WEBVTT 00:00:00.209 --> 00:00:06.529 The 5 best registered agents in Alaska in 2026 are Mainstay Filing, Northwest 00:00:06.573 --> 00:00:11.409 Registered Agent, AK Registered Agent.org, Bizee, and 00:00:11.500 --> 00:00:13.809 Alaska Registered Agent.co. 00:00:13.809 --> 00:00:16.289 Welcome to The Business Formation Podcast. 00:00:16.369 --> 00:00:20.809 Alaska first, and I'm guessing the paperwork has a few quirks of its own? 00:00:20.809 --> 00:00:27.009 A few. The state charges twenty-five dollars to change an agent, the form only goes 00:00:27.089 --> 00:00:32.129 by mail, and the business report is due every two years instead of every year. 00:00:34.796 --> 00:00:36.851 Who do I even file with up there? 00:00:36.961 --> 00:00:38.731 Isn't it a Secretary of State? 00:00:38.731 --> 00:00:44.011 Not for business filings. Alaska has no Secretary of State office for that. 00:00:44.171 --> 00:00:49.131 LLCs file with the Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing, 00:00:49.200 --> 00:00:51.851 inside the Department of Commerce, in Juneau. 00:00:51.851 --> 00:00:53.451 And what does the law require? 00:00:53.451 --> 00:00:59.531 An LLC must continuously maintain a registered agent and a registered office in 00:00:59.611 --> 00:01:04.571 Alaska. The registered office can be the same as the company's own office. 00:01:04.571 --> 00:01:06.091 Who can be the agent? 00:01:06.091 --> 00:01:11.611 An individual resident of Alaska whose business office is the registered office, or 00:01:11.651 --> 00:01:14.651 a corporation authorized to do business in the state. 00:01:14.791 --> 00:01:21.771 The Division's guidance excludes LLCs, LLPs and LPs, and says an agent can't 00:01:21.878 --> 00:01:22.891 be out of state. 00:01:22.891 --> 00:01:25.292 Can I make my own LLC the agent? 00:01:25.292 --> 00:01:31.372 No. The form says the agent cannot be the entity itself and cannot be an LLC. 00:01:31.372 --> 00:01:33.612 I'm Maya, by the way, here with Dan. 00:01:33.612 --> 00:01:35.772 Thanks, Maya. On to the list. 00:01:36.897 --> 00:01:37.617 Number one? 00:01:37.617 --> 00:01:43.777 Mainstay Filing, $149 a year, and $149 again at renewal. 00:01:43.777 --> 00:01:45.217 What do I get for that? 00:01:45.217 --> 00:01:48.977 Its Alaska address on the public record instead of yours. 00:01:49.114 --> 00:01:53.937 Papers served on your company are scanned and uploaded the same business day, no 00:01:54.037 --> 00:01:58.337 fee, and your first three government mailings a year are scanned free. 00:01:58.337 --> 00:01:59.537 Do they handle the switch? 00:01:59.537 --> 00:02:03.857 They file the change of agent for you, and the twenty-five dollar state fee is 00:02:03.914 --> 00:02:05.217 passed through at cost. 00:02:05.817 --> 00:02:07.216 The downside? 00:02:07.216 --> 00:02:12.417 Two others on the list are $99, so Mainstay isn't the pick for someone chasing the 00:02:12.474 --> 00:02:13.697 lowest flat price. 00:02:14.897 --> 00:02:15.937 Second? 00:02:15.937 --> 00:02:19.697 Northwest Registered Agent, $125 a year. 00:02:19.837 --> 00:02:24.737 The standout is that its page says the price hasn't gone up in twenty years, and it 00:02:24.804 --> 00:02:28.337 scans up to ten pieces of regular business mail a year free. 00:02:28.337 --> 00:02:29.777 And the catch? 00:02:29.777 --> 00:02:36.177 Automatic enrollment in its report filing service, $100 plus state fees per filing, 00:02:36.244 --> 00:02:37.497 until you cancel it. 00:02:37.497 --> 00:02:39.137 Does that matter in Alaska? 00:02:39.137 --> 00:02:42.817 It matters when the report only comes around every two years. 