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Founder Mentor Guide

Mentor notes 1 · North Dakota

North Dakota LLC Formation Walkthrough (2026): 7 Stages and the 3 Best LLC Services

For forming an LLC in North Dakota in 2026, our mentors would send you to Mainstay Filing ($199), ND Registered Agents.org ($199) and North Dakota Registered Agent.co ($199), in that order. The numbers to remember: 7 stages, $135 to the state, and the annual report to follow every year.

Advice from the Founder Mentor Guide mentors

The short version

Cost to form
$135
sos.nd.gov, seen in October 2026
Annual report
$50 a year
When it falls due: November 15
State cost, years 1 to 3
$235
Formation, reports and any minimum tax
Stages in this walkthrough
7
In order

What this walkthrough covers

  • The official North Dakota fee and form
  • Who can be the registered agent
  • Upkeep that repeats
  • Which services we recommend and why

Our shortlist for North Dakota

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

Our call

1. Mainstay Filing: best for handing off the annual report

Best overall$199 a year, state fee on top ($334 due at checkout)

Mainstay Filing is our first call in North Dakota: it wraps the filing, your registered agent and the annual report into $199 a year, and the renewal does not budge from $199.

Three years run $200 higher than at ND Registered Agents.org, and you get more of the work done in return.

It handles the annual report too, adding North Dakota's $50 at cost.

What you get

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

What works

  • Renews for $199
  • One yearly fee of $199 that includes the annual report
  • Your EIN application gets filed too

What to watch

  • Renewal runs $100 above ND Registered Agents.org
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

2. ND Registered Agents.org: best for a small first bill

North Dakota specialist$199 and fees, then $99 yearly

ND Registered Agents.org is a solid second: $199 to get going, agent service for year one included, then $99 each year.

The annual report is not in the price, so you file it every year.

What you get

  • The North Dakota formation, prepared and sent
  • A year of agent service comes with the price

What works

  • $99 a year after that
  • $199 and the state fee
  • First agent year included

What to watch

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

Our call

3. North Dakota Registered Agent.co: best for owners happy to do their own reports

North Dakota specialist$199 and fees, then $99 yearly

North Dakota Registered Agent.co is a solid third: $199 to get going, agent service for year one included, then $99 each year.

The annual report is not in the price, so you file it every year.

ND Registered Agents.org and this service cost the same.

What you get

  • The North Dakota formation, prepared and sent
  • A year of agent service comes with the price

What works

  • $199 and the state fee
  • First agent year included
  • $99 a year after that

What to watch

  • No annual report service is on offer
  • Help with the EIN is $99 more
Visit North Dakota Registered Agent.coPartner 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.
2ND Registered Agents.org$199$99/yr$397Visit ND Registered Agents.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3North Dakota Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit North Dakota Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Each price is copied from the company's own site, opened November 13, 2026. Plan for $135 more in state fees, whichever row you pick.

How a North Dakota LLC gets formed

  1. Stage 1

    Confirm nobody else owns the name

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

    Decide on a plan B name in case the first is gone.

  2. Stage 2

    Name your registered agent

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. A commercial registered agent listed with the Secretary of State, or a noncommercial agent: a North Dakota resident, or an entity registered with the Secretary of State that has a North Dakota business office. A business cannot serve as its own agent.

    The address has to be a complete physical address in North Dakota. P.O. boxes are not accepted.

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

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

  3. Stage 3

    Do it yourself or pay someone

    Doing it yourself costs just the $135 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 Articles of Organization

    What you need: the Articles of Organization, a check or card for $135, and the North Dakota Secretary of State as the address. For the curious, see N.D. Cent. Code § 10-32.1-20.

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

  5. Stage 5

    Apply for an Employer Identification Number

    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 prepares the EIN application inside its package.

  6. Stage 6

    Get the owners to sign an agreement

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

  7. Stage 7

    Mark the dates that come back around

    Each year, North Dakota looks for the annual report (November 15) and charges $50. Miss it and $50 gets added.

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

Costs, stage by stage

EntryReceiverCost
Forming the LLCPaid to the state$135
Annual reportPaid to the state$50 every year
Penalty for filing latePaid to the state$50
Optional serviceService$199 to start
What the state collects by year threePaid to the state$235
Add the filing fee, two later reports and any minimum tax and you have the state's three-year total. The pages listed below show where each figure came from.

Why Mainstay Filing is first

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

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

What founders ask

What does North Dakota charge to form an LLC?

Budget $135 to file. The services we recommend bill $199 on top.

Which form creates the LLC?

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

Is a registered agent required?

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

What does North Dakota require each year?

Count on North Dakota wanting the annual report every year, at $50, with timing described as November 15.

Can I form the LLC without a service?

A service is optional. Owners can file by paying the $135 fee as long as they appoint a registered agent.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

Mainstay Filing, ND Registered Agents.org and North Dakota Registered Agent.co, from the top score to the lowest.

Where we got the facts

  1. North Dakota Secretary of State, Business Division: go straight to sos.nd.gov, checked August 2026.
  2. North Dakota Secretary of State, Business Division: go straight to sos.nd.gov, checked August 2026.
  3. North Dakota report due date: go straight to ndlegis.gov, checked August 2026.
  4. North Dakota formation fee: Filing fee, official source: go straight to sos.nd.gov, checked October 2026.
  5. North Dakota registered agent statute: go straight to ndlegis.gov, checked October 2026.
  6. Mainstay Filing North Dakota service page; prices copied November 13, 2026
  7. ND Registered Agents.org pricing page; prices copied November 13, 2026
  8. North Dakota Registered Agent.co pricing page; prices copied November 13, 2026