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Founder Mentor Guide

Walkthrough 1 · South Dakota

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

My advice for 2026: when forming an LLC in South Dakota, start with Mainstay Filing ($199), SD Registered Agent.org ($199) and South Dakota Registered Agent.co ($199), best first. The numbers to remember: 7 stages, $150 to the state, and the annual report to follow every year.

Advice from the Founder Mentor Guide mentors

Read this first

Cost to form
$150
sdlegislature.gov, seen in October 2026
Annual report
$55 a year
Official timing, quoted: due during the entity's anniversary month
What the state collects in three years
$260
Service fees not counted
Walkthrough stages
7
First to last

You will walk away able to

  • The official South Dakota fee and form
  • Who can be the registered agent
  • What comes back around every year
  • How the picks compare

The South Dakota call list

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

Our call

1. Mainstay Filing: best for a first year with very little to do

Our first call$199 a year, renewing at $199

Start with Mainstay Filing; 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.

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

You never fill out the annual report; the state's $55 comes through at exactly what South Dakota sets.

What you get

  • Filing made with the state
  • Registered agent all year long
  • Annual report filed for you
  • The EIN application comes with it
  • State fee billed at cost

What works

  • The EIN stage is part of the package
  • $199 a year for filing, agent and report
  • $199 every year

What to watch

  • A yearly premium of $100 over SD Registered Agent.org
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

2. SD Registered Agent.org: best for a lean South Dakota start

One-state plan$199 to start, $99 a year after year one

Second place goes to SD Registered Agent.org, since $199 on top of the state fee, and the first year of agent service is already in there, then $99 a year.

The price does not reach the annual report.

What you get

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

What works

  • $99 a year after that
  • A $199 formation fee
  • First agent year included

What to watch

  • The annual report lands on your desk
  • Help with the EIN is $99 more
Visit SD Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

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

One-state plan$199 to start, $99 a year after year one

Third place goes to South Dakota Registered Agent.co, since $199 on top of the state fee, and the first year of agent service is already in there, then $99 a year.

The price does not reach the annual report.

It lists the same prices as SD Registered Agent.org.

What you get

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

What works

  • A $199 formation fee
  • First agent year included
  • $99 a year after that

What to watch

  • The annual report lands on your desk
  • Help with the EIN is $99 more
Visit South Dakota Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

3 services, compared

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$199$199/yr$597Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2SD Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit SD Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3South Dakota Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit South 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. These figures leave out South Dakota's $150 fee.

The stages

  1. Stage 1

    Settle on the company name

    the South Dakota Secretary of State keeps the list of names in use, so check there before you spend time on forms; South Dakota may turn down a duplicate.

    Pick a second choice now.

  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 state, a noncommercial agent (an individual or entity with a South Dakota address), or the title of an office in the company.

    The address has to be an actual street address or rural route box number in South Dakota, plus a South Dakota mailing address if it differs.

    The registered agent comes with every service on our list.

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

  3. Stage 3

    Handle it alone or get help

    Either way you pay South Dakota $150. The services we recommend charge $199 more to do the work.

  4. Stage 4

    The paper to file is the Articles of Organization

    The Articles of Organization is the key document. It goes to the South Dakota Secretary of State, the fee is $150. As the state describes it, Paper 1 to 3 business days; online processed immediately.

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

  5. Stage 5

    Apply for an Employer Identification Number

    State approval first, IRS number second. Mainstay Filing prepares the EIN application inside its package.

  6. Stage 6

    Document how the company runs

    Ownership and decision rules go in the operating agreement, a document that lives apart from the South Dakota filing.

  7. Stage 7

    Deal with South Dakota's repeating filing

    Each year, South Dakota looks for the annual report (due during the entity's anniversary month) and charges $55. Miss it and $50 gets added.

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

Costs, stage by stage

EntryReceiverAmount
Formation feeState office$150
Annual reportState office$55 every year
Late feeState office$50
A filing service (optional)The provider$199 in year one
State total across three yearsState office$260
The state's fees come from official pages, listed below. Over three years they add up to the filing, two reports and, in a few states, a minimum tax.

Why the list runs this way

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

Taking the annual report off your hands tipped the score toward the package.

South Dakota questions answered

How much will South Dakota charge me to start an LLC?

The state's fee is $150. Service fees on our list run $199.

Which form creates the LLC?

The paper you want is the Articles of Organization; the South Dakota Secretary of State receives it.

Is a registered agent required?

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

How long does South Dakota take to process the filing?

Typically Paper 1 to 3 business days; online processed immediately.

What does South Dakota require each year?

Once a year the LLC sends in its annual report and pays $55, due due during the entity's anniversary month.

Can I form the LLC without a service?

Nothing stops you. South Dakota wants $150, and the LLC has to name a registered agent, which you can be or hire.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

Phone Mainstay Filing, because $199 yearly buys formation, registered agent and annual report together, so you carry no surprise bills at renewal. After that come SD Registered Agent.org and South Dakota Registered Agent.co.

Where we got the facts

  1. Where the South Dakota Secretary of State, Business Services / advice comes from: sdsos.gov, viewed August 2026.
  2. Where the South Dakota Secretary of State, Business Services / advice comes from: sosenterprise.sd.gov, viewed August 2026.
  3. Where the South Dakota yearly filing: Annual report: fee and advice comes from: sdlegislature.gov, viewed October 2026.
  4. Where the South Dakota report due date advice comes from: sdlegislature.gov, viewed August 2026.
  5. Where the SDCL 47-34A-203 advice comes from: sdlegislature.gov, viewed August 2026.
  6. Where the South Dakota formation fee: Filing fee, official source advice comes from: sdsos.gov, viewed October 2026.
  7. Where the South Dakota formation fee: Filing fee, official source advice comes from: sdlegislature.gov, viewed October 2026.
  8. Where the South Dakota registered agent statute advice comes from: sdlegislature.gov, viewed October 2026.
  9. Where the Processing, official source advice comes from: sdsos.gov, viewed October 2026.
  10. Mainstay Filing South Dakota service page; prices copied November 13, 2026
  11. SD Registered Agent.org pricing page; prices copied November 13, 2026
  12. South Dakota Registered Agent.co pricing page; prices copied November 13, 2026