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Founder Mentor Guide

Walkthrough 1 · Minnesota

Minnesota 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 Minnesota are Mainstay Filing ($199), Minnesota Registered Agent.co ($199) and MN Registered Agent.org ($199), in that order. You will work through 7 stages and pay Minnesota $155 to file; later comes the annual renewal every year.

Advice from the Founder Mentor Guide mentors

The short version

Cost to form
$155
Official page: revisor.mn.gov (viewed October 2026)
Annual renewal
No fee
Official timing, quoted: December 31
What the state collects in three years
$155
Formation, reports and any minimum tax
Stages in this walkthrough
7
Each one explained

What this walkthrough covers

  • How forming an LLC works in Minnesota
  • What the agent rule says
  • How to stay in good standing
  • Our recommendations, with reasons

Who we would phone in Minnesota

The mentors' five criteria are on how we score, and they decide the order.

Our call

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

Best overall$199 a year, state fee on top ($354 due at checkout)

Mainstay Filing is our first call in Minnesota: $199 a year hands you the formation, a registered agent and the annual renewal, with renewal at $199.

You will pay $200 more than at Minnesota Registered Agent.co over three years, but this service does more of the legwork, and we count that.

Filing the annual renewal comes with the service, and the state asks nothing for it.

What you get

  • Filing made with the state
  • Registered agent all year long
  • Annual renewal filed for you
  • The EIN application comes with it
  • The official fee, nothing added

What works

  • A flat $199 every year
  • It prepares your EIN application as well
  • Renews for $199

What to watch

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

Our call

2. Minnesota Registered Agent.co: best for Minnesota LLCs working to a budget

Local choice$199 in year one, $99 after

Pick number 2 is Minnesota Registered Agent.co, where expect $199 for the formation on top of state fees, and $99 when the agent renews.

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

What you get

  • The formation filing
  • A year of agent service comes with the price

What works

  • $199 to form
  • $99 yearly from year two
  • First agent year included

What to watch

  • The price leaves out the annual renewal
  • It bills $99 for the EIN stage
Visit Minnesota Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

3. MN Registered Agent.org: best for another Minnesota option

Local choice$199 in year one, $99 after

Pick number 3 is MN Registered Agent.org, where expect $199 for the formation on top of state fees, and $99 when the agent renews.

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

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

What you get

  • The formation filing
  • A year of agent service comes with the price

What works

  • First agent year included
  • $99 yearly from year two
  • $199 to form

What to watch

  • The price leaves out the annual renewal
  • It bills $99 for the EIN stage
Visit MN 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.
2Minnesota Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Minnesota Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3MN Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit MN Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Listed prices, viewed November 13, 2026. Minnesota's $155 fee is still owed in every row.

The walkthrough, stage by stage

  1. Stage 1

    Pick a name and make sure it is free

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

    Pick a second choice now.

  2. Stage 2

    Name your registered agent

    A Minnesota LLC must keep a registered office in Minnesota; naming an agent there is optional. If one is named: a Minnesota resident, or a corporation or LLC formed in Minnesota or authorized there, with a business office at the registered office.

    Every Minnesota LLC keeps a registered office at an actual office location in Minnesota; a P.O. box by itself is not accepted.

    Each service we recommend covers the registered agent role.

    Check it yourself: Official page: revisor.mn.gov (viewed October 2026)

  3. Stage 3

    Decide whether to do it yourself

    Either way you pay Minnesota $155. The services we recommend charge $199 more to do the work.

  4. Stage 4

    Your next job is the Articles of Organization

    The Articles of Organization is the key document. It goes to the Minnesota Secretary of State, the fee is $155, and the rule sits in Minn. Stat. sec. 322C.0201.

    Check it yourself: Official page: revisor.mn.gov (viewed October 2026)

  5. Stage 5

    Ask the IRS for an EIN

    State approval first, IRS number second. The Mainstay Filing yearly price already covers this stage.

  6. Stage 6

    Draft the operating agreement

    It spells out shares, voting and what happens if someone leaves. It stays private.

  7. Stage 7

    Prepare for next year

    Each year, Minnesota looks for the annual renewal (December 31) and charges nothing.

    Check it yourself: Official page: revisor.mn.gov (viewed October 2026)

What each stage costs in Minnesota

EntryReceiverTotal
The formation stageState office$155
Annual renewalState officeNo fee
Optional serviceThe provider$199 for year one
What the state collects by year threeState office$155
The state rows come from Minnesota'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.

Why the list runs this way

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

Minnesota Registered Agent.co costs less, but you would be filing the annual renewal yourself.

What founders ask

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

$155, paid to the state. The services we recommend bill $199 on top.

Which form creates the LLC?

Once the Minnesota Secretary of State accepts the Articles of Organization, your LLC is real.

Is a registered agent required?

A Minnesota LLC must keep a registered office in Minnesota; naming an agent there is optional.

What does Minnesota require each year?

Send in the annual renewal every year; it costs nothing and the deadline is December 31.

Can I form the LLC without a service?

A service is optional. Owners can file by paying the $155 fee as long as they appoint a registered agent.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

Mainstay Filing, Minnesota Registered Agent.co and MN Registered Agent.org, from the top score to the lowest.

Where we got the facts

  1. Backing for Minnesota yearly filing: Recurring filing, official source: revisor.mn.gov, October 2026.
  2. Backing for Minnesota yearly filing: Recurring filing, official source: revisor.mn.gov, October 2026.
  3. Backing for Minnesota report due date: sos.state.mn.us, August 2026.
  4. Backing for Minn: revisor.mn.gov, August 2026.
  5. Backing for Minnesota formation fee: Filing fee, official source: sos.mn.gov, October 2026.
  6. Backing for Minnesota registered agent statute: revisor.mn.gov, October 2026.
  7. The Minnesota service page at Mainstay Filing, viewed November 13, 2026
  8. The pricing page at Minnesota Registered Agent.co, viewed November 13, 2026
  9. The pricing page at MN Registered Agent.org, viewed November 13, 2026