We rank Iowa LLC formation services for 2026 as Mainstay Filing ($199), IA Registered Agent.org ($199) and Iowa Registered Agent.co ($199), best value first. From $397 to $597 for three years of service, plus $50 that Iowa collects at filing.
Prepared by the Agent Fee Tables editorial team ·
Schedules ordered by: Best value first, using our five-part order
Iowa: the fee summary
Filing fee owed to the state$50legis.iowa.gov {fee list dated October 2026}
What the first year bills$199Provider charges alone
What three years bill$397 to $597Both renewals counted
Government charges, 3 years$80Not used in the order
Totals even out inNeverOrder holds to year 10
The Iowa schedules
Schedules sit in value order, with charges taken from company pages. The $50 state fee stays outside the service charges.
#Opening chargeRenewal chargeCharges, three years
1
1. Mainstay Filing: best for forming and keeping the LLC on one invoice
Best value
$199 a year, and $50 to the state
Opening charge
$199
Charge from year two
$199/yr
Charges, three years
$597
Mainstay Filing ranks first. $199 a year pays for the biennial report too and does not rise at renewal.
Three years cost $200 more than IA Registered Agent.org, but the extra duties it covers weigh more in the order.
You skip the biennial report; the one addition is the state's $30.
The state's share is the filing, the reports in years two and three, and a minimum tax if there is one. Anything the state leaves unpriced is described, not totaled.
What settled it
In Iowa, the deciding measure was duties inside the charge (31% of the order), where Mainstay Filing came out ahead.
Having the biennial report filed for you outweighed IA Registered Agent.org's smaller three-year charges.
Include the EIN application and Mainstay Filing goes past IA Registered Agent.org in year 2.
The Iowa LLC filing fee and what the state requires, in its own words
To form the LLC you send the Certificate of Organization to the Iowa Secretary of State with $50 (Iowa Code § 489.201). Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.
Official text: legis.iowa.gov {fee list dated October 2026}
State fees only
Do it alone and Iowa still collects $80 over three years, plus you complete every form. A service charges $397 to $597 to take that off you.
Iowa fee questions
What do LLC formation services charge in Iowa?
$199 for the service and $50 for the state.
What do these schedules add up to over three years?
Service charges after three years: $397 to $597.
How much does Iowa bill to file an LLC?
$50 is due when you submit the Certificate of Organization.
What does Iowa bill each year after formation?
The biennial report costs $30 every second year, due April 1 of odd-numbered years.
Does the charge include the EIN application?
Mainstay Filing includes it, IA Registered Agent.org adds $99 and Iowa Registered Agent.co adds $99.
When does one schedule pass another in total charges?
Not in ten years: the order of running totals does not change.
Which LLC formation service is the best value in Iowa?
Mainstay Filing is first, with IA Registered Agent.org and Iowa Registered Agent.co behind it.