Skip to content
Founder Mentor Guide

Mentor notes 1 · Idaho

Idaho 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 Idaho are Idaho Registered Agent.co ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and ID Registered Agent.org ($199), in that order. Think of it as 7 stages with a $100 price tag from the state, plus the annual report every year.

Advice from the Founder Mentor Guide mentors

Key facts up front

Charge at the state office
$100
Verify it at legislature.idaho.gov, which we opened in October 2026
Annual report
No fee
The state words the deadline like this: last day of the entity's anniversary month
State fees over three years
$100
Filing plus the repeating state fees
Stages in this walkthrough
7
First to last

What you will get from this walkthrough

  • The Idaho fee for a new LLC and the office that receives the filing
  • What the agent rule says
  • How to stay in good standing
  • The services at the top of the list

The Idaho call list

Five weighted criteria set the order (see how we score), and three-year cost and work taken off your desk count most.

Our call

1. Idaho Registered Agent.co: best for owners who expect to remain in Idaho

Best overallFormation $199, renewal $99 a year

Start with Idaho Registered Agent.co; the formation costs $199, and each later year of agent service is $99.

Over three years it costs less than Mainstay Filing, and three-year cost is 32% of the ranking.

Set time aside for the annual 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 free first agent year
  • A small $99 renewal
  • $199 above the state fee

What to watch

  • No annual report service is on offer
  • Help with the EIN is $99 more
Visit Idaho Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

2. Mainstay Filing: best for handing off the annual report

Does the most for you$199 a year, state fee on top

Second place goes to Mainstay Filing, since the one yearly fee, $199, takes three jobs off your plate: filing, registered agent and annual report.

Three years here run $200 above Idaho Registered Agent.co, and cost is 32% of our ranking.

It files the annual report as well, and Idaho sets no fee for it.

What you get

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

What works

  • One yearly fee of $199 that includes the annual report
  • No jump at renewal ($199)
  • The EIN stage is part of the package

What to watch

  • Idaho Registered Agent.co renews for $100 less
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

3. ID Registered Agent.org: best for another Idaho option

One-state planFormation $199, renewal $99 a year

Third place goes to ID Registered Agent.org, since the formation costs $199, and each later year of agent service is $99.

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

Idaho Registered Agent.co and this service cost the same.

What you get

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

What works

  • A free first agent year
  • $199 above the state fee
  • A small $99 renewal

What to watch

  • No annual report service is on offer
  • Help with the EIN is $99 more
Visit ID Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

The Idaho picks side by side

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Idaho Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Idaho Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Mainstay Filing$199$199/yr$597Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3ID Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit ID Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Each price is copied from the company's own site, opened November 13, 2026. These figures leave out Idaho's $100 fee.

Starting a Idaho LLC, stage by stage

  1. Stage 1

    Confirm nobody else owns the name

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

    Decide on a plan B name in case the first is gone.

  2. Stage 2

    Choose a registered agent

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. An Idaho resident, or a business entity authorized to do business in Idaho. An assumed business name (DBA) cannot serve.

    The address has to be a physical street address in Idaho. P.O. boxes and commercial mailboxes are not accepted.

    The registered agent comes with every service on our list.

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

  3. Stage 3

    Who does the paperwork?

    Either way you pay Idaho $100. The services we recommend charge $199 more to do the work.

  4. Stage 4

    Get ready the Certificate of Organization Limited Liability Company

    Once the Idaho Secretary of State accepts the Certificate of Organization Limited Liability Company and $100, the LLC exists. The law behind it is Idaho Code § 30-25-201. By the office's own account, expect About 7 to 10 days.

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

  5. Stage 5

    Pick up the EIN

    With approval in your hands, request an EIN so the LLC can open accounts under its own name. Pick Mainstay Filing and this stage is done for you.

  6. Stage 6

    Get the owners to sign an agreement

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

  7. Stage 7

    Deal with Idaho's repeating filing

    Pencil the annual report into your calendar: no fee, every year, due last day of the entity's anniversary month.

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

What each stage costs in Idaho

StageWho gets paidSum
Setting up the LLCState agency$100
Annual reportState agencyNo fee
Service fees (optional)The service$199 at the start
Three years of state feesState agency$100
Whatever goes to Idaho is an official fee you can verify on the pages listed below. The three-year row combines the filing, two later reports and a minimum tax where there is one; service prices stay out of it.

How the scores came out

On three-year bill (32% of the score) finished first, with right behind.

Idaho Registered Agent.co costs $397 across three years, saving you $200 compared with Mainstay Filing.

Idaho questions answered

What does Idaho charge to form an LLC?

The official schedule says $100. Bring in a service and add $199.

Which form creates the LLC?

The Certificate of Organization Limited Liability Company creates the company, and the Idaho Secretary of State is who gets it.

Is a registered agent required?

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

How long does Idaho take to process the filing?

Plan for About 7 to 10 days.

What does Idaho require each year?

Circle the annual report on your calendar: no fee, every year, last day of the entity's anniversary month.

Can I form the LLC without a service?

Permitted. You pay $100, do the filing and line up a registered agent.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

Idaho Registered Agent.co, Mainstay Filing and ID Registered Agent.org, from the top score to the lowest.

Where we got the facts

  1. Where the Idaho yearly filing: Annual report: due date, official advice comes from: legislature.idaho.gov, viewed October 2026.
  2. Where the Idaho Code § 30-25-201 advice comes from: legislature.idaho.gov, viewed August 2026.
  3. Where the Idaho formation fee: Filing fee, official source advice comes from: sos.idaho.gov, viewed October 2026.
  4. Where the Idaho formation fee: Filing fee, official source advice comes from: legislature.idaho.gov, viewed October 2026.
  5. Where the Idaho registered agent statute advice comes from: legislature.idaho.gov, viewed October 2026.
  6. Where the Processing, official source advice comes from: sos.idaho.gov, viewed October 2026.
  7. Idaho Registered Agent.co: pricing page, opened November 13, 2026
  8. Mainstay Filing: Idaho service page, opened November 13, 2026
  9. ID Registered Agent.org: pricing page, opened November 13, 2026