WEBVTT 00:00:00.164 --> 00:00:06.484 The 5 best registered agents in Alabama in 2026 are Mainstay Filing, Northwest 00:00:06.528 --> 00:00:11.684 Registered Agent, AL Registered Agent.org, Bizee, and 00:00:11.764 --> 00:00:14.324 Alabama Registered Agent.co. 00:00:14.324 --> 00:00:16.884 Welcome to The Business Formation Podcast. 00:00:16.984 --> 00:00:20.964 Alabama, home of a very short list of annual filings, I hear? 00:00:20.964 --> 00:00:25.604 Right, an Alabama LLC files no annual report with the state. 00:00:25.784 --> 00:00:30.644 But changing your agent still costs one hundred dollars, so the choice of agent is 00:00:30.684 --> 00:00:32.324 worth getting right the first time. 00:00:34.944 --> 00:00:36.368 What does the code actually say? 00:00:36.368 --> 00:00:42.288 Every Alabama entity has to keep two things, a registered agent and a registered 00:00:42.379 --> 00:00:48.208 office. The agent is whoever can be served with a lawsuit, a notice or a demand on 00:00:48.258 --> 00:00:49.648 the company's behalf. 00:00:49.648 --> 00:00:50.688 Who qualifies? 00:00:50.688 --> 00:00:56.528 An individual who lives in Alabama, or a domestic or foreign entity registered to do 00:00:56.564 --> 00:00:59.168 business here. We found no age rule. 00:00:59.168 --> 00:01:00.608 And the address? 00:01:00.608 --> 00:01:05.248 A street address in Alabama where papers can be handed over in person. 00:01:05.424 --> 00:01:11.168 Post office boxes are out, and so is a registered office that's only a mailbox or an 00:01:11.208 --> 00:01:12.208 answering service. 00:01:12.208 --> 00:01:15.808 That sounds like a rule aimed at the cheap virtual services. 00:01:15.808 --> 00:01:21.808 It is, in a way. The agent must keep a business office at that same address, and 00:01:21.888 --> 00:01:26.848 can't do the job solely through a virtual office or a mail forwarding service. 00:01:26.848 --> 00:01:29.248 I'm Maya, by the way, here with Dan. 00:01:29.248 --> 00:01:31.808 Thanks, Maya. Let's go through the five. 00:01:32.521 --> 00:01:33.640 Start with number one. 00:01:33.640 --> 00:01:39.641 Mainstay Filing, $149 a year, and still $149 at renewal. 00:01:39.641 --> 00:01:41.081 What comes with it? 00:01:41.081 --> 00:01:44.841 Its Alabama address goes on the public record instead of yours. 00:01:44.912 --> 00:01:49.001 Anything served on your company is scanned and uploaded the same business day with 00:01:49.054 --> 00:01:53.681 no fee, and the first three government mailings each year are scanned free. 00:01:53.681 --> 00:01:55.721 And if I already have an agent? 00:01:55.721 --> 00:01:58.521 Mainstay files the change for you. 00:01:58.641 --> 00:02:02.361 You pay the state's one hundred dollars at cost, nothing on top. 00:02:03.188 --> 00:02:04.841 Where does it lose? 00:02:04.841 --> 00:02:10.041 Price. Two of the others are $99, so if the lowest flat number is all you care 00:02:10.108 --> 00:02:12.281 about, Mainstay isn't the winner. 00:02:14.447 --> 00:02:15.486 Number two? 00:02:15.486 --> 00:02:19.247 Northwest Registered Agent at $125 a year. 00:02:19.447 --> 00:02:25.327 The standout is stability: its page says it hasn't raised that price in twenty 00:02:25.407 --> 00:02:30.527 years, and up to ten pieces of ordinary business mail a year are scanned free. 00:02:30.527 --> 00:02:31.727 What's the catch? 00:02:31.727 --> 00:02:37.887 Signing up enrolls you automatically in its annual report filing service, at $100 00:02:37.967 --> 00:02:41.567 plus state fees per filing, until you cancel. 00:02:41.567 --> 00:02:43.647 But Alabama has no annual report. 