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Founder Mentor Guide

Mentor walkthrough 1 · Vermont

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

For forming an LLC in Vermont in 2026, our mentors would send you to VT Registered Agent.org ($199), Vermont Registered Agent.co ($199) and Mainstay Filing ($199), in that order. You will work through 7 stages and pay Vermont $155 to file; later comes the annual report every year.

Advice from the Founder Mentor Guide mentors

What to know before you start

Formation fee
$155
legislature.vermont.gov, seen in October 2026
Annual report
$45 a year
The state words the deadline like this: within 3 months after the end of the LLC's fiscal year on record
State fees over three years
$245
No service fee included
How many stages
7
First to last

What this walkthrough covers

  • How forming an LLC works in Vermont
  • What the agent rule says
  • How to stay in good standing
  • Which services we recommend and why

Vermont: our recommended services

Three-year cost and work taken off your desk weigh the most; how we score lists all five.

Our call

1. VT Registered Agent.org: best for Vermont LLCs working to a budget

Best overallFormation $199, renewal $99 a year

VT Registered Agent.org is our first call in Vermont: expect $199 for the formation on top of state fees, and $99 when the agent renews.

Its three-year total is under Mainstay Filing's, which earns first place because cost carries 32%.

Expect to prepare the annual report yourself every year.

What you get

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

What works

  • $199 and the state fee
  • No agent fee in year one
  • The agent renews at $99

What to watch

  • Preparing the annual report is on your plate
  • An EIN add-on costs $99
Visit VT Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

2. Vermont Registered Agent.co: best for a small agent renewal

In-state serviceFormation $199, renewal $99 a year

Vermont Registered Agent.co is a solid second: expect $199 for the formation on top of state fees, and $99 when the agent renews.

Expect to prepare the annual report yourself every year.

VT Registered Agent.org and this service cost the same.

What you get

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

What works

  • $199 and the state fee
  • No agent fee in year one
  • The agent renews at $99

What to watch

  • Preparing the annual report is on your plate
  • An EIN add-on costs $99
Visit Vermont Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

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

Upkeep covered$199 a year, state fee on top ($354 due at checkout)

Our third call, Mainstay Filing: it wraps the filing, your registered agent and the annual report into $199 a year, and the renewal does not budge from $199.

Total up three years and it comes to $200 more than VT Registered Agent.org.

The annual report is part of the job, and Vermont's $45 fee is billed to you at cost.

What you get

  • Formation filing prepared and sent
  • Registered agent all year long
  • Annual report filed for you
  • The EIN application comes with it
  • The official fee, nothing added

What works

  • One yearly fee of $199 that includes the annual report
  • The EIN application is covered
  • The renewal stays at $199

What to watch

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

Every price in one table

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1VT Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit VT Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Vermont Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Vermont Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Mainstay Filing$199$199/yr$597Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Company prices as listed on November 13, 2026. These figures leave out Vermont's $155 fee.

The stages

  1. Stage 1

    Search for your name before you fall in love with it

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

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

  2. Stage 2

    Decide who will act as a registered agent

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. An individual, or a business registered and active with the Secretary of State other than the company itself, with a street and mailing address in Vermont.

    The address has to be a street address in Vermont. P.O. boxes and virtual addresses are not accepted.

    You can hire whichever recommended service you like for this.

    Check it yourself: legislature.vermont.gov, seen in October 2026

  3. Stage 3

    Who does the paperwork?

    Doing it yourself costs just the $155 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

    Once the Vermont Secretary of State accepts the Articles of Organization and $155, the LLC exists.

    Check it yourself: legislature.vermont.gov, seen in October 2026

  5. Stage 5

    Pick up the EIN

    State approval first, IRS number second. The Mainstay Filing yearly price already covers this stage.

  6. Stage 6

    Get the owners to sign an agreement

    The operating agreement is where the owners of a Vermont 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

    Mark the dates that come back around

    Keep the LLC active by sending in the annual report every year ($45) before within 3 months after the end of the LLC's fiscal year on record.

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

What each stage costs in Vermont

ItemReceiverCost
Forming the LLCState office$155
Annual reportState office$45 every year
Service fees (optional)Service$199 to start
What the state collects by year threeState office$245
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.

How the scores came out

Three-year bill settled first place in Vermont. It is 32% of the score, and the rest comes from work taken off your desk, year-two price, fit for where you operate and honest pricing.

Add up three years and VT Registered Agent.org lands on $397, $200 below Mainstay Filing.

What founders ask

Which fees does Vermont charge when an LLC is formed?

Budget $155 to file. $199 more puts someone else in charge of the filing.

Which form creates the LLC?

The Articles of Organization creates the company, and the Vermont Secretary of State is who gets it.

Is a registered agent required?

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

What does Vermont require each year?

Send in the annual report every year; it costs $45 and the deadline is within 3 months after the end of the LLC's fiscal year on record.

Can I form the LLC without a service?

You can. The state takes $155 at filing, and the LLC still needs a registered agent on record.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

VT Registered Agent.org ranks first and Vermont Registered Agent.co and Mainstay Filing follow; VT Registered Agent.org wins on three-year bill.

Where we got the facts

  1. For Vermont Secretary of State fee schedule, Annual Report, open sos.vermont.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  2. For Vermont report due date, open legislature.vermont.gov (we last saw it August 2026).
  3. For Vermont formation fee: Filing fee, official source, open legislature.vermont.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  4. For Vermont registered agent statute, open legislature.vermont.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  5. We opened VT Registered Agent.org's pricing page on November 13, 2026 for the prices
  6. We opened Vermont Registered Agent.co's pricing page on November 13, 2026 for the prices
  7. We opened Mainstay Filing's Vermont service page on November 13, 2026 for the prices