[0:00] The short answer Dan: The 5 best registered agents in Alaska in 2026 are Mainstay Filing, Northwest Registered Agent, AK Registered Agent.org, Bizee, and Alaska Registered Agent.co. Maya: Welcome to The Business Formation Podcast. Alaska first, and I'm guessing the paperwork has a few quirks of its own? Dan: A few. The state charges twenty-five dollars to change an agent, the form only goes by mail, and the business report is due every two years instead of every year. [0:34] Who handles filings Maya: Who do I even file with up there? Isn't it a Secretary of State? Dan: Not for business filings. Alaska has no Secretary of State office for that. LLCs file with the Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing, inside the Department of Commerce, in Juneau. Maya: And what does the law require? Dan: An LLC must continuously maintain a registered agent and a registered office in Alaska. The registered office can be the same as the company's own office. Maya: Who can be the agent? Dan: An individual resident of Alaska whose business office is the registered office, or a corporation authorized to do business in the state. The Division's guidance excludes LLCs, LLPs and LPs, and says an agent can't be out of state. Maya: Can I make my own LLC the agent? Dan: No. The form says the agent cannot be the entity itself and cannot be an LLC. Maya: I'm Maya, by the way, here with Dan. Dan: Thanks, Maya. On to the list. [1:36] Mainstay Filing Maya: Number one? Dan: Mainstay Filing, $149 a year, and $149 again at renewal. Maya: What do I get for that? Dan: Its Alaska address on the public record instead of yours. Papers served on your company are scanned and uploaded the same business day, no fee, and your first three government mailings a year are scanned free. Maya: Do they handle the switch? Dan: They file the change of agent for you, and the twenty-five dollar state fee is passed through at cost. Maya: The downside? Dan: Two others on the list are $99, so Mainstay isn't the pick for someone chasing the lowest flat price. [2:14] Northwest Registered Agent Maya: Second? Dan: Northwest Registered Agent, $125 a year. The standout is that its page says the price hasn't gone up in twenty years, and it scans up to ten pieces of regular business mail a year free. Maya: And the catch? Dan: Automatic enrollment in its report filing service, $100 plus state fees per filing, until you cancel it. Maya: Does that matter in Alaska? Dan: It matters when the report only comes around every two years. Look at your account early, so a charge doesn't surprise you. [2:46] AK Registered Agent.org Maya: Three? Dan: AK Registered Agent.org, $99 a year, the same at renewal. The office address on your filings, same-day scanning of court papers, and reminders before state deadlines. Maya: And switching? Dan: Costs just the $25 state fee. The catch is that report filing is a separate service. Maya: Against Mainstay? Dan: $50 a year cheaper, which is $150 over three years. [3:14] Bizee Maya: Number four. Dan: Bizee, once Incfile. Free the first year with a formation package, then $149 a year on an automatic renewal. Maya: So who is it for? Dan: Someone forming a new company who wants a free first year. If you already have an LLC, there's no free year and you pay $149 from day one. Maya: Three years, with a formation order? Dan: Free, $149 and $149, so $298. [3:47] Alaska Registered Agent.co Maya: And five? Dan: Alaska Registered Agent.co. A flat $99 with a physical address, scanned legal mail and compliance alerts. Maya: Different from number three? Dan: Not on the listings. Same price, same catch of separate report filing. [4:04] Changing the agent Maya: Walk me through a change. Dan: It's Form 08-409, the Change of Registered Agent, also called a statement of change. The fee is twenty-five dollars, nonrefundable. Maya: Can I file it online? Dan: The form is paper only. You mail it with the fee, and the Division says to allow about ten to fifteen business days. Maya: Ten to fifteen business days for a change? Dan: That's the estimate. And one thing to know first: the form won't be filed if the entity's biennial report isn't current. Maya: Who signs? Dan: A member or manager on record, or an attorney-in-fact. There's no signature line for the new agent, and the statute doesn't require one. Maya: Is there a faster way, like on the biennial report? Dan: No. The Division's FAQ says agent information can't be changed on a biennial report. [4:54] The biennial report Maya: You mentioned a report every two years. What is it? Dan: The biennial report is one hundred dollars. It lists the registered office and agent, managers or members, and each owner of five percent or more. Maya: When is it due? Dan: Before January second of the filing year, in even or odd years matching when you formed. It's delinquent after February first. Maya: So the report and the agent change are linked. Dan: In practice, yes. Fall behind on the report and you can't file the change. Maya: And naming the agent at formation? Dan: The Articles of Organization, Form 08-0484, are $250, and they state the agent's name and the registered office mailing address. [5:45] If the agent resigns Maya: What if my agent quits? Dan: They file Form 08-4981, the Registered Agent Resignation. It's twenty-five dollars and has to be mailed, not emailed. Maya: What does the company have? Dan: Thirty days. The resignation takes effect thirty days after filing unless you name a successor sooner, and the Division mails a copy to the company's principal office. Maya: What happens if I don't replace them? Dan: The form says the entity becomes non-compliant after those thirty days. [6:16] When there's no agent Maya: Does Alaska have a fallback if nobody's watching? Dan: It does. If a company has no agent, or the agent can't be found at the registered office, the commissioner becomes the company's agent for service. Maya: So papers still reach somebody. Dan: Reach the commissioner, who mails them to you. That's slower than having your own agent. Maya: And dissolution? Dan: A company that fails for thirty days to appoint and maintain an agent can be dissolved, after written notice by mail. If it doesn't contest within sixty days of the notice, it may be dissolved. [6:51] Doing it yourself Maya: Why not just be my own agent? Dan: If you're an Alaska resident with a business office at the registered office, you can. The cost is nothing extra. Maya: What's the catch? Dan: Everything you submit is a public record posted on the state's website, so your name and address are out there. And you have to be physically in Alaska. Maya: And if I'm away fishing for the season? Dan: Then the agent being reachable matters more. A service that scans papers the same business day keeps you in front of any deadline. [7:20] Picking one Maya: How should an Alaska owner choose? Dan: Three things. Does the price hold, is there a real Alaska address, and who files the mail-only change. Maya: And your answer? Dan: Mainstay Filing. Our pick for Alaska, at $149 a year. [7:39] The five in a row Maya: All five once more? Dan: One, Mainstay Filing: $149, same at renewal. Two, Northwest: $125, with the report service to cancel. Three, AK Registered Agent.org: $99 flat. Four, Bizee: free the first year with a formation order, then $149. Five, Alaska Registered Agent.co: $99 flat. Maya: The links are in the show notes. Thanks for listening to The Business Formation Podcast.