00:02:43.647 --> 00:02:48.367 Which is the point. Check your account and switch that off, because there's nothing 00:02:48.447 --> 00:02:50.607 in Alabama for the service to file. 00:02:51.350 --> 00:02:52.310 Third on the list. 00:02:52.310 --> 00:02:58.390 AL Registered Agent.org, $99 a year, the same at renewal. 00:02:58.570 --> 00:03:03.270 You get a physical address, scanned legal mail and compliance alerts. 00:03:03.270 --> 00:03:04.230 And switching to them? 00:03:04.230 --> 00:03:07.590 Their fee for taking over as your agent is nothing. 00:03:07.770 --> 00:03:10.870 You pay the state's $100 and that's it. 00:03:10.870 --> 00:03:12.550 Compared with Mainstay? 00:03:12.550 --> 00:03:18.310 $149 less $99 is $50 a year, so 00:03:18.410 --> 00:03:24.710 $150 over three years. The catch is that formation filing is a separate 00:03:24.790 --> 00:03:25.430 service. 00:03:26.708 --> 00:03:28.148 Four? 00:03:28.148 --> 00:03:34.228 Bizee, formerly Incfile. The agent is free the first year with a formation package, 00:03:34.276 --> 00:03:37.748 then $149 a year, renewed automatically. 00:03:37.748 --> 00:03:41.108 What if I formed my company somewhere else? 00:03:41.108 --> 00:03:46.628 Then there's no free year, and you pay $149 from the start. 00:03:46.756 --> 00:03:52.949 Over three years with a formation order, that's free plus $149 plus 00:03:52.989 --> 00:03:57.269 $149, or $298. 00:03:58.030 --> 00:03:59.070 And the last one? 00:03:59.070 --> 00:04:05.950 Alabama Registered Agent.co. A flat $99, with the office address, same-day 00:04:05.994 --> 00:04:09.870 scanning of court papers and reminders before state deadlines. 00:04:09.870 --> 00:04:12.430 Anything that separates it from number three? 00:04:12.430 --> 00:04:18.030 Not on the listings. Same price, same catch, and formation filing is separate. 00:04:18.701 --> 00:04:20.941 Where does the agent's name go in the first place? 00:04:20.941 --> 00:04:23.501 Item three of the Certificate of Formation. 00:04:23.621 --> 00:04:26.861 One agent only, with a street address and county. 00:04:26.861 --> 00:04:28.541 What does that filing cost? 00:04:28.541 --> 00:04:31.660 Two hundred dollars by mail, two hundred eight online. 00:04:32.493 --> 00:04:34.141 Does all of it go to the state? 00:04:34.141 --> 00:04:39.901 Not quite. One hundred dollars goes to the county treasurer of the county where the 00:04:39.961 --> 00:04:41.981 initial agent's office is located. 00:04:41.981 --> 00:04:45.821 So the agent's location matters even at formation. 00:04:45.821 --> 00:04:49.101 It decides which county gets that share. 00:04:49.194 --> 00:04:52.381 There's no consent line on the Certificate itself. 00:04:55.711 --> 00:04:57.311 Walk me through the switch. 00:04:57.311 --> 00:05:02.431 It's the Change of Registered Agent or Registered Office by Entity, the statement of 00:05:02.488 --> 00:05:05.471 change. The fee is one hundred dollars. 00:05:05.471 --> 00:05:06.271 How do I send it? 00:05:06.271 --> 00:05:11.711 Mail two typed copies to the Secretary of State in Montgomery, or email it to the 00:05:11.757 --> 00:05:14.151 miscellaneous filings address on the form. 00:05:14.271 --> 00:05:15.711 It has to be typed. 00:05:15.711 --> 00:05:18.111 Does the new agent sign anything? 00:05:18.111 --> 00:05:23.471 Yes. The new agent signs the consent box before you file, and the company certifies 00:05:23.511 --> 00:05:28.511 the office and the agent's business address are the same Alabama street address. 00:05:28.511 --> 00:05:29.471 Can I do it online? 00:05:29.471 --> 00:05:35.311 We couldn't confirm that. The form says mail or email, so plan on that. 00:05:36.061 --> 00:05:37.741 What if my agent just quits? 00:05:37.741 --> 00:05:41.261 They file a Notice of Registered Agent Resignation. 