LLC Formation in Tennessee (2026): 7 Moves and the 3 Best LLC Services
Our order for starting an LLC in Tennessee, 2026, is TN Registered Agent.org ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and Tennessee Registered Agent.co ($199). Numbers to know: 7 moves, a $300 filing fee, a $300 annual report.
Each company's listed price on November 13, 2026. Add the $300 state fee to every row.
Formation in order
Move 1
Pick the name and test it
Name search comes first. Use the records at the Tennessee Secretary of State.
A spare name saves a redo.
Move 2
Fill the registered agent seat
Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. A Tennessee resident, or a business entity formed in Tennessee or authorized there with an office at the registered office street address.
The address has to be a Tennessee street address, with the county. P.O. boxes are not accepted.
Any service we rank here can serve as your registered agent.
DIY costs the $300 state fee and your time. A service adds $199 and does the forms; our ranking says which.
Move 4
Fill in and send the Articles of Organization Limited Liability Company
Three things: the Articles of Organization Limited Liability Company (Form SS-4270), $300, and the Tennessee Secretary of State as the recipient.
Where this comes from: Source page sos.tn.gov, October 2026
Move 5
Request an Employer Identification Number
After approval, the IRS can give the LLC a federal tax ID, and the business bank account hinges on it.
Move 6
Write an operating agreement
Who owns what, who decides what: that lives in the operating agreement, an internal paper outside the Tennessee filing.
Move 7
Handle Tennessee's recurring filing
Every year the LLC files the annual report and pays $300; deadline on or before the first day of the fourth month following the close of the LLC's fiscal year.
Where this comes from: Source page sos.tn.gov, October 2026
Tennessee costs by move
Cost item
Paid to
Amount
Filing fee
Paid to the state
$300
Annual report
Paid to the state
$300 every year
Optional service
The provider
$199 for year one
Three years of state fees
Paid to the state
$900
State amounts are Tennessee's official fees (sources below); service prices come from each company's site. Three years of state cost is the filing, the reports in years two and three and any minimum tax.
Why this order
won on founder outlay over three years (27% of the mark), with close behind.
TN Registered Agent.org costs $397 for years one to three; Mainstay Filing costs $200 more.
What founders ask
How big is the Tennessee formation fee?
$300, per the official fee schedule. Service fees on this list run $199.
Which form creates the LLC?
The Tennessee Secretary of State takes the Articles of Organization Limited Liability Company (Form SS-4270), 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 Tennessee require each year?
File the annual report every year, $300; deadline on or before the first day of the fourth month following the close of the LLC's fiscal year.
Can I form the LLC without a service?
The state accepts filings directly from owners, so you need no service. Expect $300 and a registered agent.
Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?
TN Registered Agent.org first, then Mainstay Filing and Tennessee Registered Agent.co; TN Registered Agent.org wins on founder outlay over three years.