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LLC 101 Guide

Course unit 1 · Delaware

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

Short answer for 2026: if you want help setting up an LLC in Delaware, go with Mainstay Filing ($199), Delaware Registered Agent.ai ($199) and DE Registered Agent.org ($199), ranked best first. By the numbers: 7 tasks, $110 to file, $400 for the Annual LLC Tax.

Prepared by the LLC 101 Guide instructors

Need-to-know facts

State filing fee
$110
delcode.delaware.gov (page read October 2026)
Annual LLC Tax
$400 a year
Mark the calendar: annual alternative-entity tax due on or before June 1
Three years of state fees
$910
State charges only
Task count
7
Each one explained

Course objectives

  • What Delaware charges to form an LLC and who takes the filing
  • What the agent rule says
  • What you file every year after that
  • The services at the top of the class

Who we would hire in Delaware

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

Top of the class

1. Mainstay Filing: best for getting the annual tax done for you

Best overall$199 a year that renews at $199

Our first pick is Mainstay Filing; for $199 each year you get the formation filed, a registered agent in place and the annual tax sent in.

Over three years it costs $200 above Delaware Registered Agent.ai, and in return more of the work is handled.

The Annual LLC Tax is part of the service, and the $400 state fee is passed through.

What the price covers

  • The formation filing
  • Registered agent for the whole year
  • Annual tax filed for you on time
  • The EIN application is part of the price
  • The official fee, nothing added

What works

  • The EIN task is part of the package
  • One flat $199 each year
  • $199 when you renew

What to weigh

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

Top of the class

2. Delaware Registered Agent.ai: best for a cheap Delaware start

Local choice$199 to open, $99 a year after year one

Pick number 2 is Delaware Registered Agent.ai, where forming the Delaware LLC runs $199 with the agent covered in year one, and the agent renews at $99.

The Annual LLC Tax falls outside the price.

What the price covers

  • The Delaware formation, prepared and sent
  • A year of agent service is part of the price

What works

  • $199 and the state fee
  • No agent fee in year one
  • $99 a year after that

What to weigh

  • Filing the Annual LLC Tax is not in the price
  • Help with the EIN is $99 more
Visit Delaware Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

3. DE Registered Agent.org: best for a second Delaware choice

Local choice$199 to open, $99 a year after year one

Pick number 3 is DE Registered Agent.org, where forming the Delaware LLC runs $199 with the agent covered in year one, and the agent renews at $99.

The Annual LLC Tax falls outside the price.

It lists the same prices as Delaware Registered Agent.ai.

What the price covers

  • The Delaware formation, prepared and sent
  • A year of agent service is part of the price

What works

  • No agent fee in year one
  • $99 a year after that
  • $199 and the state fee

What to weigh

  • Filing the Annual LLC Tax is not in the price
  • Help with the EIN is $99 more
Visit DE Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

A comparison of the services

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$199$199/yr$597Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Delaware Registered Agent.ai$199$99/yr$397Visit Delaware Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3DE Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit DE Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Company prices as listed on November 13, 2026. Add the $110 state fee to every row.

The unit, task by task

  1. Task 1

    Lock in a name

    the Delaware Secretary of State keeps the records. Search them now, because in Delaware a name that is taken can send the filing back.

    A spare name saves a repeat trip if the first is gone.

  2. Task 2

    Assign the registered agent role

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. The LLC itself, a Delaware resident, or a business entity formed in Delaware or authorized to do business there.

    The address has to be a registered office in Delaware. An entity agent keeps a business office there that is generally open; an individual agent has to be generally present there. A virtual office or mail-forwarding service alone does not qualify.

    Any of the recommended services can take the registered agent job.

    Source: delcode.delaware.gov (page read October 2026)

  3. Task 3

    File on your own, or get help

    With no service the bill is the state's $110 and nothing else. Each of the recommended services adds $199 and does the paperwork for you.

  4. Task 4

    Put together the Certificate of Formation of a Limited Liability Company

    Here is the key filing: the Certificate of Formation of a Limited Liability Company goes to the Delaware Secretary of State with $110 (6 Del. C. § 18-201), and that is what creates the company.

    Source: delcode.delaware.gov (page read October 2026)

  5. Task 5

    Obtain an Employer Identification Number

    State approval first, IRS number second. Mainstay Filing's yearly price already includes this application.

  6. Task 6

    Put the ownership rules on paper

    Think of the operating agreement as the owners' rulebook. Keep it with the company records; the state never asks for it.

  7. Task 7

    Handle Delaware's recurring filing

    To stay active, send the Annual LLC Tax every year ($400) by annual alternative-entity tax due on or before June 1. Late filings bring $200.

    Source: legis.delaware.gov (page read October 2026)

What this unit costs

EntryReceiverSum
The formation taskState agency$110
Annual LLC TaxState agency$400 every year
Late filingState agency$200
Service, if you hire oneThe service$199 to start
State fees for the first three yearsState agency$910
State fees were read from the official pages named in the sources. Three years means the filing, two years of reports and the minimum tax where there is one.

How the grades came out

On assignments the price completes (31% of the grade) won out, with right behind.

Delaware Registered Agent.ai is cheaper, but you would still do the Annual LLC Tax yourself.

Questions students ask

What does a Delaware LLC cost to start?

$110, paid to the state. Our recommended services bill $199 on top.

Which form creates the LLC?

Task 4 shows how to complete the Certificate of Formation of a Limited Liability Company and where to send it: the Delaware Secretary of State.

Is a registered agent required?

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

What does Delaware require each year?

What repeats is the Annual LLC Tax ($400, every year, due annual alternative-entity tax due on or before June 1).

Can I form the LLC without a service?

Yes. You pay the state $110 when you file, and the LLC still needs a registered agent.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

The order is Mainstay Filing, Delaware Registered Agent.ai and DE Registered Agent.org, and Mainstay Filing is first since a flat $199 covers formation, the registered agent and the annual tax, and renewal costs $199.

Reading list and sources

  1. Reading list entry for Delaware yearly filing: Recurring obligation, official source: corp.delaware.gov, reread October 2026, the document behind these numbers.
  2. Reading list entry for Delaware yearly filing: Recurring obligation, official source: corp.delaware.gov, reread October 2026, the document behind these numbers.
  3. Reading list entry for Delaware yearly filing: HB 400, official source: legis.delaware.gov, reread October 2026, the document behind these numbers.
  4. Reading list entry for Delaware report due date: delcode.delaware.gov, reread August 2026, the document behind these numbers.
  5. Reading list entry for 6 Del: delcode.delaware.gov, reread August 2026, the document behind these numbers.
  6. Reading list entry for Delaware registered agent statute: delcode.delaware.gov, reread October 2026, the document behind these numbers.
  7. Delaware service page of Mainstay Filing, taken on November 13, 2026
  8. pricing page of Delaware Registered Agent.ai, taken on November 13, 2026
  9. pricing page of DE Registered Agent.org, taken on November 13, 2026