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Business Basics LabLLC paperwork, measured state by state.

Section 1 · Pennsylvania

Forming an LLC in Pennsylvania (2026): 7 Procedures and the 3 Best LLC Services

Mainstay Filing ($199), PA Registered Agent.org ($199) and Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co ($199) measured best, in that order, for forming an LLC in Pennsylvania in 2026. 7 procedures follow; the state's charge measures $125, and the annual report adds $7.

Recorded by the Business Basics Lab staff ·

The short version

Filing fee
$125Logged against pa.gov in October 2026
Annual report
$7 a yearDate per the state: September 30
Three-year state cost
$139Formation, reports and any minimum tax
Procedure count
7One at a time

Aims of this sheet

  • The Pennsylvania formation document, its price and its destination
  • What the agent rule says
  • What must be filed each year after formation
  • The services we recommend

Best reading

The Pennsylvania results

The order follows five published criteria, set out in how we measure.
Highest result

1. Mainstay Filing: best for filing and upkeep on one invoice

Annual $199; renewal $199; state fee extra

The sheet starts with Mainstay Filing, because one annual charge of $199 replaces three separate purchases: the filing, the registered agent and the annual report.

The three-year total is $200 above PA Registered Agent.org's, offset by the larger number of procedures it performs.

The annual report counts as performed, with Pennsylvania's $7 billed without markup.

What the price performs

  • Filing with the state
  • Registered office for the full year
  • Annual report filed on schedule
  • EIN application included
  • State fee billed at cost

Measured strengths

  • It submits the EIN application
  • A flat $199 yearly
  • Renews at $199

Measured limits

  • Every year after the first it costs $100 extra
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Pennsylvania specialist

2. PA Registered Agent.org: best for a budget formation

$199 in year one, $99 later

PA Registered Agent.org follows in second place: a formation fee of $199 and an agent renewal of $99 a year.

Time must be allowed for the annual report every year, since the price omits it.

What the price performs

  • Filing with the state
  • Agent service for the first year

Measured strengths

  • $199 and the state fee
  • Agent covered for year one
  • $99 a year afterward

Measured limits

  • Responsibility for the annual report stays with the owner
  • The EIN application costs $99 extra
Visit PA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Pennsylvania specialist

3. Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co: best for LLCs that keep to Pennsylvania

$199 in year one, $99 later

Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co follows in third place: a formation fee of $199 and an agent renewal of $99 a year.

Time must be allowed for the annual report every year, since the price omits it.

PA Registered Agent.org and this service charge alike.

What the price performs

  • Filing with the state
  • Agent service for the first year

Measured strengths

  • $99 a year afterward
  • Agent covered for year one
  • $199 and the state fee

Measured limits

  • Responsibility for the annual report stays with the owner
  • The EIN application costs $99 extra
Visit Pennsylvania Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

The Pennsylvania results compared

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$199$199/yr$597Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2PA Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit PA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Pennsylvania Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Prices are recorded from each company's own site on November 13, 2026. Every row needs the $125 state fee added.

Formation in sequence

  1. Procedure 1: Select a name

    the Pennsylvania Secretary of State keeps the register. Search it first, since a taken name in Pennsylvania can send the filing back.

    TipA spare name saves a second round.

  2. Procedure 2: Identify the registered agent

    Pennsylvania requires a registered office (a Pennsylvania street address or a Commercial Registered Office Provider), not an agent. Pennsylvania does not require a registered agent. Every LLC keeps a registered office instead: an actual street address in Pennsylvania, or a Commercial Registered Office Provider named in its place by a company without a Pennsylvania address.

    The address has to be an actual street address or rural route box number in Pennsylvania. A P.O. box alone is not accepted.

    TipThe registered agent role is part of each ranked service.

    Specimen: Logged against legis.state.pa.us in October 2026

  3. Procedure 3: Decide who submits the filing

    Filing alone costs the $125 state fee and nothing else. A service adds $199 and prepares the forms; the ranking gives the order.

  4. Procedure 4: Submit the Certificate of Organization

    The Certificate of Organization (Form DSCB:15-8821) is the formation instrument. It goes to the Pennsylvania Secretary of State, and the fee measures $125 (15 Pa.C.S. § 8821).

    Specimen: Logged against pa.gov in October 2026

  5. Procedure 5: Complete the EIN application

    With Pennsylvania's approval recorded, request an EIN so the LLC can open accounts in its own name. Mainstay Filing completes this step at no added charge.

  6. Procedure 6: Set the ownership rules in writing

    Owners sign it to fix shares, votes and what follows a departure. It is a private document and is not filed.

  7. Procedure 7: Maintain good standing in Pennsylvania

    Log the annual report: $7, every year, deadline September 30.

    Specimen: Logged against pa.gov in October 2026

Pennsylvania costs by procedure

ItemPayeeAmount
Filing feePayable to the state$125
Annual reportPayable to the state$7 every year
Help from a serviceThe engaged service$199 in the first year
State fees for three yearsPayable to the state$139
Method for the three-year state row: take the filing fee, add the reports due in years two and three, then add any yearly minimum tax. Service fees stay in their own rows.

Why this order

Procedures the price performs decided first place in Pennsylvania. 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.

The annual report procedure moved the reading toward the bundle.

Review questions on Pennsylvania

What is the cost of registering an LLC with Pennsylvania?

The state fee measures $125. Engage a service and add $199.

Which form creates the LLC?

Locate the Certificate of Organization (Form DSCB:15-8821); the Pennsylvania Secretary of State is where it is filed.

Is a registered agent required?

Pennsylvania requires a registered office (a Pennsylvania street address or a Commercial Registered Office Provider), not an agent.

What does Pennsylvania require each year?

Pennsylvania calls for the annual report every year, at $7 with the deadline stated as September 30.

Can I form the LLC without a service?

Allowed. File alone for $125 and arrange a registered agent as well.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

Mainstay Filing, PA Registered Agent.org and Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co, in descending order of reading.

More sheets

Specimens and records

  1. Notebook entry for Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and: the observations rest on pa.gov, revisited in August 2026. Replicate the check by opening that page.
  2. Notebook entry for Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and: the observations rest on pa.gov, revisited in August 2026. Replicate the check by opening that page.
  3. Notebook entry for 15 Pa.C.S. § 8821: the observations rest on pa.gov, revisited in August 2026. Replicate the check by opening that page.
  4. Notebook entry for Pennsylvania formation fee: Filing fee, official source: the observations rest on pa.gov, revisited in October 2026. Replicate the check by opening that page.
  5. Notebook entry for Pennsylvania registered agent statute: the observations rest on legis.state.pa.us, revisited in October 2026. Replicate the check by opening that page.
  6. Pennsylvania service page (Mainstay Filing), observed November 13, 2026
  7. pricing page (PA Registered Agent.org), observed November 13, 2026
  8. pricing page (Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co), observed November 13, 2026