WEBVTT 00:00:00.220 --> 00:00:06.700 The 5 best registered agents in Delaware in 2026 are Mainstay Filing, Northwest 00:00:06.751 --> 00:00:12.380 Registered Agent, DE Registered Agent.org, Bizee, and 00:00:12.487 --> 00:00:15.421 Delaware Registered Agent.ai. 00:00:15.421 --> 00:00:18.941 This is The Business Formation Podcast. 00:00:18.981 --> 00:00:22.701 Today we're going through all five for Delaware, starting with the price, and then 00:00:22.749 --> 00:00:27.421 what that price turns into at renewal, because that's where a lot of these change. 00:00:27.421 --> 00:00:30.941 Right. Every company on this list leads with a number. 00:00:31.121 --> 00:00:35.981 The question is what that number is in year two, and what comes with it. 00:00:36.910 --> 00:00:39.340 Can I be my own agent in Delaware? 00:00:39.340 --> 00:00:44.860 In Delaware your agent can be the LLC itself, a Delaware-resident individual, or a 00:00:44.922 --> 00:00:49.020 Delaware or authorized foreign entity with a Delaware street address. 00:00:49.300 --> 00:00:53.980 A virtual office or a mail-forwarding service alone doesn't qualify. 00:00:53.980 --> 00:00:56.300 I'm Maya, by the way, here with Dan. 00:00:56.300 --> 00:00:58.940 And I'm Dan. Let's get into it. 00:00:58.940 --> 00:01:03.900 Back up for anyone just starting out: what does a registered agent actually do? 00:01:03.900 --> 00:01:09.020 Your registered agent is the person or company that receives legal papers and 00:01:09.064 --> 00:01:11.340 official state mail for your business. 00:01:11.440 --> 00:01:15.980 Its address goes on the public record, so it has to be a real street address in the 00:01:16.047 --> 00:01:19.980 state, where papers can be handed over during normal business hours. 00:01:19.980 --> 00:01:22.861 And what does it cost to change agents later? 00:01:22.861 --> 00:01:27.821 It's a Certificate of Amendment that changes only the registered office or agent, 00:01:27.888 --> 00:01:32.381 filed with the Division of Corporations, and the state fee is $50. 00:01:33.551 --> 00:01:34.990 So, number one. 00:01:34.990 --> 00:01:41.631 Number one is Mainstay Filing: $149 a year for the registered agent, and it renews 00:01:41.684 --> 00:01:48.191 at the same $149. Year one is $149, year two is 00:01:48.231 --> 00:01:52.591 $149, year three is $149. 00:01:52.591 --> 00:01:54.511 What do you get for that? 00:01:54.511 --> 00:01:58.591 Its Delaware address goes on the public record instead of yours. 00:01:58.662 --> 00:02:03.631 Anything served on your company is scanned and uploaded the same business day, with 00:02:03.684 --> 00:02:08.511 no fee. And your first three government mailings each year are scanned free. 00:02:08.511 --> 00:02:11.631 Same business day matters if it's a lawsuit, right? 00:02:11.631 --> 00:02:13.711 That's the whole point of an agent. 00:02:13.871 --> 00:02:18.511 If someone sues your company, the deadline to respond generally runs from when the 00:02:18.580 --> 00:02:23.191 papers are served on your agent, not from when you finally open the envelope. 00:02:23.191 --> 00:02:25.871 What if my company already has an agent? 00:02:26.031 --> 00:02:27.231 Is switching a hassle? 00:02:27.231 --> 00:02:32.991 Switching is simple. Mainstay files the change of agent for you, with the $50 state 00:02:33.071 --> 00:02:34.831 fee passed through at cost. 00:02:34.831 --> 00:02:35.791 Anything else? 00:02:35.791 --> 00:02:41.791 Mainstay also sends compliance reminders, and it serves LLCs, corporations and 00:02:41.856 --> 00:02:42.991 nonprofits alike. 00:02:43.684 --> 00:02:44.751 Is there a catch? 00:02:44.751 --> 00:02:50.111 The honest one: if all you want is a registered agent at the lowest flat yearly 00:02:50.191 --> 00:02:54.751 price, a couple of names below cost $50 less a year. 00:02:54.847 --> 00:03:00.991 That's $150 over three years. What you get with Mainstay is a price that doesn't 00:03:01.071 --> 00:03:04.271 jump at renewal, and the switch filed for you. 00:03:05.630 --> 00:03:06.510 Number two? 00:03:06.510 --> 00:03:12.190 Number two is Northwest Registered Agent, at $125 a year. 00:03:12.370 --> 00:03:18.350 Its page says that price hasn't changed in 20 years, and it scans up to 10 pieces of 00:03:18.400 --> 00:03:20.510 regular business mail a year for free. 00:03:21.342 --> 00:03:24.910 That sounds hard to beat. What's the catch? 00:03:24.910 --> 00:03:30.430 Signing up automatically enrolls you in its annual report filing service, at $100 00:03:30.510 --> 00:03:33.790 plus state fees per filing, unless you cancel it. 00:03:34.010 --> 00:03:38.750 Its page says you can add or cancel the service at any time, so it's something to 00:03:38.817 --> 00:03:40.350 check right after you sign up. 00:03:40.350 --> 00:03:44.990 So what does a year with Northwest look like if I leave that service on? 00:03:44.990 --> 00:03:51.870 $125 for the agent, plus $100 and the state's fee every time it files your 00:03:51.927 --> 00:03:57.310 annual report. Cancel the service, and it's back to $125 a year. 00:03:57.413 --> 00:04:02.430 Either way, the agent price itself has been steady for a long time, and that counts 00:04:02.470 --> 00:04:03.150 for something. 