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The Formation Desk

Rankings of registered agents, LLC formation and foreign registration services in all 50 states.

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Mainstay Filing Review (2026)

$199 a year buys Mainstay Filing's formation package, and it renews at $199. That price forms the LLC, serves as registered agent and files the annual report, with the EIN application included. Want only the agent? $149 a year, renewing at $149.
Written by The Formation Desk editorial team
The desk says

Mainstay Filing: our read for companies in any state

$199 a year, $199 when it renews

The best all-in package the desk has seen: formation, agent and yearly report for one flat price.

In the price

  • The formation, filed for you
  • A registered agent for the full year
  • The annual report, filed for you
  • The EIN application

Strengths

  • Formation, agent and annual report for $199 a year
  • $199 when it renews
  • EIN application comes with the formation package
  • Free scans of served papers on the same business day
  • Works in every state

Cons

  • The $149 agent-only plan costs more than one-state agents
  • Annual reports are only filed on the formation package
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

What you get for $199 a year

The package files the formation document, serves as your registered agent for the year and files the state's yearly report in the 44 states that have one. State fees pass through at cost and show up before you pay. Mainstay charges the same service price in every state and for every entity type. Alabama, Arizona, Missouri, New Mexico, Ohio and South Carolina have no yearly LLC report, so there the package means formation plus the agent.

Just the agent: $149 a year

If the company already exists, you can buy only the agent for $149 a year, renewing at $149. Also in the plan: papers served on the company scanned and uploaded the same business day, no fee, free scans of your first three government mailings each year and compliance reminders. Annual report filing is a formation-package feature; this plan skips it.

Registering in another state: $199 plus the state fee

To bring an existing company into a second state, Mainstay charges $199 plus that state's fee; the registered agent is free in year one, then $149 a year.

How often Mainstay Filing wins on The Formation Desk

Mainstay Filing is the desk's first pick in 26 of 50 registered agent states, 28 of 50 LLC service states and 27 of 50 foreign registration states, and on all three nationwide lists. When a state agent beats it, price is why: the state agents charge less for the agent alone, and Mainstay answers with a bigger package.

Mainstay Filing: reader questions

How much is Mainstay Filing?

$199 a year for the formation package, which includes the registered agent and annual report filing, plus state fees at cost. The agent by itself is $149 a year.

Does Mainstay Filing raise its price at renewal?

The formation package renews at $199 and the agent-only plan at $149, so neither plan goes up.

Does Mainstay Filing send in the annual report?

It does under the formation package, in every state that has a yearly LLC report. The agent-only plan does not.

Which states can use Mainstay Filing?

All fifty, at the same price.

Does the EIN come with the package?

Yes, the formation package includes the EIN application.

Read next

Where the numbers came from

  1. Mainstay Filing: pricing, registered agent and state service pages, as of November 12, 2026