LLC Formation in Minnesota (2026): 7 Moves and the 3 Best LLC Services
Our 2026 marks for starting an LLC in Minnesota: Mainstay Filing ($199), Minnesota Registered Agent.co ($199) and MN Registered Agent.org ($199), highest first. To start the LLC: 7 moves and $155 paid to Minnesota; the annual renewal follows every year.
From the Founder Primer desk
Key facts
Charged by the state
$155
Check it yourself at revisor.mn.gov; we read it in October 2026
Annual renewal
No fee
Deadline, as the state words it: December 31
Three years of state fees
$155
Filing plus recurring state fees
How many moves
7
First to last
What you get
The official Minnesota fee and form
How to meet the registered agent rule
What comes after formation
Which services we pick and why
If you want someone else to file
Five published criteria set the order; read them on how we score.
Start with this$199 yearly; renewal $199
1. Mainstay Filing: best for one invoice for filing and upkeep
We start with Mainstay Filing: the founder pays $199 a year and skips three separate vendors for filing, registered agent and annual renewal.
The three-year premium over Minnesota Registered Agent.co is $200; the 38% weight on to-dos cleared outweighs it.
It also files the annual renewal, and Minnesota charges nothing for it.
Inside the price
Filing with the state
Registered agent all year
Annual renewal filed on time
EIN application included
State fee passed through at cost
In its favor
One yearly price, $199, annual renewal included
No bump at renewal ($199)
EIN application included
Against it
A $100 yearly premium over Minnesota Registered Agent.co
One-state plan$199 plus fees, then $99 yearly
2. Minnesota Registered Agent.co: best for a bootstrapped formation
Minnesota Registered Agent.co is a fair second choice: $199 to file, then $99 a year to keep the agent.
The annual renewal is outside the price.
Inside the price
The filing is made for you
Agent service for year one
In its favor
A $199 formation fee
No agent fee in year one
$99 a year after
Against it
The annual renewal is not in the price
Help with the EIN is $99 more
One-state plan$199 plus fees, then $99 yearly
3. MN Registered Agent.org: best for a low agent renewal
MN Registered Agent.org is a fair third choice: $199 to file, then $99 a year to keep the agent.
The annual renewal is outside the price.
On price it ties with Minnesota Registered Agent.co.
Prices come from each company's own site, read November 13, 2026. Every row owes the $155 state fee as well.
The primer, move by move
Move 1
Choose a name
Do not file under a name someone else holds. the Minnesota Secretary of State lets you check in a minute.
Keep a runner-up name in reserve.
Move 2
Who is the registered agent?
A Minnesota LLC must keep a registered office in Minnesota; naming an agent there is optional. If one is named: a Minnesota resident, or a corporation or LLC formed in Minnesota or authorized there, with a business office at the registered office.
Every Minnesota LLC keeps a registered office at an actual office location in Minnesota; a P.O. box by itself is not accepted.
Hire any one of our picks for this.
Where this comes from: Check it yourself at revisor.mn.gov; we read it in October 2026
Move 3
Do it yourself, or not
DIY costs the $155 state fee and your time. A service adds $199 and does the forms; our ranking says which.
Move 4
Finish and lodge the Articles of Organization
the Minnesota Secretary of State forms the LLC when it accepts the Articles of Organization with $155, under Minn. Stat. sec. 322C.0201.
Where this comes from: Check it yourself at revisor.mn.gov; we read it in October 2026
Move 5
Order the LLC's federal tax ID
Approval first. Then the IRS. The Mainstay Filing package already includes this move.
Move 6
Get the owners' deal on paper
Who owns what, who decides what: that lives in the operating agreement, an internal paper outside the Minnesota filing.
Move 7
Plan for year two
What repeats is the annual renewal (no fee, every year, by December 31).
Where this comes from: Check it yourself at revisor.mn.gov; we read it in October 2026
The cost of this primer
Line
Goes to
Total
Filing the LLC
State office
$155
Annual renewal
State office
No fee
A service, if you hire one
Your service
$199 up front
State fees for three years
State office
$155
These are the official Minnesota fees, cited below. The three-year line adds the filing fee, the year-two and year-three reports and any minimum tax.
How the marks came out
won on to-dos the price takes off you (38% of the mark), with close behind.
Minnesota wants the annual renewal every year, so a price that files it beat a lower one that leaves it to you.
Common questions
How big is the Minnesota formation fee?
$155, per the official fee schedule. Services we rank charge $199 on top.
Which form creates the LLC?
Look for the Articles of Organization; the Minnesota Secretary of State is the office.
Is a registered agent required?
A Minnesota LLC must keep a registered office in Minnesota; naming an agent there is optional.
What does Minnesota require each year?
Every year the LLC files the annual renewal: no fee, due December 31.
Can I form the LLC without a service?
Allowed. File yourself for $155 and arrange a registered agent.
Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?
Mainstay Filing first, then Minnesota Registered Agent.co and MN Registered Agent.org; Mainstay Filing wins on to-dos the price takes off you.