Best LLC Service in Nevada: File Yourself or Hire One
Last verified: November 5, 2026
Nevada charges every LLC the same state fees: $425 in the first year and $350 every year after. A formation service cannot lower that. What a service can change is who files, whose address sits on your filings, and whether anyone reminds you when the annual deadlines arrive. Our position: if you live in Nevada and are forming a single-owner LLC, file it yourself through the state portal and pay only the state's fees; pay for a service when you need a Nevada registered agent address or do not want to track renewals.
This page compares that route with using a formation service. For services it covers only our two partners, shown in the boxes on this page: BetterLegal and Northwest Registered Agent. Nothing here is a first-hand review, and we do not rank them, because they suit different founders. We print a company's price only where our team has checked it, and we say when.
What Nevada Charges No Matter Who Files
These are state charges set by statute, so you pay them whether you file yourself or use a service. Everything a service charges is on top.
| Item | Cost | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Articles of organization | $75 | NRS 86.561 |
| Initial list of managers or managing members | $150 | NRS 86.263 |
| State business license for an LLC | $200 | NRS 76.100 |
| First-year total | $425 | The three rows above added together |
| Annual list plus license renewal, every year after | $350 ($150 + $200) | NRS 86.263 and NRS 76.100, linked above |
| Name reservation (optional) | $25 for 90 days | Secretary of State: name reservation |
| Registered agent change | $60 | NRS 77.280 |
| Penalty for a late annual list | $75 on top of the $150 fee | NRS 86.272 |
| Reinstatement after the charter is revoked | $300 plus back fees and penalties | NRS 86.276 |
Nevada's Commerce Tax is separate. It applies only to businesses with more than $4,000,000 in Nevada gross revenue in a fiscal year, at industry-based rates from 0.051% to 0.331% of the revenue above that line, and a business at or under the threshold files nothing for it (Nevada Department of Taxation: Commerce Tax, NRS 363C.200).
Any advertised price under $425 cannot be the all-in first-year cost. Ask what it leaves out: usually the initial list, the license or the state's own fee.
Three Questions That Decide Which Route You Need
Do you have a Nevada street address? Every Nevada LLC needs a registered agent with a street address in the state, and a filing may use a rural route box number but not a PO box (NRS 86.231, NRS 77.300). If you have no such address, you need a registered agent before you file, and that settles the rest of the choice.
Whose name and address go on your filings? The initial and annual lists name every manager (or every managing member if there is no manager) and give an address for each, either residence or business (NRS 86.263). A registered agent supplies the agent's own address on the filing, but as we read the statute it does not remove the managers' addresses from the list. Decide which business address you are willing to list before you pick a route.
Will you hire soon or cross $4,000,000? Employers file the Modified Business Tax quarterly, at 1.17% of wages above $50,000 per quarter for most businesses, even when nothing is due (Nevada Department of Taxation: Modified Business Tax). That, not the formation filing, is where Nevada founders usually need an accountant.
Route 1: File It Yourself Through the Nevada Business Portal
The Secretary of State's online portal was long called SilverFlume; the old address now redirects to the Nevada ORION business portal. The Secretary of State lists the articles of organization, initial list and state business license together as the LLC formation package (Secretary of State: all business forms). You pay the $425 in the table above and nothing else.
Two details cause most rejected filings. First, the name must contain "Limited-Liability Company," "Limited Liability Company," "Limited Company," or "Limited," or an abbreviation such as LLC or L.L.C., and it must be distinguishable from every name on file or reserved; if it is not, the Secretary of State returns your articles (NRS 86.171). Search the name first in the Nevada business entity search. Second, the registered agent filing must come with the agent's certificate of acceptance (NRS 77.310), so line up your agent before you start.
Rush service costs extra. Nevada law lets the Secretary of State charge up to $125 for service within 24 hours, up to $500 within 2 hours and up to $1,000 within 1 hour (NRS 225.140). Those are ceilings, not the posted schedule, so check the current fee on the Secretary of State's forms and fees page before you pay for a rush. We could not read that schedule from our servers.
Not a fit if: you have no Nevada street address and have not yet hired an agent, or you do not want to track the annual deadlines yourself.
Practical takeaway: for a single-owner LLC with a Nevada address, filing yourself costs exactly the state's $425 and is our default recommendation.
Route 2: Use a Formation Service
A service files the same state documents you would and adds its own fee. The state charges do not change: you still pay the $425 above, either on top of the service fee or inside the service's quote, so ask which. The two companies below are affiliate partners: we may earn a commission if you buy through them, which does not change any state fee.
BetterLegal
BetterLegal lists LLC formation at $299 plus the state filing fee, with a turnaround of 2 business days (BetterLegal pricing, checked November 5, 2026). What it says is included: the EIN, an operating agreement, a banking resolution and bonus forms such as the S corporation election form. It sells registered agent service separately, at $12.50 a month or $120 a year. Our arithmetic from those figures: if you pay the full $425 in Nevada charges on top of the $299, the first year is $724 before any agent fee, and year two is $350 plus the agent fee if you keep its agent. We could not see on that page which of Nevada's three charges its "state filing fee" covers, so ask for the Nevada total in writing before you pay.
Not a fit if: you have a Nevada street address and only need the state filings. The $299 buys speed and a bundle of documents, not a lower state fee, and the EIN it includes is free from the IRS.
Practical takeaway: choose it when speed and a ready set of documents matter more than the service fee. Ask for the bundle as a list and strike every item you would do for free yourself.
