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Business Basics LabLLC paperwork, measured state by state.

Section 2 · Tennessee

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

The readings for appointing a registered agent in Tennessee in 2026 rank TN Registered Agent.org ($99 a year), Mainstay Filing ($149 a year) and Tennessee Registered Agent.co ($99 a year), in that order. The sheet runs 6 procedures: the legal rule, eligibility, the address test and the filing.

Recorded by the Business Basics Lab staff ·

Key facts

Required by law
Yessos-prod.tnsosgovfiles.com (observed October 2026)
Prices of ranked services
$99 to $149 a yearPublished prices
Annual report
$300 a yearsos.tn.gov (observed October 2026)
Procedures
6From first to last

On this sheet

  • Why Tennessee requires an agent on file
  • The address and eligibility rules
  • Recording the agent
  • How the ranked agents compare

Best reading

If you want someone else to file

Three-year cost and the number of procedures a price performs weigh the most; how we measure lists all five criteria.
Best overall

1. TN Registered Agent.org: best for single-state companies

$99 a year, $99 on renewal

TN Registered Agent.org reads highest, and the reason is that a one-state plan reading $99 a year and $99 at renewal.

On three-year cost it reads below Mainstay Filing, a large part of the measurement.

What the price performs

  • A physical Tennessee address
  • Papers served on the company are scanned into the account

Measured strengths

  • Costs less per year than Mainstay Filing
  • A flat $99 per year

Measured limits

  • No help in other states
  • Filing the annual report is outside its service
Visit TN Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
All fifty states

2. Mainstay Filing: best for owners planning expansion

$149 a year, $149 on renewal

Mainstay Filing is an acceptable second choice: a constant $149 a year regardless of the state of formation.

Over three years it reads $150 behind TN Registered Agent.org.

What the price performs

  • A street address for the registered office
  • 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

  • Accompanies the company into any state
  • A flat $149 per year

Measured limits

  • $50 a year above TN Registered Agent.org
  • Agent service only
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Single-state plan

3. Tennessee Registered Agent.co: best for remaining in one state

$99 a year, $99 on renewal

Tennessee Registered Agent.co is an acceptable third choice: a one-state plan reading $99 a year and $99 at renewal.

On price it matches TN Registered Agent.org.

What the price performs

  • A physical Tennessee address
  • Papers served on the company are scanned into the account

Measured strengths

  • A flat $99 per year
  • Costs less per year than Mainstay Filing

Measured limits

  • No help in other states
  • Filing the annual report is outside its service
Visit Tennessee Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

The 3 ranked services side by side

#ServiceAnnual priceRenewal priceThree-year total
1TN Registered Agent.org$99$99/yr$297Visit TN Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Mainstay Filing$149$149/yr$447Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Tennessee Registered Agent.co$99$99/yr$297Visit Tennessee Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Posted prices, observed November 13, 2026. The state charges the same whichever agent is named.

The Tennessee agent, in sequence

  1. Procedure 1: Record the requirement

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

    Specimen: sos-prod.tnsosgovfiles.com (observed October 2026)

  2. Procedure 2: Who can take the role

    A Tennessee resident, or a business entity formed in Tennessee or authorized there with an office at the registered office street address. Statutory basis: Tenn. Code Ann. § 48-249-109.

  3. Procedure 3: The address requirement

    The address has to be a Tennessee street address, with the county. P.O. boxes are not accepted.

    TipAll ranked services supply the Tennessee office address.

  4. Procedure 4: Decide who fills the role

    Serving personally is possible if the tests are met. A professional from the ranking costs $99 to $149 per year.

  5. Procedure 5: File the agent's details

    On a new Tennessee LLC the agent appears in the Articles of Organization Limited Liability Company (Form SS-4270). A later change reaches the Tennessee Secretary of State as a separate filing.

    Specimen: sos.tn.gov (observed October 2026)

  6. Procedure 6: Track the recurring filing

    Annually the annual report reconfirms the agent's details, at $300, by on or before the first day of the fourth month following the close of the LLC's fiscal year.

    Specimen: sos.tn.gov (observed October 2026)

Agent and state costs

WhatGoes toPrice
The agentService company$99 to $149 a year
RenewalService company$99 to $149 a year
Annual reportThe state$300 every year
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.

How the Tennessee results were ordered

Measured cost over three years accounts for 36% of the reading, and it is where pulled ahead in Tennessee.

Three years with TN Registered Agent.org total $297, which is $150 below Mainstay Filing.

Common questions

Is a registered agent mandatory in Tennessee?

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

Can I be my own registered agent?

Often. Apply the two tests in procedures 2 and 3.

Can I change my registered agent later?

Yes, at any time. Procedure 5 explains how to file the change with the Tennessee Secretary of State.

What does a registered agent cost in Tennessee?

$99 to $149 per year for the agents listed.

What does the LLC pay the state each year?

Yearly it is the annual report at $300.

Which registered agent would you choose?

TN Registered Agent.org, Mainstay Filing and Tennessee Registered Agent.co, in descending order of reading.

More sheets

Specimens and records

  1. Control source for Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business Services: tnbear.tn.gov, observed again August 2026.
  2. Control source for Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business Services: sos.tn.gov, observed again August 2026.
  3. Control source for Tennessee yearly filing: Annual report: fee, official source: sos.tn.gov, observed again October 2026.
  4. Control source for Tennessee report due date: law.justia.com, observed again August 2026.
  5. Control source for Tennessee formation fee: Filing fee, official source: sos.tn.gov, observed again October 2026.
  6. Control source for Tennessee registered agent statute: sos-prod.tnsosgovfiles.com, observed again October 2026.
  7. pricing page (TN Registered Agent.org), observed November 13, 2026
  8. Tennessee service page (Mainstay Filing), observed November 13, 2026
  9. pricing page (Tennessee Registered Agent.co), observed November 13, 2026