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LLC 101 Guide

Unit 1 · Pennsylvania

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

Our 2026 Pennsylvania picks for setting up an LLC, strongest to weakest, are Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and PA Registered Agent.org ($199). Pennsylvania wants $125 when you file and the annual report every year; the 7 tasks below walk through all of it.

Prepared by the LLC 101 Guide instructors

Key facts for this unit

Cost at the state office
$125
Source: pa.gov, read in October 2026
Annual report
$7 a year
Filing window as stated: September 30
Three years of state fees
$139
Service fees not included
Tasks
7
One by one

You will leave able to

  • Where and how to file a Pennsylvania LLC
  • What the registered agent rule asks for
  • Upkeep that repeats
  • Our recommendations, with reasons

The Pennsylvania honor roll

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

Top of the class

1. Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co: best for a tight-budget formation

Top of the classFormation $199, renewal $99 yearly

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

On three-year cost it beats Mainstay Filing, which is a big share of the grade.

Set aside time for the annual report 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

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

What to weigh

  • No annual report service on offer
  • The EIN application is $99 extra
Visit Pennsylvania Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

2. Mainstay Filing: best for skipping the annual report paperwork

Works in every state$199 a year, state fee on top ($324 due at checkout)

Mainstay Filing takes second place: $199 a year hands over three assignments at once: the filing, the registered agent and the annual report.

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

That includes the annual report; the state's $7 is billed without markup.

What the price covers

  • Filing made with the state
  • Registered office for the whole year
  • Annual report filed for you on time
  • The EIN application is part of the price
  • State fee at cost

What works

  • The EIN application is in the price
  • $199 every year
  • One flat $199 each year

What to weigh

  • Renewal costs $100 above Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

3. PA Registered Agent.org: best for LLCs that stay in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania specialistFormation $199, renewal $99 yearly

Our third choice, PA Registered Agent.org: $199 gets you started and the agent costs nothing in year one; from year two it is $99.

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

It lists the same prices as Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co.

What the price covers

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

What works

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

What to weigh

  • No annual report service on offer
  • The EIN application is $99 extra
Visit PA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

A comparison of the services

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Pennsylvania 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.
3PA Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit PA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Company prices as listed on November 13, 2026. Add the $125 state fee to every row.

How a Pennsylvania LLC gets formed

  1. Task 1

    Make sure nobody else has the name

    Your first assignment is a name search with the Pennsylvania Secretary of State, so you do not file under something a neighbor already uses.

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

  2. Task 2

    Settle who your registered agent will be

    Pennsylvania requires a registered office (a Pennsylvania street address or a Commercial Registered Office Provider), not an agent. Pennsylvania does not require a registered agent. Every LLC keeps a registered office instead: an actual street address in Pennsylvania, or a Commercial Registered Office Provider named in its place by a company without a Pennsylvania address.

    The address has to be an actual street address or rural route box number in Pennsylvania. A P.O. box alone is not accepted.

    Every service we recommend here can be your registered agent.

    Source: Source: legis.state.pa.us, read in October 2026

  3. Task 3

    Do it yourself or hire a service

    With no service the bill is the state's $125 and nothing else. Each of the recommended services adds $199 and does the paperwork for you.

  4. Task 4

    Work through the Certificate of Organization

    What you need: the Certificate of Organization (Form DSCB:15-8821), $125, and an address at the Pennsylvania Secretary of State to send it to; see 15 Pa.C.S. § 8821.

    Source: Source: pa.gov, read in October 2026

  5. Task 5

    Order the LLC's federal tax number

    The IRS hands out EINs, not Pennsylvania. 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

    Draft your operating agreement

    Even a Pennsylvania LLC with one owner is better off with a written operating agreement in the files.

  7. Task 7

    Mark the deadlines that repeat

    Pennsylvania wants the annual report every year, due September 30, with a fee of $7.

    Source: Source: pa.gov, read in October 2026

What each task costs in Pennsylvania

TaskPayeeAmount
Setting up the LLCPaid to the state$125
Annual reportPaid to the state$7 every year
Service, if you hire oneYour service$199 for year one
State fees for the first three yearsPaid to the state$139
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

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

Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co costs $397 for years one to three, while Mainstay Filing costs $200 more.

Common questions

Which fees does Pennsylvania collect when an LLC is formed?

The state wants $125. Put $199 on top if a service does the filing.

Which form creates the LLC?

The Certificate of Organization (Form DSCB:15-8821), which you send to the Pennsylvania Secretary of State.

Is a registered agent required?

Pennsylvania requires a registered office (a Pennsylvania street address or a Commercial Registered Office Provider), not an agent.

What does Pennsylvania require each year?

What repeats is the annual report ($7, every year, due September 30).

Can I form the LLC without a service?

You may. File alone for $125 and line up a registered agent as well.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

The order is Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co, Mainstay Filing and PA Registered Agent.org, and Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co is first since the formation costs $199 beyond the state fee, and the agent renews at $99.

Reading list and sources

  1. Want proof for what the unit says about Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and? Go to pa.gov; the copy we used dates from August 2026.
  2. Want proof for what the unit says about Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and? Go to pa.gov; the copy we used dates from August 2026.
  3. Want proof for what the unit says about 15 Pa.C.S. § 8821? Go to pa.gov; the copy we used dates from August 2026.
  4. Want proof for what the unit says about Pennsylvania formation fee: Filing fee, official source? Go to pa.gov; the copy we used dates from October 2026.
  5. Want proof for what the unit says about Pennsylvania registered agent statute? Go to legis.state.pa.us; the copy we used dates from October 2026.
  6. Figures from Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co's pricing page, November 13, 2026
  7. Figures from Mainstay Filing's Pennsylvania service page, November 13, 2026
  8. Figures from PA Registered Agent.org's pricing page, November 13, 2026