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LLC UnpackedEvery filing, unpacked: the fee, the form, the catch.

Unpacked · Kentucky

3 Best LLC Services in Kentucky (2026): Unpacked

In Kentucky for 2026, unpack LLC formation services in this order: Mainstay Filing ($199), Kentucky Registered Agent.co ($199) and KY Registered Agent.org ($199). Inside the cost: $40 goes to the state, and three years of service add $397 to $597.
Unpacked by the LLC Unpacked editorial team

Top layer

State filing fee
$40, one time
Next layer
$15 yearly + $175 yearly minimum tax
Registered agent
Required, yes
Top of the stack
Mainstay Filing, Kentucky Registered Agent.co then KY Registered Agent.org

The Kentucky stack, best on top

The order follows our five layers: three-year cost first, then what the price covers.
Top of the stack

1. Mainstay Filing: best for owners who want upkeep handled

$199 a year, with the $40 state fee added

Mainstay Filing is first, and for $199 a year you open one package holding formation, the registered agent and the annual report.

Over three years this runs $200 above Kentucky Registered Agent.co, and more of the filings are handled inside.

You never file the annual report. Kentucky still charges $15, billed at cost.

Inside the price

  • Formation filed with the state
  • Registered agent across the full year
  • Annual report filed on your behalf
  • EIN application handled
  • State fees at cost

Inside, the good

  • Year two costs $199
  • The EIN application is inside the price
  • $199 a year covers filing, agent and report

Inside, the catch

  • $100 a year above Kentucky Registered Agent.co after year one
The Kentucky specialist

2. Kentucky Registered Agent.co: best for owners who plan to stay local

$199 plus the state fee, then $99 a year

What puts Kentucky Registered Agent.co second: $199 forms the LLC, and the agent renews each year at $99.

Not inside the price: the annual report, which stays with you.

Inside the price

  • Kentucky formation filing
  • A first year of agent service

Inside, the good

  • Agent renews at $99
  • A first year of agent service is inside
  • $199 to form the LLC

Inside, the catch

  • You carry the annual report yourself
  • The EIN application costs $99 extra
The Kentucky specialist

3. KY Registered Agent.org: best for one-state companies

$199 plus the state fee, then $99 a year

What puts KY Registered Agent.org third: $199 forms the LLC, and the agent renews each year at $99.

Not inside the price: the annual report, which stays with you.

Its prices match Kentucky Registered Agent.co exactly, so the order between them is close.

Inside the price

  • Kentucky formation filing
  • A first year of agent service

Inside, the good

  • A first year of agent service is inside
  • $199 to form the LLC
  • Agent renews at $99

Inside, the catch

  • You carry the annual report yourself
  • The EIN application costs $99 extra

Inside each price

#CompanyYear oneEach year afterThree-year totalWhat is inside
1Mainstay Filing$199$199/yr$597formation filed with the state; registered agent across the full year; annual report filed on your behalfOpen Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Kentucky Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397kentucky formation filing; A first year of agent serviceOpen Kentucky Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3KY Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397kentucky formation filing; A first year of agent serviceOpen KY Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Prices as of November 13, 2026. The state's own fees are in the checklist below.

Opened up, question by question

What is inside the cost of forming an LLC here?

Filing costs $40. A service on top of that costs $199 in year one.

Add the recurring report and the minimum tax and the state's fees reach $595 over three years. sos.ky.gov holds the original, confirmed October 2026

  • Limited Liability Entity Tax: a $175 minimum each year to the Department of Revenue.

What do I actually send the state?

Open one document, the Articles of Organization - Profit Limited Liability Company (Form KLC), and send it to the Kentucky Secretary of State.

sos.ky.gov holds the original, confirmed October 2026

Is a registered agent required?

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

A Kentucky resident, or an entity qualified to do business in Kentucky, whose business address is the registered office. The agent signs or files a written acceptance.

apps.legislature.ky.gov holds the original, confirmed October 2026

What comes after the LLC is formed?

Underneath it all, one filing repeats: the annual report, every year, at $15 each time. The state phrases its deadline like this: on or before June 30. A yearly minimum tax sits next to it.

sos.ky.gov holds the original, confirmed August 2026

Do I have to pay a service at all?

Yes. Filing on your own costs only the state's fees, $595 over three years.

Choose help and your three-year total rises by $397 to $597.

Why is the stack in this order?

Mainstay Filing is strongest on what is inside the price, a layer worth 29% of the score.

Two layers carry most of the weight, total across three years (34%) and what is inside the price (29%).

The layer that decides it: the annual report sits inside the first pick's price, while Kentucky Registered Agent.co leaves it with you.

How we open it up

Kentucky formation, unpacked

PartWhat is insidePeek at source
Fee to form$40sos.ky.gov holds the original, confirmed October 2026
Registered agentRequired, yesapps.legislature.ky.gov holds the original, confirmed October 2026
Annual report$15 every yearsos.ky.gov holds the original, confirmed August 2026
Minimum tax$175 a yearrevenue.ky.gov holds the original, confirmed October 2026
What the state collects in three years$595Our total of the rows above
Last row = filing fee + two later reports + minimum tax, if the state has one. Variable costs are described in the text, not added.

More boxes to open

Is the EIN application inside the price?

With Mainstay Filing it costs nothing more. Kentucky Registered Agent.co charges $99, KY Registered Agent.org charges $99.

What do the picks cost over three years?

Mainstay Filing stacks up to $597, Kentucky Registered Agent.co stacks up to $397, KY Registered Agent.org stacks up to $397, with state fees on top.

Are the fees official?

The state-side figures were taken from Kentucky's own publications, and the service prices from the price page each company posts. Dates for both appear on this page.

Do I have to use a service?

No law requires a service. It is a paid convenience.

What does the LLC owe each year?

Underneath it all, one filing repeats: the annual report, every year, at $15 each time. The state phrases its deadline like this: on or before June 30. A yearly minimum tax sits next to it.

Which LLC service should I open first in Kentucky?

Mainstay Filing, because inside its $199 yearly price sit the formation, the registered agent and the annual report filing, and it renews at $199. Then Kentucky Registered Agent.co and KY Registered Agent.org.

What the page rests on

  1. Under Kentucky Secretary of State sits sos.ky.gov, dated August 2026, as the original document
  2. Under Kentucky Secretary of State sits sos.ky.gov, dated August 2026, as the original document
  3. Under Kentucky report due date sits apps.legislature.ky.gov, dated August 2026, as the original document
  4. Under KRS 275.025 sits apps.legislature.ky.gov, dated August 2026, as the original document
  5. Under Kentucky formation fee: Filing fee sits sos.ky.gov, dated October 2026, as the original document
  6. Under Kentucky registered agent statute sits apps.legislature.ky.gov, dated October 2026, as the original document
  7. Under Kentucky other cost: Limited Liability sits revenue.ky.gov, dated October 2026, as the original document
  8. The Mainstay Filing Kentucky service page, opened November 13, 2026
  9. The Kentucky Registered Agent.co pricing page, opened November 13, 2026
  10. The KY Registered Agent.org pricing page, opened November 13, 2026