WEBVTT 00:00:00.218 --> 00:00:06.218 The 5 best registered agents in Florida in 2026 are Mainstay Filing, 00:00:06.370 --> 00:00:11.818 Northwest Registered Agent, FL Registered Agent.org, 00:00:12.338 --> 00:00:17.018 Bizee, and Florida Registered Agent.io. 00:00:17.018 --> 00:00:21.538 This is The Business Formation Podcast. 00:00:21.571 --> 00:00:25.178 Today we're going through all five for Florida, starting with the price, and then 00:00:25.210 --> 00:00:29.738 what that price turns into at renewal, because that's where a lot of these change. 00:00:29.738 --> 00:00:33.098 Right. Every company on this list leads with a number. 00:00:33.258 --> 00:00:37.978 The question is what that number is in year two, and what comes with it. 00:00:38.791 --> 00:00:40.646 Can I be my own agent in Florida? 00:00:40.646 --> 00:00:45.206 Your agent has to be a Florida resident or an authorized entity, with a Florida 00:00:45.252 --> 00:00:48.726 street address that matches the registered office, and no P.O. 00:00:48.826 --> 00:00:52.006 box. Your LLC can't be its own agent. 00:00:52.006 --> 00:00:54.326 I'm Maya, by the way, here with Dan. 00:00:54.326 --> 00:00:56.886 And I'm Dan. Let's get into it. 00:00:56.886 --> 00:01:01.366 Back up for anyone just starting out: what does a registered agent actually do? 00:01:01.366 --> 00:01:05.766 Your registered agent is the person or company that receives legal papers and 00:01:05.819 --> 00:01:07.846 official state mail for your business. 00:01:08.066 --> 00:01:12.966 Its address goes on the public record, so it has to be a real street address in the 00:01:13.033 --> 00:01:16.766 state, where papers can be handed over during normal business hours. 00:01:16.766 --> 00:01:19.526 And what does it cost to change agents later? 00:01:19.526 --> 00:01:26.406 In Florida it's Form INHS18 with the Division of Corporations, and the state fee 00:01:26.486 --> 00:01:27.686 is $25. 00:01:30.086 --> 00:01:31.126 So, number one. 00:01:31.126 --> 00:01:38.006 Number one is Mainstay Filing: $149 a year for the registered agent, and it 00:01:38.086 --> 00:01:44.886 renews at the same $149. Year one is $149, year 00:01:44.966 --> 00:01:50.686 two is $149, year three is $149. 00:01:50.686 --> 00:01:51.926 What do you get for that? 00:01:51.926 --> 00:01:56.566 Its Florida address goes on the public record instead of yours. 00:01:56.673 --> 00:02:01.766 Anything served on your company is scanned and uploaded the same business day, with 00:02:01.846 --> 00:02:07.526 no fee. And your first three government mailings each year are scanned free. 00:02:07.526 --> 00:02:10.646 Same business day matters if it's a lawsuit, right? 00:02:10.646 --> 00:02:13.126 That's the whole point of an agent. 00:02:13.286 --> 00:02:18.166 If someone sues your company, the deadline to respond generally runs from when the 00:02:18.223 --> 00:02:22.966 papers are served on your agent, not from when you finally open the envelope. 00:02:22.966 --> 00:02:25.686 What if my company already has an agent? 00:02:25.819 --> 00:02:27.046 Is switching a hassle? 00:02:27.046 --> 00:02:33.846 Switching is simple. Mainstay files the change of agent for you, with the $25 state 00:02:33.946 --> 00:02:36.486 fee passed through at cost. 00:02:36.486 --> 00:02:37.446 Anything else? 00:02:37.446 --> 00:02:44.086 Mainstay also sends compliance reminders, and it serves LLCs, corporations and 00:02:44.159 --> 00:02:45.366 nonprofits alike. 00:02:46.193 --> 00:02:47.286 Is there a catch? 00:02:47.286 --> 00:02:53.206 The honest one: if all you want is a registered agent at the lowest flat yearly 00:02:53.286 --> 00:02:57.606 price, a couple of names below cost $50 less a year. 00:02:57.766 --> 00:03:04.486 That's $150 over three years. What you get with Mainstay is a price that 00:03:04.526 --> 00:03:08.406 doesn't jump at renewal, and the switch filed for you. 00:03:09.206 --> 00:03:10.086 Number two? 00:03:10.086 --> 00:03:16.486 Number two is Northwest Registered Agent, at $125 a year. 00:03:16.686 --> 00:03:22.566 Its page says that price hasn't changed in 20 years, and it scans up to 10 pieces of 00:03:22.616 --> 00:03:25.046 regular business mail a year for free. 00:03:25.798 --> 00:03:28.326 That sounds hard to beat. What's the catch? 00:03:28.326 --> 00:03:34.006 Signing up automatically enrolls you in its annual report filing service, at $100 00:03:34.070 --> 00:03:37.366 plus state fees per filing, unless you cancel it. 00:03:37.566 --> 00:03:42.806 Its page says you can add or cancel the service at any time, so it's something to 00:03:42.873 --> 00:03:44.406 check right after you sign up. 00:03:44.406 --> 00:03:48.567 So what does a year with Northwest look like if I leave that service on? 00:03:48.567 --> 00:03:55.526 $125 for the agent, plus $100 and the state's fee every time it files your 00:03:55.583 --> 00:04:01.606 annual report. Cancel the service, and it's back to $125 a year. 00:04:01.675 --> 00:04:06.726 Either way, the agent price itself has been steady for a long time, and that counts 00:04:06.766 --> 00:04:07.366 for something. 