LLC formation services for New York crews
Which formation service should a New York crew owner use to form an LLC?
What the filing is, whoever files it
An LLC in New York is one state form and one state fee: Articles of Organization, form DOS 1336, with a $200 filing fee paid to the Department of State under Section 203 of the LLC Law.
A formation service prepares and files that form. It cannot change the fee, and it does not touch the coverage questions on this site: the members' exemption, the crew's policy, the C-105.2 or the CE-200. Those live on the owner-exemptions page and the proof guide.
New York adds one step most states do not have. Within 120 days of formation, the LLC must publish a notice in two newspapers of its home county, once a week for six consecutive weeks, one daily and one weekly, with the county clerk designating the papers. Proof goes to the Department of State with a $50 filing fee.
Miss the publication requirement and the LLC's authority to carry on business in New York is suspended. That consequence is why the New York comparison is not only about the $200.
The state's own application list, published on Business Express, asks for business information and the $200 fee. A registered agent is not among the items the state asks for on an LLC application, so treat registered agent add-ons as a privacy choice, not a requirement.
$200The New York Articles of Organization, form DOS 1336, carry a $200 filing fee paid to the Department of State under LLC Law Section 203. — New York Business Express, retrieved 2026-09-29
$50New York LLCs must publish a notice in two county newspapers, once a week for six weeks, within 120 days, and file proof with a $50 fee, or authority is suspended. — New York Business Express, retrieved 2026-09-29
First-year cost at base, service by service
Compare the total first-year cost, not the headline. Most general services publish a $0-plus-state-fee tier, so what differs is what the base includes, and what bills again after year one.
The publication requirement sits outside every base package: the $50 certificate fee goes to the state, and the two newspapers charge their own rates, set by the county clerk's designation rather than by the vendor.
Every figure below is what the service published about itself on the date shown, with the $200 New York filing fee added where the service files at base. Check again before buying, because plans change.
| Service | Base package | Registered agent | First-year total at base | What renews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tailor Brands | $0 Lite | Not listed on the tiers | $200 | Paid tiers bill yearly |
| Bizee | $0 Basic | First year free | $200 | Agent service after year one |
| BetterLegal | $299 flat | Sold as an add-on | $499 | Add-ons only |
| ZenBusiness | $0 plus state fees | $199 per year | $200 | Agent service yearly |
| LegalZoom | $0 plus state fees | $10 per month | $200 | Add-ons bill monthly |
| File it yourself | State fee only | Not a state requirement here | $200 | $9 biennial statement |
$0 + state feesTailor Brands publishes a $0 Lite LLC plan plus state fees, with Essential at $199 per year and Elite at $249 per year, and registered agent service is not listed among the tier features. — Tailor Brands plan page, retrieved 2026-09-29
$0 + state feeBizee publishes a $0 Basic LLC plan plus the state fee and says every formation package is eligible for one free year of registered agent service. — Bizee pricing page, retrieved 2026-09-29
$199 per yearZenBusiness publishes LLC formation starting at $0 plus state fees, with registered agent service at $199 per year. — ZenBusiness pricing page, retrieved 2026-09-29
$0 + state feesLegalZoom's pricing page lists LLC formation at $0 plus state fees, with an EIN at $79, an operating agreement at $99, and registered agent service at $10 per month. — LegalZoom pricing page, retrieved 2026-09-29
$299 + state feeBetterLegal publishes a $299 formation service plus the state filing fee, including the EIN and operating agreement, with registered agent service sold as an add-on. — BetterLegal home page, retrieved 2026-09-29
Formation services matched to what a crew owner needs
These are use cases, not rankings. Each service sits where its own published offer fits a need, and the order on the page is presentation order only.
Every price here is what the service published about itself on the date checked. Nothing on this page is a rating. Confirm the current plan on each service's site before you sign up.
- Tailor Brands
Suits a crew owner who wants the filing and the yearly upkeep in one account. The $0 Lite plan covers the LLC filing, an operating agreement and annual compliance reporting, with LLC processing within 14 business days. The $199 Essential and $249 Elite tiers bill yearly and add expedited processing and legal compliance. No tier lists registered agent service, and New York does not require one on the application.
- Bizee
Pay only the $200 state fee on the $0 Basic plan and a free first year of registered agent service comes with it, the lowest first-year cost here with an agent included. If you want your home address off public records, that free year covers it. The agent service is what renews after year one, and the $199 Standard and $299 Premium tiers sit above the base for one-time payments.