00:02:42.913 --> 00:02:46.177 Look at your account early, so a charge doesn't surprise you. 00:02:46.932 --> 00:02:47.812 Three? 00:02:47.812 --> 00:02:53.012 AK Registered Agent.org, $99 a year, the same at renewal. 00:02:53.112 --> 00:02:58.372 The office address on your filings, same-day scanning of court papers, and reminders 00:02:58.429 --> 00:03:00.132 before state deadlines. 00:03:00.132 --> 00:03:01.332 And switching? 00:03:01.332 --> 00:03:08.212 Costs just the $25 state fee. The catch is that report filing is a separate service. 00:03:08.212 --> 00:03:09.572 Against Mainstay? 00:03:09.572 --> 00:03:14.292 $50 a year cheaper, which is $150 over three years. 00:03:14.933 --> 00:03:15.893 Number four. 00:03:15.893 --> 00:03:22.773 Bizee, once Incfile. Free the first year with a formation package, then $149 a 00:03:22.837 --> 00:03:24.373 year on an automatic renewal. 00:03:24.373 --> 00:03:25.493 So who is it for? 00:03:25.493 --> 00:03:28.293 Someone forming a new company who wants a free first year. 00:03:28.586 --> 00:03:35.013 If you already have an LLC, there's no free year and you pay $149 from day one. 00:03:35.013 --> 00:03:37.733 Three years, with a formation order? 00:03:37.733 --> 00:03:43.333 Free, $149 and $149, so 00:03:43.353 --> 00:03:44.933 $298. 00:03:47.592 --> 00:03:48.472 And five? 00:03:48.472 --> 00:03:55.432 Alaska Registered Agent.co. A flat $99 with a physical address, scanned legal 00:03:55.496 --> 00:03:57.431 mail and compliance alerts. 00:03:57.431 --> 00:03:59.191 Different from number three? 00:03:59.191 --> 00:04:03.992 Not on the listings. Same price, same catch of separate report filing. 00:04:04.635 --> 00:04:05.915 Walk me through a change. 00:04:05.915 --> 00:04:12.555 It's Form 08-409, the Change of Registered Agent, also called a statement of change. 00:04:12.695 --> 00:04:15.435 The fee is twenty-five dollars, nonrefundable. 00:04:15.435 --> 00:04:17.115 Can I file it online? 00:04:17.115 --> 00:04:22.075 The form is paper only. You mail it with the fee, and the Division says to allow 00:04:22.142 --> 00:04:24.234 about ten to fifteen business days. 00:04:24.595 --> 00:04:27.115 Ten to fifteen business days for a change? 00:04:27.115 --> 00:04:32.395 That's the estimate. And one thing to know first: the form won't be filed if the 00:04:32.452 --> 00:04:34.635 entity's biennial report isn't current. 00:04:34.635 --> 00:04:35.915 Who signs? 00:04:35.915 --> 00:04:39.915 A member or manager on record, or an attorney-in-fact. 00:04:40.022 --> 00:04:44.235 There's no signature line for the new agent, and the statute doesn't require one. 00:04:44.235 --> 00:04:47.435 Is there a faster way, like on the biennial report? 00:04:47.435 --> 00:04:53.995 No. The Division's FAQ says agent information can't be changed on a biennial report. 00:04:55.299 --> 00:04:57.299 You mentioned a report every two years. 00:04:57.379 --> 00:04:58.099 What is it? 00:04:58.099 --> 00:05:01.059 The biennial report is one hundred dollars. 00:05:01.139 --> 00:05:06.739 It lists the registered office and agent, managers or members, and each owner of 00:05:06.803 --> 00:05:08.979 five percent or more. 00:05:08.979 --> 00:05:09.859 When is it due? 00:05:09.859 --> 00:05:15.859 Before January second of the filing year, in even or odd years matching when you 00:05:15.939 --> 00:05:19.299 formed. It's delinquent after February first. 00:05:19.299 --> 00:05:22.819 So the report and the agent change are linked. 00:05:22.819 --> 00:05:28.579 In practice, yes. Fall behind on the report and you can't file the change. 