[0:00] The short answer Dan: The 5 best registered agents in Arkansas in 2026 are Mainstay Filing, Northwest Registered Agent, AR Registered Agent.org, Bizee, and Arkansas Registered Agent.co. Maya: Welcome to The Business Formation Podcast. Arkansas. Is it going to cost me to switch? Dan: Not at the state level. Arkansas charges no fee to change your agent, but the yearly franchise tax report is $150 and it's due on May first. [0:35] What the law says Maya: How does Arkansas treat registered agents? Dan: Under its Registered Agents Act, a registered agent is the person authorized to receive any process, notice or demand for the company. The agent has to forward whatever is served to the company's last known address. Maya: Who can do it? Dan: The Act sets no age or residency rule. A filing names either a commercial registered agent, which is a service listed with the Secretary of State, or a noncommercial one with a name and address. Maya: And the address? Dan: A street address in Arkansas, or a rural route box number. The franchise tax instructions are blunt: the agent must be located at that address, and a post office box or mail drop may not be used. Maya: Does the agent have to sign anything? Dan: No. Naming an agent is the company's affirmation that the agent has agreed to serve, so the change form has no agent signature. Maya: I'm Maya, by the way, here with Dan. Dan: Thanks, Maya. Here are the five. [1:37] Mainstay Filing Maya: First pick? Dan: Mainstay Filing, $149 a year, and the same $149 at renewal. Maya: What's included? Dan: Its Arkansas address goes on the public record in place of yours. Court papers are scanned and uploaded the same business day with no fee, and the first three government mailings each year are scanned free. Maya: What about the switch itself? Dan: Mainstay files it for you, and with Arkansas charging nothing, it costs you nothing at the state. Maya: Where does it fall short? Dan: On price alone. Two of the others are $99. [2:12] Northwest Registered Agent Maya: Number two? Dan: Northwest Registered Agent, $125 a year. It says the price hasn't risen in twenty years, and up to ten regular mail scans a year are free. Maya: And the catch? Dan: You're enrolled automatically in its annual report filing service, $100 plus state fees per filing, unless you cancel it. Maya: Does Arkansas have an annual report? Dan: It has the franchise tax report, which is $150. That's what the service would be filing, so decide if you want to pay a hundred extra for it. [2:46] AR Registered Agent.org Maya: Third? Dan: AR Registered Agent.org, $99 a year, the same at renewal. The address used on your filings, same-day scanning of legal mail and reminders for state deadlines. Maya: And switching? Dan: Costs no state fee. The catch: annual report filing is a separate service. Maya: Compared with the top pick? Dan: $50 a year less, so $150 across three years. [3:12] Bizee Maya: And four? Dan: Bizee, which was Incfile. The agent is free for the first year with a formation package, then $149 a year, renewed automatically. Maya: If I formed my Arkansas LLC on my own? Dan: There's no free year. You start at $149, and that's still $298 for two years. [3:33] Arkansas Registered Agent.co Maya: Last one. Dan: Arkansas Registered Agent.co. A flat $99, with a registered address on file, same-day scanning of legal documents and compliance reminders. Maya: How does it differ from number three? Dan: Not that the listings show. Same price and the same catch, report filing costs extra. [3:54] Naming and changing the agent Maya: Where does the agent go at formation? Dan: On the Certificate of Organization, Form LL-01, with the agent's name and physical street address. That's $45 online or $50 on paper. Maya: And a change later? Dan: The Notice of Change of Registered Agent, Form DO-03. There's no fee, online or on paper. Maya: Nothing at all? Dan: Nothing. The fee list says no fee, and the statement takes effect when it's filed. The members and managers don't have to approve it. Maya: How quickly does the state process it? Dan: Most filings go through within two business days of receipt. Maya: Any trap? Dan: Unpaid franchise tax. Arkansas prohibits any additional filings with the Business and Commercial Services division until it's paid. [4:42] The franchise tax report Maya: Tell me about that report. Dan: The Annual LLC Franchise Tax Report is a flat $150, due May first. The first one comes the year after you form. Maya: And if it's late? Dan: A $25 late penalty plus interest, and no extensions. Maya: So a normal year with a $99 agent costs? Dan: $99 plus $150 is $249. With Mainstay, $149 plus $150 is $299. Maya: Does the report change the agent? Dan: That's a separate filing, so don't expect one to do the other. [5:21] Where the agent's address shows up Maya: Is the agent's address the only one I give? Dan: No. The Act also asks for a mailing address in Arkansas if it's different from the street address. So there can be two lines on file. Maya: Why does that matter to an owner? Dan: Because the agent's street address is public. If the agent is you, that's your own address in front of anyone who searches the registry. Maya: And a business address? Dan: A service gives you a business address instead, which keeps your home out of the record. Maya: Does Arkansas say where its own notices go? Dan: Not that we found, so keep your principal office address current as well. [5:57] If the agent resigns Maya: What if my agent quits? Dan: A statement of resignation. There's no fee, and the agent has to promptly tell the company in writing the date it was filed. Maya: When does it take effect? Dan: On the earlier of the 31st day after filing, or when you appoint a new agent. Maya: And if I never do? Dan: The Secretary of State can start administrative dissolution if the company has no registered agent for sixty consecutive days. There's a notice, then sixty more days to fix it. Maya: Can I come back from that? Dan: You can apply for reinstatement within two years. [6:33] If no one can be served Maya: What if the process server can't find the agent? Dan: Then the company can be served by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, addressed to its governors by name at the principal office. Maya: So the papers go to the owners. Dan: To one or more of the governors. That's a safety net, but it depends on your principal office address being current. [6:55] Doing it yourself Maya: Can I be my own agent? Dan: The Act lets a company name a person or an officer with a business office address, so many small owners do. It costs nothing extra. Maya: What's the downside? Dan: The street address goes on the public record, and you have to be located there. If you work from home or travel, that's a lot to promise. Maya: And when papers do arrive? Dan: A same-day scan from a service gives you a head start on a deadline. [7:23] Picking one Maya: How should someone in Little Rock or Fayetteville decide? Dan: Three things. Does the price stay the same next year, is it a real Arkansas street address, and who files the change. Maya: And your answer? Dan: Mainstay Filing. Our pick for Arkansas, at $149 a year. [7:44] The five in a row Maya: Once more, all five? Dan: One, Mainstay Filing: $149, same at renewal. Two, Northwest: $125, with the report service to cancel. Three, AR Registered Agent.org: $99 flat. Four, Bizee: free the first year with a formation order, then $149. Five, Arkansas Registered Agent.co: $99 flat. Maya: The links are in the show notes. Thanks for listening to The Business Formation Podcast.