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Founder Mentor Guide

Walkthrough 1 · New York

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

Ranked for 2026, the services worth your call for forming an LLC in New York are Mainstay Filing ($199), New York Registered Agent.ai ($199) and NY Registered Agent.org ($199), in that order. New York charges $200 to form an LLC, and $9 for the biennial statement later; you can finish in 8 stages.

Advice from the Founder Mentor Guide mentors

The short version

Formation fee
$200
dos.ny.gov, seen in October 2026
Biennial statement
$9 every 2 years
The state words the deadline like this: during the calendar month in which the Articles of Organization were filed, every 2 years
What the state collects in three years
$209
State charges only
How many stages
8
First to last

By the end you will know

  • Where and how a New York LLC is filed
  • What the agent rule says
  • What happens once the LLC exists
  • Who we would phone to file

The New York call list

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

Our call

1. Mainstay Filing: best for new owners who want it done for them

Top recommendation$199 a year, state fee on top ($399 due at checkout)

Mainstay Filing is our first call in New York: $199 a year hands you the formation, a agent for service of process and the biennial statement, with renewal at $199.

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

The biennial statement is part of the job, and New York's $9 fee is billed to you at cost.

What you get

  • The filing is done for you
  • Registered agent all year long
  • Biennial statement filed for you
  • The EIN application comes with it
  • State fee at cost

What works

  • The EIN stage is part of the package
  • $199 yearly with everything in it
  • No jump at renewal ($199)

What to watch

  • Renewal runs $100 above New York Registered Agent.ai
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

2. New York Registered Agent.ai: best for owners who expect to remain in New York

Local choice$199 to start, $99 a year after year one

Second place goes to New York Registered Agent.ai, since you form the New York LLC for $199 with year-one agent service included; the agent then renews at $99.

Set time aside for the biennial statement every two years; the price leaves it out.

What you get

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

What works

  • The agent renews at $99
  • $199 above the state fee
  • First agent year included

What to watch

  • The biennial statement lands on your desk
  • It bills $99 for the EIN stage
Visit New York Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

3. NY Registered Agent.org: best for LLCs that never leave New York

Local choice$199 to start, $99 a year after year one

Third place goes to NY Registered Agent.org, since you form the New York LLC for $199 with year-one agent service included; the agent then renews at $99.

Set time aside for the biennial statement every two years; the price leaves it out.

Its prices are identical to New York Registered Agent.ai's, so either is fine on cost.

What you get

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

What works

  • $199 above the state fee
  • The agent renews at $99
  • First agent year included

What to watch

  • The biennial statement lands on your desk
  • It bills $99 for the EIN stage
Visit NY Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

The New York 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.
2New York Registered Agent.ai$199$99/yr$397Visit New York Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3NY Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit NY Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Listed prices, viewed November 13, 2026. No row folds in the $200 state fee.

The stages

  1. Stage 1

    Search for your name before you fall in love with it

    Open the business name search run by the New York Secretary of State. If someone in New York already holds the name, your filing could bounce.

    See whether the web address is open while you are at it.

  2. Stage 2

    Decide who will act as an agent for service of process

    The Secretary of State is the agent for service of process for every New York LLC; naming a registered agent is optional. If one is designated: a person who lives in New York or has a business address there, an LLC formed or authorized in New York, or a corporation formed or authorized in New York.

    New York has no registered-office requirement. The Secretary of State is the agent for service of process for every New York LLC and mails a copy of any papers served to the address the company has on file. A designated registered agent's street address goes on the filing.

    Our recommended services all work as an agent for service of process.

    Check it yourself: nysenate.gov, seen in October 2026

  3. Stage 3

    Decide whether to do it yourself

    Skipping the service saves $199; it also means you fill in every form. Our picks are listed in order.

  4. Stage 4

    Now deal with the Articles of Organization

    Fill out the Articles of Organization (Form DOS-1336-f), add $200 and send it all to the New York Secretary of State (NY Limited Liability Company Law § 203).

    Check it yourself: dos.ny.gov, seen in October 2026

  5. Stage 5

    One more thing New York wants

    • Publication: within 120 days, a notice runs for six weeks in two county newspapers (the papers set their own charges), then a Certificate of Publication is filed for $50.
    • Tax Department LLC fee (Form IT-204-LL): $25 a year for a single-member LLC with New York-source income; partnership LLCs pay more.

    Check it yourself: tax.ny.gov, seen in October 2026

  6. Stage 6

    Order a federal tax ID for the LLC

    With approval in your hands, request an EIN so the LLC can open accounts under its own name. This stage is part of what Mainstay Filing sells.

  7. Stage 7

    Put your ownership deal on paper

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

  8. Stage 8

    Stay in good standing in New York

    Keep the LLC active by sending in the biennial statement every two years ($9) before during the calendar month in which the Articles of Organization were filed, every 2 years.

    Check it yourself: dos.ny.gov, seen in October 2026

New York costs by stage

StageReceiverTotal
Formation feeState agency$200
Biennial statementState agency$9 every two years
A filing service (optional)Your service$199 at the start
State fees, years one to threeState agency$209
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.

How the scores came out

Work taken off your desk makes up 32% of the score, and that is where pulled ahead in New York.

In New York the biennial statement comes around every two years, so a price that files it for you beat a cheaper one that does not.

Common questions

What should I budget for filing a new LLC in New York?

New York bills $200. The services we recommend bill $199 on top.

Which form creates the LLC?

Stage 4 shows you how to fill out the Articles of Organization (Form DOS-1336-f) and where it goes: the New York Secretary of State.

Is an agent for service of process required?

The Secretary of State is the agent for service of process for every New York LLC; naming a registered agent is optional.

What does New York require each year?

What comes back around is the biennial statement ($9, every two years, due during the calendar month in which the Articles of Organization were filed, every 2 years).

Can I form the LLC without a service?

Permitted. You pay $200, do the filing and line up an agent for service of process.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

Mainstay Filing, New York Registered Agent.ai and NY Registered Agent.org, from the top score to the lowest.

Where we got the facts

  1. Backing for New York Department of State, Division of Corporations: dos.ny.gov, August 2026.
  2. Backing for New York Department of State, Division of Corporations: filing.dos.ny.gov, August 2026.
  3. Backing for New York report due date: nysenate.gov, August 2026.
  4. Backing for NY Limited Liability Company Law § 203: nysenate.gov, August 2026.
  5. Backing for New York formation fee: Filing fee, official source: dos.ny.gov, October 2026.
  6. Backing for New York registered agent statute: nysenate.gov, October 2026.
  7. Backing for New York other cost: Publication, official source: nysenate.gov, October 2026.
  8. Backing for New York other cost: Certificate of Publication, official: dos.ny.gov, October 2026.
  9. Backing for New York other cost: Tax Department LLC fee: tax.ny.gov, October 2026.
  10. Mainstay Filing: New York service page, opened November 13, 2026
  11. New York Registered Agent.ai: pricing page, opened November 13, 2026
  12. NY Registered Agent.org: pricing page, opened November 13, 2026