Best New York LLC Formation Service in 2026

If you're forming an LLC in New York, the state filing fee is the cheapest part. The expensive part nobody warns you about: New York mandates a 6-week newspaper publication in two newspapers in your LLC's county, and depending on the county that costs anywhere from $300 to $2,000+. Manhattan founders routinely pay $1,500–$2,000. Albany founders pay $80.

Before you pick a formation service, you need a strategy for the publication requirement. This page covers both — service comparison and how to legally route publication to a cheap county.

Quick verdict

Service	Best for	Filing fee (NY)	Service fee	Reg. Agent	EIN included	Non-US friendly
Doola	Non-US founders, one-person company	$200	from $297 (Starter)	✅ 1 yr	✅ (incl. SS-4 paper filing)	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Northwest	US residents wanting privacy	$200	$39 + state	✅ 1 yr (Albany address)	❌ (+$50)	⭐⭐⭐
ZenBusiness	US residents, low budget	$200	$0 (Starter)	✅ 1 yr	❌ (+$99)	⭐⭐
LegalZoom	US residents wanting brand	$200	$0 (Basic)	$249/yr	❌ (+$79)	⭐⭐
Bizee	US residents, free starter	$200	$0 + state	✅ 1 yr	❌ (+$70)	⭐⭐
DIY (NY DOS direct)	Founders with US SSN + address	$200	$0	❌ ($125+/yr separately)	DIY (free with SSN)	⭐

Our recommendation for non-US founders: Doola — they handle LLC + EIN + Registered Agent + Mercury Bank intro, and they can route your registered agent to a low-cost publication county.

Disclosure: We have an affiliate relationship with Doola — code LLCCLASS10 gives 10% off. We earn a referral if you sign up through our link, at no extra cost to you.

The biggest gotcha: New York's publication requirement

You must publish a notice of LLC formation in TWO newspapers (one daily, one weekly) for 6 consecutive weeks in the county where your LLC's registered office is located. Then you file a Certificate of Publication for $50.

Cost by county (rough 2026 ranges):

County	Typical publication cost
New York County (Manhattan)	$1,200–$2,000+
Kings (Brooklyn)	$700–$1,500
Queens	$600–$1,200
Bronx	$500–$1,000
Richmond (Staten Island)	$300–$700
Nassau / Suffolk (Long Island)	$300–$700
Albany County	$80–$150
Most upstate counties	$80–$300

The legal workaround: place your registered agent (and therefore your LLC's "address of record") in an inexpensive county like Albany. Your business can still operate anywhere — the publication just runs in the registered agent's county. This trick saves Manhattan founders $1,500+ instantly.

Most formation services (Northwest, Doola) offer Albany-county registered agent addresses by default for this exact reason. If you DIY, do not use your Manhattan home address as the registered office unless you want to pay Manhattan publication rates.

New York LLC basics

Filing fee: $200 for Articles of Organization (one-time)
Publication requirement: 2 newspapers, 6 weeks, $300–$2,000+ depending on county
Certificate of Publication fee: $50
Biennial Statement: $9 every 2 years (yes, just nine dollars)
State income tax: NY has both state and (if NYC) city income tax — applies to NY-sourced income and NY-resident members
Privacy: Members and managers are not listed on the Articles of Organization, so member privacy is reasonable — but the registered agent's address is public
Registered agent: NY's Secretary of State serves as statutory agent by default; most founders also designate a commercial registered agent for service of process

Service-by-service breakdown

1. Doola — best for non-US founders forming a New York LLC

Pricing: Starter $297/yr, Total Compliance $799/yr
Includes: LLC filing + EIN (SS-4 paper for non-SSN) + Registered Agent (1 yr) + US business address + Mercury Bank introduction
Turnaround: 2–4 weeks for non-US founders (EIN bottleneck), faster if SSN
NY-specific advantage: Doola can place your registered agent in a low-cost county so your publication run is in the cheaper market, not Manhattan
Caveat: Publication itself is not included in Starter — you'll either DIY the newspaper bookings or use a publication service ($150–$300 markup over raw rates). Total Compliance can bundle it.

→ Doola signup with LLCCLASS10 code (10% off)
→ Full Doola 2026 review

2. Northwest Registered Agent

Pricing: $39 service fee + $200 state + $125/yr registered agent after year 1
Includes: LLC filing + 1 yr registered agent in Albany (their default) + privacy by default
Why pick: Their Albany registered agent address legitimately saves you ~$1,000+ on the publication step compared to a Manhattan address
EIN: +$50, US-only — won't help non-US founders

3. ZenBusiness

Pricing: Starter $0 + state, Pro $199, Premium $349
Caveat: Doesn't do anything special for the NY publication problem

4. LegalZoom

Pricing: Basic $0 + state, Pro $249, Premium $349
Caveat: Most expensive overall; registered agent is a separate $249/yr; offers a publication service at premium markup

5. Bizee (formerly IncFile)

Pricing: Free + state, Gold $199, Platinum $299
EIN: +$70
Caveat: Their NY publication add-on is expensive and the tracking is rough

6. DIY

Cost: $200 filing + ~$125/yr registered agent + $300–$2,000 publication + $50 Certificate of Publication
Pick if: You have US SSN, are comfortable booking newspaper ads in Albany or Suffolk County, and want to optimize cost

Step-by-step New York LLC formation

Choose a name — must include "LLC", "L.L.C.", or "Limited Liability Company". Check availability at the NY DOS business search.
Pick a county for your registered office strategically — use an inexpensive county (Albany, Suffolk, upstate) to slash publication cost. Do not default to Manhattan.
Designate a registered agent — must have a physical NY street address (no PO boxes). Northwest and Doola both offer Albany-county addresses.
File Articles of Organization — $200 to the NY Department of State. Online filings are usually approved within 1 business day.
Publication requirement (within 120 days of formation) — publish a notice in 2 newspapers (one daily, one weekly) in your registered office's county for 6 consecutive weeks. The county clerk assigns which newspapers you must use. Budget $300 (Albany) to $2,000+ (Manhattan).
File Certificate of Publication — $50 to NY DOS, along with the two newspaper affidavits. This step is not optional — failing to file suspends your LLC's authority to do business in NY.
Get EIN from IRS — free online with SSN; SS-4 paper filing 4–8 weeks for non-US founders (Doola handles this).
Open a US business bank account — Mercury Bank, 3-hour approval if LLC + EIN are clean.
File Biennial Statement — $9 every 2 years (the cheapest biennial in the country).

FAQ

Is the New York publication requirement actually enforced?
Yes. If you don't file the Certificate of Publication within 120 days, NY DOS suspends your LLC's authority to do business in the state. Your LLC isn't dissolved, but it can't legally sue, defend lawsuits, or conduct business in NY until you catch up — which often costs more in late publication and reinstatement work than just doing it on time.

Can I avoid the publication requirement by using a Delaware or Wyoming LLC?
You can form your LLC in another state, but if you "do business in NY" you must register as a Foreign LLC in NY — which also triggers the publication requirement. There's no clean way out if you genuinely operate from NY. Out-of-state founders with no NY nexus can form anywhere else.

Can a non-US resident form a New York LLC?
Yes. NY has no citizenship requirement. You need a NY-based registered agent and a way to handle the SS-4 paper EIN filing (Doola covers both). Just be strategic about the publication county.

How long does the whole NY LLC process actually take?
Articles of Organization: 1 business day online. Publication: 6 weeks (mandatory continuous run). EIN: same-day with SSN, 4–8 weeks without. End-to-end you're looking at ~7 weeks before you can file the Certificate of Publication and be fully "in good standing."

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