00:05:41.368 --> 00:05:46.221 There's no fee, and the agent must first send written notice to the company's most 00:05:46.267 --> 00:05:47.341 recent address. 00:05:47.341 --> 00:05:48.781 When does it take effect? 00:05:48.781 --> 00:05:55.181 At 12:01 a.m. on the 31st day after it reaches the Secretary of State, or sooner if 00:05:55.201 --> 00:05:56.221 you name a new agent. 00:05:56.221 --> 00:05:57.981 And if I never do? 00:05:57.981 --> 00:06:01.901 Alabama doesn't make the Secretary of State your stand-in. 00:06:02.021 --> 00:06:06.861 The company can be served under the Alabama Rules of Civil Procedure, which is a 00:06:06.941 --> 00:06:08.541 much less predictable route. 00:06:08.541 --> 00:06:10.941 Is there administrative dissolution for it? 00:06:10.941 --> 00:06:16.541 The LLC Act's list of dissolution events has no administrative dissolution. 00:06:16.701 --> 00:06:21.501 The risk is a lawsuit you hear about late, not a letter from the state. 00:06:22.219 --> 00:06:24.219 You said there's no annual report. 00:06:24.352 --> 00:06:25.579 So nothing recurring? 00:06:25.579 --> 00:06:27.579 Nothing with the Secretary of State. 00:06:27.779 --> 00:06:33.899 The recurring item is the business privilege tax return, Form PPT, filed with the 00:06:33.935 --> 00:06:36.459 Department of Revenue alongside the federal return. 00:06:36.459 --> 00:06:37.499 Does everyone pay? 00:06:37.499 --> 00:06:41.979 The return isn't required when the tax due is one hundred dollars or less. 00:06:41.979 --> 00:06:44.779 So what does a normal year cost for the agent? 00:06:44.779 --> 00:06:51.499 Just the fee. Mainstay is $149, and the $99 agents 00:06:51.599 --> 00:06:53.259 are $99. 00:06:53.259 --> 00:06:56.619 Which means nothing prompts you to check who your agent is. 00:06:56.619 --> 00:07:00.299 Exactly, so put a reminder in your own calendar. 00:07:01.425 --> 00:07:03.585 Can I be my own registered agent? 00:07:03.585 --> 00:07:07.185 If you live in Alabama, yes, and the cost is nothing extra. 00:07:07.365 --> 00:07:12.145 The code doesn't address whether the company itself can serve, so we don't claim 00:07:12.209 --> 00:07:12.745 that. 00:07:12.745 --> 00:07:14.065 What's the downside? 00:07:14.065 --> 00:07:18.785 Your name and street address go on a public record, and that address has to be a 00:07:18.865 --> 00:07:21.345 real office where you can be served in person. 00:07:21.705 --> 00:07:25.345 A home office or a busy travel schedule makes that hard. 00:07:25.345 --> 00:07:27.105 And if I miss something being served? 00:07:27.105 --> 00:07:32.305 The clock to respond keeps running, and a court can enter a default judgment before 00:07:32.345 --> 00:07:36.225 you know there's a case. That costs far more than the agent fee. 00:07:37.505 --> 00:07:39.585 How should an Alabama owner choose? 00:07:39.585 --> 00:07:45.025 Three questions. Is it a real Alabama office and not a virtual one, does the price 00:07:45.089 --> 00:07:48.865 hold next year, and who files the one hundred dollar change. 00:07:48.865 --> 00:07:50.305 And your answer? 00:07:50.305 --> 00:07:55.985 Mainstay Filing. Our pick for Alabama, at $149 a year. 00:07:56.763 --> 00:07:58.043 One more time through the list? 00:07:58.043 --> 00:08:03.003 One, Mainstay Filing: $149, same at renewal. 00:08:03.283 --> 00:08:09.403 Two, Northwest: $125, with the report service to cancel. 00:08:09.616 --> 00:08:15.243 Three, AL Registered Agent.org: $99 flat. 00:08:15.531 --> 00:08:22.603 Four, Bizee: free the first year with a formation order, then $149. 00:08:22.859 --> 00:08:28.603 Five, Alabama Registered Agent.co: $99 flat. 00:08:28.603 --> 00:08:30.843 The links are in the show notes. 00:08:30.934 --> 00:08:33.963 Thanks for listening to The Business Formation Podcast.