Counselors
LPC-MH- LLC
- Yes
- PLLC
- Not available
- Professional corporation
- Not available
Licensing board: SD Board of Examiners for Counselors & Marriage and Family Therapists
Join the waitlist for your counseling practiceLoading the guide
Which business structures each therapy license may use, where to file and what it costs, the taxes to expect, and the order to do it in. Every fee shows the date we checked it.
For all four licenses, we confirmed: LLC. A sole proprietorship works in every state and needs no company filing.
From state law and board rules as we last read them, not advice for your situation. “Yes” means we confirmed it. When we could not, the card says to confirm with your board.
Licensing board: SD Board of Examiners for Counselors & Marriage and Family Therapists
Join the waitlist for your counseling practiceLicensing board: SD Board of Examiners for Counselors & Marriage and Family Therapists
Join the waitlist for your marriage and family therapy practiceLicensing board: SD Board of Social Work Examiners
Join the waitlist for your social work practiceLicensing board: SD Board of Examiners of Psychologists
Join the waitlist for your psychology practiceCounselors: South Dakota's LLC Act allows an LLC for any lawful purpose, subject to laws regulating business including professional service firms (SDCL 47-34A-112(a)). Neither the counselor licensing chapter (SDCL 36-32) nor the Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists' rules (ARSD 20:68 and 20:73) contains a rule on business form, so an ordinary LLC can be used. South Dakota's professional corporation and professional LLC laws are separate chapters for named professions: medical, chiropractic, optometric, podiatric, physician assistant, nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech-language pathology, dental, veterinary, law and public accounting (SDCL Title 47, chapters 47-11 to 47-13B). None covers counselors (LPC and LPC-MH), and the combined health care chapter is limited to licensees who may form a corporation under chapters 47-11 to 47-11E (SDCL 47-11F-1). So no professional corporation or professional LLC form is available for this license.
Marriage and family therapists: South Dakota's LLC Act allows an LLC for any lawful purpose, subject to laws regulating business including professional service firms (SDCL 47-34A-112(a)). Neither the marriage and family therapist licensing chapter (SDCL 36-33) nor the Board's rules (ARSD 20:71) contains a rule on business form, so an ordinary LLC can be used. South Dakota's professional corporation and professional LLC laws are separate chapters for named professions: medical, chiropractic, optometric, podiatric, physician assistant, nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech-language pathology, dental, veterinary, law and public accounting (SDCL Title 47, chapters 47-11 to 47-13B). None covers marriage and family therapists, and the combined health care chapter is limited to licensees who may form a corporation under chapters 47-11 to 47-11E (SDCL 47-11F-1). So no professional corporation or professional LLC form is available for this license.
Social workers: South Dakota's LLC Act allows an LLC for any lawful purpose, subject to laws regulating business including professional service firms (SDCL 47-34A-112(a)). Neither the social work licensing chapter (SDCL 36-26) nor the Board of Social Work Examiners' rules (ARSD 20:59) contains a rule on business form, so an ordinary LLC can be used. South Dakota's professional corporation and professional LLC laws are separate chapters for named professions: medical, chiropractic, optometric, podiatric, physician assistant, nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech-language pathology, dental, veterinary, law and public accounting (SDCL Title 47, chapters 47-11 to 47-13B). None covers social workers, including the CSW-PIP private independent practice designation, and the combined health care chapter is limited to licensees who may form a corporation under chapters 47-11 to 47-11E (SDCL 47-11F-1). So no professional corporation or professional LLC form is available for this license.
Psychologists: South Dakota's LLC Act allows an LLC for any lawful purpose, subject to laws regulating business including professional service firms (SDCL 47-34A-112(a)). Neither the psychologist licensing chapter (SDCL 36-27A) nor the Board of Examiners of Psychologists' rules (ARSD 20:60) contains a rule on business form, so an ordinary LLC can be used. South Dakota's professional corporation and professional LLC laws are separate chapters for named professions: medical, chiropractic, optometric, podiatric, physician assistant, nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech-language pathology, dental, veterinary, law and public accounting (SDCL Title 47, chapters 47-11 to 47-13B). None covers psychologists, and the combined health care chapter is limited to licensees who may form a corporation under chapters 47-11 to 47-11E (SDCL 47-11F-1). So no professional corporation or professional LLC form is available for this license.
$150 online, $165 on paper (includes the paper filing fee), per the Secretary of State fee schedule; SDCL 47-34A-212(a) sets the $150 filing fee. Expedited service is $50 extra. A series LLC is $200 and not needed.
This is an estimate, added up from the fees on this page: the state filing fee, the first annual report or yearly state fee, and any flat minimum tax our data names. It leaves out board application fees, a registered agent company, expedited filing, newspaper notices, name reservations, local licenses and income tax. The state sets the real amounts.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| State filing fee | $150 |
| First annual report or yearly state fee | $55 |
| Estimated state costs in year one | $205 |
Does not include state taxes unless a flat minimum is listed above.
South Dakota has no individual or corporate income tax and no entity-level franchise or gross receipts tax. State sales tax (4.2%) applies to retail sales and most services (SDCL 10-45-4, 10-45-4.1), but health services (SIC major group 80) are specifically exempt (SDCL 10-45-12.1). Whether counseling and psychotherapy fall wholly under that exemption, especially coaching or non-clinical consulting, should be confirmed with the Department of Revenue.
State tax information More tax information More tax information (2)
City and county: South Dakota has no general state business license. Some cities and counties may require a business license or home occupation permit. Check the city clerk or zoning office for the practice address. Ask your city or county whether a local business license or home occupation permit applies to a practice like yours.
Ask an accountant before you choose how the company is taxed. This page does not tell you which tax treatment to pick.
The order below follows the rules we found for South Dakota. A board approval or a newspaper notice changes where a task falls, so a different state may order these differently.
Your South Dakota licensing board can add its own rules to the state's business law. Read them for your license before you file anything.
Check that no one in the state already has the name, and follow the state's name rules for professional practices.
The state requires a registered agent with a street address in the state. That can be you, if you have a street address in the state, or a registered agent company.
Use the form and fee for the structure you chose, listed above.
It is free. Apply only on irs.gov, after the state approves your filing.
You may already have one. Get a second, organization number only if your practice is a company that bills under its own name.
Bring your state filing, EIN letter and ID. Keeping practice money in its own account keeps your records clean.
Ask your city or county whether a local business license or home occupation permit applies to a practice like yours.
Put your yearly report and any state taxes on your calendar so your company stays in good standing.
SyncedUp builds your fees, paperwork, booking and website from a few answers, then runs the practice with you. We fill in South Dakota for you. Everything on this page stays free to read.
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Last checked: Oct 18, 2026. We change this date only when someone re-checks the facts, never when the page is rebuilt.
We checked these facts against the official sources listed below, including the state filing office and the licensing boards.
See a mistake? Email us a correction. Please do not include any client or personal information.