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LLC 101 Guide

Section 2 · Tennessee

The Tennessee Registered Agent Unit (2026): 6 Tasks and the 3 Best Agents

Ranked for 2026, the services worth hiring for naming a registered agent in Tennessee are Mainstay Filing ($149 a year), Tennessee Registered Agent.co ($99 a year) and TN Registered Agent.org ($99 a year). Over 6 tasks you learn the legal rule, who is eligible, the address test and the way an agent gets named.

Prepared by the LLC 101 Guide instructors

Unit overview

Legally required
Yes
Source: sos-prod.tnsosgovfiles.com, read in October 2026
Service prices
$99 to $149 a year
As each company lists them
Annual report
$300 a year
Source: sos.tn.gov, read in October 2026
Tasks in this unit
6
Listed below

Unit goals

  • The Tennessee agent rule
  • Who may serve and from what address
  • How an agent gets on record
  • The agents at the top of the class

Tennessee: our recommended services

Five published criteria decide the order; read them on how we grade.

Top of the class

1. Mainstay Filing: best for LLCs that may grow into other states

Highest grade$149 per year (renews at $149)

In Tennessee, Mainstay Filing leads the class: one flat $149 yearly price that does not depend on which state the LLC sits in.

Against Tennessee Registered Agent.co the three-year premium is $150, outweighed by the 31% weight on assignments completed.

What the price covers

  • A Tennessee street address for the record
  • Free scans of legal papers served on the company, sent the business day they arrive
  • Up to three government letters a year are scanned free
  • Also works for nonprofits, corporations, LPs and LLPs

What works

  • $149 each year, no increase
  • One price in all fifty states

What to weigh

  • Higher by $50 a year
  • Agent service and nothing more
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

2. Tennessee Registered Agent.co: best for LLCs that live only in Tennessee

Focused on Tennessee$99 per year (renews at $99)

Pick number 2 is Tennessee Registered Agent.co, where a one-state plan at $99 a year, renewing at $99.

What the price covers

  • A physical address in Tennessee
  • Online copies of legal papers

What works

  • Under Mainstay Filing on price
  • A flat $99 yearly

What to weigh

  • A single-state service
  • Annual report is outside the price
Visit Tennessee Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

3. TN Registered Agent.org: best for a second local choice

Focused on Tennessee$99 per year (renews at $99)

Pick number 3 is TN Registered Agent.org, where a one-state plan at $99 a year, renewing at $99.

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

What the price covers

  • A physical address in Tennessee
  • Online copies of legal papers

What works

  • Under Mainstay Filing on price
  • A flat $99 yearly

What to weigh

  • A single-state service
  • Annual report is outside the price
Visit TN Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

All the prices in one table

#ServiceAnnual priceRenewal priceThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$149$149/yr$447Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Tennessee Registered Agent.co$99$99/yr$297Visit Tennessee Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3TN Registered Agent.org$99$99/yr$297Visit TN Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Listed prices, read November 13, 2026. Switching agents does not change what the state charges.

The Tennessee agent, in order

  1. Task 1

    The Tennessee rule in brief

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

    Source: Source: sos-prod.tnsosgovfiles.com, read in October 2026

  2. Task 2

    Check who is eligible

    A Tennessee resident, or a business entity formed in Tennessee or authorized there with an office at the registered office street address. See Tenn. Code Ann. § 48-249-109 for the text.

  3. Task 3

    Pick an address that complies

    The address has to be a Tennessee street address, with the county. P.O. boxes are not accepted.

    Paying a service keeps your home address out of public records.

  4. Task 4

    Be your own agent or hire one

    Hiring from the recommended agents costs $99 to $149 a year; serving yourself is the option for those who qualify.

  5. Task 5

    Name the agent in your filing

    You identify the agent in your filing with the Tennessee Secretary of State, and any change is its own filing at that office.

    Source: Source: sos.tn.gov, read in October 2026

  6. Task 6

    Update when things change

    Mail from the state about the annual report reaches your registered agent. The filing is $300 every year, due on or before the first day of the fourth month following the close of the LLC's fiscal year.

    Source: Source: sos.tn.gov, read in October 2026

Tennessee agent costs

TaskGoes toPrice
Hiring an agentThe provider$99 to $149 a year
RenewalThe provider$99 to $149 a year
Annual reportPaid to the state$300 every year
To get the three-year state number we add up the filing, the reports due in years two and three and any yearly minimum tax, and we keep service fees separate.

The reasoning behind the order

Assignments the price completes settled first place in Tennessee. It is worth 31% of the grade, and the other 69% comes from course fee across three years, second-year fee, match with the state syllabus and plain pricing.

One agent for any state beat the one-state plan.

Check your Tennessee answers

Can a Tennessee LLC go without a registered agent?

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

Can I be my own registered agent?

An owner can serve if qualified; tasks 2 and 3 hold the tests.

Can I change my registered agent later?

Yes, any time. Task 5 explains how to file the change with the Tennessee Secretary of State.

What does a registered agent cost in Tennessee?

$99 to $149 a year across our picks.

What does the LLC pay the state each year?

The LLC sends in the annual report for $300 every year.

Which registered agent would you choose?

The order is Mainstay Filing, Tennessee Registered Agent.co and TN Registered Agent.org, and Mainstay Filing is first since $149 per year from a provider that also covers any state you add later.

Reading list and sources

  1. Reading list entry for Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business Services: tnbear.tn.gov, reread August 2026, the document behind these numbers.
  2. Reading list entry for Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business Services: sos.tn.gov, reread August 2026, the document behind these numbers.
  3. Reading list entry for Tennessee yearly filing: Annual report: fee, official source: sos.tn.gov, reread October 2026, the document behind these numbers.
  4. Reading list entry for Tennessee report due date: law.justia.com, reread August 2026, the document behind these numbers.
  5. Reading list entry for Tennessee formation fee: Filing fee, official source: sos.tn.gov, reread October 2026, the document behind these numbers.
  6. Reading list entry for Tennessee registered agent statute: sos-prod.tnsosgovfiles.com, reread October 2026, the document behind these numbers.
  7. Figures from Mainstay Filing's Tennessee service page, November 13, 2026
  8. Figures from Tennessee Registered Agent.co's pricing page, November 13, 2026
  9. Figures from TN Registered Agent.org's pricing page, November 13, 2026