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Founder Mentor Guide

Walkthrough 1 · New Jersey

New Jersey 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 Jersey are New Jersey Registered Agent.co ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and Registered Agent NJ.org ($199), in that order. You will work through 7 stages and pay New Jersey $100 to file; later comes the annual report every year.

Advice from the Founder Mentor Guide mentors

Walkthrough snapshot

State filing fee
$100
We pulled this from pub.njleg.gov in October 2026
Annual report
$75 a year
Deadline on the state's schedule: last day of the LLC's anniversary month
Three-year state cost
$250
No service fee included
How many stages
7
One at a time

Walkthrough goals

  • The official New Jersey fee and form
  • The registered agent requirement
  • What happens once the LLC exists
  • The services at the top of the list

New Jersey: our recommended services

Cost over three years leads, then work taken off your desk, year-two price, New Jersey fit and honest pricing (scoring page).

Our call

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

Start with this one$199 plus the state fee, then $99 a year

New Jersey Registered Agent.co takes first place, and the reason is that expect $199 for the formation on top of state fees, and $99 when the agent renews.

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

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

  • The agent renews at $99
  • Agent covered in year one
  • $199 above the state fee

What to watch

  • The annual report stays your responsibility
  • Help with the EIN is $99 more
Visit New Jersey Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

2. Mainstay Filing: best for no annual report to worry about

Works in every stateYear one $199; renewal $199; state fee separate

Pick number 2 is Mainstay Filing, where the one yearly fee, $199, takes three jobs off your plate: filing, registered agent and annual report.

Across three years it trails New Jersey Registered Agent.co by $200.

It files every annual report for you; the only extra is the state's own $75.

What you get

  • The formation filing
  • Registered agent all year long
  • Annual report filed for you
  • The EIN application comes with it
  • No markup on the state fee

What works

  • One yearly fee of $199 that includes the annual report
  • Renews for $199
  • The EIN application is covered

What to watch

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

Our call

3. Registered Agent NJ.org: best for a small agent renewal

New Jersey specialist$199 plus the state fee, then $99 a year

Registered Agent NJ.org is a solid third: 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.

New Jersey Registered Agent.co and this service cost the same.

What you get

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

What works

  • The agent renews at $99
  • Agent covered in year one
  • $199 above the state fee

What to watch

  • The annual report stays your responsibility
  • Help with the EIN is $99 more
Visit Registered Agent NJ.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

The New Jersey picks side by side

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1New Jersey Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit New Jersey 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.
3Registered Agent NJ.org$199$99/yr$397Visit Registered Agent NJ.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Pulled from each price page on November 13, 2026. These figures leave out New Jersey's $100 fee.

Formation in order

  1. Stage 1

    Search for your name before you fall in love with it

    Look your name up on the New Jersey register at the New Jersey Secretary of State. It takes a few minutes and spares you a rejected filing.

    Have a backup name written down.

  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 Jersey resident, or a business with authority to do business in New Jersey, such as a corporation registered and in good standing with the State Treasurer.

    The address has to be a New Jersey street address. A P.O. box can be listed only together with the street address.

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

    Check it yourself: We pulled this from pub.njleg.gov in October 2026

  3. Stage 3

    Pick your route

    Doing it yourself costs just the $100 state fee. A service adds $199 and takes over the forms; our ranking shows who we would phone.

  4. Stage 4

    The paper to file is the Certificate of Formation

    The Certificate of Formation is the key document. It goes to the New Jersey Secretary of State, the fee is $100, and the rule sits in N.J.S.A. 42:2C-18.

    Check it yourself: We pulled this from pub.njleg.gov in October 2026

  5. Stage 5

    Apply for an Employer Identification Number

    EINs come from the IRS, not New Jersey. Apply after approval and hand the number to your bank. This stage is part of what Mainstay Filing sells.

  6. Stage 6

    Put your ownership deal on paper

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

  7. Stage 7

    Keep the LLC active

    The filing that returns on schedule is the annual report ($75, every year, by last day of the LLC's anniversary month).

    Check it yourself: We pulled this from njportal.com in August 2026

Costs, stage by stage

ItemWho gets paidCost
The formation stageState office$100
Annual reportState office$75 every year
A filing service (optional)The service company$199 in the first year
State fees, years one to threeState office$250
Whatever goes to New Jersey 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 three-year bill (32% of the score) finished first, with right behind.

Add up three years and New Jersey Registered Agent.co lands on $397, $200 below Mainstay Filing.

New Jersey questions answered

Which fees does New Jersey charge when an LLC is formed?

The state's fee is $100. Bring in a service and add $199.

Which form creates the LLC?

Mail or upload the Certificate of Formation to the New Jersey Secretary of State.

Is a registered agent required?

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

What does New Jersey require each year?

What comes back around is the annual report ($75, every year, due last day of the LLC's anniversary month).

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?

New Jersey Registered Agent.co, Mainstay Filing and Registered Agent NJ.org, from the top score to the lowest.

Where we got the facts

  1. Our New Jersey Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services notes lean on njportal.com as of August 2026.
  2. Our New Jersey Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services notes lean on njportal.com as of August 2026.
  3. Our New Jersey report due date notes lean on njleg.state.nj.us as of August 2026.
  4. Our New Jersey DORES, Getting Registered notes lean on nj.gov as of October 2026.
  5. Our New Jersey formation fee: Filing fee, official source notes lean on pub.njleg.gov as of October 2026.
  6. Our New Jersey registered agent statute notes lean on pub.njleg.gov as of October 2026.
  7. New Jersey Registered Agent.co pricing page; prices copied November 13, 2026
  8. Mainstay Filing New Jersey service page; prices copied November 13, 2026
  9. Registered Agent NJ.org pricing page; prices copied November 13, 2026