Cheapest LLC formation in Virginia

What does Virginia charge to form and keep an LLC?

The SCC sets two fees that every Virginia LLC pays, the filing fee at formation and a registration fee every year after it, and no provider can lower either of them.

The filing fee of $100 covers the Articles of Organization (Form LLC-1011). It is the same whether you file through the SCC's online system or a service files for you. Every provider compared here quotes its package price before it.⁶

The yearly charge is an annual registration fee of $50, not an annual report. It is first due by the last day of the 12th month after the month of organization, then due each year by the last day of the month your business was organized or registered. A second-year budget for any Virginia LLC therefore starts at that fee, even for an owner who acts as their own agent.^{4, 7}

Two other SCC fees apply only in some cases. A name reservation costs $10 and is only worth paying if you need to hold a name before you can file. An LLC formed in another state that registers to do business in Virginia pays $100 on the Application for Registration, Form LLC-1052 in place of the formation fee.^{6, 8}

Changing the registered agent later carries no SCC charge (listed as "No fee"), which keeps the cost of leaving a bundled agent low.⁸

What can push a Virginia LLC above the state fees?

The bill grows with the registered agent's price after any free year, paid expedite, add-ons and compliance plans sold at checkout, and penalties if the yearly fee is missed.

The registered agent

Every Virginia LLC must keep a registered agent (Va. Code § 13.1-1015), and a paid one is billed every year. There are three ways to handle the cost.

1. Act as your own agent, if Virginia's rules allow it for you. The statute limits who may serve, and the Virginia registered agent guide lists who qualifies. You pay nothing, but your address goes in the agent field and you need to be reachable there.
2. Take an agent bundled free for the first year, then pay the provider's renewal.
3. Buy the agent alone at the standalone prices below.

Switching providers costs nothing at the SCC, which lists the change as "No fee." You file the statement of change (Form LLC-1016) naming the new agent, and only then cancel the old one, so the LLC always has an agent on record. The steps are in how to change a registered agent.⁸

Faster processing

Regular SCC service has no added fee, and the SCC's expedited-services page describes it as usually processed within 3 to 5 business days. Faster handling comes in two tiers: Expedited, generally filed by 4:00 p.m. next business day, and Same Day service (organizational documents received by noon), each for an additional fee. That page doesn't give the amounts, so the SCC is the source for them. Unless a lease, a contract or a bank needs the LLC by a set date, regular service is the cheaper choice. If a formation package advertises fast processing, ask whether it pays the SCC's fee or only speeds up the provider's own work.⁹

Add-ons and compliance plans

Checkouts commonly offer an EIN, an operating agreement, a business address and a compliance subscription. The EIN itself comes from the IRS, so a provider's EIN charge is for preparing the application. Compliance plans need a closer look here. Many are sold around annual report filing, and Virginia LLCs file no annual report; the yearly obligation is the registration fee. For a Virginia-only LLC, the useful question is what the plan would actually file. ZenBusiness's starter package, for example, includes Worry-Free Compliance free for 1 year (then $199/yr), and Swyft Filings adds a compliance plan with a 14-day free trial then auto-charged.^{10, 11}

Penalties for a missed registration fee

Paying the yearly fee late adds a $25 penalty for a late annual registration fee. If the fee is still unpaid by the last day of the third month after the due date, the LLC's existence is canceled. Bringing it back costs $100 plus all unpaid annual registration fees and penalties, and an owner must apply within five years. Because the SCC mails the fee assessment to the registered agent two months before the due date, an agent that is slow to pass on mail can turn into a real cost. Staying compliant in Virginia covers the yearly cycle.^{7, 8}

Which providers have the lowest published prices for a Virginia LLC?

The table lists each provider's agent price, renewal and cheapest formation package. Rows follow our score, highest first, with ties in editorial order; they are not sorted by price.

Below, in the same order, is what each provider's lowest-priced route adds to Virginia's $100 in the first year, and what keeps costing money after that.

Tailor Brands. Lite is $0 plus state fees and doesn't list an agent, so add $199/year for one or act as your own. The next package, Essential, is $199/yr plus state fees, which means it recurs alongside the SCC's yearly fee. See the Tailor Brands review.^{12, 13}

ZenBusiness. Starter is $0 + state fees (does not renew). The agent is an add-on +$199/yr, with 50% off the first year ($99), and it renews at $199/yr. Note the date the bundled compliance year ends. See the ZenBusiness review.^{10, 14}

LegalZoom. Basic is $0 + state filing fees and lists the Articles of organization; the agent isn't among its listed items. The agent is sold separately at $249/year (first-time registered agent customers), so a returning customer may see a different figure. On renewal, LegalZoom says: "The service auto-renews at the purchase rate each year until you cancel. The renewal rate is subject to change." See the LegalZoom review.^{15, 16}

Bizee. Basic is $0 + state fee, and the agent is free for the first year with any Bizee formation package, which leaves the SCC's fee as the main bill. From the second year the agent renews at $149/year (ongoing annual fee) on top of Virginia's registration fee. See the Bizee review.^{5, 17}

Swyft Filings. Basic is $0 + state fees, and no agent is listed in it. The agent is billed at $149 per quarter ($596/year), and the yearly figure is the one to set beside other providers' prices. See the Swyft Filings review.^{18, 19}

doola. Starter is $297/yr and includes the agent, though doola doesn't say for how long. The plan is yearly, so the whole plan price returns in the second year. See the doola review.²⁰

Northwest Registered Agent. Formation is $39 + State Fees. Northwest mentions an included agent year as stated on the corporation page; its LLC page doesn't say whether an LLC order gets it. The agent alone is $125 per year. See the Northwest review.^{21, 22, 23}

Rocket Lawyer. Formation runs through a membership, and the offer reads "First registration free with a Rocket Lawyer membership." Standard is $149/year and leaves the agent out. The agent is $125 with a Plus or Pro membership, so the real yearly cost is that price plus Plus ($249/year) or Pro ($349/year). See the Rocket Lawyer review.^{24, 25, 26}

InCorp Services. InCorp prices formation starting at $99 plus state fees, with the agent sold separately at $129 per state per year. Its terms say service is billed at then-current fee unless a cancellation condition is met. See the InCorp review.^{27, 28, 29}

Harbor Compliance. Formation is priced "Starting at $99 plus state fees." The agent starts at $99 first year (new customers) and renews at $159 annually; to stop the renewal you need to give notice at least 90 days before the end of the current term. See the Harbor Compliance review.^{30, 31, 32}

Agent-only prices across all states are on cheapest registered agent services. Package details are compared on Virginia LLC formation services.