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Biz Formation Academy

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

Chapter 1 · Virginia

Virginia LLC Formation Chapter (2026): 7 Sections and the 2 Best LLC Services

Summary for 2026: to handle forming an LLC in Virginia with outside help, choose among VA Registered Agent.org ($199) and Mainstay Filing ($199), in that order. Formation in Virginia comes to 7 sections and a $100 state fee, plus $50 for the Annual Registration Fee.
Written by the Biz Formation Academy editorial board

Key points

Charge at the filing office $100 law.lis.virginia.gov, as published October 2026
Annual Registration Fee $50 a year Deadline given by the state: last day of the LLC's anniversary month
State cost, years 1 to 3 $200 Formation, reports and any minimum tax
Chapter sections 7 Outlined below

You will be able to explain

  • Where and how a Virginia LLC is filed
  • The registered agent requirement
  • What is filed every year afterward
  • How the recommended services compare

Recommended reading for Virginia

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

1. VA Registered Agent.org: best for an economical Virginia start

Top recommendation
$199 and fees, then $99 each year

VA Registered Agent.org is ranked first in Virginia: forming a Virginia LLC costs $199 and the agent for year one is part of that price; the agent renews at $99.

Mainstay Filing costs more across three years, so this service takes first place.

Preparing the Annual Registration Fee every year is still left to you.

Price covers

  • Formation filing
  • One year of agent service is built into the price

Advantages

  • The first agent year is free
  • The agent renews at $99
  • $199 to form

Limitations

  • Whoever owns the LLC prepares the Annual Registration Fee
  • The EIN application costs $99 extra
Visit VA Registered Agent.org Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

2. Mainstay Filing: best for a first year with little paperwork

All fifty states
$199 annually and the $100 state fee

The second recommendation, Mainstay Filing: for $199 a year the owner receives the filing, registered agent service and the annual registration fee, renewing at $199.

A three-year difference of $200 from VA Registered Agent.org sets its position.

The Annual Registration Fee is handled too, with Virginia's $50 added at cost.

Price covers

  • Filing delivered to the state
  • Registered agent for the full year
  • Annual registration fee prepared and filed
  • The EIN application is part of the price
  • State fee at cost

Advantages

  • A flat $199 each year
  • The EIN section is part of the package
  • The renewal stays at $199

Limitations

  • After year one it costs $100 more annually
Visit Mainstay Filing Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

All prices in one table

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

Taken from each company's price page on November 13, 2026. Every row also owes the $100 state fee.

The sections

  1. Section 1

    Confirm the name is not taken

    Check the name against the Virginia register kept by the State Corporation Commission (SCC); this avoids a rejected filing.

    It helps to have a fallback name ready.

  2. Section 2

    Select a registered agent for the LLC

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. A Virginia resident who is a member, manager or officer of the LLC (or of an entity that manages it) or a member of the Virginia State Bar, or a corporation, LLC or registered LLP authorized in Virginia.

    The address has to be a registered office in Virginia that is the agent's business office. A P.O. box is accepted only in a town of under 2,000 people with no street address.

    Any service in the recommended reading provides a registered agent.

    Reference: law.lis.virginia.gov, as published October 2026

  3. Section 3

    File alone or pay for assistance

    Filing yourself costs $100. Hiring one of the recommended services adds $199 for preparing the paperwork.

  4. Section 4

    Next comes the Articles of Organization of a Virginia Limited Liability Company

    The Articles of Organization of a Virginia Limited Liability Company (Form LLC-1011) goes to the State Corporation Commission (SCC) with a fee of $100; the governing law is Va. Code § 13.1-1010. Once accepted, the LLC exists.

    Reference: law.lis.virginia.gov, as published October 2026

  5. Section 5

    Obtain an EIN

    Approval comes first and the IRS number second. Mainstay Filing prepares the EIN application as part of its package.

  6. Section 6

    Prepare an operating agreement

    A one-member Virginia LLC should still have a written operating agreement in its records.

  7. Section 7

    Prepare for the second year

    Virginia asks for the Annual Registration Fee every year, due last day of the LLC's anniversary month, and the fee is $50. A late filing adds $25.

    Reference: scc.virginia.gov, as published October 2026

Virginia costs by section

PurposePayeeTotal
Fee to form Government$100
Annual Registration Fee Government$50 every year
Penalty for late filing Government$25
Optional service The service company$199 in year one
State fees across years one to three Government$200

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.

The reasoning behind the ranking

Tuition over three years accounts for 34% of the ranking, and led on it in Virginia.

Add up years one to three with VA Registered Agent.org and the sum is $397; the same period at Mainstay Filing runs $200 higher.

Short answers

Which fees does Virginia charge when an LLC is formed?

The state's fee is $100. Service charges among the ranked companies fall between $199.

Which form creates the LLC?

When the State Corporation Commission (SCC) accepts the Articles of Organization of a Virginia Limited Liability Company (Form LLC-1011), the LLC exists.

Is a registered agent required?

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

What does Virginia require each year?

Each year the state expects the LLC's Annual Registration Fee, at $50, due last day of the LLC's anniversary month.

Can I form the LLC without a service?

Permitted. File personally for $100 and arrange a registered agent.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

Choose VA Registered Agent.org: the filing price is $199, and later years of agent service are $99 each. Next are Mainstay Filing.

Related chapters

Bibliography and primary texts

  1. Footnote for Virginia yearly filing: Recurring filing, official source: see law.lis.virginia.gov (October 2026).
  2. Footnote for Virginia yearly filing: Recurring filing, official source: see scc.virginia.gov (October 2026).
  3. Footnote for Va: see law.lis.virginia.gov (August 2026).
  4. Footnote for Virginia formation fee: Filing fee, official source: see law.lis.virginia.gov (October 2026).
  5. Footnote for Virginia registered agent statute: see law.lis.virginia.gov (October 2026).
  6. Prices quoted from the pricing page at VA Registered Agent.org on November 13, 2026
  7. Prices quoted from the Virginia service page at Mainstay Filing on November 13, 2026