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

Class 1 · North Carolina

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

If you want help starting an LLC in North Carolina in 2026, the top grades go to North Carolina Registered Agent.co ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and NC Registered Agent.org ($199), in that order. North Carolina charges $125 to file and expects the annual report every year; the 7 assignments walk you through it.

Taught by the Formation Class faculty

Need-to-know facts

State filing fee$125Look at sosnc.gov for yourself; we read it in October 2026
Annual report$200 a yearHand-in date: April 15
State cost, years 1 to 3$525Formation, reports and any minimum tax
How many assignments7Each one explained

By the end you will know

  • The official North Carolina fee and form
  • What the registered agent rule asks for
  • The state filing that recurs
  • The services at the top of the class

If you want someone else to file

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

1. North Carolina Registered Agent.co: best for a bare-bones formation

$199 the first year, $99 after

North Carolina Registered Agent.co earns the top grade in North Carolina: the North Carolina LLC is formed for $199 with the agent covered in year one, and the agent renews at $99.

Mainstay Filing loses to it on three-year tuition, and tuition is a big slice of the grade.

Nothing in the price covers the annual report.

Covered by the tuition

  • The filing is done for you
  • A year of agent service is part of the price

Strengths

  • $99 a year after that
  • A $199 formation fee
  • A free first agent year

Weak spots

  • Preparing the annual report is up to you
  • The EIN application is $99 extra
Works in every state

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

$199 a year that renews at $199

Our second pick, Mainstay Filing: $199 yearly covers the formation, the registered agent and the annual report, and the renewal bill is $199.

North Carolina Registered Agent.co undercuts it by $200 over three years, which keeps this one out of first.

It files every annual report; the only extra is the state's own $200.

Covered by the tuition

  • The filing is done for you
  • Registered agent for the whole year
  • Annual report filed on time
  • EIN application included
  • State fee passed through at cost

Strengths

  • $199 a year covers filing, agent and report
  • $199 every year
  • It files your EIN application for you

Weak spots

  • $100 a year more than North Carolina Registered Agent.co at renewal
Local choice

3. NC Registered Agent.org: best for another North Carolina option

$199 the first year, $99 after

NC Registered Agent.org makes a respectable third: the North Carolina LLC is formed for $199 with the agent covered in year one, and the agent renews at $99.

Nothing in the price covers the annual report.

It charges exactly what North Carolina Registered Agent.co charges.

Covered by the tuition

  • The filing is done for you
  • A year of agent service is part of the price

Strengths

  • $99 a year after that
  • A free first agent year
  • A $199 formation fee

Weak spots

  • Preparing the annual report is up to you
  • The EIN application is $99 extra

The North Carolina grades compared

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1North Carolina Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit North Carolina Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Mainstay Filing$199$199/yr$597Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3NC Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit NC Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Prices come from each company's own site, read November 13, 2026. Each row still needs North Carolina's $125 fee.

Formation in order

  1. Assignment
    1

    Check that nobody else has the name

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

    Check at the same time whether the web domain is free.

  2. Assignment
    2

    Decide who will be a registered agent

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. A North Carolina resident, or a corporation, nonprofit or LLC on the North Carolina business registry other than the company itself.

    The address has to be a physical registered office in North Carolina. A P.O. box can be added only as a mailing address.

    Every class favorite here can be your registered agent.

    Textbook page: Look at sosnc.gov for yourself; we read it in October 2026

  3. Assignment
    3

    File on your own or hire a service

    You can file for $125, or add $199 and hire a service. The graded services are at the top of the class.

  4. Assignment
    4

    Put together and mail the Articles of Organization

    Send the Articles of Organization (Form L-01) to the North Carolina Secretary of State along with $125; the law behind it is N.C. Gen. Stat. § 57D-2-20, and the LLC exists. The posted turnaround is Entity creation 5 to 10 business days.

    Textbook page: Look at sosnc.gov for yourself; we read it in 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

    Put the ownership rules in writing

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

  7. Assignment
    7

    Keep the LLC active

    To stay active, send in the annual report every year ($200) by April 15.

    Textbook page: Look at sosnc.gov for yourself; we read it in October 2026

Costs, assignment by assignment

ItemReceiverPrice
Setting up the LLCState office$125
Annual reportState office$200 every year
Paid helpThe service$199 in the first year
State fees over years one to threeState office$525
Rows for the state use North Carolina'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.

How we graded the North Carolina picks

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

Count three years and North Carolina Registered Agent.co totals $397, $200 below Mainstay Filing.

North Carolina pop quiz

What does it cost to file a new LLC in North Carolina?

$125, paid to the state. Hire a service and add $199.

Which form creates the LLC?

Once the North Carolina Secretary of State has accepted the Articles of Organization (Form L-01), your LLC is real.

Is a registered agent required?

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

How long does North Carolina take to process the filing?

Typically Entity creation 5 to 10 business days.

What does North Carolina require each year?

Expect North Carolina to ask for the annual report every year, at $200, with timing described as April 15.

Can I form the LLC without a service?

Nothing stops you. North Carolina wants $125, and the LLC has to name a registered agent, which you can do yourself or hire out.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

North Carolina Registered Agent.co gets the top grade and Mainstay Filing and NC Registered Agent.org follow; North Carolina Registered Agent.co wins on tuition across three years.

Related classes

Textbook pages and extra reading

  1. The North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State lesson rests on sosnc.gov, read again in August 2026; check our work against it.
  2. The North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State lesson rests on sosnc.gov, read again in August 2026; check our work against it.
  3. The North Carolina report due date lesson rests on ncleg.gov, read again in August 2026; check our work against it.
  4. The N.C lesson rests on sosnc.gov, read again in August 2026; check our work against it.
  5. The North Carolina formation fee: Filing fee, official source lesson rests on sosnc.gov, read again in October 2026; check our work against it.
  6. The North Carolina formation fee: Filing fee, official source lesson rests on sosnc.gov, read again in October 2026; check our work against it.
  7. The North Carolina registered agent statute lesson rests on sosnc.gov, read again in October 2026; check our work against it.
  8. The Processing, official source lesson rests on sosnc.gov, read again in October 2026; check our work against it.
  9. North Carolina Registered Agent.co's pricing page, read on November 13, 2026
  10. Mainstay Filing's North Carolina service page, read on November 13, 2026
  11. NC Registered Agent.org's pricing page, read on November 13, 2026