What is inside the cost of forming an LLC here?
$300 is the state's share. Add $199 if a service files in year one.
Add the recurring report and the state's fees reach $900 over three years. peek at sos.tn.gov, confirmed October 2026
Which form is inside the filing, and where does it go?
The Tennessee Secretary of State receives the Articles of Organization Limited Liability Company (Form SS-4270), and once it is approved the company exists.
peek at sos.tn.gov, confirmed October 2026
Is a registered agent required?
Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.
A Tennessee resident, or a business entity formed in Tennessee or authorized there with an office at the registered office street address.
peek at sos-prod.tnsosgovfiles.com, confirmed October 2026
What comes after the LLC is formed?
Plan on $300 each year for the annual report. For timing the state says: on or before the first day of the fourth month following the close of the LLC's fiscal year.
peek at sos.tn.gov, confirmed October 2026
Do I have to pay a service at all?
Nothing stops you. Without a service, your three-year bill is the state's $900.
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?
Mainstay Filing is strongest on what is inside the price, a layer worth 29% of the score.
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 Tennessee the annual report is due every year, and only the first pick packs its filing into the price.
The five layers