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Founder Mentor Guide

Walkthrough 1 · Kentucky

Kentucky LLC Formation Walkthrough (2026): 8 Stages and the 3 Best LLC Services

For forming an LLC in Kentucky in 2026, our mentors would send you to Kentucky Registered Agent.co ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and KY Registered Agent.org ($199), in that order. Think of it as 8 stages with a $40 price tag from the state, plus the annual report every year.

Advice from the Founder Mentor Guide mentors

Key facts up front

Formation fee
$40
sos.ky.gov, seen in October 2026
Annual report
$15 a year
The state words the deadline like this: on or before June 30
Minimum tax each year
$175
revenue.ky.gov, seen in October 2026
State cost, years 1 to 3
$595
No service fee included
How many stages
8
Listed below

What this walkthrough covers

  • The official Kentucky fee and form
  • What the agent rule says
  • The state filing that repeats
  • Our recommendations, with reasons

Kentucky: our recommended services

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

Our call

1. Kentucky Registered Agent.co: best for Kentucky LLCs working to a budget

Number one pick$199 to start, $99 a year after year one

Kentucky Registered Agent.co takes first place, and the reason is that $199 to get going, agent service for year one included, then $99 each year.

Cost settles it: three years here come to less than at Mainstay Filing.

The price does not reach the annual report.

What you get

  • Filing made with the state
  • A year of agent service comes with the price

What works

  • No agent fee in year one
  • $199 and the state fee
  • The agent renews at $99

What to watch

  • The annual report lands on your desk
  • The EIN application is $99 extra
Visit Kentucky 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, renewing at $199

Mainstay Filing comes in second: $199 yearly buys formation, registered agent and annual report together, so you carry no surprise bills at renewal.

A $200 three-year gap to Kentucky Registered Agent.co decides where it lands.

Hands off the annual report: it is prepared for you, and the $15 state fee passes through untouched.

What you get

  • Formation paperwork handled
  • Registered agent all year long
  • Annual report filed for you
  • The EIN application comes with it
  • The official fee, nothing added

What works

  • No jump at renewal ($199)
  • One yearly fee of $199 that includes the annual report
  • Your EIN application gets filed too

What to watch

  • After year one it costs $100 more every year
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

3. KY Registered Agent.org: best for LLCs that never leave Kentucky

Kentucky specialist$199 to start, $99 a year after year one

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

The price does not reach the annual report.

On price it is a tie with Kentucky Registered Agent.co.

What you get

  • Filing made with the state
  • A year of agent service comes with the price

What works

  • The agent renews at $99
  • No agent fee in year one
  • $199 and the state fee

What to watch

  • The annual report lands on your desk
  • The EIN application is $99 extra
Visit KY Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

The services compared

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Kentucky Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Kentucky 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.
3KY Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit KY Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Listed prices, viewed November 13, 2026. No row folds in the $40 state fee.

How a Kentucky LLC gets formed

  1. Stage 1

    Choose a name that is open

    Whether the name is available is up to the Kentucky Secretary of State, so that is where you begin.

    Pick a second choice now.

  2. Stage 2

    Decide who will act as a registered agent

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

    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.

    Any of the services we phone can be your registered agent.

    Check it yourself: apps.legislature.ky.gov, seen in October 2026

  3. Stage 3

    Pick your route

    Either way you pay Kentucky $40. The services we recommend charge $199 more to do the work.

  4. Stage 4

    Time to send in the Articles of Organization - Profit Limited Liability Company

    Fill out the Articles of Organization - Profit Limited Liability Company (Form KLC), add $40 and send it all to the Kentucky Secretary of State.

    Check it yourself: sos.ky.gov, seen in October 2026

  5. Stage 5

    A requirement unique to Kentucky

    • Limited Liability Entity Tax: a $175 minimum each year to the Department of Revenue.

    Check it yourself: revenue.ky.gov, seen in October 2026

  6. Stage 6

    Get your EIN

    When Kentucky approves the LLC, go to the IRS for an Employer Identification Number; your bank and any payroll service will ask for it. This stage is part of what Mainstay Filing sells.

  7. Stage 7

    Draft the operating agreement

    Even if you are the only owner of a Kentucky LLC, write one anyway and file it with your records.

  8. Stage 8

    Keep the LLC active

    The filing that returns on schedule is the annual report ($15, every year, by on or before June 30). The state also charges a tax: Limited Liability Entity Tax: a $175 minimum each year to the Department of Revenue.

    Check it yourself: sos.ky.gov, seen in August 2026

The bill

ItemWho gets paidSum
Forming the LLCThe state$40
Annual reportThe state$15 every year
Minimum tax each yearThe state$175 a year
A filing service (optional)The service$199 in the first year
Three years of state feesThe state$595
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.

Why Kentucky Registered Agent.co is first

edged out on three-year bill, which counts for 32%.

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

Kentucky questions answered

Which fees does Kentucky charge when an LLC is formed?

$40, paid to the state. Service fees on our list run $199.

Which form creates the LLC?

Once the Kentucky Secretary of State accepts the Articles of Organization - Profit Limited Liability Company (Form KLC), your LLC is real.

Is a registered agent required?

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

What does Kentucky require each year?

Circle the annual report on your calendar: $15, every year, on or before June 30. A yearly minimum tax also applies.

Can I form the LLC without a service?

You can. The state takes $40 at filing, and the LLC still needs a registered agent on record.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

Go with Kentucky Registered Agent.co: expect $199 for the formation on top of state fees, and $99 when the agent renews. Then Mainstay Filing and KY Registered Agent.org.

Where we got the facts

  1. Where the Kentucky Secretary of State advice comes from: sos.ky.gov, viewed August 2026.
  2. Where the Kentucky Secretary of State advice comes from: sos.ky.gov, viewed August 2026.
  3. Where the Kentucky report due date advice comes from: apps.legislature.ky.gov, viewed August 2026.
  4. Where the KRS 275.025 advice comes from: apps.legislature.ky.gov, viewed August 2026.
  5. Where the Kentucky formation fee: Filing fee, official source advice comes from: sos.ky.gov, viewed October 2026.
  6. Where the Kentucky registered agent statute advice comes from: apps.legislature.ky.gov, viewed October 2026.
  7. Where the Kentucky other cost: Limited Liability Entity Tax, official advice comes from: revenue.ky.gov, viewed October 2026.
  8. We opened Kentucky Registered Agent.co's pricing page on November 13, 2026 for the prices
  9. We opened Mainstay Filing's Kentucky service page on November 13, 2026 for the prices
  10. We opened KY Registered Agent.org's pricing page on November 13, 2026 for the prices