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Founder Primer

LLC paperwork, boiled down for founders.

Guide 1 · Arizona

LLC Formation in Arizona (2026): 8 Moves and the 3 Best LLC Services

Short answer for Arizona, 2026: use Mainstay Filing ($199), AZ Registered Agent.org ($199) and Arizona Registered Agent.co ($199), ranked best to worst, if you want help starting an LLC. 8 moves, $50 to the state, then your first year of upkeep.
From the Founder Primer desk

Key facts

State fee to file
$50
Official page: azcc.gov (October 2026)
Periodic report
None
No recurring report
Three-year state cost
$50
No service fees counted
How many moves
8
One at a time

Primer goals

  • The Arizona formation form, its price and where it goes
  • What the statutory agent rule asks
  • The upkeep that repeats
  • How the picks compare

The Arizona shortlist

Marked on the scoring page: three-year cost (27%), to-dos cleared (38%), renewal, fit with Arizona's rules and readable pricing.

Start with this $199 a year

1. Mainstay Filing: best for first-time founders

In Arizona, Mainstay Filing is number one: filing plus a year of statutory agent service is $199, and the renewal bill stays level.

Three years cost $200 more than AZ Registered Agent.org, but it clears more of the to-do list, and the marks reward that.

Inside the price
  • The filing is made for you
  • Statutory agent all year
  • EIN application included
  • State fee passed through at cost
In its favor
  • $199/yr for the whole bundle
  • Renews at $199
  • It files the EIN application for you
Against it
  • After year one it costs $100 more a year
  • Little upkeep to roll into the price in this state
One-state plan $199 year one, $99 later

2. AZ Registered Agent.org: best for Arizona LLCs on a tight budget

AZ Registered Agent.org lands second: $199 to file, then $99 a year to keep the agent.

Inside the price
  • We prepare and file the formation
  • Agent service for year one
In its favor
  • A low $99 renewal
  • No agent fee in year one
  • $199 and the state fee
Against it
  • It charges $99 for the EIN
One-state plan $199 year one, $99 later

3. Arizona Registered Agent.co: best for a low agent renewal

Arizona Registered Agent.co lands third: $199 to file, then $99 a year to keep the agent.

Its prices match AZ Registered Agent.org's, so either one works.

Inside the price
  • We prepare and file the formation
  • Agent service for year one
In its favor
  • A low $99 renewal
  • $199 and the state fee
  • No agent fee in year one
Against it
  • It charges $99 for the EIN

The Arizona picks compared

# Service First year From year two Three-year total
1 Mainstay Filing $199 $199/yr $597 Visit Mainstay Filing Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2 AZ Registered Agent.org $199 $99/yr $397 Visit AZ Registered Agent.org Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3 Arizona Registered Agent.co $199 $99/yr $397 Visit Arizona Registered Agent.co Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Each company's listed price on November 13, 2026. Add the $50 state fee to every row.

Starting a Arizona LLC, move by move

  1. Move 1

    Check the name is free

    Start at the Arizona Corporation Commission: its business records show whether a Arizona company already uses your name.

    Look up the matching domain at the same time.

  2. Move 2

    Put a statutory agent in place

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. An Arizona resident, or a corporation or LLC formed in Arizona or authorized to do business there. The appointment takes effect only once the agent accepts it in writing.

    The address has to be a place of business or residence in Arizona with a street address. A P.O. box can be listed only as a separate Arizona mailing address.

    Every pick above takes the statutory agent role.

    Where this comes from: Official page: azleg.gov (October 2026)

  3. Move 3

    Do it yourself, or not

    Without a service you pay the state $50, nothing more. Any of our picks adds $199 and handles the paperwork.

  4. Move 4

    Submit the Articles of Organization

    Send the Articles of Organization (Form L010) and $50 to the Arizona Corporation Commission. Legal basis: Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 29-3201. That brings the LLC into being.

    Where this comes from: Official page: azcc.gov (October 2026)

  5. Move 5

    Handle Arizona's extra requirement

    • Publication: a notice runs three times within 60 days unless the statutory agent is in a county of more than 800,000 people, where the Commission posts it instead.
  6. Move 6

    Sort out the EIN

    The IRS issues EINs, not Arizona. Apply after approval and hand the number to your bank. Hire Mainstay Filing and the EIN application is handled.

  7. Move 7

    Get the owners' deal on paper

    Who owns what, who decides what: that lives in the operating agreement, an internal paper outside the Arizona filing.

  8. Move 8

    Handle Arizona's recurring filing

    Arizona asks for no recurring LLC report. What is left is keeping a statutory agent on file.

The cost of this primer

Move Payee Figure
Filing the LLC Paid to the state $50
Service fees (optional) Your service $199 up front
State total, three years Paid to the state $50

These are the official Arizona fees, cited below. The three-year line adds the filing fee, the year-two and year-three reports and any minimum tax.

Why this order

The deciding criterion: to-dos the price takes off you, at 38% of the mark.

Even with no yearly report in Arizona, one price for filing and agent still outscored AZ Registered Agent.org.

Arizona quick answers

What will a Arizona LLC cost to start?

$50, per the official fee schedule. Service fees on this list run $199.

Which form creates the LLC?

Once the Arizona Corporation Commission accepts the Articles of Organization (Form L010), the LLC exists.

Is a statutory agent required?

Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

What does Arizona require each year?

No yearly report is due.

Can I form the LLC without a service?

Allowed. File yourself for $50 and arrange a statutory agent.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

Mainstay Filing, since $199 yearly, filing and statutory agent together, no step up at renewal. Then AZ Registered Agent.org and Arizona Registered Agent.co.

Related primers

Sources, so you can check us

  1. Ariz facts trace to azleg.gov (read August 2026); that page is the authority, not us.
  2. Arizona formation fee: Filing fee, official source facts trace to azcc.gov (read October 2026); that page is the authority, not us.
  3. Arizona registered agent statute facts trace to azleg.gov (read October 2026); that page is the authority, not us.
  4. Pricing from Mainstay Filing (Arizona service page), November 13, 2026
  5. Pricing from AZ Registered Agent.org (pricing page), November 13, 2026
  6. Pricing from Arizona Registered Agent.co (pricing page), November 13, 2026