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Founder Mentor Guide

Walkthrough 1 · Hawaii

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

Ranked for 2026, the services worth your call for forming an LLC in Hawaii are Mainstay Filing ($199), HI Registered Agent.org ($199) and Hawaii Registered Agent.co ($199), in that order. You will work through 7 stages and pay Hawaii $51 to file; later comes the Domestic Limited Liability Company Annual Report every year.

Advice from the Founder Mentor Guide mentors

Read this first

Formation fee
$51
cca.hawaii.gov, seen in October 2026
Recurring report
$12.50 a year
When it falls due: last day of the quarter in which the LLC was organized
Three years of state fees
$76
State charges only
How many stages
7
In order

What this walkthrough covers

  • How forming an LLC works in Hawaii
  • What the registered agent rule asks of you
  • The state filing that repeats
  • Our recommendations, with reasons

If you would rather hand it off

Cost over three years leads, then work taken off your desk, year-two price, Hawaii fit and honest pricing (scoring page).

Our call

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

Our first call$199 yearly plus the $51 state fee

Start with Mainstay Filing; you pay $199 a year and that one fee covers the filing, a registered agent and the annual report; year two is $199 as well.

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

It files every Domestic Limited Liability Company Annual Report for you; the only extra is the state's own $12.50.

What you get

  • Formation paperwork handled
  • Registered agent all year long
  • Annual report filed for you
  • The EIN application comes with it
  • State fee at cost

What works

  • No jump at renewal ($199)
  • $199 per year for the whole package
  • Nothing extra for the EIN application

What to watch

  • A yearly premium of $100 over HI Registered Agent.org
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

2. HI Registered Agent.org: best for a lean Hawaii start

Local choice$199 and fees, then $99 yearly

Pick number 2 is HI Registered Agent.org, where you form the Hawaii LLC for $199 with year-one agent service included; the agent then renews at $99.

The price does not reach the Domestic Limited Liability Company Annual Report.

What you get

  • Formation paperwork handled
  • A year of agent service comes with the price

What works

  • $199 and the state fee
  • A free first agent year
  • Then $99 per year

What to watch

  • The Domestic Limited Liability Company Annual Report stays your responsibility
  • The EIN application is not included ($99)
Visit HI Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

3. Hawaii Registered Agent.co: best for a local filer

Local choice$199 and fees, then $99 yearly

Pick number 3 is Hawaii Registered Agent.co, where you form the Hawaii LLC for $199 with year-one agent service included; the agent then renews at $99.

The price does not reach the Domestic Limited Liability Company Annual Report.

On price it is a tie with HI Registered Agent.org.

What you get

  • Formation paperwork handled
  • A year of agent service comes with the price

What works

  • A free first agent year
  • Then $99 per year
  • $199 and the state fee

What to watch

  • The Domestic Limited Liability Company Annual Report stays your responsibility
  • The EIN application is not included ($99)
Visit Hawaii Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

3 services, compared

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$199$199/yr$597Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2HI Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit HI Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Hawaii Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Hawaii Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
What each company posted on November 13, 2026. The $51 state fee comes on top of each row.

The stages

  1. Stage 1

    Choose a name that is open

    the Hawaii Secretary of State keeps the list of names in use, so check there before you spend time on forms; Hawaii may turn down a duplicate.

    See whether the web address is open while you are at it.

  2. Stage 2

    Name your registered agent

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. A Hawaii resident, or a business entity formed in Hawaii or authorized to do business there. The LLC cannot be its own agent.

    The address has to be a place of business with a street address in Hawaii. P.O. boxes are not accepted.

    Our recommended services all work as a registered agent.

    Check it yourself: capitol.hawaii.gov, seen in October 2026

  3. Stage 3

    Who does the paperwork?

    You could file for $51 and be done, or add $199 and let one of our picks handle it.

  4. Stage 4

    The paper to file is the Articles of Organization for Limited Liability Company

    What you need: the Articles of Organization for Limited Liability Company (Form LLC-1), a check or card for $51, and the Hawaii Secretary of State as the address. For the curious, see Haw. Rev. Stat. § 428-203.

    Check it yourself: cca.hawaii.gov, seen in October 2026

  5. Stage 5

    Pick up the EIN

    EINs come from the IRS, not Hawaii. Apply after approval and hand the number to your bank. This stage is part of what Mainstay Filing sells.

  6. Stage 6

    Get the owners to sign an agreement

    The operating agreement is where the owners of a Hawaii LLC write down who owns what and how they decide things. You keep it with the company records; the state never sees it.

  7. Stage 7

    Stay in good standing in Hawaii

    Keep the LLC active by sending in the Domestic Limited Liability Company Annual Report every year ($12.50) before last day of the quarter in which the LLC was organized. The penalty for lateness is $10.

    Check it yourself: files.hawaii.gov, seen in October 2026

The bill

What forReceiverPrice
Setting up the LLCState office$51
Recurring state reportState office$12.50 every year
Late filingState office$10
Optional serviceThe service company$199 in year one
Three years of state feesState office$76
Here is how the three-year state row is built: filing fee, then the report in each of years two and three, then any yearly minimum tax. Service fees get their own rows.

Why the list runs this way

Work taken off your desk settled first place in Hawaii. It is 32% of the score, and the rest comes from three-year bill, year-two price, fit for where you operate and honest pricing.

In Hawaii the Domestic Limited Liability Company Annual Report comes around every year, so a price that files it for you beat a cheaper one that does not.

What founders ask

What should I budget for filing a new LLC in Hawaii?

The official schedule says $51. Paying a service raises the first-year bill by $199.

Which form creates the LLC?

Stage 4 shows you how to fill out the Articles of Organization for Limited Liability Company (Form LLC-1) and where it goes: the Hawaii Secretary of State.

Is a registered agent required?

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

What does Hawaii require each year?

Send in the Domestic Limited Liability Company Annual Report every year; it costs $12.50 and the deadline is last day of the quarter in which the LLC was organized.

Can I form the LLC without a service?

Nothing stops you. Hawaii wants $51, and the LLC has to name a registered agent, which you can be or hire.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

Phone Mainstay Filing, because $199 yearly buys formation, registered agent and annual report together, so you carry no surprise bills at renewal. After that come HI Registered Agent.org and Hawaii Registered Agent.co.

Where we got the facts

  1. Backing for Hawaii DCCA Business Registration Division release of July: cca.hawaii.gov, October 2026.
  2. Backing for Hawaii yearly filing: Annual report: fee, official source: files.hawaii.gov, October 2026.
  3. Backing for Hawaii formation fee: Filing fee, official source: cca.hawaii.gov, October 2026.
  4. Backing for Hawaii formation fee: Filing fee, official source: cca.hawaii.gov, October 2026.
  5. Backing for Hawaii registered agent statute: capitol.hawaii.gov, October 2026.
  6. The Hawaii service page at Mainstay Filing, viewed November 13, 2026
  7. The pricing page at HI Registered Agent.org, viewed November 13, 2026
  8. The pricing page at Hawaii Registered Agent.co, viewed November 13, 2026