- BetterLegal
No tiers to compare: $299 plus the state fee covers the formation filing, an EIN, an operating agreement and banking resolution documents, with a stated two-business-day turnaround. Getting the EIN inside the package matters for a crew policy, because the Board identifies your business by its FEIN. Registered agent service is an add-on, not part of the $299.
- ZenBusiness
When the biennial statement and the policy renewal land in the same month, deadline help is the draw. Formation starts at $0 plus state fees with Velo AI guidance included. Worry-Free Compliance tracks filings such as the biennial statement. Registered agent service is a separate $199 per year, so the total climbs once both are added.
- LegalZoom
The build-your-own route: formation at $0 plus state fees, with the EIN at $79 and the operating agreement at $99 priced separately, and registered agent service at $10 per month. A crew owner who already has an EIN and a handshake operating agreement pays less here; one who buys every piece can end up above a flat-price rival. Expedited filing is $115 for eight to ten business days.
$199 per yearTailor Brands' Essential tier bills at $199 per year and processes the LLC within 1 business day, with the Lite tier at $0 plus state fees processing within 14 business days. — Tailor Brands plan page, retrieved 2026-09-29
1 year freeBizee's pricing page states new LLCs get one year of Registered Agent Service for free with a formation package. — Bizee pricing page, retrieved 2026-09-29
The New York route nobody sells as a package
The file-it-yourself route runs through New York Business Express, the state's own application. The cost is the $200 filing fee, the $50 Certificate of Publication after the newspapers run, and whatever those two newspapers charge, set by the county clerk's designation rather than by you.
Online filing is the state's recommended path, with no expedited handling fees charged for it. Paper filers can add expedited handling at $25 for 24 hours, $75 for the same day, or $150 for two hours, paid by separate check.
After year one, the state's own recurring cost is small: the biennial statement, due every two years, at $9. A trade name beyond the LLC's legal name costs $25 when filed, and reserving a name ahead of filing costs $20 for sixty days.
What no filing route covers is the coverage itself. The LLC's members, the crew's policy and the certificates a client demands are separate work, and the getting-covered guide walks it in order.
$9 biennialNew York LLCs file a Biennial Statement every two years with the Department of State at a filing fee of $9, a Certificate of Assumed Name costs $25, and reserving a name costs $20 for sixty days. — New York Business Express, retrieved 2026-09-29
$25 to $150Expedited handling costs $25 per document for 24-hour, $75 for same-day, and $150 for two-hour processing, and is not required for online filing. — New York Business Express, retrieved 2026-09-29
Where the LLC meets the coverage question
The structure choice is a coverage choice in New York. Members of an LLC are treated like partners, so they are not employees and stay off the policy by default, while a corporation's officers are employees and a three-officer corporation needs a policy covering them.
The LLC also changes what the crew looks like at claim time. The member's own injury is uncovered unless elected in, and the employee's coverage runs from the first day of work regardless of the entity behind it.
Two pages carry that decision: the owner-exemptions page for who can be off the policy, and the who-needs page for the structural rules that decide whether a policy is required at all.
File in whatever order the season demands. The coverage clock starts with the first worker, not with the filing receipt, and the FEIN the Board uses to track your coverage comes from the entity either way.
more than 2 officersCoverage is required if the corporation has more than two corporate officers or more than two shareholders, or where the one or two corporate officers do not own all of the shares of stock. — New York State Workers' Compensation Board, retrieved 2026-09-29
Questions
Does a formation service satisfy New York's publication requirement?
The requirement is the LLC's regardless of who files. Within 120 days of formation, a notice runs in two county newspapers, once a week for six weeks, and proof goes to the Department of State with a $50 fee. Missing it suspends the LLC's authority to do business in New York. Check what a service's package says about publication before buying.
Do I need a registered agent for a New York LLC?
The state's LLC application, as published on New York Business Express, asks for business information and the fee, and a registered agent is not among the items required. Registered agent add-ons sold by formation services are a privacy choice rather than a New York filing requirement.
What does an LLC cost in New York after the first year?
The state's recurring charge is the biennial statement at $9 every two years. Paid plan tiers from a formation service renew at their published yearly rates if you keep them, and registered agent add-ons renew at their own prices.
Does forming an LLC change my workers' comp requirement?
It changes who is on the policy. LLC members are not employees and are not covered by default, while corporate officers are employees. A one or two person corporation whose owners hold all stock and offices is exempt only with no other workers of any kind, and any structure with employees needs a policy.