No.1
Our top pick
1. South Dakota Registered Agent.co: best for a South Dakota LLC that intends to stay put
$199 to form, then $99 a year for the agent, with the state fee extra
Score9.5out of 10
First place: South Dakota Registered Agent.co. Its South Dakota formation is $199 plus the state fee, year-one registered agent service included, then $99 a year.
An in-state street address serves as the registered office, and papers served on the company are scanned into your online account.
The annual report lies outside its published prices, so you file it with South Dakota every year.
Over three years it costs less than Mainstay Filing, and cost is one of our two most heavily weighted criteria.
In the price
- Formation prepared and filed
- A first year as your registered agent
Why pick it
- A $199 service charge plus the state filing fee
- The first year as registered agent is free
- Year-two agent charge: $99
Weak spots
- The annual report is not prepared for you
- The EIN application carries a separate fee ($99)
No.2
Best local option
2. SD Registered Agent.org: best for a filing made only in South Dakota
$199 to form, then $99 a year for the agent, with the state fee extra
Score9.0out of 10
Second place: SD Registered Agent.org. Its South Dakota formation is $199 plus the state fee, year-one registered agent service included, then $99 a year.
An in-state street address serves as the registered office, and papers served on the company are scanned into your online account.
The annual report lies outside its published prices, so you file it with South Dakota every year.
No difference in price or features separates South Dakota Registered Agent.co from SD Registered Agent.org; choose whichever you prefer.
In the price
- Formation prepared and filed
- A first year as your registered agent
Why pick it
- The agent renews at $99 annually
- $199 to form the LLC, state fee on top
- Includes your registered agent for the first year
Weak spots
- The annual report is not prepared for you
- The EIN application carries a separate fee ($99)
No.3
Best bundle
3. Mainstay Filing: best for the formation, the agent and the annual report under one charge
$199 a year plus the state fee ($349 due at checkout)
Score8.7out of 10
Third place: Mainstay Filing. A single yearly charge of $199 covers the South Dakota formation, a year as your registered agent and the annual report, then renews at $199.
At renewal Mainstay prepares and files the annual report for you. South Dakota charges $55 every year for it, due due during the entity's anniversary month, and lateness adds $50; Mainstay passes the state fee along at cost.
South Dakota Registered Agent.co costs $200 less over three years, and Mainstay Filing trails it on that criterion.
In the price
- Formation paperwork prepared and lodged
- A full year as your registered agent
- Annual report prepared and filed on your behalf
- EIN application prepared
Why pick it
- One yearly charge of $199 that covers the annual report
- Covers the EIN application
- Renews at $199 with nothing added
- South Dakota's fee is passed along at cost
Weak spots
- Its agent charge after year one is $100 a year above South Dakota Registered Agent.co's
The 3 rulings in brief
| Rank | Provider | Ruling score | Service charge | Year two | Suited to | Link |
|---|
| 1 | South Dakota Registered Agent.co | 9.5 | $199 | $99/yr | A South Dakota business holding down its costs | Visit South Dakota Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. |
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| 2 | SD Registered Agent.org | 9.0 | $199 | $99/yr | A South Dakota business holding down its costs | Visit SD Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. |
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| 3 | Mainstay Filing | 8.7 | $199 | $199/yr | The formation, the agent and the annual report under one charge | Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. |
|---|
Every mark out of 10 reflects the editorial team's reading of the criteria on
How we rank, not any customer rating.
South Dakota LLC service charges in 2026: year one, renewals and the three-year total
| Provider | Year one | Year two | Year three | Total over three years | Files the annual report |
|---|
| South Dakota Registered Agent.co | $199 | $99 | $99 | $397 | No |
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| SD Registered Agent.org | $199 | $99 | $99 | $397 | No |
|---|
| Mainstay Filing | $199 | $199 | $199 | $597 | Yes |
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Each charge was taken from the provider's own pages on November 12, 2026. South Dakota's $150 filing fee is payable in addition to every row below and is not in the totals.
The reasoning for the order
Two criteria carry 31% each in this ranking, charge over three years and work taken off the founder. Renewal conduct, fit with local rules and pricing in plain sight share 38%, and in South Dakota the decisive one was charge over three years.
Over three years South Dakota Registered Agent.co totals $397, $200 less than Mainstay Filing. Mainstay would file the annual report as well, yet an owner can do it alone for the state fee, so the lower charge carried the ruling.
Each criterion and its weight appear on How we rank.
The South Dakota LLC filing fee and form (official figures)
To file the Articles of Organization with the South Dakota Secretary of State, budget $150. Each provider on this page adds that state fee at cost to its own charge.
Processing time quoted by the state: Paper 1 to 3 business days; online processed immediately.
Obligations after the South Dakota filing is accepted
File the annual report every year; the date is due during the entity's anniversary month. $55 goes to the state. Filing late adds $50. Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.
Questions on South Dakota LLC services
What does it take, in dollars, to form an LLC in South Dakota?
The state filing fee is $150; service charges run $199.
What is filed to bring the company into existence?
The Articles of Organization, lodged with the South Dakota Secretary of State.
How long does the state take to process a new South Dakota LLC?
The published standard is Paper 1 to 3 business days; online processed immediately.
Does a South Dakota LLC have to name a registered agent on its formation paperwork?
Yes. The company names a registered agent when it forms and keeps one on file afterward, with a street address in South Dakota.
Which recurring filings follow formation?
One: the annual report, filed every year, due due during the entity's anniversary month, at a state fee of $55.
Does the quoted price cover the EIN application?
At Mainstay Filing it does; the application sits inside the yearly price. South Dakota Registered Agent.co and SD Registered Agent.org add $99 for the application. Applying directly with the IRS carries no fee.
Which South Dakota LLC service does the record favor?
South Dakota Registered Agent.co, since South Dakota formation costs $199 beyond the state's fee, with the registered agent free the first year, and $99 yearly keeps the agent.
The record
- South Dakota Secretary of State, Business Services / Corporations Division, on the record as of August 2026
- South Dakota Secretary of State, Business Services / Corporations Division, on the record as of August 2026
- South Dakota yearly filing: Annual report: fee and how, official source, on the record as of October 2026
- South Dakota report due date, on the record as of August 2026
- SDCL 47-34A-203, on the record as of August 2026
- South Dakota formation fee: Filing fee, official source, on the record as of October 2026
- South Dakota formation fee: Filing fee, official source, on the record as of October 2026
- South Dakota registered agent statute, on the record as of October 2026
- Processing, official source, on the record as of October 2026
- Exhibit: South Dakota Registered Agent.co, pricing and service pages, November 12, 2026
- Exhibit: SD Registered Agent.org, pricing and service pages, November 12, 2026
- Exhibit: Mainstay Filing, South Dakota service page, November 12, 2026