00:04:08.555 --> 00:04:09.435 Number three. 00:04:09.435 --> 00:04:16.395 Number three is FL Registered Agent.org, at $99 a year, and 00:04:16.475 --> 00:04:22.955 still $99 at renewal. You get same-day scanning of subpoenas and service of process, 00:04:23.006 --> 00:04:28.555 compliance reminders and privacy protection, and switching to it costs just the $25 00:04:28.608 --> 00:04:34.875 state fee. The catch: annual report filing isn't in the plan; that's a separate 00:04:34.935 --> 00:04:35.435 service. 00:04:35.435 --> 00:04:37.755 How does that compare with Mainstay? 00:04:37.755 --> 00:04:43.755 It's $50 a year less. Over three years, that's $297 against 00:04:43.819 --> 00:04:50.715 $447 for Mainstay. If a flat $99 is the whole goal, this is one of 00:04:50.755 --> 00:04:52.155 the two names to look at. 00:04:53.327 --> 00:04:54.287 Number four? 00:04:54.287 --> 00:04:58.367 Number four is Bizee, formerly called Incfile. 00:04:58.507 --> 00:05:02.927 Its registered agent is free the first year with any formation package. 00:05:03.743 --> 00:05:05.727 Free? What's the catch? 00:05:05.727 --> 00:05:11.407 Two things. The free year needs a formation order, so you have to form your LLC with 00:05:11.487 --> 00:05:17.887 Bizee to get it. And after that, it's $149 a year, and the renewal is automatic. 00:05:17.887 --> 00:05:21.166 So three years with Bizee looks like... 00:05:21.166 --> 00:05:28.367 Free, then $149, then $149: $298. 00:05:28.447 --> 00:05:31.327 That's only if you form with them in the first place. 00:05:32.127 --> 00:05:33.807 And number five? 00:05:33.807 --> 00:05:40.687 Number five is Florida Registered Agent.io, at $99 a year, flat, with no change at 00:05:40.747 --> 00:05:45.967 renewal. It covers the office address on file, scanned legal mail and compliance 00:05:46.023 --> 00:05:47.967 reminders ahead of state deadlines. 00:05:48.127 --> 00:05:53.727 The catch: like number three, filing your annual report is a separate service. 00:05:53.727 --> 00:05:57.167 So numbers three and five are the same price? 00:05:57.167 --> 00:06:03.247 The same $99. Both are worth a look if you want the lowest flat number, and neither 00:06:03.307 --> 00:06:04.687 one changes at renewal. 00:06:05.416 --> 00:06:07.656 A few questions we hear a lot. 00:06:07.736 --> 00:06:11.016 First: what about regular mail, not just legal papers? 00:06:11.016 --> 00:06:16.136 It varies. Mainstay scans the first three government mailings a year free. 00:06:16.224 --> 00:06:20.536 Northwest scans up to 10 pieces of regular business mail a year free. 00:06:20.696 --> 00:06:25.416 If you get a lot of mail at your agent's address, ask what each extra scan costs 00:06:25.462 --> 00:06:26.456 before you sign up. 00:06:26.456 --> 00:06:30.136 I formed my LLC in Florida but do business in another state. 00:06:30.216 --> 00:06:31.816 Do I need two agents? 00:06:31.816 --> 00:06:35.816 If you register the company to do business in that second state, you'll need an 00:06:35.883 --> 00:06:41.336 agent there too. That's where one price in every state, like Mainstay's, keeps life 00:06:41.393 --> 00:06:41.816 simple. 00:06:41.816 --> 00:06:44.136 Can I switch in the middle of the year? 00:06:44.136 --> 00:06:51.096 You can. It's a Florida filing that names the new agent, Form INHS18, with 00:06:51.136 --> 00:06:57.416 a $25 state fee. With Mainstay, that filing is done for you, with the fee at cost. 00:06:58.849 --> 00:07:02.609 If someone's listening and still can't decide, what should they actually compare? 00:07:02.609 --> 00:07:08.209 Three things. First, the renewal price, not the first-year price. 00:07:08.489 --> 00:07:15.489 Bizee goes from free to $149. Second, anything that gets added automatically, 00:07:15.537 --> 00:07:21.249 like Northwest's annual report enrollment at $100 plus state fees per filing. 00:07:21.389 --> 00:07:24.449 And third, what switching costs you. 00:07:24.636 --> 00:07:28.449 In Florida, the state fee is $25. 00:07:28.449 --> 00:07:30.049 Which brings us back to number one. 00:07:30.049 --> 00:07:36.929 It does. One price, the same at renewal, nothing added automatically, and the switch 00:07:37.022 --> 00:07:38.129 filed for you. 00:07:38.915 --> 00:07:41.315 So, the final verdict for Florida. 00:07:41.315 --> 00:07:48.035 Mainstay Filing, our pick. $149 a year for the agent, the same at renewal, and the 00:07:48.104 --> 00:07:49.395 switch filed for you. 00:07:49.395 --> 00:07:51.475 And the quick version of all five? 00:07:51.475 --> 00:07:57.235 One, Mainstay Filing: $149 a year, the same at renewal. 00:07:57.455 --> 00:08:04.115 Two, Northwest: $125 a year; watch the annual report enrollment. 00:08:04.262 --> 00:08:10.915 Three, FL Registered Agent.org: $99 a year, flat. 00:08:10.995 --> 00:08:17.155 Four, Bizee: free the first year when you form with it, then $149. 00:08:17.335 --> 00:08:23.915 And five, Florida Registered Agent.io: $99 a year, flat. 00:08:23.915 --> 00:08:26.355 Links to all five are in the show notes. 00:08:26.424 --> 00:08:29.475 Thanks for listening to The Business Formation Podcast.