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Biz Formation Academy

A plain textbook on LLC paperwork, one state per chapter.

Chapter 1 · Minnesota

Minnesota LLC Formation Chapter (2026): 7 Sections and the 3 Best LLC Services

Summary for 2026: to handle forming an LLC in Minnesota with outside help, choose among Mainstay Filing ($199), MN Registered Agent.org ($199) and Minnesota Registered Agent.co ($199), in that order. Read 7 sections to learn the process. The fee at Minnesota's filing office is $155; afterward the annual renewal falls due every year.
Written by the Biz Formation Academy editorial board

Chapter summary

Fee paid to the state to file $155 revisor.mn.gov (edition of October 2026)
Annual renewal No fee Filing period, in the state's words: December 31
State cost, years 1 to 3 $155 Formation, reports and any minimum tax
Sections in this chapter 7 Outlined below

Learning objectives

  • The Minnesota formation document, its fee and its recipient
  • The registered agent requirement
  • Recurring obligations
  • Which services are recommended and why

If you want someone else to file

Cost over three years comes first, then paperwork completed, second-year price, Minnesota fit and price clarity (grading page).

1. Mainstay Filing: best for one bill for filing and upkeep

Recommended first
$199 a year, renewing at $199

Mainstay Filing comes first. One annual payment, $199, completes the filing, the registered agent and the annual renewal; renewal is $199.

Over three years it costs $200 above MN Registered Agent.org, in exchange for more of the work done.

The annual renewal is filed on the owner's behalf, with no state fee.

Price covers

  • The filing is made for you
  • Registered agent for the full year
  • Annual renewal prepared and filed
  • The EIN application is part of the price
  • State fee passed through at cost

Advantages

  • The EIN application is prepared as well
  • $199 a year covers filing, agent and report
  • The renewal stays at $199

Limitations

  • A yearly premium of $100 compared with MN Registered Agent.org
Visit Mainstay Filing Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

2. MN Registered Agent.org: best for a basic formation

Minnesota specialist
$199 and fees, then $99 each year

MN Registered Agent.org takes second position; $199 to start with the first agent year paid, followed by $99 annually.

Preparing the annual renewal every year is still left to you.

Price covers

  • The Minnesota formation, prepared and submitted
  • One year of agent service is built into the price

Advantages

  • $199 and the state fee
  • The first agent year is free
  • $99 yearly from year two

Limitations

  • The annual renewal remains the owner's responsibility
  • Help with the EIN is $99 more
Visit MN Registered Agent.org Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

3. Minnesota Registered Agent.co: best for owners who prepare their own reports

Minnesota specialist
$199 and fees, then $99 each year

Minnesota Registered Agent.co takes third position; $199 to start with the first agent year paid, followed by $99 annually.

Preparing the annual renewal every year is still left to you.

It charges exactly what MN Registered Agent.org charges.

Price covers

  • The Minnesota formation, prepared and submitted
  • One year of agent service is built into the price

Advantages

  • The first agent year is free
  • $199 and the state fee
  • $99 yearly from year two

Limitations

  • The annual renewal remains the owner's responsibility
  • Help with the EIN is $99 more
Visit Minnesota Registered Agent.co Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

All prices in one table

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1 Mainstay Filing $199$199/yr$597 Visit Mainstay Filing Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2 MN Registered Agent.org $199$99/yr$397 Visit MN Registered Agent.org Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3 Minnesota Registered Agent.co $199$99/yr$397 Visit Minnesota Registered Agent.co Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Taken from each company's price page on November 13, 2026. Add the $155 state fee to every row.

How a Minnesota LLC is formed

  1. Section 1

    Settle on the legal name

    Before filing, search the Minnesota Secretary of State for the name you want. A match with an existing Minnesota entity usually means choosing another.

    Write down an alternate name in case the first is taken.

  2. Section 2

    Appoint a registered agent

    A Minnesota LLC must keep a registered office in Minnesota; naming an agent there is optional. If one is named: a Minnesota resident, or a corporation or LLC formed in Minnesota or authorized there, with a business office at the registered office.

    Every Minnesota LLC keeps a registered office at an actual office location in Minnesota; a P.O. box by itself is not accepted.

    Each recommended service can act as your registered agent.

    Reference: revisor.mn.gov (edition of October 2026)

  3. Section 3

    Choose how the paperwork is prepared

    Both routes pay $155 to the state. The services in the ranking charge $199 more and do the forms.

  4. Section 4

    The state wants the Articles of Organization

    Required: the Articles of Organization, the $155 fee, and delivery to the Minnesota Secretary of State. Authority: Minn. Stat. sec. 322C.0201.

    Reference: revisor.mn.gov (edition of October 2026)

  5. Section 5

    Obtain an EIN

    After formation, an EIN identifies the LLC to the IRS and lets it open accounts in its own name. Mainstay Filing handles the EIN application without a separate charge.

  6. Section 6

    Put the ownership terms in writing

    An operating agreement is the document in which the owners of a Minnesota LLC record who owns what and how decisions are made. It stays with the company and is never filed with the state.

  7. Section 7

    Handle the recurring Minnesota filing

    Good standing depends on the annual renewal, which is filed every year, with a deadline of December 31.

    Reference: revisor.mn.gov (edition of October 2026)

The price list

Line itemPaid toPrice
Forming the LLC State agency$155
Annual renewal State agencyNo fee
Service fees (optional) The service company$199 at the start
Three-year state total State agency$155

The filing fee, two later reports and any minimum tax make up the state's three-year total; the bibliography shows where each figure came from.

Why the list is in this order

The deciding criterion was chapters the price completes, which carries 30% of the ranking.

MN Registered Agent.org costs less, but the annual renewal would remain the owner's task.

Minnesota questions

What is the Minnesota filing fee for an LLC?

$155, paid to the state. Paid help raises the first-year bill by $199.

Which form creates the LLC?

Deliver the Articles of Organization to the Minnesota Secretary of State.

Is a registered agent required?

A Minnesota LLC must keep a registered office in Minnesota; naming an agent there is optional.

What does Minnesota require each year?

Submit the annual renewal every year; cost none, deadline December 31.

Can I form the LLC without a service?

Nothing prevents it. Minnesota asks $155, and the LLC must name a registered agent, which the owner can be or can hire out.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

The ranking is Mainstay Filing, MN Registered Agent.org and Minnesota Registered Agent.co, and Mainstay Filing is first since for $199 a year the owner receives the filing, registered agent service and the annual renewal, renewing at $199.

More chapters

Bibliography and primary texts

  1. Cited for Minnesota yearly filing: Recurring filing, official source: revisor.mn.gov, edition of October 2026.
  2. Cited for Minnesota yearly filing: Recurring filing, official source: revisor.mn.gov, edition of October 2026.
  3. Cited for Minnesota report due date: sos.state.mn.us, edition of August 2026.
  4. Cited for Minn: revisor.mn.gov, edition of August 2026.
  5. Cited for Minnesota formation fee: Filing fee, official source: sos.mn.gov, edition of October 2026.
  6. Cited for Minnesota registered agent statute: revisor.mn.gov, edition of October 2026.
  7. Mainstay Filing, Minnesota service page: consulted November 13, 2026
  8. MN Registered Agent.org, pricing page: consulted November 13, 2026
  9. Minnesota Registered Agent.co, pricing page: consulted November 13, 2026