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Founder Mentor Guide

Mentor walkthrough 1 · New Hampshire

New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire are Mainstay Filing ($199), NH Registered Agent.org ($199) and New Hampshire Registered Agent.co ($199), in that order. The numbers to remember: 7 stages, $100 to the state, and the annual report to follow every year.

Advice from the Founder Mentor Guide mentors

Walkthrough snapshot

Charge at the state office
$100
We pulled this from gc.nh.gov in October 2026
Annual report
$100 a year
Calendar note, straight from the state: April 1
What the state collects in three years
$300
No service fee included
Walkthrough stages
7
Each one explained

What this walkthrough covers

  • The official New Hampshire fee and form
  • The registered agent requirement
  • The state filing that repeats
  • Our recommendations, with reasons

Our shortlist for New Hampshire

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 handing off the annual report

Number one pick$199 a year, state fee on top

If you only phone one company, make it Mainstay Filing, because $199 a year hands you the formation, a registered agent and the annual report, with renewal at $199.

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

The annual report is part of the job, and New Hampshire's $100 fee is billed to you at cost.

What you get

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

What works

  • $199 a year for filing, agent and report
  • Nothing extra for the EIN application
  • $199 every year

What to watch

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

Our call

2. NH Registered Agent.org: best for New Hampshire LLCs working to a budget

Focused on New HampshireFormation $199, renewal $99 a year

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

You still send in the annual report every year.

What you get

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

What works

  • $199 and the state fee
  • Year-one agent service costs nothing more
  • A small $99 renewal

What to watch

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

Our call

3. New Hampshire Registered Agent.co: best for owners happy to do their own reports

Focused on New HampshireFormation $199, renewal $99 a year

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

You still send in the annual report every year.

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

What you get

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

What works

  • Year-one agent service costs nothing more
  • A small $99 renewal
  • $199 and the state fee

What to watch

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

The New Hampshire picks side by side

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$199$199/yr$597Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2NH Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit NH Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3New Hampshire Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit New Hampshire Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Company prices as listed on November 13, 2026. New Hampshire's $100 fee is still owed in every row.

How a New Hampshire LLC gets formed

  1. Stage 1

    Pick a name and make sure it is free

    Whether the name is available is up to the New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire resident, or a business entity registered with the Secretary of State, whose office is the registered office.

    The address has to be a physical street address in New Hampshire; filings that list an out-of-state address are not processed. P.O. boxes are not accepted.

    Our recommended services all work as a registered agent.

    Check it yourself: We pulled this from gc.nh.gov in October 2026

  3. Stage 3

    Decide whether to do it yourself

    The state takes $100 regardless. If you hire a service from our list, add $199.

  4. Stage 4

    Time to send in the Certificate of Formation of a New Hampshire Limited Liability Company

    Fill out the Certificate of Formation of a New Hampshire Limited Liability Company (Form LLC-1), add $100 and send it all to the New Hampshire Secretary of State.

    Check it yourself: We pulled this from gc.nh.gov in October 2026

  5. Stage 5

    Ask the IRS for an EIN

    Once the state says yes, apply to the IRS for the LLC's federal tax ID. A proper business account is hard to open without it. Mainstay Filing handles the EIN application at no added charge.

  6. Stage 6

    Put your ownership deal on paper

    The operating agreement is where the owners of a New Hampshire 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

    Mark the dates that come back around

    Pencil the annual report into your calendar: $100, every year, due April 1. Filing late costs $50.

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

What this walkthrough costs

What forWho gets paidCost
The formation stageGoes to the state$100
Annual reportGoes to the state$100 every year
Penalty for filing lateGoes to the state$50
A filing service (optional)The service company$199 at the start
State total across three yearsGoes to the state$300
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

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

In New Hampshire the annual report comes around every year, so a price that files it for you beat a cheaper one that does not.

New Hampshire questions answered

How much will New Hampshire charge me to start an LLC?

$100, paid to the state. Bring in a service and add $199.

Which form creates the LLC?

Mail or upload the Certificate of Formation of a New Hampshire Limited Liability Company (Form LLC-1) to the New Hampshire Secretary of State.

Is a registered agent required?

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

What does New Hampshire require each year?

What comes back around is the annual report ($100, every year, due April 1).

Can I form the LLC without a service?

You can. The state takes $100 at filing, and the LLC still needs a registered agent on record.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

Phone Mainstay Filing, because 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. After that come NH Registered Agent.org and New Hampshire Registered Agent.co.

Where we got the facts

  1. Backing for New Hampshire Secretary of State, Corporations Division: sos.nh.gov, August 2026.
  2. Backing for New Hampshire Secretary of State, Corporations Division: sos.nh.gov, August 2026.
  3. Backing for New Hampshire report due date: gencourt.state.nh.us, August 2026.
  4. Backing for N.H: gc.nh.gov, August 2026.
  5. Backing for New Hampshire formation fee: Filing fee, official source: gc.nh.gov, October 2026.
  6. Backing for New Hampshire registered agent statute: gc.nh.gov, October 2026.
  7. The New Hampshire service page at Mainstay Filing, viewed November 13, 2026
  8. The pricing page at NH Registered Agent.org, viewed November 13, 2026
  9. The pricing page at New Hampshire Registered Agent.co, viewed November 13, 2026