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LLC 101 Guide

Section 1 · Alabama

Starting an LLC in Alabama (2026): 7 Tasks and the 3 Best LLC Services

Short answer for 2026: if you want help setting up an LLC in Alabama, go with Alabama Registered Agent.co ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and AL Registered Agent.org ($199), ranked best first. 7 tasks make up the unit; the state's own price tag is $236.

Prepared by the LLC 101 Guide instructors

Need-to-know facts

What the state charges to file
$236
Look it up at alison.legislature.state.al.us; our reading dates from October 2026
Recurring report
None
The state does not require one
State fees over three years
$236
Filing plus the repeating state fees
Tasks in this unit
7
Listed below

Unit goals

  • The Alabama formation paper, its price and where it goes
  • Who can be the registered agent
  • What you file every year after that
  • Our recommendations, with reasons

Alabama: our recommended services

Five weighted criteria set the order (see how we grade), and three-year cost and assignments completed count most.

Top of the class

1. Alabama Registered Agent.co: best for a cheap Alabama start

Top of the class$199 and fees, then $99 each year

Our first pick is Alabama Registered Agent.co; $199 above the state fee, agent included for year one, then $99 a year.

Three years cost less here than at Mainstay Filing, and three-year cost is 34% of the grade.

What the price covers

  • The filing is done for you
  • A year of agent service is part of the price

What works

  • Then $99 per year
  • A $199 formation fee
  • No agent fee in year one

What to weigh

  • The EIN application is $99 extra
Visit Alabama Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

2. Mainstay Filing: best for owners doing this the first time

Upkeep covered$199 per year, with $435 at checkout to cover the state fee

Mainstay Filing takes second place: filing the LLC and keeping a registered agent on record costs $199 a year, EIN application included.

Alabama Registered Agent.co comes in $200 lower across three years, which holds this one back from first.

What the price covers

  • We mean: the filing is done for you
  • Registered agent for the whole year
  • The EIN application is part of the price
  • State fee at cost

What works

  • The EIN application is in the price
  • The renewal holds at $199
  • $199 a year covers filing, agent

What to weigh

  • Renewal costs $100 above Alabama Registered Agent.co
  • The bundle matters a little less here
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

3. AL Registered Agent.org: best for a local filer

One-state plan$199 and fees, then $99 each year

Our third choice, AL Registered Agent.org: $199 above the state fee, agent included for year one, then $99 a year.

Its prices are the same as Alabama Registered Agent.co's, so either works.

What the price covers

  • The filing is done for you
  • A year of agent service is part of the price

What works

  • Then $99 per year
  • A $199 formation fee
  • No agent fee in year one

What to weigh

  • The EIN application is $99 extra
Visit AL Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Grades and prices together

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Alabama Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Alabama Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Mainstay Filing$199$199/yr$597Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3AL Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit AL Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Each company's posted price on November 13, 2026. Every row also owes the $236 state fee.

How a Alabama LLC gets formed

  1. Task 1

    Make sure nobody else has the name

    Open the business search run by the Alabama Secretary of State before anything else; it shows whether the name already sits on the Alabama register.

    Keep a second choice in your pocket.

  2. Task 2

    Line up a registered agent

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. An Alabama resident, or a business entity formed in Alabama or registered to do business there. The agent keeps a business office at the registered office address.

    The address has to be a street address in Alabama where papers can be handed to the agent. P.O. boxes are not accepted, and an agent cannot work only through a virtual office or a mail-forwarding service.

    Hire any one of the recommended services for this task.

    Source: Look it up at alisondb.legislature.state.al.us; our reading dates from October 2026

  3. Task 3

    File on your own, or get help

    The state charges $236 either way. Hiring help adds $199; see the ranked list for the order.

  4. Task 4

    Prepare and sign the Domestic Limited Liability Company Certificate of Formation

    Here is the key filing: the Domestic Limited Liability Company Certificate of Formation goes to the Alabama Secretary of State with $236, and that is what creates the company.

    Source: Look it up at alison.legislature.state.al.us; our reading dates from October 2026

  5. Task 5

    Get an EIN

    The IRS hands out EINs, not Alabama. Apply once the state approves you, then give the number to your bank. Mainstay Filing does this step for you at no added charge.

  6. Task 6

    Get the owners' agreement signed

    An operating agreement says who owns the Alabama LLC and how decisions get made. It stays in your records and is not sent to the state.

  7. Task 7

    Handle Alabama's recurring filing

    Alabama has no recurring LLC report, so all that is left is keeping a registered agent on file.

The bill

ItemReceiverPrice
Setting up the LLCState office$236
Service fees (optional)The service company$199 in year one
Three years of state feesState office$236
To get the three-year state number we add up the filing, the reports due in years two and three and any yearly minimum tax, and we keep service fees separate.

The reasoning behind the order

What decided it was course fee across three years, which carries 34% of the grade.

Count three years and Alabama Registered Agent.co totals $397, $200 below Mainstay Filing.

Short answers

Which fees does Alabama collect when an LLC is formed?

The state wants $236. Our recommended services bill $199 on top.

Which form creates the LLC?

The Domestic Limited Liability Company Certificate of Formation, which you send to the Alabama Secretary of State.

Is a registered agent required?

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

What does Alabama require each year?

Alabama has no recurring LLC report.

Can I form the LLC without a service?

Nothing stops you: the state asks $236, and you also have to name a registered agent.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

The order is Alabama Registered Agent.co, Mainstay Filing and AL Registered Agent.org, and Alabama Registered Agent.co is first since forming the Alabama LLC runs $199 with the agent covered in year one, and the agent renews at $99.

Reading list and sources

  1. Further reading on Alabama formation fee: Filing fee, official source: our unit draws on alison.legislature.state.al.us, which we reopened in October 2026 so you can compare it with the original.
  2. Further reading on Alabama formation fee: Filing fee, official source: our unit draws on sos.alabama.gov, which we reopened in October 2026 so you can compare it with the original.
  3. Further reading on Alabama formation fee: Name reservation, official source: our unit draws on sos.alabama.gov, which we reopened in October 2026 so you can compare it with the original.
  4. Further reading on Alabama formation fee: Name reservation, official source: our unit draws on alison.legislature.state.al.us, which we reopened in October 2026 so you can compare it with the original.
  5. Further reading on Alabama registered agent statute: our unit draws on alisondb.legislature.state.al.us, which we reopened in October 2026 so you can compare it with the original.
  6. Alabama Registered Agent.co pricing page, opened November 13, 2026
  7. Mainstay Filing Alabama service page, opened November 13, 2026
  8. AL Registered Agent.org pricing page, opened November 13, 2026