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Business Basics LabLLC paperwork, measured state by state.

Experiment 2 · New York

The New York Registered Agent (2026): 6 Procedures and the 3 Best Agents

Result for 2026: appointing a registered agent in New York is best served by Mainstay Filing ($149 a year), New York Registered Agent.ai ($99 a year) and NY Registered Agent.org ($99 a year), ranked in that order. Complete the 6 procedures below and the agent for service of process is appointed correctly.

Recorded by the Business Basics Lab staff ·

Before the procedures

The requirement
It variesReference nysenate.gov, October 2026
Agent service
$99 to $149 a yearListed prices
Biennial statement
$9 every 2 yearsReference dos.ny.gov, October 2026
Sheet procedures
6Each one described

After reading you will know

  • The legal requirement
  • The eligibility and address rules
  • Getting the agent on file
  • The agents we recommend

Best reading

If you want someone else to file

Measured on the method page: three-year cost (36%), procedures performed (28%), renewal, fit with New York's protocol and price legibility.
Begin here

1. Mainstay Filing: best for companies in several states

Annual price $149; renewal $149

Mainstay Filing reads highest, and the reason is that an agent at $149 a year that remains usable when the company adds states.

The premium over New York Registered Agent.ai across three years is $150, which the 28% weight on procedures performed outweighs.

What the price performs

  • An office address inside the state
  • Papers served on the company are scanned free on the same business day
  • Three government letters a year are scanned at no charge
  • Also serves nonprofits, corporations, LPs and LLPs

Measured strengths

  • Covers all fifty states
  • A flat $149 per year

Measured limits

  • New York Registered Agent.ai costs $50 a year less
  • The owner still files the reports
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Local candidate

2. New York Registered Agent.ai: best for single-state companies

Annual price $99; renewal $99

Second: New York Registered Agent.ai, since $99 a year supplies a New York agent with an office inside the state.

What the price performs

  • A physical New York address
  • Scans of served papers

Measured strengths

  • Annual price $99; renewal $99
  • A yearly price under the national candidate

Measured limits

  • No help in other states
  • Biennial statement remains the owner's job
Visit New York Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Local candidate

3. NY Registered Agent.org: best for a second local choice

Annual price $99; renewal $99

Third: NY Registered Agent.org, since $99 a year supplies a New York agent with an office inside the state.

It costs exactly what New York Registered Agent.ai costs.

What the price performs

  • A physical New York address
  • Scans of served papers

Measured strengths

  • Annual price $99; renewal $99
  • A yearly price under the national candidate

Measured limits

  • No help in other states
  • Biennial statement remains the owner's job
Visit NY Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

The New York results compared

#ServiceAnnual priceRenewal priceThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$149$149/yr$447Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2New York Registered Agent.ai$99$99/yr$297Visit New York Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3NY Registered Agent.org$99$99/yr$297Visit NY Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Drawn from each company's pricing on November 13, 2026. New York bills the same in either case.

The sheet, procedure by procedure

  1. Procedure 1: State the New York requirement

    The Secretary of State is the agent for service of process for every New York LLC; naming a registered agent is optional.

    Specimen: Reference nysenate.gov, October 2026

  2. Procedure 2: Establish who may serve

    If one is designated: a person who lives in New York or has a business address there, an LLC formed or authorized in New York, or a corporation formed or authorized in New York. (N.Y. LLC Law §§ 301 and 302)

  3. Procedure 3: The address requirement

    New York has no registered-office requirement. The Secretary of State is the agent for service of process for every New York LLC and mails a copy of any papers served to the address the company has on file. A designated registered agent's street address goes on the filing.

    TipEach ranked service provides the in-state address.

  4. Procedure 4: Decide who fills the role

    An owner who passes the tests above may serve; one of the ranked agents costs $99 to $149 a year.

  5. Procedure 5: Enter the appointment

    New companies list the agent on the Articles of Organization (Form DOS-1336-f); a later replacement means a new filing with the New York Secretary of State.

    Specimen: Reference dos.ny.gov, October 2026

  6. Procedure 6: Review the record annually

    New York learns the agent's details from the biennial statement ($9, every two years, due during the calendar month in which the Articles of Organization were filed, every 2 years), and state notices about it reach the agent for service of process.

    Specimen: Reference dos.ny.gov, October 2026

The cost of this sheet

ProcedureGoes toTotal
The agentService company$99 to $149 a year
Each later yearService company$99 to $149 a year
Biennial statementTo the state$9 every two years
Figures paid to New York are its published fees, with the specimens listed beneath the table; each service row is that company's own price. The three-year state row sums the filing, the year-two report, the year-three report and any minimum tax.

The reasoning behind the ranking

Procedures the price performs decided first place in New York. It carries 28% of the reading, and the remainder comes from measured cost over three years, reading at year two, fit with the state protocol and price legibility.

Coverage placed it ahead of New York Registered Agent.ai.

Common questions

Does New York law require an agent for service of process for an LLC?

The Secretary of State is the agent for service of process for every New York LLC; naming a registered agent is optional.

Can I be my own agent for service of process?

Under this state's rule an agent is optional, and procedures 2 and 3 apply only when one is appointed.

Can I change my agent for service of process later?

A change is permitted whenever wanted, through the New York Secretary of State, as procedure 5 describes.

What does a registered agent cost in New York?

From $99 to $149 a year on this sheet.

What does the LLC pay the state each year?

Each time, the state collects the biennial statement fee of $9.

Which registered agent would you choose?

The order of the readings is Mainstay Filing, New York Registered Agent.ai and NY Registered Agent.org. Mainstay Filing is first because a constant $149 a year regardless of the state of formation.

More sheets

Specimens and records

  1. New York Department of State, Division of Corporations: primary record at dos.ny.gov, last observed August 2026.
  2. New York Department of State, Division of Corporations: primary record at filing.dos.ny.gov, last observed August 2026.
  3. New York report due date: primary record at nysenate.gov, last observed August 2026.
  4. NY Limited Liability Company Law § 203: primary record at nysenate.gov, last observed August 2026.
  5. New York formation fee: Filing fee, official source: primary record at dos.ny.gov, last observed October 2026.
  6. New York registered agent statute: primary record at nysenate.gov, last observed October 2026.
  7. Mainstay Filing New York service page, recorded November 13, 2026
  8. New York Registered Agent.ai pricing page, recorded November 13, 2026
  9. NY Registered Agent.org pricing page, recorded November 13, 2026