LLC Formation in Alabama (2026): 7 Moves and the 3 Best LLC Services
Short answer for Alabama, 2026: use Mainstay Filing ($199), Alabama Registered Agent.co ($199) and AL Registered Agent.org ($199), ranked best to worst, if you want help starting an LLC. The primer has 7 moves. The state charges $236.
Prices come from each company's own site, read November 13, 2026. Add the $236 state fee to every row.
The primer, move by move
Move 1
Name the company
A taken name can get the Alabama filing bounced. Run the business search at the Alabama Secretary of State before you do anything else.
Keep a runner-up name in reserve.
Move 2
Who is the registered agent?
Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. An Alabama resident, or a business entity formed in Alabama or registered to do business there. The agent keeps a business office at the registered office address.
The address has to be a street address in Alabama where papers can be handed to the agent. P.O. boxes are not accepted, and an agent cannot work only through a virtual office or a mail-forwarding service.
After approval, the IRS can give the LLC a federal tax ID, and the business bank account hinges on it. Mainstay Filing's yearly price covers this application.
Move 6
Put ownership rules in writing
Owners sign it to settle shares, votes and what happens when someone leaves. It is private and never filed.
Move 7
Plan for year two
Nothing to file yearly in Alabama. The one standing duty is a current registered agent.
What each move costs in Alabama
Move
Goes to
Total
Setting up the LLC
Paid to the state
$236
Optional service
The provider
$199 in year one
State total, three years
Paid to the state
$236
State fees come from the official pages in the sources. Three years means the filing, two years of reports and the minimum tax where one applies.
How we ordered the Alabama picks
To-dos the price takes off you decided first place in Alabama. It is 38% of the mark; the rest is founder outlay over three years, year-two price, fit with the state's rules and pricing you can read at once.
With no report to bundle, the lead over Alabama Registered Agent.co is slim.
Short answers
Which Alabama fees apply to a new LLC?
Alabama bills $236. Services we rank charge $199 on top.
Which form creates the LLC?
The destination for the Domestic Limited Liability Company Certificate of Formation is the Alabama Secretary of State.
Is a registered agent required?
Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.
What does Alabama require each year?
No yearly report is due.
Can I form the LLC without a service?
A service is optional. Founders can file with the $236 fee as long as they appoint a registered agent.
Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?
Mainstay Filing, Alabama Registered Agent.co and AL Registered Agent.org, best mark first.
Alabama formation fee: Filing fee, official source facts trace to alison.legislature.state.al.us (read October 2026); that page is the authority, not us.
Alabama formation fee: Filing fee, official source facts trace to sos.alabama.gov (read October 2026); that page is the authority, not us.
Alabama formation fee: Name reservation, official source facts trace to sos.alabama.gov (read October 2026); that page is the authority, not us.
Alabama formation fee: Name reservation, official source facts trace to alison.legislature.state.al.us (read October 2026); that page is the authority, not us.
Alabama registered agent statute facts trace to alisondb.legislature.state.al.us (read October 2026); that page is the authority, not us.
Alabama service page at Mainstay Filing, pulled November 13, 2026
pricing page at Alabama Registered Agent.co, pulled November 13, 2026
pricing page at AL Registered Agent.org, pulled November 13, 2026