immediate online (PDF download, available 2 weeks).
Use it inside 30 days
Time the order for the week of the bank appointment or the loan closing. A certificate from two months ago is usually sent back for a fresh one, and you pay the fee twice.
Order it inside the bank’s 30-day window
The certificate speaks for the day it is printed. Most banks and lenders want it issued within the last 30 days; a few accept 60. Order it the week of the appointment, not the month before.
Next Arkansas annual franchise tax / report due
May 1
0 days from today
State fee $150. Miss it and the LLC can fall out of good standing on the state record, which the next certificate would show. Arkansas annual report.
The certificate is one of four documents the bank will ask for
Banks want the Arkansas certificate of good standing dated inside the last 30 days, next to certified articles, the signed operating agreement and the IRS EIN letter. The Bank-Ready Pack orders the certificate from the state the day you pay, so it lands inside the window, and assembles the rest from one form. Why banks ask for it, and what it does not prove.
- Certificate ordered from the state when you pay; state fee invoiced at cost
- Operating agreement and banking resolution generated from your answers
- One dated pack, ready for the account-opening appointment
If the Arkansas record shows the LLC is not in good standing
Catch up the state filing
The Arkansas annual franchise tax / report is due May 1 every year, state fee $150. Miss it and the LLC can fall out of good standing on the state record, which the next certificate would show. Arkansas annual report page, with free reminders at 60, 30 and 7 days.
Reinstate if it was dissolved
Miss enough cycles and the state can administratively dissolve the LLC. Reinstatement means the back filings, the state’s reinstatement fee and a registered agent on file; order the certificate after it posts. How reinstatement works.
Keep an agent on file
Every Arkansas LLC must keep a registered agent at an Arkansas street address. A lapsed agent is one of the quickest ways out of good standing. Arkansas registered agent, $74.25 a year, through our partner Registered Agents Inc. Switching agents? How to change your Arkansas registered agent.
Watch every entity at once
Own more than one company? The free portfolio board shows each state’s deadline and standing side by side, so no certificate order turns into a surprise.
Frequently asked questions
How long is an Arkansas online Certificate of Good Standing available to download?
For 2 weeks from the time of purchase. Each certificate costs $25.00.
Can a bank confirm that an Arkansas good standing certificate is genuine?
Yes. Enter the certificate's web authorization code at the Secretary of State's verification page (sos-good-standing.ark.org/status).
Why would an Arkansas company lose its good standing?
The usual cause is unpaid annual franchise tax, which is due May 1. On or before January 31 each year, the Secretary of State revokes entities that are delinquent for a prior year (A.C.A. § 26-54-111). Unpaid entities are also barred from making other filings (A.C.A. § 26-54-114).
What does a late Arkansas franchise tax report cost?
A $25.00 penalty plus daily interest (0.000274 per day) on the tax and penalty. Extensions are not available.
How much does an Arkansas certificate of good standing cost?
The Arkansas Secretary of State, Business & Commercial Services charges $25 for a certificate of good standing, verified Sep 12, 2026 on the official fee page linked on this page. Expedited service or a certified copy of the formation documents, where offered, is priced separately by the state.
How do I get a certificate of good standing in Arkansas?
Order it from the Arkansas Secretary of State, Business & Commercial Services online at sos-good-standing.ark.org. No account is needed to order online. Turnaround at last check: immediate online (PDF download, available 2 weeks). Check the LLC's status on the state record first; the certificate reports what the record shows.
What is a certificate of good standing called in Arkansas?
Arkansas issues it as a Certificate of Good Standing, from the Arkansas Secretary of State, Business & Commercial Services. Banks, lenders and other states accept it as the good-standing document whatever the local name, as long as it is recent and issued by the state.
Why does a bank want the Arkansas certificate of good standing dated within 30 days?
The certificate is a snapshot of the Arkansas Secretary of State, Business & Commercial Services record on the day it is printed. Banks and lenders treat it as proof the company is current now, so most ask for one issued within the last 30 days, a few accept 60. In Arkansas it is issued instantly online, so order it the week you need it, not the month before.
What keeps an Arkansas LLC in good standing?
Filing the Arkansas annual franchise tax / report on time, due May 1 every year, state fee $150, and keeping a registered agent on file. Miss the report and the company can fall out of good standing on the state record, which the next certificate would show; catch it up, and reinstate if needed, before you order.
Is this Arkansas page legal advice?
No. Vermilion Vitez is a filing-services company, not a law firm. This page is educational reference information, verified Sep 12, 2026 against the Arkansas Secretary of State, Business & Commercial Services's own site (sos-good-standing.ark.org); that site is the final word.
Nearby states
A foreign registration needs a certificate from the home state, and each state prices and names the document differently. Jump to a bordering state, or see all 50 states + DC.
Done for you, or do it yourself
Need the Arkansas certificate? We order it from the state the day you pay.
$82.50 plus the Arkansas state fee and card processing, or order it yourself on the official site. Banks want it dated within the last 30 days, so place the order the week of the meeting.
Need the articles, operating agreement and EIN letter too? Build the Bank-Ready Pack · or call (954) 470-8356 — we pick up.