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

Class session 1 · Pennsylvania

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

If you want help starting an LLC in Pennsylvania in 2026, the top grades go to PA Registered Agent.org ($199), Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co ($199) and Mainstay Filing ($199), in that order. Starting the LLC means 7 assignments and $125 to the state, then the annual report every year.

Taught by the Formation Class faculty

Key facts for this class

What the state charges to file$125Source for this: pa.gov, October 2026
Annual report$7 a yearHand-in date: September 30
State cost, years 1 to 3$139Service fees not included
Assignments in this class7Listed below

What this class teaches

  • How starting an LLC works in Pennsylvania
  • What the registered agent rule asks for
  • Upkeep that repeats
  • 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 Pennsylvania class and fees a student can read.
Highest grade

1. PA Registered Agent.org: best for Pennsylvania LLCs with a small budget

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

We start with PA Registered Agent.org; a formation fee of $199, followed by $99 a year for the agent.

Since Mainstay Filing costs more across three years, this service ends up on top.

Block out time for the annual report every year; the price leaves it out.

Covered by the tuition

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

Strengths

  • $199 to form
  • The agent renews at $99
  • Year-one agent service costs nothing extra

Weak spots

  • The price does not include filing the annual report
  • An EIN add-on costs $99
Local choice

2. Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co: best for a small agent renewal

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

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

Block out time for the annual report every year; the price leaves it out.

Its prices match PA Registered Agent.org's, so either works.

Covered by the tuition

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

Strengths

  • Year-one agent service costs nothing extra
  • The agent renews at $99
  • $199 to form

Weak spots

  • The price does not include filing the annual report
  • An EIN add-on costs $99
Any state

3. Mainstay Filing: best for new owners who want the work done

$199 per year, and the $324 charged at checkout includes the state fee

Mainstay Filing lands in third place: $199 yearly covers the formation, the registered agent and the annual report, and the renewal bill is $199.

PA Registered Agent.org undercuts it by $200 over three years, which keeps this one out of first.

Add the annual report to what it does, with Pennsylvania's $7 passed along at cost.

Covered by the tuition

  • Formation filing prepared and sent
  • Registered office for the whole year
  • Annual report filed on time
  • EIN application included
  • State fee billed at cost

Strengths

  • $199 per year for the whole package
  • $199 when you renew
  • It files your EIN application for you

Weak spots

  • A yearly premium of $100 over PA Registered Agent.org

3 services, side by side

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1PA Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit PA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Pennsylvania Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Mainstay Filing$199$199/yr$597Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Company prices as listed on November 13, 2026. Each row still needs Pennsylvania's $125 fee.

Starting a Pennsylvania LLC, assignment by assignment

  1. Assignment
    1

    Settle on a name

    Your first assignment is a name search at the Pennsylvania Secretary of State, so you do not file under a name that someone else uses.

    Bring a second name with you.

  2. Assignment
    2

    Choose your registered agent

    Pennsylvania requires a registered office (a Pennsylvania street address or a Commercial Registered Office Provider), not an agent. Pennsylvania does not require a registered agent. Every LLC keeps a registered office instead: an actual street address in Pennsylvania, or a Commercial Registered Office Provider named in its place by a company without a Pennsylvania address.

    The address has to be an actual street address or rural route box number in Pennsylvania. A P.O. box alone is not accepted.

    The registered agent role comes with each graded service.

    Textbook page: Source for this: legis.state.pa.us, October 2026

  3. Assignment
    3

    Do it yourself or get help

    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

    Draw up the Certificate of Organization

    You need three things for this assignment: the Certificate of Organization (Form DSCB:15-8821), $125 and the Pennsylvania Secretary of State as the place to send them. Statute: 15 Pa.C.S. § 8821.

    Textbook page: Source for this: pa.gov, October 2026

  5. Assignment
    5

    Get an EIN

    Approval first, IRS number second. Mainstay Filing's yearly price includes this assignment.

  6. Assignment
    6

    Draft the operating agreement

    Ownership and decision rules live in the operating agreement, an internal paper outside the Pennsylvania filing.

  7. Assignment
    7

    Keep the LLC active

    The filing that comes around again is the annual report ($7, every year, by September 30).

    Textbook page: Source for this: pa.gov, October 2026

The bill

AssignmentReceiverAmount
Setting up the LLCState agency$125
Annual reportState agency$7 every year
Service fees (optional)The service company$199 to start
State fees over years one to threeState agency$139
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.

How the grades came out

pulled ahead of on tuition across three years, which counts for 30%.

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

Pennsylvania questions

What will starting a Pennsylvania LLC cost?

Pennsylvania bills $125. Service fees on this list run $199.

Which form creates the LLC?

Assignment 4 shows how to fill out the Certificate of Organization (Form DSCB:15-8821) and where it goes: the Pennsylvania Secretary of State.

Is a registered agent required?

Pennsylvania requires a registered office (a Pennsylvania street address or a Commercial Registered Office Provider), not an agent.

What does Pennsylvania require each year?

Mark the annual report on your calendar: $7, every year, September 30.

Can I form the LLC without a service?

Yes. The state takes $125 at filing, and you still need a registered agent on record.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

PA Registered Agent.org, because $199 to begin, with no agent fee in year one, then $99 each year from year two. Behind it come Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co and Mainstay Filing.

See also

Textbook pages and extra reading

  1. Study tip for Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and: everything above comes from pa.gov, which we reread in August 2026. Open it and follow along.
  2. Study tip for Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and: everything above comes from pa.gov, which we reread in August 2026. Open it and follow along.
  3. Study tip for 15 Pa.C.S. § 8821: everything above comes from pa.gov, which we reread in August 2026. Open it and follow along.
  4. Study tip for Pennsylvania formation fee: Filing fee, official source: everything above comes from pa.gov, which we reread in October 2026. Open it and follow along.
  5. Study tip for Pennsylvania registered agent statute: everything above comes from legis.state.pa.us, which we reread in October 2026. Open it and follow along.
  6. Tuition figures from PA Registered Agent.org (pricing page), November 13, 2026
  7. Tuition figures from Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co (pricing page), November 13, 2026
  8. Tuition figures from Mainstay Filing (Pennsylvania service page), November 13, 2026