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Founder Primer

LLC paperwork, boiled down for founders.

Guide 1 · Vermont

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

Our order for starting an LLC in Vermont, 2026, is Mainstay Filing ($199), VT Registered Agent.org ($199) and Vermont Registered Agent.co ($199). Vermont takes $155 at filing and expects the annual report every year. 7 moves cover it.
From the Founder Primer desk

Key facts

Filing fee
$155
legislature.vermont.gov, read October 2026
Annual report
$45 a year
Deadline, as the state words it: within 3 months after the end of the LLC's fiscal year on record
Three years of state fees
$245
Service fees excluded
How many moves
7
Each one explained

Primer goals

  • How starting an LLC works in Vermont
  • What the registered agent rule asks
  • The upkeep that repeats
  • How the picks compare

Our picks for Vermont

Marked on the scoring page: three-year cost (27%), to-dos cleared (38%), renewal, fit with Vermont's rules and readable pricing.

Start with this $199 yearly; renewal $199

1. Mainstay Filing: best for new owners who want it done

Mainstay Filing leads the list, since the founder pays $199 a year and skips three separate vendors for filing, registered agent and annual report.

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

Add the annual report to what it handles, with Vermont's $45 passed on without markup.

Inside the price
  • The filing is made for you
  • Registered agent all year
  • Annual report filed on time
  • EIN application included
  • State fee passed through at cost
In its favor
  • Renewal stays at $199
  • $199 a year covers filing and agent and report
  • No extra fee for the EIN application
Against it
  • Renewal is $100 higher than VT Registered Agent.org
Visit Mainstay Filing Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Vermont specialist $199 to start, $99 a year from year two

2. VT Registered Agent.org: best for Vermont LLCs on a tight budget

Second place is VT Registered Agent.org, because $199 up front and no agent fee in year one; $99 a year from year two.

The price leaves out the annual report, so you file it every year.

Inside the price
  • The filing is made for you
  • Agent service for year one
In its favor
  • A low $99 renewal
  • Year-one agent service costs nothing extra
  • $199 plus the state fee
Against it
  • You prepare the annual report yourself
  • The EIN application costs $99 extra
Visit VT Registered Agent.org Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Vermont specialist $199 to start, $99 a year from year two

3. Vermont Registered Agent.co: best for a second Vermont option

Third place is Vermont Registered Agent.co, because $199 up front and no agent fee in year one; $99 a year from year two.

The price leaves out the annual report, so you file it every year.

It costs the same as VT Registered Agent.org.

Inside the price
  • The filing is made for you
  • Agent service for year one
In its favor
  • $199 plus the state fee
  • A low $99 renewal
  • Year-one agent service costs nothing extra
Against it
  • You prepare the annual report yourself
  • The EIN application costs $99 extra
Visit Vermont Registered Agent.co Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

The Vermont picks compared

# 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 VT Registered Agent.org $199 $99/yr $397 Visit VT Registered Agent.org Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3 Vermont Registered Agent.co $199 $99/yr $397 Visit Vermont Registered Agent.co Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Company prices as listed on November 13, 2026. Each row still needs Vermont's $155 fee.

How a Vermont LLC gets formed

  1. Move 1

    Choose a name

    Start at the Vermont Secretary of State: its business records show whether a Vermont company already uses your name.

    Have a backup ready.

  2. Move 2

    Who is the registered agent?

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. An individual, or a business registered and active with the Secretary of State other than the company itself, with a street and mailing address in Vermont.

    The address has to be a street address in Vermont. P.O. boxes and virtual addresses are not accepted.

    The services we rank supply a registered agent.

    Where this comes from: legislature.vermont.gov, read October 2026

  3. Move 3

    DIY or hire help

    Without a service you pay the state $155, nothing more. Any of our picks adds $199 and handles the paperwork.

  4. Move 4

    Submit the Articles of Organization

    This is the filing that creates the company: the Articles of Organization, sent to the Vermont Secretary of State with $155.

    Where this comes from: legislature.vermont.gov, read October 2026

  5. Move 5

    Sort out the EIN

    After approval, the IRS can give the LLC a federal tax ID, and the business bank account hinges on it. Hire Mainstay Filing and the EIN application is handled.

  6. 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 Vermont filing.

  7. Move 7

    Keep the LLC active

    Keep the LLC active by filing the annual report every year ($45) before within 3 months after the end of the LLC's fiscal year on record.

    Where this comes from: sos.vermont.gov, read October 2026

Vermont costs by move

Line Goes to Price
Filing the LLC To the state $155
Annual report To the state $45 every year
Optional service Your service $199 for year one
Three years of state fees To the state $245

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.

Why this order

To-dos the price takes off you decided first place in Vermont. It is 38% of the mark; the rest is founder outlay over three years, year-two price, fit with the state's rules and pricing you can read at once.

VT Registered Agent.org costs less, yet the annual report would still be yours.

Short answers

What will a Vermont LLC cost to start?

The state fee is $155. A service adds $199 the first year.

Which form creates the LLC?

The destination for the Articles of Organization is the Vermont Secretary of State.

Is a registered agent required?

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

What does Vermont require each year?

The repeating item is the annual report ($45, every year, due within 3 months after the end of the LLC's fiscal year on record).

Can I form the LLC without a service?

You can: the state wants $155, and you name a registered agent yourself or hire one.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

Mainstay Filing, since $199 yearly puts the filing, a registered agent and the annual report in someone else's hands. Then VT Registered Agent.org and Vermont Registered Agent.co.

More primers

Sources, so you can check us

  1. Verify Vermont Secretary of State fee schedule, Annual Report at sos.vermont.gov. Our copy of it is from October 2026.
  2. Verify Vermont report due date at legislature.vermont.gov. Our copy of it is from August 2026.
  3. Verify Vermont formation fee: Filing fee, official source at legislature.vermont.gov. Our copy of it is from October 2026.
  4. Verify Vermont registered agent statute at legislature.vermont.gov. Our copy of it is from October 2026.
  5. Vermont service page at Mainstay Filing, pulled November 13, 2026
  6. pricing page at VT Registered Agent.org, pulled November 13, 2026
  7. pricing page at Vermont Registered Agent.co, pulled November 13, 2026