Northwest Registered Agent
Northwest Registered Agent is a registered agent company that also forms LLCs. It lists LLC formation at $39 plus the state filing fee (Northwest Registered Agent pricing, checked November 5, 2026). We have not verified what that price includes or what its registered agent costs, so we print neither. Our arithmetic: if you pay the full $425 in Nevada charges on top of the $39, the first year is $464 before any agent fee. Before you order, ask three things: whether the registered agent is included and for how long, what the renewal costs, and how quickly it forwards a state notice to you. Nevada requires anyone who acts as agent for 10 or more entities to be registered as a commercial registered agent (NRS 77.320), so check any agent you use on the Secretary of State's registered agents page.
Not a fit if: you have a Nevada address you are willing to put on the record and can track one date a year.
Practical takeaway: choose it when you live outside Nevada, or want your own address off the registered office, and compare its year-two renewal, not only the first-year price.
Why the Registered Agent Is the Part to Check
The agent receives legal papers and state notices for your LLC, and Nevada requires every LLC to have one (NRS 86.231). A person or company that serves as agent for 10 or more entities must be registered with the Secretary of State as a commercial registered agent (NRS 77.320), so check any provider against the Secretary of State's registered agents page. Agent fees are set by the market, not the state; no official price exists.
The agent matters most when a deadline is missed. The Secretary of State notifies a defaulting LLC through its registered agent, and the charter is revoked on the first anniversary of the month after the missed due date (NRS 86.274). Reinstating costs $300 plus every back fee and penalty. An agent whose contact details are out of date is how founders miss the notice, so judge a cheap agent by whether it forwards notices quickly and reminds you of the annual list.
For that reason, judge any agent, yours or a company's, by whether it forwards notices quickly and reminds you of the annual list, and by price second.
Side by Side: Filing Yourself, BetterLegal and Northwest
Ask each company to confirm what its quote includes. The first-year totals are our arithmetic, not a company's quote, and they assume the $425 in Nevada charges is paid on top of the service fee.
| Line | File yourself | BetterLegal | Northwest Registered Agent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service fee | None | $299 (BetterLegal pricing, checked November 5, 2026) | $39 (Northwest Registered Agent pricing, checked November 5, 2026) |
| Nevada state charges, year one | $425 | $425, unless the quote already includes them: ask | $425, unless the quote already includes them: ask |
| Registered agent | Your own Nevada street address, or an agent you hire | $120 a year if you add its subscription | Not verified: ask whether it is included and for how long |
| Year two | $350, plus an agent fee if you use one | $350, plus $120 if you keep its agent | Ask for the renewal price in writing |
| EIN | Free from the IRS | Listed as included | Ask whether a package prices it as an extra |
| First-year total | $425 | $724 before any agent fee | $464 before any agent fee |
Read the cost side of the whole business in how much it costs to start a business in Nevada.
Other Things to Settle Before You Pay Anyone
- EIN: the IRS issues an EIN for free. Ask whether a service's price includes it or charges extra.
- Renewals: the annual list and the license renewal are due on or before the last day of the month in which your LLC's anniversary falls (NRS 86.263). Put the date in your own calendar even if a service promises reminders.
- Sales tax: if you will sell taxable goods, register with the Nevada Department of Taxation; the permit is $15.00 per location (Nevada Department of Taxation: start and run a business). The Department states the base state rate as 6.85%, and county rates are higher, so use its sales and use tax publications for your county.
When a Service Is Not the Answer
Nevada's LLC statute provides for an operating agreement (NRS 86.286), and the agreement is not filed with the state, so no filing service checks it. A service's standard agreement does not settle who owns what when owners disagree. If you have co-owners or outside investors, a Nevada-licensed attorney is the professional who can draft one for your situation. If you will hire employees, the Modified Business Tax is a tax question for an accountant, not part of the formation filing.
Our Recommendation
If you live in Nevada and are forming a single-owner LLC, file it yourself and pay only the state's $425. If you have no Nevada address, you need a registered agent before you file: either hire an agent and file yourself, or use a service that includes one. Then compare BetterLegal and Northwest on the table above, using each company's current price from its own page. If you have co-owners or investors, get the operating agreement drafted for your actual owners. The two boxes on this page are affiliate links: we may earn a commission if you buy through them, which does not change any state fee. See how to start an LLC in Nevada for the filing steps.
Important Disclaimer
This article is informational and explains Nevada's LLC formation process and service options. It is not legal, tax, or professional advice. Laws change, and your situation may have unique requirements. Before choosing a structure, consult a Nevada-licensed attorney or a CPA. The Nevada Secretary of State and the Nevada Department of Taxation are authoritative sources for current fees, forms and deadlines.
Sources
- Nevada Legislature: NRS Chapter 86, limited-liability companies (sections 86.171, 86.231, 86.263, 86.272, 86.274, 86.276, 86.286, 86.296, 86.561)
- Nevada Legislature: NRS Chapter 77, registered agents (sections 77.280, 77.300, 77.310, 77.320)
- Nevada Legislature: NRS Chapter 76, state business license (section 76.100)
- Nevada Legislature: NRS Chapter 225, Secretary of State fees (section 225.140)
- Nevada Legislature: NRS Chapter 363B, Modified Business Tax and NRS Chapter 363C, Commerce Tax
- Nevada Secretary of State: name reservation (90 days, $25; read from an Internet Archive snapshot dated September 26, 2026)
- Nevada Secretary of State: all business forms, forms and fees, registered agents
- Nevada ORION business portal: online filing and business entity search
- Nevada Department of Taxation: Commerce Tax, Modified Business Tax, start and run a business, sales and use tax publications
- BetterLegal pricing, checked November 5, 2026 (LLC formation $299 plus state filing fee, 2 business days; registered agent $12.50 a month or $120 a year)
- Northwest Registered Agent pricing, checked November 5, 2026 (LLC formation $39 plus state filing fee)
- Internal Revenue Service: Employer Identification Number