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

Class 1 · New Hampshire

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

If you want help starting an LLC in New Hampshire in 2026, the top grades go to NH Registered Agent.org ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and New Hampshire Registered Agent.co ($199), in that order. The class has 7 assignments and a $100 state fee, and it finishes with the annual report.

Taught by the Formation Class faculty

Read this first

What the state charges to file$100Source for this: gc.nh.gov, October 2026
Annual report$100 a yearDue date as the state says it: April 1
Three-year state cost$300Service fees not included
Assignment count7One by one

What this class teaches

  • How starting an LLC works in New Hampshire
  • The registered agent requirement
  • How to stay in good standing
  • How the picks stack up

If you want someone else to file

Graded on the grading page: three-year tuition (30%), homework done (34%), year-two tuition, fit with the New Hampshire class and fees a student can read.
Best overall

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

$199 plus the state fee, then $99 a year

NH Registered Agent.org earns the top grade in New Hampshire: a formation fee of $199, followed by $99 a year for the agent.

Over three years it costs less than Mainstay Filing, and three-year tuition is 30% of the grade.

Nothing in the price covers the annual report.

Covered by the tuition

  • The New Hampshire formation, prepared and sent
  • A year of agent service is part of the price

Strengths

  • First agent year included
  • $199 plus the state fee
  • The agent renews at $99

Weak spots

  • It leaves the annual report for you to file
  • Help with the EIN is $99 more
Upkeep covered

2. Mainstay Filing: best for having the annual report filed by someone else

$199 per year

Mainstay Filing makes a respectable second: for one yearly fee of $199 the class assignments on filing, registered agent and annual report are all done for you.

Add up three years: it comes to $200 more than NH Registered Agent.org.

You never touch the annual report; the $100 state fee is passed through and nothing more.

Covered by the tuition

  • Filing made with the state
  • Registered agent for the whole year
  • Annual report filed on time
  • EIN application included
  • No markup on the state fee

Strengths

  • $199 every year
  • It prepares your EIN application too
  • $199 yearly with everything in it

Weak spots

  • NH Registered Agent.org renews for $100 less
Focused on New Hampshire

3. New Hampshire Registered Agent.co: best for a small agent renewal

$199 plus the state fee, then $99 a year

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

Nothing in the price covers the annual report.

It lists the same prices as NH Registered Agent.org.

Covered by the tuition

  • The New Hampshire formation, prepared and sent
  • A year of agent service is part of the price

Strengths

  • $199 plus the state fee
  • First agent year included
  • The agent renews at $99

Weak spots

  • It leaves the annual report for you to file
  • Help with the EIN is $99 more

The services compared

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1NH Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit NH 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.
3New Hampshire Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit New Hampshire Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Each company's posted price on November 13, 2026. Every row also owes the $100 state fee.

Starting a New Hampshire LLC, assignment by assignment

  1. Assignment
    1

    Check that nobody else has the name

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

    Keep a backup in your notebook.

  2. Assignment
    2

    Appoint a registered agent

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. A New Hampshire resident, or a business entity registered with the Secretary of State, whose office is the registered office.

    The address has to be a physical street address in New Hampshire; filings that list an out-of-state address are not processed. P.O. boxes are not accepted.

    All of the graded services provide a registered agent.

    Textbook page: Source for this: gc.nh.gov, October 2026

  3. Assignment
    3

    File on your own or hire a service

    Filing on your own costs only the $100 state fee. A service adds $199 and does the forms; see the grades for the order.

  4. Assignment
    4

    Complete, sign and file the Certificate of Formation of a New Hampshire Limited Liability Company

    You need three things for this assignment: the Certificate of Formation of a New Hampshire Limited Liability Company (Form LLC-1), $100 and the New Hampshire Secretary of State as the place to send them.

    Textbook page: Source for this: gc.nh.gov, October 2026

  5. Assignment
    5

    Take care of the EIN

    After New Hampshire approves the LLC, ask the IRS for an Employer Identification Number; banks and payroll providers need it. Mainstay Filing does this one for you at no added charge.

  6. Assignment
    6

    Prepare the operating agreement

    Think of the operating agreement as the owners' rulebook. The company keeps it; the state never asks for a copy.

  7. Assignment
    7

    Stay in good standing in New Hampshire

    Write the annual report on the class calendar: $100, every year, deadline April 1. A late one adds $50.

    Textbook page: Source for this: sos.nh.gov, August 2026

The bill

ItemGoes toSum
Filing to form the LLCThe state$100
Annual reportThe state$100 every year
Penalty for filing lateThe state$50
A filing service (optional)The service$199 to start
State total across three yearsThe state$300
Rows for the state use New Hampshire's published fee schedules (see the textbook pages beneath the table), and each service row uses that company's own price. Over three years the state row adds the filing, the year-two report, the year-three report and any minimum tax.

The reasoning behind the grades

On tuition across three years (30% of the grade) came out on top, with close behind.

NH Registered Agent.org wins the cost criterion with $397 over three years, against $200 more at Mainstay Filing.

New Hampshire pop quiz

What will starting a New Hampshire LLC cost?

Plan on $100 to file. A graded service adds $199 in year one.

Which form creates the LLC?

Hand the Certificate of Formation of a New Hampshire Limited Liability Company (Form LLC-1) to the New Hampshire Secretary of State.

Is a registered agent required?

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

What does New Hampshire require each year?

Mark the annual report on your calendar: $100, every year, April 1.

Can I form the LLC without a service?

The state accepts filings straight from owners, so no service is needed. Expect $100 plus a registered agent.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

The grade order is NH Registered Agent.org, Mainstay Filing and New Hampshire Registered Agent.co, and NH Registered Agent.org is first since $199 to begin, with no agent fee in year one, then $99 each year from year two.

Next class

Textbook pages and extra reading

  1. Study tip for New Hampshire Secretary of State, Corporations Division: everything above comes from sos.nh.gov, which we reread in August 2026. Open it and follow along.
  2. Study tip for New Hampshire Secretary of State, Corporations Division: everything above comes from sos.nh.gov, which we reread in August 2026. Open it and follow along.
  3. Study tip for New Hampshire report due date: everything above comes from gencourt.state.nh.us, which we reread in August 2026. Open it and follow along.
  4. Study tip for N.H: everything above comes from gc.nh.gov, which we reread in August 2026. Open it and follow along.
  5. Study tip for New Hampshire formation fee: Filing fee, official source: everything above comes from gc.nh.gov, which we reread in October 2026. Open it and follow along.
  6. Study tip for New Hampshire registered agent statute: everything above comes from gc.nh.gov, which we reread in October 2026. Open it and follow along.
  7. Tuition figures from NH Registered Agent.org (pricing page), November 13, 2026
  8. Tuition figures from Mainstay Filing (New Hampshire service page), November 13, 2026
  9. Tuition figures from New Hampshire Registered Agent.co (pricing page), November 13, 2026