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Formation ClassClass is in session: LLC paperwork, state by state.

Class 1 · Minnesota

Minnesota LLC Formation Class (2026): 7 Assignments and the 3 Best LLC Services

Graded for 2026, the best help with starting an LLC in Minnesota comes from Mainstay Filing ($199), Minnesota Registered Agent.co ($199) and MN Registered Agent.org ($199), in that order. Numbers for the chalkboard: 7 assignments, a $155 filing fee.

Taught by the Formation Class faculty

Need-to-know facts

State filing fee$155Check the textbook page: revisor.mn.gov (read October 2026)
Annual renewalNo feeFiling window per the state: December 31
Three-year state cost$155Formation, reports and any minimum tax
Assignments in this class7One by one

You will leave able to

  • What Minnesota charges for a new LLC and where the filing goes
  • How to meet the registered agent rule
  • What you file every year after that
  • How the picks stack up

The Minnesota honor roll

Three-year tuition and homework done weigh the most; how we grade lists all five criteria.
Highest grade

1. Mainstay Filing: best for a single bill for filing and upkeep

$199 per year, and the $354 charged at checkout includes the state fee

In Minnesota, Mainstay Filing sits at the top of the class: for one yearly fee of $199 the class assignments on filing, registered agent and annual renewal are all done for you.

Next to Minnesota Registered Agent.co the three-year premium is $200, which the 34% weight on homework done outweighs.

It files the annual renewal as well, and Minnesota sets no fee for that.

Covered by the tuition

  • Formation paperwork handled
  • Registered agent for the whole year
  • Annual renewal filed on time
  • EIN application included
  • No markup on the state fee

Strengths

  • One yearly fee of $199, annual renewal included
  • It prepares your EIN application too
  • No jump at renewal ($199)

Weak spots

  • After year one it costs $100 more each year
One-state plan

2. Minnesota Registered Agent.co: best for a small first bill

Formation $199, renewal $99 yearly

Second place goes to Minnesota Registered Agent.co, since a formation fee of $199, followed by $99 a year for the agent.

You still file the annual renewal every year.

Covered by the tuition

  • Filing made with the state
  • A year of agent service is part of the price

Strengths

  • A $199 formation fee
  • $99 yearly from year two
  • No agent fee in year one

Weak spots

  • No annual renewal service on offer
  • An EIN add-on costs $99
One-state plan

3. MN Registered Agent.org: best for a local filer

Formation $199, renewal $99 yearly

Third place goes to MN Registered Agent.org, since a formation fee of $199, followed by $99 a year for the agent.

You still file the annual renewal every year.

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

Covered by the tuition

  • Filing made with the state
  • A year of agent service is part of the price

Strengths

  • A $199 formation fee
  • $99 yearly from year two
  • No agent fee in year one

Weak spots

  • No annual renewal service on offer
  • An EIN add-on costs $99

3 services, side by side

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$199$199/yr$597Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Minnesota Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Minnesota Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3MN Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit MN Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Company prices as listed on November 13, 2026. Every row also owes the $155 state fee.

The assignments

  1. Assignment
    1

    Check that nobody else has the name

    If a Minnesota company already holds your name, the filing can be sent back, so look it up at the Minnesota Secretary of State before going any further.

    A spare name saves a trip back to the board.

  2. Assignment
    2

    Appoint a registered agent

    A Minnesota LLC must keep a registered office in Minnesota; naming an agent there is optional. If one is named: a Minnesota resident, or a corporation or LLC formed in Minnesota or authorized there, with a business office at the registered office.

    Every Minnesota LLC keeps a registered office at an actual office location in Minnesota; a P.O. box by itself is not accepted.

    The registered agent role comes with each graded service.

    Textbook page: Check the textbook page: revisor.mn.gov (read October 2026)

  3. Assignment
    3

    Do it yourself or get help

    With no service, the bill is the state's $155. Each of the graded services adds $199 and handles the paperwork.

  4. Assignment
    4

    Draw up the Articles of Organization

    Your homework here is the Articles of Organization. It is addressed to the Minnesota Secretary of State and costs $155 (Minn. Stat. sec. 322C.0201).

    Textbook page: Check the textbook page: revisor.mn.gov (read October 2026)

  5. Assignment
    5

    Take care of the EIN

    With approval in hand, the IRS can issue a federal tax ID for the LLC, and a business bank account depends on it. This assignment is inside the Mainstay Filing package.

  6. Assignment
    6

    Write an operating agreement

    Even a Minnesota LLC with a single owner is better off with a written operating agreement in the files.

  7. Assignment
    7

    Mark the deadlines that repeat

    Once a year the LLC sends in the annual renewal; it is due December 31.

    Textbook page: Check the textbook page: revisor.mn.gov (read October 2026)

Minnesota costs by assignment

What forWho gets paidCost
Filing to form the LLCPaid to the state$155
Annual renewalPaid to the stateNo fee
Paid helpYour service$199 in the first year
State total across three yearsPaid to the state$155
The state's fees come from official pages, listed below. Added up over three years they are the filing, two reports and, in a few states, a minimum tax.

Why the list runs this way

What decided it was homework the price does, which carries 34% of the grade.

Minnesota Registered Agent.co costs less, though the annual renewal would be your homework.

Minnesota pop quiz

How much does Minnesota charge to start an LLC?

$155, paid to the state. $199 extra buys a service that does the filing.

Which form creates the LLC?

The Articles of Organization is what creates the company, and the Minnesota Secretary of State is who receives it.

Is a registered agent required?

A Minnesota LLC must keep a registered office in Minnesota; naming an agent there is optional.

What does Minnesota require each year?

Hand in the annual renewal every year, no fee; deadline December 31.

Can I form the LLC without a service?

Yes. The state takes $155 at filing, and you still need a registered agent on record.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

Mainstay Filing gets the top grade and Minnesota Registered Agent.co and MN Registered Agent.org follow; Mainstay Filing wins on homework the price does.

Next class

Textbook pages and extra reading

  1. Study tip for Minnesota yearly filing: Recurring filing, official source: everything above comes from revisor.mn.gov, which we reread in October 2026. Open it and follow along.
  2. Study tip for Minnesota yearly filing: Recurring filing, official source: everything above comes from revisor.mn.gov, which we reread in October 2026. Open it and follow along.
  3. Study tip for Minnesota report due date: everything above comes from sos.state.mn.us, which we reread in August 2026. Open it and follow along.
  4. Study tip for Minn: everything above comes from revisor.mn.gov, which we reread in August 2026. Open it and follow along.
  5. Study tip for Minnesota formation fee: Filing fee, official source: everything above comes from sos.mn.gov, which we reread in October 2026. Open it and follow along.
  6. Study tip for Minnesota registered agent statute: everything above comes from revisor.mn.gov, which we reread in October 2026. Open it and follow along.
  7. Tuition figures from Mainstay Filing (Minnesota service page), November 13, 2026
  8. Tuition figures from Minnesota Registered Agent.co (pricing page), November 13, 2026
  9. Tuition figures from MN Registered Agent.org (pricing page), November 13, 2026