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

Class 1 · Vermont

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

If you want help starting an LLC in Vermont in 2026, the top grades go to VT Registered Agent.org ($199), Vermont Registered Agent.co ($199) and Mainstay Filing ($199), in that order. Numbers for the chalkboard: 7 assignments, a $155 filing fee, a $45 annual report.

Taught by the Formation Class faculty

Key facts for this class

Fee to form$155Look at legislature.vermont.gov for yourself; we read it in October 2026
Annual report$45 a yearFiling window per the state: within 3 months after the end of the LLC's fiscal year on record
What the state collects in three years$245Without any service fee
Class assignments7Each one explained

You will leave able to

  • What Vermont charges for a new LLC and where the filing goes
  • How to meet the registered agent rule
  • How to stay in good standing
  • Which services we recommend and why

Vermont: the graded services

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

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

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

VT Registered Agent.org earns the top grade in Vermont: 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.

The annual report is not in the price, so you hand it in every year.

Covered by the tuition

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

Strengths

  • No agent fee in year one
  • Then $99 per year
  • $199 and the state fee

Weak spots

  • The price does not include filing the annual report
  • The EIN application is not included ($99)
Vermont specialist

2. Vermont Registered Agent.co: best for another Vermont option

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

Vermont Registered Agent.co lands in second place: a formation fee of $199, followed by $99 a year for the agent.

The annual report is not in the price, so you hand it in every year.

It charges exactly what VT Registered Agent.org charges.

Covered by the tuition

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

Strengths

  • $199 and the state fee
  • Then $99 per year
  • No agent fee in year one

Weak spots

  • The price does not include filing the annual report
  • The EIN application is not included ($99)
All fifty states

3. Mainstay Filing: best for a first year with very little homework

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

Mainstay Filing makes a respectable third: its $199 yearly tuition pays for the filing, the registered agent and the annual report, and next year costs the same $199.

A $200 gap to VT Registered Agent.org over three years decides where it lands.

You never touch the annual report; the $45 state fee is passed through and nothing more.

Covered by the tuition

  • The filing is done for you
  • Registered agent for the whole year
  • Annual report filed on time
  • EIN application included
  • No markup on the state fee

Strengths

  • $199 every year
  • No extra charge for the EIN application
  • $199 per year for the whole package

Weak spots

  • VT Registered Agent.org renews for $100 less

All the tuition in one table

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1VT Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit VT Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Vermont Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Vermont 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.
Each company's posted price on November 13, 2026. Each row still needs Vermont's $155 fee.

Formation in order

  1. Assignment
    1

    Choose a name and see whether it is free

    Search the business records kept by the Vermont Secretary of State first. They show whether the name is already on the Vermont register.

    Bring a second name with you.

  2. Assignment
    2

    Appoint a registered agent

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. An individual, or a business registered and active with the Secretary of State other than the company itself, with a street and mailing address in Vermont.

    The address has to be a street address in Vermont. P.O. boxes and virtual addresses are not accepted.

    Every class favorite here can be your registered agent.

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

  3. Assignment
    3

    File on your own or hire a service

    The state's fee is $155 either way. A service adds $199; the grade list shows which one to pick.

  4. Assignment
    4

    Draw up the Articles of Organization

    Send the Articles of Organization to the Vermont Secretary of State along with $155, and the LLC exists.

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

  5. Assignment
    5

    Order the LLC's federal tax ID

    Approval first, IRS number second. 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

    Stay in good standing in Vermont

    The filing that comes around again is the annual report ($45, every year, by within 3 months after the end of the LLC's fiscal year on record).

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

What each assignment costs in Vermont

ItemWho gets paidSum
Forming the LLCPaid to the state$155
Annual reportPaid to the state$45 every year
Service, if you hire oneThe service company$199 in year one
State total across three yearsPaid to the state$245
Here is how the three-year state row works: filing fee, plus the report in each of years two and three, plus any yearly minimum tax. Service fees get their own rows.

How we graded the Vermont picks

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

Count three years and VT Registered Agent.org totals $397, $200 below Mainstay Filing.

Vermont pop quiz

Which Vermont fees come with a new LLC?

The state's fee is $155. Hire a service and add $199.

Which form creates the LLC?

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

Is a registered agent required?

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

What does Vermont require each year?

Once a year the LLC sends the state its annual report: $45, due within 3 months after the end of the LLC's fiscal year on record.

Can I form the LLC without a service?

The state accepts filings straight from owners, so no service is needed. Expect $155 plus a registered agent.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

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

Related classes

Textbook pages and extra reading

  1. Extra credit: compare what we say about Vermont Secretary of State fee schedule, Annual Report with sos.vermont.gov, last read October 2026.
  2. Extra credit: compare what we say about Vermont report due date with legislature.vermont.gov, last read August 2026.
  3. Extra credit: compare what we say about Vermont formation fee: Filing fee, official source with legislature.vermont.gov, last read October 2026.
  4. Extra credit: compare what we say about Vermont registered agent statute with legislature.vermont.gov, last read October 2026.
  5. Pulled November 13, 2026: pricing page from VT Registered Agent.org
  6. Pulled November 13, 2026: pricing page from Vermont Registered Agent.co
  7. Pulled November 13, 2026: Vermont service page from Mainstay Filing