Skip to content
Founder Primer

LLC paperwork, boiled down for founders.

Quick read 1 · Delaware

LLC Formation in Delaware (2026): 7 Moves and the 3 Best LLC Services

If you are hiring for starting an LLC in Delaware in 2026, we rank Mainstay Filing ($199), Delaware Registered Agent.ai ($199) and DE Registered Agent.org ($199), in that order. Delaware takes $110 at filing and expects the Annual LLC Tax every year. 7 moves cover it.
From the Founder Primer desk

The short version

State fee to file
$110
Per delcode.delaware.gov, as of October 2026
Annual LLC Tax
$400 a year
Official timing: annual alternative-entity tax due on or before June 1
State fees, three years
$910
No service fees counted
Moves in this primer
7
In order

After this primer

  • What Delaware charges to form an LLC and who gets the filing
  • What the agent rule says
  • The upkeep that repeats
  • How the picks compare

Delaware: services we rank

Five weighted criteria set the order (see how we score); three-year cost and to-dos cleared count most.

Best overall $199 a year plus the state fee ($309 at checkout)

1. Mainstay Filing: best for founders who want a quiet first year

Mainstay Filing gets the top mark in Delaware: $199 covers formation, the registered agent and the annual tax; year two costs $199.

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

It files every Annual LLC Tax, and the only extra is the state's own $400.

Inside the price
  • We prepare and file the formation
  • Registered agent all year
  • Annual tax filed on time
  • EIN application included
  • State fee at cost
In its favor
  • $199 on renewal
  • $199/yr for the whole bundle
  • No extra fee for the EIN application
Against it
  • Delaware Registered Agent.ai renews for $100 less
Visit Mainstay Filing Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
In-state service Formation $199; renewal $99 a year

2. Delaware Registered Agent.ai: best for founders staying in Delaware

Delaware Registered Agent.ai takes second; $199 to file, then $99 a year to keep the agent.

The price leaves out the Annual LLC Tax, so you file it every year.

Inside the price
  • Formation filing
  • Agent service for year one
In its favor
  • $199 to form
  • A free first agent year
  • Agent renews at $99
Against it
  • Filing the Annual LLC Tax is outside what it does
  • It charges $99 for the EIN
Visit Delaware Registered Agent.ai Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
In-state service Formation $199; renewal $99 a year

3. DE Registered Agent.org: best for LLCs that stay in Delaware

DE Registered Agent.org takes third; $199 to file, then $99 a year to keep the agent.

The price leaves out the Annual LLC Tax, so you file it every year.

It costs the same as Delaware Registered Agent.ai.

Inside the price
  • Formation filing
  • Agent service for year one
In its favor
  • Agent renews at $99
  • $199 to form
  • A free first agent year
Against it
  • Filing the Annual LLC Tax is outside what it does
  • It charges $99 for the EIN
Visit DE Registered Agent.org Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Marks and prices together

# 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 Delaware Registered Agent.ai $199 $99/yr $397 Visit Delaware Registered Agent.ai Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3 DE Registered Agent.org $199 $99/yr $397 Visit DE Registered Agent.org Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Pulled from each company's pricing page on November 13, 2026. Each row still needs Delaware's $110 fee.

Formation in order

  1. Move 1

    Make sure the name is yours to use

    Do not file under a name someone else holds. the Delaware Secretary of State lets you check in a minute.

    Show up with a second name.

  2. Move 2

    Name a registered agent

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. The LLC itself, a Delaware resident, or a business entity formed in Delaware or authorized to do business there.

    The address has to be a registered office in Delaware. An entity agent keeps a business office there that is generally open; an individual agent has to be generally present there. A virtual office or mail-forwarding service alone does not qualify.

    The services we rank supply a registered agent.

    Where this comes from: Per delcode.delaware.gov, as of October 2026

  3. Move 3

    Who files it?

    $110 goes to the state regardless. A service costs $199 extra; the ranking shows who to use.

  4. Move 4

    Send in the Certificate of Formation of a Limited Liability Company

    This is the filing that creates the company: the Certificate of Formation of a Limited Liability Company, sent to the Delaware Secretary of State with $110 (6 Del. C. § 18-201).

    Where this comes from: Per delcode.delaware.gov, as of October 2026

  5. Move 5

    Sort out the EIN

    Once Delaware approves the LLC, ask the IRS for an EIN. Banks and payroll providers need one. Mainstay Filing files the EIN application inside the package.

  6. Move 6

    Draft the operating agreement

    A single-owner Delaware LLC still benefits from a written operating agreement in the files.

  7. Move 7

    Plan for year two

    Delaware requires the Annual LLC Tax every year, due annual alternative-entity tax due on or before June 1, costing $400. Late means $200 extra.

    Where this comes from: Per legis.delaware.gov, as of October 2026

Costs, move by move

Item Goes to Amount
Filing fee To the state $110
Annual LLC Tax To the state $400 every year
Late filing penalty To the state $200
Paid help Your service $199 for year one
State fees, years one to three To the state $910

Filing plus the reports in years two and three plus any minimum tax: that is the state's three-year total. Sources are listed below.

Why Mainstay Filing is first

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

Delaware Registered Agent.ai costs less, yet the Annual LLC Tax would still be yours.

Short answers

Which Delaware fees apply to a new LLC?

The state fee is $110. Hire help and add $199.

Which form creates the LLC?

The Delaware Secretary of State takes the Certificate of Formation of a Limited Liability Company, the paper that forms the company.

Is a registered agent required?

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

What does Delaware require each year?

File the Annual LLC Tax every year, $400; deadline annual alternative-entity tax due on or before June 1.

Can I form the LLC without a service?

You can: the state wants $110, and you name a registered agent yourself or hire one.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

Our order: Mainstay Filing, Delaware Registered Agent.ai and DE Registered Agent.org. Mainstay Filing leads because $199 a year buys the filing, the registered agent and the annual tax in one go, and renewal is the same $199.

More primers

Sources, so you can check us

  1. Proof for Delaware yearly filing: Recurring obligation, official source: the claims lean on corp.delaware.gov, which we last read in October 2026. Open it and compare.
  2. Proof for Delaware yearly filing: Recurring obligation, official source: the claims lean on corp.delaware.gov, which we last read in October 2026. Open it and compare.
  3. Proof for Delaware yearly filing: HB 400, official source: the claims lean on legis.delaware.gov, which we last read in October 2026. Open it and compare.
  4. Proof for Delaware report due date: the claims lean on delcode.delaware.gov, which we last read in August 2026. Open it and compare.
  5. Proof for 6 Del: the claims lean on delcode.delaware.gov, which we last read in August 2026. Open it and compare.
  6. Proof for Delaware registered agent statute: the claims lean on delcode.delaware.gov, which we last read in October 2026. Open it and compare.
  7. The Delaware service page from Mainstay Filing, November 13, 2026
  8. The pricing page from Delaware Registered Agent.ai, November 13, 2026
  9. The pricing page from DE Registered Agent.org, November 13, 2026