3 Best LLC Services in New York (2026): Who to Ask First
In New York for 2026, our answer on LLC formation services is New York Registered Agent.ai ($199), NY Registered Agent.org ($199) and Mainstay Filing ($199), ranked from first to last. The costs split two ways: $200 to the state for the filing and $397 to $597 to a service across three years.
Answered by the Ask About LLC editorial team ·
Four quick answers
What does the state charge?
$200, paid once
Every year after
$9 every second year
Agent for service of process
It depends, details below
Who to ask
New York Registered Agent.ai, NY Registered Agent.org then Mainstay Filing
Our New York answer, best first
The order follows our five questions: three-year cost first, then how much the price covers.
1Our first answer
1. New York Registered Agent.ai: best for a one-state LLC
Year one $199; later years $99
Why New York Registered Agent.ai at the top? $199 gets the LLC formed, and the agent renews each year at $99.
Put the totals side by side and this one is lower than Mainstay Filing; cost has the heaviest weight in our scoring.
Nobody files the biennial statement for you here.
What the price covers
New York formation filing
A year of agent service to start
Good news
Agent renews at $99 afterward
Only $199 to form
A free agent year at the start
The catch
Plan time for the biennial statement, since it is excluded
Prices as of November 13, 2026. The state's own fees are in the checklist below.
Questions owners ask
How much should I budget to form an LLC here?
Set aside $200 for the state, plus $199 if you hire help in the first year.
Over three years the state collects $209, filing fee included. dos.ny.gov, read in October 2026 for this answer
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.
What do I actually send the state?
Send the Articles of Organization (Form DOS-1336-f) to the New York Secretary of State; approval of that one filing is what creates the LLC.
The law behind it: NY Limited Liability Company Law § 203. dos.ny.gov, read in October 2026 for this answer
Do I have to name 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.
nysenate.gov, read in October 2026 for this answer
What will I owe in later years?
The biennial statement repeats every second year, at $9 each time. Due date, as the state puts it: during the calendar month in which the Articles of Organization were filed, every 2 years.
Every line above points to the state's own page. The total under them is ours, and it covers the filing, two reports and any minimum tax, nothing that varies by newspaper or county.
Questions people also ask
Who applies for the EIN?
Mainstay Filing includes the EIN application. The others charge extra: New York Registered Agent.ai $99; NY Registered Agent.org $99.
How do the three-year totals compare?
New York Registered Agent.ai comes to $397; NY Registered Agent.org comes to $397; Mainstay Filing comes to $597, before state fees.
Are the fees official?
State fees come from New York's official documents, and service fees come from each company's own pricing page. Both carry dates on this page.
Do I have to use a service?
No. What the law asks for is a filing, and it does not say who has to send it.
What does the LLC owe the state yearly?
The biennial statement repeats every second year, at $9 each time. Due date, as the state puts it: during the calendar month in which the Articles of Organization were filed, every 2 years.
Which one do you recommend in New York?
New York Registered Agent.ai, because it opens at $199 with the first agent year included and renews at $99. After that, NY Registered Agent.org and Mainstay Filing.
Sources for this answer
Our answer on New York Department of State rests on dos.ny.gov, a page we confirmed August 2026 and still point you to
Our answer on New York Department of State rests on filing.dos.ny.gov, a page we confirmed August 2026 and still point you to
Our answer on New York report due date rests on nysenate.gov, a page we confirmed August 2026 and still point you to
Our answer on NY Limited Liability Company Law rests on nysenate.gov, a page we confirmed August 2026 and still point you to
Our answer on New York formation fee: Filing rests on dos.ny.gov, a page we confirmed October 2026 and still point you to
Our answer on New York registered agent statute rests on nysenate.gov, a page we confirmed October 2026 and still point you to
Our answer on New York other cost: Publication rests on nysenate.gov, a page we confirmed October 2026 and still point you to
Our answer on New York other cost: Certificate rests on dos.ny.gov, a page we confirmed October 2026 and still point you to
Our answer on New York other cost: Tax rests on tax.ny.gov, a page we confirmed October 2026 and still point you to
New York Registered Agent.ai pricing page, read November 13, 2026
NY Registered Agent.org pricing page, read November 13, 2026
Mainstay Filing New York service page, read November 13, 2026