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LLC 101 Guide

Section 1 · Ohio

Starting an LLC in Ohio (2026): 7 Tasks and the 2 Best LLC Services

Short answer for 2026: if you want help setting up an LLC in Ohio, go with Mainstay Filing ($199) and OH Registered Agent.org ($199), ranked best first. Ohio wants $99 when you file; the 7 tasks below walk through all of it.

Prepared by the LLC 101 Guide instructors

The quick version

Cost at the state office
$99
Official page codes.ohio.gov, last read October 2026
Report each year
None
Not asked for here
Three years of state fees
$99
Service fees not included
Task count
7
Each one explained

Unit goals

  • Where and how to file a Ohio LLC
  • The statutory agent requirement
  • Upkeep that repeats
  • Our recommendations, with reasons

Services we recommend in Ohio

Graded on the grading page: three-year cost (34%), assignments completed (31%), renewal price, fit with Ohio's rules and plain pricing.

Top of the class

1. Mainstay Filing: best for a single provider for both jobs

Best overall$199 yearly plus the $99 state fee

Start the list with Mainstay Filing, because the formation and a year of statutory agent service cost $199, and that price does not climb when you renew.

You pay $200 more over three years than at OH Registered Agent.org and leave less of the paperwork to yourself.

What the price covers

  • Formation filing prepared and sent
  • Statutory agent for the whole year
  • The EIN application is part of the price
  • State fee at cost

What works

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

What to weigh

  • $100 a year more than OH Registered Agent.org at renewal
  • Ohio has no report to bundle, which shrinks the savings
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

2. OH Registered Agent.org: best for Ohio LLCs on a shoestring

In-state service$199 to open, $99 a year after year one

Pick number 2 is OH Registered Agent.org, where the formation costs $199 beyond the state fee, and the agent renews at $99.

What the price covers

  • The formation filing
  • A year of agent service is part of the price

What works

  • $199 to form
  • Year-one agent service costs nothing extra
  • $99 a year after that

What to weigh

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

The Ohio picks compared

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$199$199/yr$597Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2OH Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit OH Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Taken from each company's price page on November 13, 2026. None of the rows includes the $99 state fee.

Setting up an LLC in Ohio, task by task

  1. Task 1

    Make sure nobody else has the name

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

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

  2. Task 2

    Line up a statutory agent

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. An Ohio resident, or a business entity with a business address in Ohio.

    The address has to be the agent's home or usual place of business in Ohio. P.O. boxes and commercial mail receiving agencies are not accepted.

    Hire any one of the recommended services for this task.

    Source: Official page codes.ohio.gov, last read October 2026

  3. Task 3

    File on your own, or get help

    With no service the bill is the state's $99 and nothing else. Each of the recommended services adds $199 and does the paperwork for you.

  4. Task 4

    Fill out and send in the Articles of Organization

    Here is the key filing: the Articles of Organization (Form 610) goes to the Ohio Secretary of State with $99 (Ohio Rev. Code § 1706.16), and that is what creates the company.

    Source: Official page codes.ohio.gov, last read October 2026

  5. Task 5

    Request your EIN

    The IRS hands out EINs, not Ohio. Apply once the state approves you, then give the number to your bank. 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

    Mark the deadlines that repeat

    Ohio skips the yearly report. Keep the statutory agent up to date and you are done.

The bill

ItemPayeeAmount
Formation feePaid to the state$99
Optional serviceThe service company$199 at the start
State fees for the first three yearsPaid to the state$99
The state numbers are official Ohio fees, sourced below. The three-year line combines the filing fee, the reports in years two and three and any minimum tax.

The reasoning behind the order

What decided it was assignments the price completes, which carries 31% of the grade.

Without a report to bundle, the lead over OH Registered Agent.org is thin.

Ohio questions

How much does Ohio charge to set up an LLC?

The state wants $99. Our recommended services bill $199 on top.

Which form creates the LLC?

The Ohio Secretary of State takes the Articles of Organization (Form 610), the paper that creates the company.

Is a statutory agent required?

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

What does Ohio require each year?

Only the agent repeats.

Can I form the LLC without a service?

Yes. You pay the state $99 when you file, and the LLC still needs a statutory agent.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

Go with Mainstay Filing: $199 yearly takes care of the filing and the statutory agent, and renewal stays put. Then OH Registered Agent.org.

Reading list and sources

  1. Want proof for what the unit says about Ohio Rev? Go to codes.ohio.gov; the copy we used dates from August 2026.
  2. Want proof for what the unit says about Ohio formation fee: Filing fee, official source? Go to codes.ohio.gov; the copy we used dates from October 2026.
  3. Want proof for what the unit says about Ohio registered agent statute? Go to codes.ohio.gov; the copy we used dates from October 2026.
  4. Mainstay Filing: Ohio service page, as seen on November 13, 2026
  5. OH Registered Agent.org: pricing page, as seen on November 13, 2026