00:05:28.579 --> 00:05:31.379 And naming the agent at formation? 00:05:31.379 --> 00:05:37.219 The Articles of Organization, Form 08-0484, are 00:05:37.299 --> 00:05:43.059 $250, and they state the agent's name and the registered office mailing address. 00:05:45.566 --> 00:05:46.927 What if my agent quits? 00:05:46.927 --> 00:05:52.807 They file Form 08-4981, the Registered Agent Resignation. 00:05:52.927 --> 00:05:56.527 It's twenty-five dollars and has to be mailed, not emailed. 00:05:56.527 --> 00:05:57.887 What does the company have? 00:05:57.887 --> 00:06:03.327 Thirty days. The resignation takes effect thirty days after filing unless you name a 00:06:03.383 --> 00:06:08.607 successor sooner, and the Division mails a copy to the company's principal office. 00:06:08.607 --> 00:06:10.367 What happens if I don't replace them? 00:06:10.367 --> 00:06:15.247 The form says the entity becomes non-compliant after those thirty days. 00:06:17.014 --> 00:06:19.654 Does Alaska have a fallback if nobody's watching? 00:06:19.654 --> 00:06:25.334 It does. If a company has no agent, or the agent can't be found at the registered 00:06:25.403 --> 00:06:29.494 office, the commissioner becomes the company's agent for service. 00:06:29.494 --> 00:06:31.894 So papers still reach somebody. 00:06:31.894 --> 00:06:34.214 Reach the commissioner, who mails them to you. 00:06:34.438 --> 00:06:37.094 That's slower than having your own agent. 00:06:37.094 --> 00:06:38.774 And dissolution? 00:06:38.774 --> 00:06:43.494 A company that fails for thirty days to appoint and maintain an agent can be 00:06:43.550 --> 00:06:46.054 dissolved, after written notice by mail. 00:06:46.347 --> 00:06:51.014 If it doesn't contest within sixty days of the notice, it may be dissolved. 00:06:51.814 --> 00:06:53.894 Why not just be my own agent? 00:06:53.894 --> 00:06:57.734 If you're an Alaska resident with a business office at the registered office, you 00:06:57.834 --> 00:06:59.974 can. The cost is nothing extra. 00:06:59.974 --> 00:07:01.334 What's the catch? 00:07:01.334 --> 00:07:05.734 Everything you submit is a public record posted on the state's website, so your name 00:07:05.754 --> 00:07:09.894 and address are out there. And you have to be physically in Alaska. 00:07:09.894 --> 00:07:12.374 And if I'm away fishing for the season? 00:07:12.374 --> 00:07:15.334 Then the agent being reachable matters more. 00:07:15.574 --> 00:07:19.494 A service that scans papers the same business day keeps you in front of any 00:07:19.547 --> 00:07:20.054 deadline. 00:07:21.254 --> 00:07:23.654 How should an Alaska owner choose? 00:07:23.654 --> 00:07:30.534 Three things. Does the price hold, is there a real Alaska address, and who files the 00:07:30.630 --> 00:07:32.054 mail-only change. 00:07:32.054 --> 00:07:33.414 And your answer? 00:07:33.414 --> 00:07:39.334 Mainstay Filing. Our pick for Alaska, at $149 a year. 00:07:40.134 --> 00:07:41.014 All five once more? 00:07:41.014 --> 00:07:46.615 One, Mainstay Filing: $149, same at renewal. 00:07:46.975 --> 00:07:53.095 Two, Northwest: $125, with the report service to 00:07:53.175 --> 00:08:00.055 cancel. Three, AK Registered Agent.org: $99 flat. 00:08:00.359 --> 00:08:06.055 Four, Bizee: free the first year with a formation order, then 00:08:06.115 --> 00:08:13.175 $149. Five, Alaska Registered Agent.co: 00:08:13.232 --> 00:08:14.775 $99 flat. 00:08:14.775 --> 00:08:17.175 The links are in the show notes. 00:08:17.289 --> 00:08:20.375 Thanks for listening to The Business Formation Podcast.