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LLC SchoolhousePlain LLC lessons, one state at a time.

Lesson 1 · Minnesota

How to Start an LLC in Minnesota (2026): a 7-Step Lesson and the 3 Best LLC Services

If you want help setting up an LLC in Minnesota during 2026, our graded list reads Minnesota Registered Agent.co ($199), MN Registered Agent.org ($199) and Mainstay Filing ($199). Take it in 7 steps: the state charges $155 to file and wants the annual renewal every year.

Taught by the LLC Schoolhouse editors

Before you begin

Fee to file$155Checked against revisor.mn.gov, October 2026
Annual renewalNo feeDue date on the state calendar: December 31
Three-year state total$155Filing plus recurring state fees
How many steps7Numbered below

By the end you will know

  • The Minnesota filing, what it costs and where it goes
  • What the agent rule says
  • What to file every year afterward
  • Who we would hire to file

Who we would hire in Minnesota

Five weighted criteria from how we grade set the order, and three-year cost and steps handled count most.
Highest mark

1. Minnesota Registered Agent.co: best for an inexpensive Minnesota start

$199 plus state fee, then $99/year

First in the class in Minnesota is Minnesota Registered Agent.co: formation costs $199 beyond the state fee, and the agent renews at $99.

Cost decides this one: across three years it totals less than Mainstay Filing.

The annual renewal remains on your to-do list every year.

What the price covers

  • Your Minnesota formation is prepared and filed
  • The first year of agent service

Marks in its favor

  • $99 a year after that
  • The first agent year is included
  • $199 to form

Where it loses points

  • You file the annual renewal
  • The EIN application is not included ($99)
Local choice

2. MN Registered Agent.org: best for founders who prepare their own reports

$199 plus state fee, then $99/year

Taking second place is MN Registered Agent.org, where formation costs $199 beyond the state fee, and the agent renews at $99.

The annual renewal remains on your to-do list every year.

Its prices equal Minnesota Registered Agent.co's, so either is a sound choice.

What the price covers

  • Your Minnesota formation is prepared and filed
  • The first year of agent service

Marks in its favor

  • $99 a year after that
  • $199 to form
  • The first agent year is included

Where it loses points

  • You file the annual renewal
  • The EIN application is not included ($99)
All fifty states

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

$199/year plus the $155 state fee

Mainstay Filing is a sound third choice because $199 a year hands off the formation, the registered agent role and the annual renewal to someone else.

On three-year cost it falls $200 behind Minnesota Registered Agent.co.

Filing the annual renewal is part of the service, and the state charges nothing.

What the price covers

  • The formation filing
  • Registered agent for twelve months
  • Annual renewal prepared and filed
  • The EIN application
  • State fee added at cost

Marks in its favor

  • A flat $199 each year
  • Renews at $199
  • The EIN application is included

Where it loses points

  • Renews $100 higher than Minnesota Registered Agent.co

The 3 graded picks compared

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Minnesota Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Minnesota Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2MN Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit MN Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Mainstay Filing$199$199/yr$597Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Taken from each company's pricing on November 13, 2026. Add Minnesota's $155 fee to each row.

Starting an LLC in Minnesota, one step at a time

  1. Step
    1

    Check that the name is available

    Before filing, search the business records at the Minnesota Secretary of State so you know the name is not already on the Minnesota register.

    A backup name helps if the first one is taken.

  2. Step
    2

    Find your 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.

    Any service in our graded list can be your registered agent.

    Where this comes from: Checked against revisor.mn.gov, October 2026

  3. Step
    3

    Decide: do it yourself or hire help

    Doing it yourself means $155 to the state and nothing else. One of our picks charges $199 on top and takes over the paperwork.

  4. Step
    4

    Prepare and file the Articles of Organization

    When the Minnesota Secretary of State accepts the Articles of Organization together with $155 (Minn. Stat. sec. 322C.0201), the LLC exists.

    Where this comes from: Checked against revisor.mn.gov, October 2026

  5. Step
    5

    Obtain an EIN

    Your EIN comes from the IRS rather than from Minnesota. Apply once the state has approved the filing, then give the number to your bank. Mainstay Filing includes the EIN application in its yearly price.

  6. Step
    6

    Agree on the ground rules in writing

    Even if you are the only owner, a written operating agreement kept with the company records is a good idea for a Minnesota LLC.

  7. Step
    7

    Keep the LLC active

    File the annual renewal every year, by December 31, and the LLC stays active.

    Where this comes from: Checked against revisor.mn.gov, October 2026

Minnesota costs by step

StepPaid toAmount
The formation stepState$155
Annual renewalStateNo fee
Service fees (optional)The provider$199 in the first year
Three years of state feesState$155
State fees come from the official sources listed in the references. For three years we count the filing, two years of reports and the minimum tax where it applies.

How the grade worked out

won on tuition over three years (32% of the grade), with right behind.

Over years one to three, Minnesota Registered Agent.co costs $397 and Mainstay Filing costs $200 more.

Minnesota questions

What is the price of forming a Minnesota LLC?

The official fee is $155. Service fees among our picks run $199.

Which form creates the LLC?

The Minnesota Secretary of State receives the Articles of Organization, the filing that forms the company.

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?

Every year the LLC files the annual renewal, which costs nothing and is due December 31.

Can I form the LLC without a service?

Nothing stops you from doing it yourself: the state wants $155, and you must also name a registered agent.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

Minnesota Registered Agent.co, MN Registered Agent.org and Mainstay Filing, graded from first to last.

Related lessons

Class references

  1. Minnesota yearly filing: Recurring filing, official source is covered in the official page at revisor.mn.gov; our notes follow it as of October 2026.
  2. Minnesota yearly filing: Recurring filing, official source is covered in the official page at revisor.mn.gov; our notes follow it as of October 2026.
  3. Minnesota report due date is covered in the official page at sos.state.mn.us; our notes follow it as of August 2026.
  4. Minn is covered in the official page at revisor.mn.gov; our notes follow it as of August 2026.
  5. Minnesota formation fee: Filing fee, official source is covered in the official page at sos.mn.gov; our notes follow it as of October 2026.
  6. Minnesota registered agent statute is covered in the official page at revisor.mn.gov; our notes follow it as of October 2026.
  7. Prices taken from the pricing page of Minnesota Registered Agent.co on November 13, 2026
  8. Prices taken from the pricing page of MN Registered Agent.org on November 13, 2026
  9. Prices taken from the Minnesota service page of Mainstay Filing on November 13, 2026