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

Unpacked · North Carolina

3 Best LLC Services in North Carolina (2026): Unpacked

In North Carolina for 2026, unpack LLC formation services in this order: Mainstay Filing ($199), NC Registered Agent.org ($199) and North Carolina Registered Agent.co ($199). Inside the cost: $125 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
$125, paid once
Next layer
$200 each year
Registered agent
Required, yes
Our pick
Mainstay Filing, NC Registered Agent.org then North Carolina Registered Agent.co

Our North Carolina picks, opened up

Prices come from each company's own page. See how we open it up.
Top of the stack

1. Mainstay Filing: best for not filing the annual report yourself

$199 yearly

What puts Mainstay Filing first: $199 a year packs in formation, the registered agent and every annual report.

NC Registered Agent.org saves $200 across three years. The difference pays for the extra jobs packed in here.

Inside the service is the annual report, filed for you, with North Carolina's $200 passed through at cost.

Inside the price

  • The formation filing, packed in
  • Registered agent across the full year
  • Annual report handled for you
  • EIN application
  • State fees passed through without markup

Inside, the good

  • The EIN application is inside the price
  • A flat $199 a year, all inside
  • Renews at $199

Inside, the catch

  • A $100 yearly premium over NC Registered Agent.org
The North Carolina specialist

2. NC Registered Agent.org: best for a business that stays in one state

$199 to form; renewal $99

What puts NC Registered Agent.org second: its $99 renewal brings three years to $397.

You still file the annual report yourself.

Inside the price

  • North Carolina formation filing
  • A first year of agent service

Inside, the good

  • A first year of agent service is inside
  • $99 a year from year two
  • $199 plus the state fee to form

Inside, the catch

  • The annual report sits outside the box
  • The EIN application costs $99 extra
The North Carolina specialist

3. North Carolina Registered Agent.co: best for another in-state option

$199 to form; renewal $99

What puts North Carolina Registered Agent.co third: its $99 renewal brings three years to $397.

You still file the annual report yourself.

Price for price, a tie with NC Registered Agent.org.

Inside the price

  • North Carolina formation filing
  • A first year of agent service

Inside, the good

  • $199 plus the state fee to form
  • $99 a year from year two
  • A first year of agent service is inside

Inside, the catch

  • The annual report sits outside the box
  • The EIN application costs $99 extra

Inside each price

#PickYear oneRenewalThree-year totalCovers
1Mainstay Filing$199$199/yr$597the formation filing, packed in; registered agent across the full year; annual report handled for youOpen Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2NC Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397North Carolina formation filing; A first year of agent serviceOpen NC Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3North Carolina Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397North Carolina formation filing; A first year of agent serviceOpen North Carolina Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Read November 13, 2026. Three years means year one plus two renewals.

Layer by layer

What is inside the cost of forming an LLC here?

$125 is the state's share. Add $199 if a service files in year one.

State fees for years one through three stack up to $525. peek at sosnc.gov, confirmed October 2026

Which form is inside the filing, and where does it go?

Open one document, the Articles of Organization (Form L-01), and send it to the North Carolina Secretary of State.

The law underneath: N.C. Gen. Stat. § 57D-2-20. Expect this wait: Entity creation 5 to 10 business days. peek at sosnc.gov, confirmed October 2026

Is a registered agent required?

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

A North Carolina resident, or a corporation, nonprofit or LLC on the North Carolina business registry other than the company itself.

peek at sosnc.gov, confirmed October 2026

What comes after the LLC is formed?

The annual report comes back each year, for $200. Its date, in the state's words, is April 15.

peek at sosnc.gov, confirmed October 2026

Do I have to pay a service at all?

A service is optional. State fees alone are $525 across three years.

Services add $397 to $597 across three years to take the filings off your desk, and Mainstay Filing counts the reports among them.

Why is the stack in this order?

On what is inside the price (29%), Mainstay Filing comes out ahead.

Five layers set the order: total across three years (34%), what is inside the price (29%), price laid out in the open (14%), how the renewal behaves (12%) and how far it reaches (11%).

In North Carolina the annual report is due every year, and only the first pick packs its filing into the price.

The five layers

What North Carolina requires to form an LLC

PartAmount or ruleOfficial source
LLC filing fee$125peek at sosnc.gov, confirmed October 2026
Registered agentRequired, yespeek at sosnc.gov, confirmed October 2026
Annual report$200 every yearpeek at sosnc.gov, confirmed October 2026
What the state collects in three years$525The rows above, stacked
Every row above links to its official source. The final row is our own total of the filing, two reports and any minimum tax.

More boxes to open

When does the LLC exist?

Entity creation 5 to 10 business days.

Is the EIN application inside the price?

Mainstay Filing includes the EIN application, and the others add it as an extra: NC Registered Agent.org $99; North Carolina Registered Agent.co $99.

How do the three-year totals compare?

Mainstay Filing stacks up to $597, NC Registered Agent.org stacks up to $397, North Carolina Registered Agent.co stacks up to $397, before state fees.

What do these numbers rest on?

Two kinds of source feed this page: North Carolina's official documents for what the state charges, and company price pages for what services charge.

Does the law require one?

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

Which LLC service should I open first in North Carolina?

Mainstay Filing is on top: the annual report is filed for you within the $199 annual price, next to formation and the registered agent. Under it sit NC Registered Agent.org and North Carolina Registered Agent.co.

What the page rests on

  1. Under North Carolina Department of the sits sosnc.gov, dated August 2026, as the original document
  2. Under North Carolina Department of the sits sosnc.gov, dated August 2026, as the original document
  3. Under North Carolina report due date sits ncleg.gov, dated August 2026, as the original document
  4. Under N.C sits sosnc.gov, dated August 2026, as the original document
  5. Under North Carolina formation fee: Filing sits sosnc.gov, dated October 2026, as the original document
  6. Under North Carolina formation fee: Filing sits sosnc.gov, dated October 2026, as the original document
  7. Under North Carolina registered agent statute sits sosnc.gov, dated October 2026, as the original document
  8. Under Processing, official source sits sosnc.gov, dated October 2026, as the original document
  9. Mainstay Filing North Carolina service page, read November 13, 2026
  10. NC Registered Agent.org pricing page, read November 13, 2026
  11. North Carolina Registered Agent.co pricing page, read November 13, 2026