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Founder Mentor Guide

Mentor notes 2 · Kentucky

Kentucky Registered Agent Walkthrough (2026): 6 Stages and the 3 Best Agents

Here is the short answer for naming a registered agent in Kentucky in 2026: Mainstay Filing ($149 a year), KY Registered Agent.org ($99 a year) and Kentucky Registered Agent.co ($99 a year), ranked from first to last. In 6 stages you will know what Kentucky wants from a registered agent, who can do the job, which address works and how to make the appointment official.

Advice from the Founder Mentor Guide mentors

Read this first

Must you name one?
Yes
We pulled this from apps.legislature.ky.gov in October 2026
Service prices
$99 to $149 a year
Published rates
Annual report
$15 a year
We pulled this from sos.ky.gov in August 2026
Tax every year
$175
We pulled this from revenue.ky.gov in October 2026
Stages
6
In order

What you will get from this walkthrough

  • What the law says
  • Who can serve and from what address
  • Getting the agent listed
  • How the picks compare

The Kentucky call list

Three-year cost and work taken off your desk weigh the most; how we score lists all five.

Our call

1. Mainstay Filing: best for owners planning to grow

Start with this one$149 per year (renews at $149)

In Kentucky, Mainstay Filing leads the list: the price is $149 a year whichever of the fifty states you choose.

KY Registered Agent.org costs $150 less across three years; this one still ranks higher because it takes more work off your plate.

What you get

  • A street address for the registered office
  • Papers served on the company are scanned for you, no charge
  • Up to three government mailings a year are scanned for free
  • Also works for nonprofits, corporations, LPs and LLPs

What works

  • Good in every state
  • $149 a year, same at renewal

What to watch

  • $50 a year above KY Registered Agent.org
  • Agent service only, so reports stay with you
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

2. KY Registered Agent.org: best for a low yearly agent fee

Kentucky specialist$99 per year (renews at $99)

KY Registered Agent.org is a solid second: a one-state plan at $99 a year, renewing at $99.

What you get

  • A Kentucky street address
  • Served documents appear online

What works

  • Under Mainstay Filing on price
  • $99 a year, same at renewal

What to watch

  • Serves Kentucky alone
  • Annual report is a job it leaves to you
Visit KY Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

3. Kentucky Registered Agent.co: best for staying inside one state

Kentucky specialist$99 per year (renews at $99)

Kentucky Registered Agent.co is a solid third: a one-state plan at $99 a year, renewing at $99.

KY Registered Agent.org and this service cost the same.

What you get

  • A Kentucky street address
  • Served documents appear online

What works

  • $99 a year, same at renewal
  • Under Mainstay Filing on price

What to watch

  • Serves Kentucky alone
  • Annual report is a job it leaves to you
Visit Kentucky Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

3 services, compared

#ServiceAnnual priceRenewal priceThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$149$149/yr$447Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2KY Registered Agent.org$99$99/yr$297Visit KY Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Kentucky Registered Agent.co$99$99/yr$297Visit Kentucky Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Company prices as listed on November 13, 2026. Changing agents does not alter the state charge.

The walkthrough, stage by stage

  1. Stage 1

    Begin with the rule

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

    Check it yourself: We pulled this from apps.legislature.ky.gov in October 2026

  2. Stage 2

    Who counts as an agent

    A Kentucky resident, or an entity qualified to do business in Kentucky, whose business address is the registered office. The agent signs or files a written acceptance. (KRS 14A.4-010)

  3. Stage 3

    Learn what counts as a registered office

    The address has to be a physical registered office in Kentucky that matches the agent's business address. A P.O. box is not enough.

    A service keeps your home address off public records.

  4. Stage 4

    Go solo or hire out

    A qualified owner can act as agent. Prefer to hand it off? Our recommended agents bill $99 to $149 yearly.

  5. Stage 5

    Report the agent's details

    The Articles of Organization - Profit Limited Liability Company (Form KLC) asks for the agent's name and address, and the Kentucky Secretary of State also handles the change filing when you switch.

    Check it yourself: We pulled this from sos.ky.gov in October 2026

  6. Stage 6

    Watch for changes

    Budget for the annual report at $15 every year, due on or before June 30. Notices about it arrive through the registered agent. Limited Liability Entity Tax: a $175 minimum each year to the Department of Revenue.

    Check it yourself: We pulled this from sos.ky.gov in August 2026

What the agent costs in Kentucky

What forPaid toTotal
Agent serviceThe service$99 to $149 a year
From year twoThe service$99 to $149 a year
Annual reportPaid to the state$15 every year
Yearly minimum taxPaid to the state$175 a year
Whatever goes to Kentucky 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.

The thinking behind the order

On work taken off your desk (32% of the score) finished first, with right behind.

Reach put it ahead of KY Registered Agent.org.

Short answers

Does Kentucky make every LLC keep a registered agent?

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

Can I be my own registered agent?

Maybe. Stages 2 and 3 show whether both rules fit you.

Can I change my registered agent later?

Change it whenever you like through the Kentucky Secretary of State, as stage 5 describes.

What does a registered agent cost in Kentucky?

$99 to $149 per year for the agents listed.

What does the LLC pay the state each year?

Each time, the state bills $15 for the annual report and separately collects the minimum tax.

Which registered agent would you choose?

Go with Mainstay Filing: a steady $149 per year, with nothing to change if you move into another state. Then KY Registered Agent.org and Kentucky Registered Agent.co.

Where we got the facts

  1. For Kentucky Secretary of State, open sos.ky.gov (we last saw it August 2026).
  2. For Kentucky Secretary of State, open sos.ky.gov (we last saw it August 2026).
  3. For Kentucky report due date, open apps.legislature.ky.gov (we last saw it August 2026).
  4. For KRS 275.025, open apps.legislature.ky.gov (we last saw it August 2026).
  5. For Kentucky formation fee: Filing fee, official source, open sos.ky.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  6. For Kentucky registered agent statute, open apps.legislature.ky.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  7. For Kentucky other cost: Limited Liability Entity Tax, official, open revenue.ky.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  8. November 13, 2026, Kentucky service page belonging to Mainstay Filing
  9. November 13, 2026, pricing page belonging to KY Registered Agent.org
  10. November 13, 2026, pricing page belonging to Kentucky Registered Agent.co