Formation services for a South Dakota trades LLC
Which formation service should a South Dakota trades employer use to form the LLC that hires apprentices?
What a formation service can and cannot change
A formation service prepares and files your articles of organization. It cannot change the state's price, and in South Dakota that price is $150 filed electronically, or $165 by paper with the filing fee included.
None of it touches the trade credentials. The apprentice registrations, the supervision rules and the new-hire reporting on the hiring guide are yours however you file, and no service handles them.
So the comparison is narrow and honest: what each service bundles around the same $150 filing, and what renews after the first year. Every price below is from the service's own pricing page, checked on the date shown.
$150A South Dakota domestic LLC's articles of organization cost $150 filed electronically online with the Secretary of State. — South Dakota Secretary of State, retrieved 2026-09-29
First-year totals with the South Dakota fee added
At the base tier, every service lands on the same first-year total, because the $150 state fee is the floor and the $0 tiers exist. What differs is what the base includes, and whether a registered agent is part of it.
The renewal is where the totals separate. An agent service that starts free bills from year two, and a compliance add-on bills annually, while the state's own annual report is $55 online.
Check each plan again before buying. Prices below are what each service published about itself on the date checked.
| Service | Base package | Registered agent | First-year total at base | What renews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tailor Brands | $0 Lite | Not listed on the plan page | $150 | Paid tiers bill yearly |
| Bizee | $0 Basic | First year free | $150 | Agent service after year one |
| Swyft Filings | $0 Basic | Nationwide service, price not published | $150 | Add-ons, prices on checkout |
| ZenBusiness | $0 formation | $199 per year | $150 | Agent and compliance services yearly |
| LegalZoom | $0 Basic | $249 per year | $150 | Agent service yearly, auto-renewing |
| File it yourself | State fee only | Your own address | $150 | $55 annual report online |
$55A South Dakota LLC's annual report costs $55 filed electronically online with the Secretary of State. — South Dakota Secretary of State, retrieved 2026-09-29
$0 + state feeBizee publishes a $0 Basic LLC package plus the state fee, 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 and compliance services at $199 per year. — ZenBusiness pricing page, retrieved 2026-09-29
$249 per yearLegalZoom's registered agent service costs $249 per year and auto-renews at the purchase rate each year until cancelled. — LegalZoom registered agent page, retrieved 2026-09-29
Services matched to how a trades employer files
Each entry below is a use case, not a grade. The order is presentation order, and every figure is what the service published about itself on the date checked.
Read the notes against the table. What a note adds is what the base package leaves out, and for an employer whose address is a shop or a job site, the registered agent question is usually the deciding one.
- Tailor Brands
Suits a first-time contractor owner who wants the filing and the yearly follow-up in one account. The $0 Lite plan covers the LLC filing, an operating agreement and annual compliance features, with AI-guided setup for the filing questions. Its plan page does not list registered agent service, so add that cost separately if you want one.
- Bizee
Every formation package here comes with one free year of registered agent service, which makes the $0 Basic route the one first-year total that includes an agent at no extra charge. That year can keep a home address off the public record while the crew is still small. The agent service is what bills after the free year, and Standard and Premium tiers sit above the base.
- Swyft Filings
Processing speed is the currency here: the $0 Basic package files in 7-10 business days, the $169 Standard in 3, and the $269 Premium in one day, with an EIN and an operating agreement added at Standard. Registered agent service is offered nationwide but the price is not on the pricing page, so confirm it at checkout before comparing totals.
- ZenBusiness
Deadline tracking is the pitch once the filing is done. Formation starts at $0 plus state fees, and its Worry-Free Compliance service at $199 per year watches filings such as the $55 annual report. Registered agent service is a separate $199 per year, so the total climbs once both are on.
- LegalZoom
Here the draw is a lawyer on call. The $0 Basic plan files the LLC, and the $249 Pro plan adds an operating agreement, an EIN and 30 days of unlimited 30-minute attorney consultations. An employment agreement for a first apprentice is the kind of document worth that call. Registered agent service is separate at $249 per year, auto-renewing at the purchase rate.
$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 the Lite plan includes an operating agreement and annual compliance. — Tailor Brands plans and pricing page, retrieved 2026-09-29
$0 / $169 / $269Swyft Filings publishes a $0 Basic package processing in 7-10 business days, a $169 Standard in 3 days, and a $269 Premium in 1 day, plus state fees. — Swyft Filings pricing page, retrieved 2026-09-29
$249 + state feesLegalZoom's Pro LLC plan is $249 plus state filing fees and includes an operating agreement, an EIN and 30 days of unlimited 30-minute attorney consultations. — LegalZoom LLC pricing page, retrieved 2026-09-29
File it yourself with the South Dakota Secretary of State
You can skip every service. File the articles of organization with the South Dakota Secretary of State for the same $150 electronically, and the annual report is $55 online.
No lawyer is required. The forms are on the Secretary of State's LLC page, along with the registered office and registered agent filings, and you can list your own address as the office.
This route is the benchmark for the page above. It is the same filing at the same fee with nobody in between, and what a service adds is preparation, an address, or reminders, not a different filing.
South Dakota LLC filings and the statement of change of registered office or registered agent are available as forms on the Secretary of State's limited liability companies page. — South Dakota Secretary of State, retrieved 2026-09-29
$150 / $55A South Dakota LLC's articles of organization cost $150 filed electronically and $165 via paper, and the annual report is $55 electronically. — South Dakota Secretary of State, retrieved 2026-09-29
Deciding by what your shop actually needs
If your address is a shop with a sign on it, the registered agent question is mostly convenience, and the direct $150 filing is hard to beat. If the address is your home, an agent year from any of these plans is the part worth paying for.
The trade filings do not care which route you take. The apprentice registrations, the supervision rules and the hour logs on this site belong to the person and the employer either way, and the business checklist sequences them against the entity decision.
Whichever you choose, set the annual report reminder the day the filing confirms. The $55 late fee on a delinquent report costs more than a year of any reminder service.
$55A delinquent South Dakota LLC annual report draws a $55 late fee. — South Dakota Secretary of State, retrieved 2026-09-29
Questions
Does any service change the South Dakota filing fee?
No. The articles of organization cost $150 electronically with the Secretary of State however they are prepared. A service's price is for preparation and follow-up, on top of that fee.
Which entry includes a registered agent in the first year at no extra charge?
Bizee, which includes one free year of registered agent service with any formation package. The others either do not list agent service on their plan pages or bill it as a separate yearly service.
Do I need a registered agent in South Dakota at all?
Your LLC lists a registered office and agent on its filings, and the Secretary of State provides forms for changing them and for commercial registered agent filings. You can act as your own if the address works for you, which is a question of privacy and hours, not law.
What renews after the first year if I file it myself?
The annual report, at $55 online with the Secretary of State, and nothing from a service. A $55 late fee applies when it runs delinquent.
Does any of this affect the apprentice's own registration?
No. The electrical apprentice registration, the plumbing application and the supervision rules are separate from the entity, and they follow the person and the employer whether the LLC is filed directly or through a service.