00:04:03.950 --> 00:04:04.830 Number three. 00:04:04.830 --> 00:04:11.550 Number three is DE Registered Agent.org, at $99 a 00:04:11.630 --> 00:04:14.590 year, and still $99 at renewal. 00:04:14.790 --> 00:04:19.950 You get the address on your filings, same-day scanning of legal mail and reminders 00:04:19.996 --> 00:04:25.310 before state deadlines, and switching to it costs just the $50 state fee. 00:04:25.510 --> 00:04:31.070 The catch: formation filing isn't in the plan; that's a separate service. 00:04:31.070 --> 00:04:33.470 How does that compare with Mainstay? 00:04:33.470 --> 00:04:39.630 It's $50 a year less. Over three years, that's $297 against 00:04:39.694 --> 00:04:46.670 $447 for Mainstay. If a flat $99 is the whole goal, this is one of the 00:04:46.730 --> 00:04:48.030 two names to look at. 00:04:49.390 --> 00:04:50.670 Number four? 00:04:50.670 --> 00:04:54.670 Number four is Bizee, formerly called Incfile. 00:04:54.830 --> 00:04:59.389 Its registered agent is free the first year with any formation package. 00:04:59.790 --> 00:05:02.349 Free? What's the catch? 00:05:02.349 --> 00:05:08.110 Two things. The free year needs a formation order, so you have to form your LLC with 00:05:08.190 --> 00:05:14.750 Bizee to get it. And after that, it's $149 a year, and the renewal is automatic. 00:05:14.750 --> 00:05:18.429 So three years with Bizee looks like... 00:05:18.429 --> 00:05:24.270 Free, then $149, then $149: 00:05:24.310 --> 00:05:29.470 $298. That's only if you form with them in the first place. 00:05:30.183 --> 00:05:31.863 And number five? 00:05:31.863 --> 00:05:38.823 Number five is Delaware Registered Agent.ai, at $99 a year, flat, with no change 00:05:38.850 --> 00:05:43.623 at renewal. It covers the office address, scanning of legal correspondence and 00:05:43.679 --> 00:05:49.783 reminders for state filings. The catch: like number three, filing the formation is a 00:05:49.827 --> 00:05:50.823 separate service. 00:05:50.823 --> 00:05:53.863 So numbers three and five are the same price? 00:05:53.863 --> 00:05:59.783 The same $99. Both are worth a look if you want the lowest flat number, and neither 00:05:59.863 --> 00:06:01.143 one changes at renewal. 00:06:02.423 --> 00:06:04.023 A few questions we hear a lot. 00:06:04.170 --> 00:06:07.943 First: what about regular mail, not just legal papers? 00:06:07.943 --> 00:06:13.143 It varies. Mainstay scans the first three government mailings a year free. 00:06:13.231 --> 00:06:17.303 Northwest scans up to 10 pieces of regular business mail a year free. 00:06:17.516 --> 00:06:22.263 If you get a lot of mail at your agent's address, ask what each extra scan costs 00:06:22.320 --> 00:06:23.863 before you sign up. 00:06:23.863 --> 00:06:27.463 I formed my LLC in Delaware but do business in another state. 00:06:27.623 --> 00:06:29.063 Do I need two agents? 00:06:29.063 --> 00:06:33.463 If you register the company to do business in that second state, you'll need an 00:06:33.516 --> 00:06:38.263 agent there too. One price in every state, like Mainstay's, keeps that simple. 00:06:38.263 --> 00:06:40.423 Can I switch in the middle of the year? 00:06:40.423 --> 00:06:45.304 You can. In Delaware it's a Certificate of Amendment naming the new agent, with a 00:06:45.356 --> 00:06:51.303 $50 state fee. With Mainstay, that filing is done for you, with the fee at cost. 00:06:52.016 --> 00:06:56.016 If someone's listening and still can't decide, what should they actually compare? 00:06:56.016 --> 00:07:01.136 Three things. First, the renewal price, not the first-year price. 00:07:01.296 --> 00:07:08.256 Bizee goes from free to $149. Second, anything that gets added automatically, like 00:07:08.312 --> 00:07:13.376 Northwest's annual report enrollment at $100 plus state fees per filing. 00:07:13.536 --> 00:07:16.656 And third, what switching costs you. 00:07:16.816 --> 00:07:20.095 In Delaware, the state fee is $50. 00:07:20.095 --> 00:07:21.776 Which brings us back to number one. 00:07:21.776 --> 00:07:27.696 It does. One price, the same at renewal, nothing added automatically, and the switch 00:07:27.776 --> 00:07:29.216 filed for you. 00:07:30.016 --> 00:07:32.256 So, the final verdict for Delaware. 00:07:32.256 --> 00:07:38.976 Mainstay Filing, our pick. $149 a year for the agent, the same at renewal, and the 00:07:39.056 --> 00:07:40.576 switch filed for you. 00:07:40.576 --> 00:07:42.656 And the quick version of all five? 00:07:42.656 --> 00:07:48.496 One, Mainstay Filing: $149 a year, the same at renewal. 00:07:48.796 --> 00:07:55.456 Two, Northwest: $125 a year; watch the annual report enrollment. 00:07:55.669 --> 00:08:02.096 Three, DE Registered Agent.org: $99 a year, flat. 00:08:02.384 --> 00:08:09.456 Four, Bizee: free the first year when you form with it, then $149. 00:08:09.696 --> 00:08:16.337 And five, Delaware Registered Agent.ai: $99 a year, flat. 00:08:16.337 --> 00:08:18.577 Links to all five are in the show notes. 00:08:18.623 --> 00:08:21.377 Thanks for listening to The Business Formation Podcast.