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LLC 101 Guide

Unit 1 · Minnesota

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

Ranked for 2026, the services worth hiring for setting up an LLC in Minnesota are Minnesota Registered Agent.co ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and MN Registered Agent.org ($199). 7 tasks make up the unit; the state's own price tag is $155.

Prepared by the LLC 101 Guide instructors

Unit overview

Fee to form
$155
Official page revisor.mn.gov, last read October 2026
Annual renewal
No fee
Due date per the state: December 31
What the state collects in three years
$155
Filing plus the repeating state fees
How many tasks
7
In order

You will leave able to

  • Where and how to file a Minnesota LLC
  • Who can be the registered agent
  • How to stay in good standing
  • How the picks stack up

The Minnesota honor roll

Cost over three years leads, then assignments completed, renewal price, Minnesota fit and plain pricing (grading page).

Top of the class

1. Minnesota Registered Agent.co: best for a small first bill

Best overallFormation $199, renewal $99 yearly

Minnesota Registered Agent.co earns the top grade in Minnesota: forming the Minnesota LLC runs $199 with the agent covered in year one, and the agent renews at $99.

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

Set aside time for the annual renewal every year; the price does not cover it.

What the price covers

  • Formation paperwork handled
  • A year of agent service is part of the price

What works

  • $199 plus the state fee
  • $99 a year after that
  • Year-one agent service costs nothing extra

What to weigh

  • The annual renewal remains your responsibility
  • An EIN add-on costs $99
Visit Minnesota Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

2. Mainstay Filing: best for one bill for filing and upkeep

Upkeep covered$199 per year, with $354 at checkout to cover the state fee

Our second choice, Mainstay Filing: $199 a year hands over three assignments at once: the filing, the registered agent and the annual renewal.

It runs $200 above Minnesota Registered Agent.co over three years, and cost is 34% of the grade.

The service handles the annual renewal, and Minnesota does not charge for it.

What the price covers

  • Formation paperwork handled
  • Registered agent for the whole year
  • Annual renewal filed for you on time
  • The EIN application is part of the price
  • No markup on the state fee

What works

  • The EIN application is in the price
  • $199 every year
  • $199 yearly with everything in it

What to weigh

  • After year one it costs $100 more each year
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

3. MN Registered Agent.org: best for LLCs that stay in Minnesota

Focused on MinnesotaFormation $199, renewal $99 yearly

Third goes to MN Registered Agent.org, since forming the Minnesota LLC runs $199 with the agent covered in year one, and the agent renews at $99.

Set aside time for the annual renewal every year; the price does not cover it.

It charges exactly what Minnesota Registered Agent.co charges.

What the price covers

  • Formation paperwork handled
  • A year of agent service is part of the price

What works

  • $99 a year after that
  • Year-one agent service costs nothing extra
  • $199 plus the state fee

What to weigh

  • The annual renewal remains your responsibility
  • An EIN add-on costs $99
Visit MN Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

A comparison of the services

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Minnesota Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Minnesota 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.
3MN Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit MN Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Each company's posted price on November 13, 2026. The $155 state fee is left out of the figures.

How a Minnesota LLC gets formed

  1. Task 1

    Pick a name and see whether it is free

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

    Keep a second choice in your pocket.

  2. Task 2

    Pick your registered agent

    A Minnesota LLC must keep a registered office in Minnesota; naming an agent there is optional. If one is named: a Minnesota resident, or a corporation or LLC formed in Minnesota or authorized there, with a business office at the registered office.

    Every Minnesota LLC keeps a registered office at an actual office location in Minnesota; a P.O. box by itself is not accepted.

    The services we rank all supply a registered agent.

    Source: Official page revisor.mn.gov, last read October 2026

  3. Task 3

    Decide who submits the filing

    Skip the services and you pay the state $155. Use one of our picks and you pay $199 extra to skip the forms.

  4. Task 4

    Work through the Articles of Organization

    Once the Minnesota Secretary of State accepts the Articles of Organization and $155, the LLC exists, as Minn. Stat. sec. 322C.0201 provides.

    Source: Official page revisor.mn.gov, last read October 2026

  5. Task 5

    Apply to the IRS for an EIN

    Wait for the state's approval, then request an EIN so the LLC can open accounts under its own name. If you hire Mainstay Filing, the EIN application is taken care of.

  6. Task 6

    Write an operating agreement

    Owners sign it to settle shares, voting and what happens when a member leaves. It is a private document and never gets filed.

  7. Task 7

    Handle Minnesota's recurring filing

    Put the annual renewal on your calendar: no fee, every year, deadline December 31.

    Source: Official page revisor.mn.gov, last read October 2026

What each task costs in Minnesota

Line itemReceiverPrice
Setting up the LLCThe state$155
Annual renewalThe stateNo fee
A filing service (optional)The service$199 for year one
Three-year state totalThe state$155
State amounts come from Minnesota's official fee schedules (see the sources below); service prices come from each company's site. The three-year state total adds the filing, the reports for years two and three and any minimum tax.

How the grades came out

On course fee across three years (34% of the grade) won out, with right behind.

Minnesota Registered Agent.co comes to $397 across three years, a saving of $200 next to Mainstay Filing.

Short answers

How much does Minnesota charge to set up an LLC?

The fee on the official schedule is $155. A recommended service adds $199 in year one.

Which form creates the LLC?

Minnesota treats the LLC as formed when the Minnesota Secretary of State accepts the Articles of Organization.

Is a registered agent required?

A Minnesota LLC must keep a registered office in Minnesota; naming an agent there is optional.

What does Minnesota require each year?

Once a year the LLC sends in the annual renewal for no charge, due December 31.

Can I form the LLC without a service?

The state takes filings straight from owners, so no service is needed; plan on $155 and a registered agent.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

Go with Minnesota Registered Agent.co: a $199 formation fee, followed by $99 yearly for the agent. Then Mainstay Filing and MN Registered Agent.org.

Reading list and sources

  1. Hand-in notes for Minnesota yearly filing: Recurring filing, official source. Each statement rests on revisor.mn.gov, last opened October 2026.
  2. Hand-in notes for Minnesota yearly filing: Recurring filing, official source. Each statement rests on revisor.mn.gov, last opened October 2026.
  3. Hand-in notes for Minnesota report due date. Each statement rests on sos.state.mn.us, last opened August 2026.
  4. Hand-in notes for Minn. Each statement rests on revisor.mn.gov, last opened August 2026.
  5. Hand-in notes for Minnesota formation fee: Filing fee, official source. Each statement rests on sos.mn.gov, last opened October 2026.
  6. Hand-in notes for Minnesota registered agent statute. Each statement rests on revisor.mn.gov, last opened October 2026.
  7. Minnesota Registered Agent.co pricing page, opened November 13, 2026
  8. Mainstay Filing Minnesota service page, opened November 13, 2026
  9. MN Registered Agent.org pricing page, opened November 13, 2026