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Founder Primer

LLC paperwork, boiled down for founders.

Quick read 1 · New York

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

Our 2026 marks for starting an LLC in New York: New York Registered Agent.ai ($199), NY Registered Agent.org ($199) and Mainstay Filing ($199), highest first. New York takes $200 at filing and expects the biennial statement every two years. 8 moves cover it.
From the Founder Primer desk

The short version

State fee to file
$200
dos.ny.gov, read October 2026
Biennial statement
$9 every 2 years
Mark it: during the calendar month in which the Articles of Organization were filed, every 2 years
Three-year state cost
$209
Filing plus recurring state fees
Move count
8
Listed below

You will know

  • The New York formation form, its price and where it goes
  • What the agent for service of process rule asks
  • The upkeep that repeats
  • Which services we pick and why

The New York shortlist

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

Our pick $199 plus fees, then $99 yearly

1. New York Registered Agent.ai: best for a low-cost New York start

New York Registered Agent.ai leads the list, since forming costs $199 beyond the state fee; the agent renews at $99.

It beats Mainstay Filing on three-year cost, a big part of the score.

The biennial statement is outside the price.

Inside the price
  • The New York formation, prepared and sent
  • Agent service for year one
In its favor
  • Agent renews at $99
  • $199 plus the state fee
  • First agent year included
Against it
  • The biennial statement is not in the price
  • A $99 add-on for the EIN
Visit New York Registered Agent.ai Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
One-state plan $199 plus fees, then $99 yearly

2. NY Registered Agent.org: best for a low agent renewal

NY Registered Agent.org takes second; forming costs $199 beyond the state fee; the agent renews at $99.

The biennial statement is outside the price.

Its prices match New York Registered Agent.ai's, so either one works.

Inside the price
  • The New York formation, prepared and sent
  • Agent service for year one
In its favor
  • First agent year included
  • $199 plus the state fee
  • Agent renews at $99
Against it
  • The biennial statement is not in the price
  • A $99 add-on for the EIN
Visit NY Registered Agent.org Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Most work done for you $199 yearly; renewal $199

3. Mainstay Filing: best for one invoice for filing and upkeep

Third place is Mainstay Filing, because the founder pays $199 a year and skips three separate vendors for filing, agent for service of process and biennial statement.

Three years cost $200 more than New York Registered Agent.ai, and cost is 27% of the mark.

It files every biennial statement, and the only extra is the state's own $9.

Inside the price
  • Formation filing
  • Registered agent all year
  • Biennial statement filed on time
  • EIN application included
  • State fee billed at cost
In its favor
  • No extra fee for the EIN application
  • Renewal stays at $199
  • $199 yearly, all in
Against it
  • $100 a year over New York Registered Agent.ai at renewal
Visit Mainstay Filing Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Marks and prices together

# Service First year From year two Three-year total
1 New York Registered Agent.ai $199 $99/yr $397 Visit New York Registered Agent.ai Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2 NY Registered Agent.org $199 $99/yr $397 Visit NY Registered Agent.org Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3 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. The $200 state fee is not in these figures.

The primer, move by move

  1. Move 1

    Name the company

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

    Look up the matching domain at the same time.

  2. Move 2

    Put a agent for service of process in place

    The Secretary of State is the agent for service of process for every New York LLC; naming a registered agent is optional. If one is designated: a person who lives in New York or has a business address there, an LLC formed or authorized in New York, or a corporation formed or authorized in New York.

    New York has no registered-office requirement. The Secretary of State is the agent for service of process for every New York LLC and mails a copy of any papers served to the address the company has on file. A designated registered agent's street address goes on the filing.

    Hire any one of our picks for this.

    Where this comes from: nysenate.gov, read October 2026

  3. Move 3

    Who files it?

    File it yourself for $200, or add $199 and let a service do it. The picks are above.

  4. Move 4

    Submit the Articles of Organization

    Three things: the Articles of Organization (Form DOS-1336-f), $200, and the New York Secretary of State as the recipient. Statute: NY Limited Liability Company Law § 203.

    Where this comes from: dos.ny.gov, read October 2026

  5. Move 5

    A rule specific to New York

    • Publication: within 120 days, a notice runs for six weeks in two county newspapers (the papers set their own charges), then a Certificate of Publication is filed for $50.
    • Tax Department LLC fee (Form IT-204-LL): $25 a year for a single-member LLC with New York-source income; partnership LLCs pay more.

    Where this comes from: tax.ny.gov, read October 2026

  6. Move 6

    Get your EIN

    With the state's approval in hand, request an EIN so the LLC can open accounts of its own. The Mainstay Filing package already includes this move.

  7. Move 7

    Draft the operating agreement

    Owners sign it to settle shares, votes and what happens when someone leaves. It is private and never filed.

  8. Move 8

    Plan for year two

    Keep the LLC active by filing the biennial statement every two years ($9) before during the calendar month in which the Articles of Organization were filed, every 2 years.

    Where this comes from: dos.ny.gov, read October 2026

Costs, move by move

Move Payee Cost
Setting up the LLC State office $200
Biennial statement State office $9 every two years
Filing service (optional) Your service $199 in year one
State fees for three years State office $209

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 New York picks

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

New York Registered Agent.ai takes the cost criterion: $397 over three years, against $200 more at Mainstay Filing.

What founders ask

What will a New York LLC cost to start?

$200, per the official fee schedule. Hire help and add $199.

Which form creates the LLC?

Move 4 shows how to fill out the Articles of Organization (Form DOS-1336-f) and where it goes: the New York Secretary of State.

Is an agent for service of process required?

The Secretary of State is the agent for service of process for every New York LLC; naming a registered agent is optional.

What does New York require each year?

Every two years the LLC files the biennial statement: $9, due during the calendar month in which the Articles of Organization were filed, every 2 years.

Can I form the LLC without a service?

You can: the state wants $200, and you name an agent for service of process yourself or hire one.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

New York Registered Agent.ai first, then NY Registered Agent.org and Mainstay Filing; New York Registered Agent.ai wins on founder outlay over three years.

More primers

Sources, so you can check us

  1. For New York Department of State, Division of Corporations the primer cites dos.ny.gov, a page we went back to in August 2026.
  2. For New York Department of State, Division of Corporations the primer cites filing.dos.ny.gov, a page we went back to in August 2026.
  3. For New York report due date the primer cites nysenate.gov, a page we went back to in August 2026.
  4. For NY Limited Liability Company Law § 203 the primer cites nysenate.gov, a page we went back to in August 2026.
  5. For New York formation fee: Filing fee, official source the primer cites dos.ny.gov, a page we went back to in October 2026.
  6. For New York registered agent statute the primer cites nysenate.gov, a page we went back to in October 2026.
  7. For New York other cost: Publication, official source the primer cites nysenate.gov, a page we went back to in October 2026.
  8. For New York other cost: Certificate of Publication, official the primer cites dos.ny.gov, a page we went back to in October 2026.
  9. For New York other cost: Tax Department LLC fee the primer cites tax.ny.gov, a page we went back to in October 2026.
  10. New York Registered Agent.ai pricing page as of November 13, 2026
  11. NY Registered Agent.org pricing page as of November 13, 2026
  12. Mainstay Filing New York service page as of November 13, 2026