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

Class 1 · Wisconsin

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

If you want help starting an LLC in Wisconsin in 2026, the top grades go to Mainstay Filing ($199), WI Registered Agent.org ($199) and Wisconsin Registered Agent.co ($199), in that order. Starting the LLC means 7 assignments and $130 to the state, then the annual report every year.

Taught by the Formation Class faculty

The quick version

Cost at the state office$130dfi.wi.gov (page read October 2026)
Annual report$25 a yearCalendar entry: end of the calendar quarter containing the LLC's anniversary date
Three-year state cost$180Service fees not included
How many assignments7Listed below

Class objectives

  • Where and how to file a Wisconsin LLC
  • What the agent rule says
  • Upkeep that repeats
  • Who we would hire to file

Who we would hire in Wisconsin

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

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

$199 a year, state fee on top ($329 due at checkout)

We start with Mainstay Filing; its $199 yearly tuition pays for the filing, the registered agent and the annual report, and next year costs the same $199.

Three years of tuition run $200 above WI Registered Agent.org's, but this service does more of the homework, and the grade rewards that.

It files every annual report; the only extra is the state's own $25.

Covered by the tuition

  • The formation filing
  • Registered agent for the whole year
  • Annual report filed on time
  • EIN application included
  • The official fee, nothing added

Strengths

  • $199 every year
  • $199 a year covers filing, agent and report
  • The EIN assignment is part of the package

Weak spots

  • After year one it costs $100 more each year
In-state service

2. WI Registered Agent.org: best for owners who plan to stay in Wisconsin

$199 the first year, $99 after

WI Registered Agent.org makes a respectable second: the Wisconsin LLC is formed for $199 with the agent covered in year one, and the agent renews at $99.

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

  • $99 yearly from year two
  • Year-one agent service costs nothing extra
  • $199 and the state fee

Weak spots

  • Preparing the annual report is up to you
  • It bills $99 for the EIN assignment
In-state service

3. Wisconsin Registered Agent.co: best for a local filer

$199 the first year, $99 after

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

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

On price, it is level with WI Registered Agent.org.

Covered by the tuition

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

Strengths

  • Year-one agent service costs nothing extra
  • $99 yearly from year two
  • $199 and the state fee

Weak spots

  • Preparing the annual report is up to you
  • It bills $99 for the EIN assignment

All the tuition in one table

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$199$199/yr$597Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2WI Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit WI Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Wisconsin Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Wisconsin Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Taken from each company's price page on November 13, 2026. Each row still needs Wisconsin's $130 fee.

How a Wisconsin LLC gets formed

  1. Assignment
    1

    Check that nobody else has the name

    Search the business records kept by the Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) first. They show whether the name is already on the Wisconsin register.

    A spare name saves a trip back to the board.

  2. Assignment
    2

    Choose your registered agent

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. A Wisconsin resident, or a business entity formed in Wisconsin or authorized there, whose business office is the registered office. The agent needs an email address and has to consent.

    The address has to be an actual physical location with a street address in Wisconsin, not solely a P.O. box, mailbox service or answering service.

    Any of the graded services can take the registered agent role.

    Textbook page: docs.legis.wisconsin.gov (page read October 2026)

  3. Assignment
    3

    File on your own or hire a service

    The state's fee is $130 either way. A service adds $199; the grade list shows which one to pick.

  4. Assignment
    4

    Put together and mail the Articles of Organization - Limited Liability Company

    Send the Articles of Organization - Limited Liability Company (Form 502) to the Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) along with $130; the law behind it is Wis. Stat. § 183.0201, and the LLC exists.

    Textbook page: dfi.wi.gov (page read October 2026)

  5. Assignment
    5

    Apply to the IRS for an EIN

    Approval first, IRS number second. Mainstay Filing does this one for you at no added charge.

  6. Assignment
    6

    Get the owners' agreement signed

    The operating agreement is where the Wisconsin LLC's owners write down who owns what and how decisions get made. The company keeps it; the state never sees it.

  7. Assignment
    7

    Handle Wisconsin's recurring filing

    Write the annual report on the class calendar: $25, every year, deadline end of the calendar quarter containing the LLC's anniversary date. A late one adds $25.

    Textbook page: dfi.wi.gov (page read August 2026)

Costs, assignment by assignment

ItemGoes toPrice
Formation feeThe state$130
Annual reportThe state$25 every year
Late filingThe state$25
Service fees (optional)The service company$199 in the first year
Three-year state totalThe state$180
Anything paid to Wisconsin is an official fee you can look up on the pages listed below. The three-year row combines the filing, two later reports and a minimum tax where there is one, and service prices are not part of it.

The reasoning behind the grades

Homework the price does settled first place in Wisconsin. It is worth 34% of the grade, and the rest comes from tuition across three years, year-two tuition, fit with the state class and fees a student can read.

Handling the annual report outweighed the lower price when the weights were applied.

Wisconsin questions

Which Wisconsin fees come with a new LLC?

The state's fee is $130. The graded services bill $199 on top.

Which form creates the LLC?

The Articles of Organization - Limited Liability Company (Form 502) is what creates the company, and the Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) is who receives it.

Is a registered agent required?

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

What does Wisconsin require each year?

Hand in the annual report every year, $25; deadline end of the calendar quarter containing the LLC's anniversary date.

Can I form the LLC without a service?

Yes. The state takes $130 at filing, and you still need a registered agent on record.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

The grade order is Mainstay Filing, WI Registered Agent.org and Wisconsin Registered Agent.co, and Mainstay Filing is first since $199 a year does three pieces of homework at once: the filing, the registered agent and the annual report.

Related classes

Textbook pages and extra reading

  1. Extra credit: compare what we say about Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate with dfi.wi.gov, last read August 2026.
  2. Extra credit: compare what we say about Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate with dfi.wi.gov, last read August 2026.
  3. Extra credit: compare what we say about Wisconsin report due date with docs.legis.wisconsin.gov, last read August 2026.
  4. Extra credit: compare what we say about Wis with dfi.wi.gov, last read August 2026.
  5. Extra credit: compare what we say about Wisconsin formation fee: Filing fee, official source with dfi.wi.gov, last read October 2026.
  6. Extra credit: compare what we say about Wisconsin registered agent statute with docs.legis.wisconsin.gov, last read October 2026.
  7. Pulled November 13, 2026: Wisconsin service page from Mainstay Filing
  8. Pulled November 13, 2026: pricing page from WI Registered Agent.org
  9. Pulled November 13, 2026: pricing page from Wisconsin Registered Agent.co