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Founder Mentor Guide

Walkthrough 1 · Colorado

Colorado LLC Formation Walkthrough (2026): 7 Stages and the 3 Best LLC Services

Here is the short answer for forming an LLC in Colorado in 2026: Mainstay Filing ($199), Colorado Registered Agent.co ($199) and CO Registered Agent.org ($199), ranked from first to last. Think of it as 7 stages with a $50 price tag from the state, plus the periodic report every year.

Advice from the Founder Mentor Guide mentors

Key facts up front

Cost to form
$50
Verify it at coloradosos.gov, which we opened in October 2026
Periodic report
$25 a year
Deadline on the state's schedule: last day of the entity's anniversary month
Three-year state cost
$100
Filing plus the repeating state fees
Walkthrough stages
7
In order

By the end you will know

  • How forming an LLC works in Colorado
  • Who can be the registered agent
  • What comes back around every year
  • Our recommendations, with reasons

The Colorado call list

Ranked on the scoring page: three-year cost (32%), work taken off your desk (32%), year-two price, fit with Colorado rules and honest pricing.

Our call

1. Mainstay Filing: best for one bill for filing and upkeep

Number one pick$199 a year, renewing at $199

Mainstay Filing takes first place, and the reason is that it wraps the filing, your registered agent and the periodic report into $199 a year, and the renewal does not budge from $199.

Colorado Registered Agent.co costs $200 less across three years; this one still ranks higher because it takes more work off your plate.

Hands off the periodic report: it is prepared for you, and the $25 state fee passes through untouched.

What you get

  • Formation paperwork handled
  • Registered agent all year long
  • Periodic report filed for you
  • The EIN application comes with it
  • No markup on the state fee

What works

  • $199 every year
  • One yearly fee of $199 that includes the periodic report
  • The EIN application is covered

What to watch

  • $100 a year more than Colorado Registered Agent.co at renewal
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

2. Colorado Registered Agent.co: best for owners who expect to remain in Colorado

In-state service$199 in year one, $99 after

Our second call, Colorado Registered Agent.co: $199 to get going, agent service for year one included, then $99 each year.

Set time aside for the periodic report every year; the price leaves it out.

What you get

  • The filing is done for you
  • A year of agent service comes with the price

What works

  • A small $99 renewal
  • $199 above the state fee
  • First agent year included

What to watch

  • The price leaves out the periodic report
  • The EIN application is not included ($99)
Visit Colorado Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

3. CO Registered Agent.org: best for owners happy to do their own reports

In-state service$199 in year one, $99 after

Our third call, CO Registered Agent.org: $199 to get going, agent service for year one included, then $99 each year.

Set time aside for the periodic report every year; the price leaves it out.

It charges exactly what Colorado Registered Agent.co charges.

What you get

  • The filing is done for you
  • A year of agent service comes with the price

What works

  • $199 above the state fee
  • First agent year included
  • A small $99 renewal

What to watch

  • The price leaves out the periodic report
  • The EIN application is not included ($99)
Visit CO Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

The services compared

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$199$199/yr$597Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Colorado Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Colorado Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3CO Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit CO Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Pulled from each price page on November 13, 2026. The $50 state fee comes on top of each row.

The stages

  1. Stage 1

    Choose a name that is open

    Open the business name search run by the Colorado Secretary of State. If someone in Colorado already holds the name, your filing could bounce.

    A spare name saves you a second search.

  2. Stage 2

    Name your registered agent

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. A person 18 or older whose home or usual place of business is in Colorado (since July 1, 2025 the person has to hold a Colorado driver's license or ID or otherwise verify residency), or a business entity in good standing with a usual place of business in Colorado. The agent has to consent.

    The address has to be a physical address in Colorado, either a home or a usual place of business. P.O. boxes are not accepted.

    Our recommended services all work as a registered agent.

    Check it yourself: Verify it at sos.state.co.us, which we opened in October 2026

  3. Stage 3

    Who does the paperwork?

    You could file for $50 and be done, or add $199 and let one of our picks handle it.

  4. Stage 4

    Time to send in the Articles of Organization

    The Articles of Organization is the key document. It goes to the Colorado Secretary of State, the fee is $50.

    Check it yourself: Verify it at coloradosos.gov, which we opened in October 2026

  5. Stage 5

    Get your EIN

    Once the state says yes, apply to the IRS for the LLC's federal tax ID. A proper business account is hard to open without it. This stage is part of what Mainstay Filing sells.

  6. Stage 6

    Document how the company runs

    Treat the operating agreement as the owners' rulebook. Keep a copy; no one at the state will ask for it.

  7. Stage 7

    Mark the dates that come back around

    Pencil the periodic report into your calendar: $25, every year, due last day of the entity's anniversary month. Filing late costs $50.

    Check it yourself: Verify it at coloradosos.gov, which we opened in October 2026

Costs, stage by stage

ItemReceiverPrice
Filing to form the LLCState agency$50
Periodic reportState agency$25 every year
Penalty for filing lateState agency$50
Paid helpThe provider$199 for year one
What the state collects by year threeState agency$100
The state rows come from Colorado's published fee schedules (the pages we opened are listed under the table), and each service row comes from that company's own price. Across three years the state row counts the filing, the report in year two, the report in year three and any minimum tax.

How the scores came out

What decided it was work taken off your desk, which carries 32% of the score.

Having the periodic report handled counted for more than Colorado Registered Agent.co's lower three-year total.

Common questions

What does Colorado charge to form an LLC?

$50, paid to the state. $199 more puts someone else in charge of the filing.

Which form creates the LLC?

Stage 4 shows you how to fill out the Articles of Organization and where it goes: the Colorado Secretary of State.

Is a registered agent required?

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

What does Colorado require each year?

Circle the periodic report on your calendar: $25, every year, last day of the entity's anniversary month.

Can I form the LLC without a service?

The state takes filings straight from owners, so no service is needed. Expect $50 plus a registered agent.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

Phone Mainstay Filing, because the one yearly fee, $199, takes three jobs off your plate: filing, registered agent and periodic report. After that come Colorado Registered Agent.co and CO Registered Agent.org.

Where we got the facts

  1. Backing for Colorado Secretary of State: sos.state.co.us, August 2026.
  2. Backing for Colorado Secretary of State: sos.state.co.us, August 2026.
  3. Backing for Colorado yearly filing: Periodic report, official source: coloradosos.gov, October 2026.
  4. Backing for Colorado report due date: colorado.public.law, August 2026.
  5. Backing for Colo: sos.state.co.us, August 2026.
  6. Backing for Colorado formation fee: Filing fee, official source: coloradosos.gov, October 2026.
  7. The Colorado service page at Mainstay Filing, viewed November 13, 2026
  8. The pricing page at Colorado Registered Agent.co, viewed November 13, 2026
  9. The pricing page at CO Registered Agent.org, viewed November 13, 2026