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Founder Mentor Guide

Mentor walkthrough 1 · Tennessee

Tennessee 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 Tennessee are Mainstay Filing ($199), Tennessee Registered Agent.co ($199) and TN Registered Agent.org ($199), in that order. Think of it as 7 stages with a $300 price tag from the state, plus the annual report every year.

Advice from the Founder Mentor Guide mentors

What to know before you start

State filing fee
$300
We pulled this from sos.tn.gov in October 2026
Annual report
$300 a year
Deadline on the state's schedule: on or before the first day of the fourth month following the close of the LLC's fiscal year
What the state collects in three years
$900
Filing plus the repeating state fees
Stages in this walkthrough
7
One at a time

By the end you will know

  • The official Tennessee fee and form
  • Who can be the registered agent
  • Upkeep that repeats
  • Our recommendations, with reasons

The Tennessee call list

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

Our call

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

Number one pickYear one $199; renewal $199; state fee separate

If you only phone one company, make it 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.

Next to Tennessee Registered Agent.co the three-year premium is $200, which the 32% weight on work taken off your desk outweighs.

You never fill out the annual report; the state's $300 comes through at exactly what Tennessee sets.

What you get

  • The formation filing
  • Registered agent all year long
  • Annual report filed for you
  • State fee at cost

What works

  • $199 every year
  • $199 a year for filing, agent and report

What to watch

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

Our call

2. Tennessee Registered Agent.co: best for a small first bill

Tennessee specialist$199 and fees, then $99 yearly

Our second call, Tennessee Registered Agent.co: expect $199 for the formation on top of state fees, and $99 when the agent renews.

Set time aside for the annual report every year; the price leaves it out.

What you get

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

What works

  • A small $99 renewal
  • A free first agent year
  • $199 and the state fee

What to watch

  • The price leaves out the annual report
  • It bills $99 for the EIN stage
Visit Tennessee Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

3. TN Registered Agent.org: best for another Tennessee option

Tennessee specialist$199 and fees, then $99 yearly

Our third call, TN Registered Agent.org: expect $199 for the formation on top of state fees, and $99 when the agent renews.

Set time aside for the annual report every year; the price leaves it out.

Its prices are identical to Tennessee Registered Agent.co's, so either is fine on cost.

What you get

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

What works

  • A small $99 renewal
  • A free first agent year
  • $199 and the state fee

What to watch

  • The price leaves out the annual report
  • It bills $99 for the EIN stage
Visit TN Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

The Tennessee 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.
2Tennessee Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Tennessee Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3TN Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit TN Registered Agent.orgPartner 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 Tennessee's $300 fee.

Starting a Tennessee LLC, stage by stage

  1. Stage 1

    Confirm nobody else owns the name

    Do your name search at the Tennessee Secretary of State. Finding a clash now beats a rejected Tennessee filing later.

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

  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 Tennessee resident, or a business entity formed in Tennessee or authorized there with an office at the registered office street address.

    The address has to be a Tennessee street address, with the county. P.O. boxes are not accepted.

    The registered agent comes with every service on our list.

    Check it yourself: We pulled this from sos-prod.tnsosgovfiles.com in October 2026

  3. Stage 3

    Decide whether to do it yourself

    Doing it yourself costs just the $300 state fee. A service adds $199 and takes over the forms; our ranking shows who we would phone.

  4. Stage 4

    Your next job is the Articles of Organization Limited Liability Company

    This is the stage that makes the company real. Hand the Articles of Organization Limited Liability Company (Form SS-4270) to the Tennessee Secretary of State and pay $300; you are filing under Tennessee law.

    Check it yourself: We pulled this from sos.tn.gov in October 2026

  5. Stage 5

    Apply for an Employer Identification Number

    When Tennessee approves the LLC, go to the IRS for an Employer Identification Number; your bank and any payroll service will ask for it.

  6. Stage 6

    Write an operating agreement

    The operating agreement is where the owners of a Tennessee 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

    Prepare for next year

    Every year you submit the annual report and pay $300; the cutoff is on or before the first day of the fourth month following the close of the LLC's fiscal year.

    Check it yourself: We pulled this from sos.tn.gov in October 2026

Tennessee costs by stage

StageWho gets paidSum
Setting up the LLCThe state$300
Annual reportThe state$300 every year
A filing service (optional)The provider$199 to start
Three-year state totalThe state$900
Whatever goes to Tennessee 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.

How the scores came out

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

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

Tennessee questions answered

Which fees does Tennessee charge when an LLC is formed?

Budget $300 to file. 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 Limited Liability Company (Form SS-4270) and where it goes: the Tennessee Secretary of State.

Is a registered agent required?

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

What does Tennessee require each year?

Send in the annual report every year; it costs $300 and the deadline is on or before the first day of the fourth month following the close of the LLC's fiscal year.

Can I form the LLC without a service?

The state takes filings straight from owners, so no service is needed. Expect $300 plus a registered agent.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

The order runs Mainstay Filing, Tennessee Registered Agent.co and TN Registered Agent.org, with Mainstay Filing first because $199 yearly buys formation, registered agent and annual report together, so you carry no surprise bills at renewal.

Where we got the facts

  1. Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business Services: go straight to tnbear.tn.gov, checked August 2026.
  2. Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business Services: go straight to sos.tn.gov, checked August 2026.
  3. Tennessee yearly filing: Annual report: fee, official source: go straight to sos.tn.gov, checked October 2026.
  4. Tennessee report due date: go straight to law.justia.com, checked August 2026.
  5. Tennessee formation fee: Filing fee, official source: go straight to sos.tn.gov, checked October 2026.
  6. Tennessee registered agent statute: go straight to sos-prod.tnsosgovfiles.com, checked October 2026.
  7. The Tennessee service page at Mainstay Filing, viewed November 13, 2026
  8. The pricing page at Tennessee Registered Agent.co, viewed November 13, 2026
  9. The pricing page at TN Registered Agent.org, viewed November 13, 2026