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Founder Primer

LLC paperwork, boiled down for founders.

Quick read 1 · Kansas

LLC Formation in Kansas (2026): 7 Moves and the 2 Best LLC Services

Short answer for Kansas, 2026: use KS Registered Agent.org ($199) and Mainstay Filing ($199), ranked best to worst, if you want help starting an LLC. To start the LLC: 7 moves and $85 paid to Kansas; the information report follows every two years.
From the Founder Primer desk

Key facts

Formation fee
$85
Per sos.ks.gov, as of October 2026
Information report
$90 every 2 years
Filing window: 15th day of the 4th month after tax-year-end
Three years of state fees
$175
Service fees excluded
How many moves
7
One at a time

You will know

  • What Kansas charges to form an LLC and who gets the filing
  • What the agent rule says
  • The upkeep that repeats
  • The services we rank

If you want someone else to file

Five published criteria set the order; read them on how we score.

Best overall Formation $199; renewal $99 a year

1. KS Registered Agent.org: best for founders staying in Kansas

First place goes to KS Registered Agent.org because $199 up front and no agent fee in year one; $99 a year from year two.

A lower three-year cost than Mainstay Filing puts it first; cost is worth 27%.

Make time for the information report every two years; it is not in the price.

Inside the price
  • Filing with the state
  • Agent service for year one
In its favor
  • $199 above the state fee
  • A low $99 renewal
  • Year-one agent service costs nothing extra
Against it
  • You prepare the information report yourself
  • The EIN application is not included ($99)
Visit KS Registered Agent.org Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Any state $199 yearly; renewal $199

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

Mainstay Filing is a fair second choice: $199 yearly puts the filing, a resident agent and the information report in someone else's hands.

Three years cost $200 more than KS Registered Agent.org, and cost is 27% of the mark.

The information report is on its to-do list, and Kansas's $90 fee is billed to you at cost.

Inside the price
  • Filing with the state
  • Resident agent all year
  • Information report filed on time
  • EIN application included
  • State fee passed through at cost
In its favor
  • Renews at $199
  • Flat $199 a year
  • EIN application included
Against it
  • After year one it costs $100 more a year
Visit Mainstay Filing Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

All prices in one table

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

Company prices as listed on November 13, 2026. Each row still needs Kansas's $85 fee.

Starting a Kansas LLC, move by move

  1. Move 1

    Pick the name and test it

    Search the Kansas Secretary of State first. If the name is already on the Kansas register, you will need another.

    Look up the matching domain at the same time.

  2. Move 2

    Choose a resident agent

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

    The address has to be a Kansas address where the agent is regularly present. P.O. boxes are not accepted.

    Every pick above takes the resident agent role.

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

  3. Move 3

    Self-file against a service

    File it yourself for $85, or add $199 and let a service do it. The picks are above.

  4. Move 4

    Send in the Articles of Organization

    Send the Articles of Organization (Form DL) and $85 to the Kansas Secretary of State. Legal basis: K.S.A. 17-7673. That brings the LLC into being.

    Where this comes from: Per sos.ks.gov, as of October 2026

  5. Move 5

    Request an Employer Identification Number

    The IRS issues EINs, not Kansas. Apply after approval and hand the number to your bank. Mainstay Filing files the EIN application inside the package.

  6. Move 6

    Write an operating agreement

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

  7. Move 7

    Keep the LLC active

    Every other year the LLC files the information report and pays $90; deadline 15th day of the 4th month after tax-year-end.

    Where this comes from: Per sos.ks.gov, as of October 2026

Costs, move by move

Move Paid to Cost
Filing fee Paid to the state $85
Information report Paid to the state $90 every two years
Service fees (optional) Your service $199 up front
State fees for three years Paid to the state $175

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 KS Registered Agent.org is first

won on founder outlay over three years (27% of the mark), with close behind.

Three years with KS Registered Agent.org come to $397, $200 under Mainstay Filing.

Kansas questions

What will a Kansas LLC cost to start?

Kansas bills $85. $199 extra buys a service that does the filing.

Which form creates the LLC?

Once the Kansas Secretary of State accepts the Articles of Organization (Form DL), the LLC exists.

Is a resident agent required?

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

What does Kansas require each year?

Every two years the LLC files the information report: $90, due 15th day of the 4th month after tax-year-end.

Can I form the LLC without a service?

You can: the state wants $85, and you name a resident agent yourself or hire one.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

KS Registered Agent.org, since forming costs $199 beyond the state fee; the agent renews at $99. Then Mainstay Filing.

More primers

Sources, so you can check us

  1. Proof for Kansas Form ILC, Information Report: the claims lean on sos.ks.gov, which we last read in October 2026. Open it and compare.
  2. Proof for Kansas report due date: the claims lean on ksrevisor.gov, which we last read in August 2026. Open it and compare.
  3. Proof for Kansas Secretary of State, Form DL fee schedule: the claims lean on sos.ks.gov, which we last read in October 2026. Open it and compare.
  4. Proof for Kansas formation fee: Filing fee, official source: the claims lean on sos.ks.gov, which we last read in October 2026. Open it and compare.
  5. Proof for Kansas registered agent statute: the claims lean on ksrevisor.gov, which we last read in October 2026. Open it and compare.
  6. The pricing page from KS Registered Agent.org, November 13, 2026
  7. The Kansas service page from Mainstay Filing, November 13, 2026