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LLC 101 Guide

Unit 1 · Missouri

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

Ranked for 2026, the services worth hiring for setting up an LLC in Missouri are MO Registered Agent.org ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and Missouri Registered Agent.co ($199). Missouri wants $50 when you file; the 7 tasks below walk through all of it.

Prepared by the LLC 101 Guide instructors

Need-to-know facts

State filing fee
$50
Look it up at sos.mo.gov; our reading dates from October 2026
Yearly report
None
Does not apply
State fees over three years
$50
Service fees not included
Tasks in this unit
7
In order

Course objectives

  • What Missouri charges to form an LLC and who takes the filing
  • The registered agent requirement
  • What happens once the LLC exists
  • Which services we recommend and why

The Missouri honor roll

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

Top of the class

1. MO Registered Agent.org: best for a tight-budget formation

Highest grade$199 the first year, $99 after

MO Registered Agent.org earns the top grade in Missouri: $199 gets you started and the agent costs nothing in year one; from year two it is $99.

The decision is cost: across three years it totals less than Mainstay Filing.

What the price covers

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

What works

  • A free first agent year
  • $99 yearly from year two
  • $199 and the state fee

What to weigh

  • Help with the EIN is $99 more
Visit MO Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

2. Mainstay Filing: best for filing and agent on one invoice

Does most of the work$199 a year, state fee on top ($249 due at checkout)

Mainstay Filing is a solid second-place option: $199 yearly takes care of the filing and the registered agent, and renewal stays put.

A $200 difference from MO Registered Agent.org over three years decides where it lands.

What the price covers

  • Formation paperwork handled
  • Registered agent for the whole year
  • The EIN application is part of the price
  • The official fee, nothing added

What works

  • $199 when you renew
  • $199 per year for the whole package
  • It files your EIN application for you

What to weigh

  • A yearly premium of $100 over MO Registered Agent.org
  • The bundle matters a little less here
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

3. Missouri Registered Agent.co: best for a local filer

Missouri specialist$199 the first year, $99 after

Missouri Registered Agent.co takes third place: $199 gets you started and the agent costs nothing in year one; from year two it is $99.

Its prices are the same as MO Registered Agent.org's, so either works.

What the price covers

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

What works

  • A free first agent year
  • $199 and the state fee
  • $99 yearly from year two

What to weigh

  • Help with the EIN is $99 more
Visit Missouri Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

All the prices in one table

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1MO Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit MO Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Mainstay Filing$199$199/yr$597Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Missouri Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Missouri Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Listed prices, read November 13, 2026. Add the $50 state fee to every row.

How a Missouri LLC gets formed

  1. Task 1

    Name the company

    Do the name search at the Missouri Secretary of State first and the rest of the unit goes smoothly in Missouri.

    If the first name fails, you want another ready.

  2. Task 2

    Pick your registered agent

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. A Missouri resident, or a corporation authorized in Missouri, whose business office is the registered office.

    The address has to be a physical street address in Missouri. A P.O. box can be listed only together with a street address.

    This role comes with each recommended service.

    Source: Look it up at revisor.mo.gov; our reading dates from October 2026

  3. Task 3

    Decide who submits the filing

    Filing on your own costs just the $50 state fee. A service adds $199 and handles the forms; the ranking shows which to choose.

  4. Task 4

    Fill out and send in the Articles of Organization

    Here is the key filing: the Articles of Organization (Form LLC-1) goes to the Missouri Secretary of State with $50, and that is what creates the company.

    Source: Look it up at sos.mo.gov; our reading dates from October 2026

  5. Task 5

    Obtain an Employer Identification Number

    State approval first, IRS number second. This task is inside the Mainstay Filing package.

  6. Task 6

    Draft your operating agreement

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

  7. Task 7

    Get ready for year two and beyond

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

What this unit costs

EntryGoes toSum
The formation taskState agency$50
Optional serviceThe service$199 in year one
State fees for the first three yearsState agency$50
The state numbers are official Missouri fees, sourced below. The three-year line combines the filing fee, the reports in years two and three and any minimum tax.

Why MO Registered Agent.org is first

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

MO Registered Agent.org wins the cost criterion with $397 over three years, against $200 more at Mainstay Filing.

Questions students ask

What does a Missouri LLC cost to start?

$50, paid to the state. A recommended service adds $199 in year one.

Which form creates the LLC?

Look for the Articles of Organization (Form LLC-1); the Missouri Secretary of State is where it goes.

Is a registered agent required?

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

What does Missouri require each year?

Only the agent repeats.

Can I form the LLC without a service?

The state takes filings straight from owners, so no service is needed; plan on $50 and a registered agent.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

MO Registered Agent.org, Mainstay Filing and Missouri Registered Agent.co, from highest grade to lowest.

Reading list and sources

  1. Want proof for what the unit says about RSMo 347.037? Go to revisor.mo.gov; the copy we used dates from August 2026.
  2. Want proof for what the unit says about Missouri formation fee: Filing fee, official source? Go to sos.mo.gov; the copy we used dates from October 2026.
  3. Want proof for what the unit says about Missouri registered agent statute? Go to revisor.mo.gov; the copy we used dates from October 2026.
  4. MO Registered Agent.org: pricing page, as seen on November 13, 2026
  5. Mainstay Filing: Missouri service page, as seen on November 13, 2026
  6. Missouri Registered Agent.co: pricing page, as seen on November 13, 2026