If you need LLC formation services in New York in 2026, here's the order we'd go in: Mainstay Filing ($199), New York Registered Agent.ai ($199) and NY Registered Agent.org ($199). Here's the money: $200 to the state, $397 to $597 to a service across three years.
Straight from the LLC Straight Talk editorial team
The short of it
The short of it
What the state charges
$200, one time
Every year after
$9 every other year
Agent for service of process
Special rule, see below
Our pick
Mainstay Filing, New York Registered Agent.ai then NY Registered Agent.org
New York picks, best first
The order comes from our five tests: three-year cost first, then what the price covers.
#1Who we'd call first
1. Mainstay Filing: best for skipping the biennial statement
Annual price $199, renewal price $199, state fee on top
One yearly price of $199 covers the formation, the agent for service of process and every biennial statement. That's why Mainstay Filing is first.
Here's the catch: New York Registered Agent.ai costs $200 less over three years, and you'd do more of the paperwork yourself.
It files your biennial statement, and New York's $9 gets passed along at cost.
What you get
Your formation filing, taken care of
Registered agent for a whole year
Biennial statement done for you
EIN application filed
State fees at cost
Pluses
Year two's $199
The EIN application's included
$199 yearly, everything listed
What's not
You'll pay $100 more each year than at New York Registered Agent.ai
#2New York specialist
2. New York Registered Agent.ai: best for a business that never leaves one state
$199 plus the state fee, then $99 a year
New York Registered Agent.ai takes second place: three years with it total $397, thanks to a $99 renewal.
Nobody here files the biennial statement for you.
What you get
Your LLC, filed
Agent service covered for year one
Pluses
Renewal's $99
$199 to form the LLC
No agent charge in year one
What's not
Doesn't file the biennial statement
The EIN application costs $99 extra
#3New York specialist
3. NY Registered Agent.org: best for another in-state choice
$199 plus the state fee, then $99 a year
NY Registered Agent.org takes third place: three years with it total $397, thanks to a $99 renewal.
Nobody here files the biennial statement for you.
Price for price, it's a tie with New York Registered Agent.ai.
What you get
Your LLC, filed
Agent service covered for year one
Pluses
Renewal's $99
No agent charge in year one
$199 to form the LLC
What's not
Doesn't file the biennial statement
The EIN application costs $99 extra
The numbers
#
Who
Year one
Then
Three-year total
What you get
1
Mainstay Filing
$199
$199/yr
$597
your formation filing, taken care of; registered agent for a whole year; biennial statement done for you
Prices as of November 13, 2026. The state's own fees are in the checklist below.
The questions that matter
How much do I need to start an LLC in this state?
Figure $200 for the state, plus $199 if you hire help in year one.
State fees for years one through three come to $209. go check dos.ny.gov, last confirmed October 2026
Publication: within 120 days, a notice runs for six weeks in two county newspapers (the papers set their own charges), then a Certificate of Publication is filed for $50.
Tax Department LLC fee (Form IT-204-LL): $25 a year for a single-member LLC with New York-source income; partnership LLCs pay more.
Which form do I file, and where?
The Articles of Organization (Form DOS-1336-f) goes to the New York Secretary of State, and approval is what creates your LLC.
Statute: NY Limited Liability Company Law § 203. go check dos.ny.gov, last confirmed October 2026
Does the state make me have an agent for service of process?
The Secretary of State is the agent for service of process for every New York LLC; naming a registered agent is optional.
If one is designated: a person who lives in New York or has a business address there, an LLC formed or authorized in New York, or a corporation formed or authorized in New York.
go check nysenate.gov, last confirmed October 2026
What do I owe after that?
You'll file the biennial statement every second year, and it's $9 each time. Here's the date the state gives: during the calendar month in which the Articles of Organization were filed, every 2 years. Don't miss it.
The last row is our math, not the state's: filing fee, plus the reports in years two and three, plus any minimum tax. If a cost has no fixed amount, like a newspaper notice, it's explained above and left out.
More questions
Is the EIN application included?
Mainstay Filing includes the EIN application. The others make you pay: New York Registered Agent.ai $99; NY Registered Agent.org $99.
What's the three-year damage for each?
Mainstay Filing will set you back $597, and New York Registered Agent.ai will set you back $397, and NY Registered Agent.org will set you back $397, with state fees on top.
Are the fees official?
Official New York sources back the state side, and posted prices back the service side.
Do I have to use a service?
No law says you need a service. It's a convenience you pay for.
Any yearly state fees?
You'll file the biennial statement every second year, and it's $9 each time. Here's the date the state gives: during the calendar month in which the Articles of Organization were filed, every 2 years. Don't miss it.
Who should I use for a LLC service in New York?
Mainstay Filing, because the biennial statement gets filed inside the $199 yearly price, along with formation and the agent for service of process. After that, New York Registered Agent.ai and NY Registered Agent.org.