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LLC 101 Guide

Section 1 · Virginia

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

Our 2026 Virginia picks for setting up an LLC, strongest to weakest, are VA Registered Agent.org ($199) and Mainstay Filing ($199). 7 tasks make up the unit; the state's own price tag is $100, and the Annual Registration Fee adds $50.

Prepared by the LLC 101 Guide instructors

Unit overview

Fee to form
$100
Official page law.lis.virginia.gov, last read October 2026
Annual Registration Fee
$50 a year
Deadline: last day of the LLC's anniversary month
State cost, years 1 to 3
$200
State charges only
Unit tasks
7
In order

By the end you will know

  • What Virginia charges to form an LLC and who takes the filing
  • What the registered agent rule asks for
  • The state filing that recurs
  • Our recommendations, with reasons

Virginia: our recommended services

What counts most: three-year cost and how many assignments the price finishes. How we grade lists all five criteria.

Top of the class

1. VA Registered Agent.org: best for a small first bill

Best overall$199 the first year, $99 after

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

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

Filing the Annual Registration Fee every year is your own homework.

What the price covers

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

What works

  • $99 yearly from year two
  • $199 above the state fee
  • No agent fee in year one

What to weigh

  • No Annual Registration Fee service on offer
  • Help with the EIN is $99 more
Visit VA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

2. Mainstay Filing: best for a first year with very little homework

Works in every state$199 a year, state fee on top ($299 due at checkout)

Pick number 2 is Mainstay Filing, where for $199 each year you get the formation filed, a registered agent in place and the annual registration fee sent in.

Counted over three years, it trails VA Registered Agent.org by $200.

That includes the Annual Registration Fee; the state's $50 is billed without markup.

What the price covers

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

What works

  • $199 when you renew
  • One flat $199 each year
  • It files your EIN application for you

What to weigh

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

The Virginia picks compared

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1VA Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit VA 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.
Listed prices, read November 13, 2026. Add the $100 state fee to every row.

The unit, task by task

  1. Task 1

    Choose the LLC's name

    Your first assignment is a name search with the State Corporation Commission (SCC), so you do not file under something a neighbor already uses.

    Bring two backup names to the search.

  2. Task 2

    Assign the registered agent role

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. A Virginia resident who is a member, manager or officer of the LLC (or of an entity that manages it) or a member of the Virginia State Bar, or a corporation, LLC or registered LLP authorized in Virginia.

    The address has to be a registered office in Virginia that is the agent's business office. A P.O. box is accepted only in a town of under 2,000 people with no street address.

    Hire any one of the recommended services for this task.

    Source: Official page law.lis.virginia.gov, last read October 2026

  3. Task 3

    Decide who submits the filing

    With no service the bill is the state's $100 and nothing else. Each of the recommended services adds $199 and does the paperwork for you.

  4. Task 4

    File the Articles of Organization of a Virginia Limited Liability Company

    Once the State Corporation Commission (SCC) accepts the Articles of Organization of a Virginia Limited Liability Company (Form LLC-1011) and $100, the LLC exists, as Va. Code § 13.1-1010 provides.

    Source: Official page law.lis.virginia.gov, last read October 2026

  5. Task 5

    Order the LLC's federal tax number

    State approval first, IRS number second. Mainstay Filing files the EIN application as part of the package.

  6. Task 6

    Get the owners' agreement signed

    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 Virginia's recurring filing

    Virginia wants the Annual Registration Fee every year, due last day of the LLC's anniversary month, with a fee of $50. Miss the deadline and $25 is added.

    Source: Official page scc.virginia.gov, last read October 2026

Costs, task by task

Line itemReceiverPrice
Setting up the LLCState office$100
Annual Registration FeeState office$50 every year
Late filingState office$25
Service, if you hire oneThe service company$199 in the first year
State fees for the first three yearsState office$200
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.

Why VA Registered Agent.org is first

Course fee across three years makes up 34% of the grade, and that is where got ahead in Virginia.

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

Check your Virginia answers

What does a Virginia LLC cost to start?

The fee on the official schedule is $100. Service fees among our picks go from $199.

Which form creates the LLC?

Look for the Articles of Organization of a Virginia Limited Liability Company (Form LLC-1011); the State Corporation Commission (SCC) is where it goes.

Is a registered agent required?

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

What does Virginia require each year?

Calendar note on the Annual Registration Fee: $50, filed every year, timing as the state words it: last day of the LLC's anniversary month.

Can I form the LLC without a service?

A service is optional. Owners can send the papers in with the $100 fee as long as they appoint a registered agent.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

The order is VA Registered Agent.org and Mainstay Filing, and VA Registered Agent.org is first since a $199 formation fee, followed by $99 yearly for the agent.

Reading list and sources

  1. Want proof for what the unit says about Virginia yearly filing: Recurring filing, official source? Go to law.lis.virginia.gov; the copy we used dates from October 2026.
  2. Want proof for what the unit says about Virginia yearly filing: Recurring filing, official source? Go to scc.virginia.gov; the copy we used dates from October 2026.
  3. Want proof for what the unit says about Va? Go to law.lis.virginia.gov; the copy we used dates from August 2026.
  4. Want proof for what the unit says about Virginia formation fee: Filing fee, official source? Go to law.lis.virginia.gov; the copy we used dates from October 2026.
  5. Want proof for what the unit says about Virginia registered agent statute? Go to law.lis.virginia.gov; the copy we used dates from October 2026.
  6. VA Registered Agent.org: pricing page, as seen on November 13, 2026
  7. Mainstay Filing: Virginia service page, as seen on November 13, 2026