[0:00] The short answer Dan: The 5 best registered agents in Mississippi in 2026 are Mainstay Filing, Northwest Registered Agent, Registered Agent MS.org, Bizee, and Mississippi Registered Agent.co. Maya: Welcome to The Business Formation Podcast. Mississippi. What stands out? Dan: The change fee is only $10, and the yearly report is free. So here the price of the agent is nearly the whole cost of staying compliant. [0:28] What Mississippi requires Maya: What does the law say about agents? Dan: Since 2013, Mississippi's Registered Agents Act sets the rules. It splits agents into commercial ones that list with the Secretary of State and noncommercial ones that don't. Maya: Who can be one? Dan: The state's page says any individual, corporation or LLC can act as agent for a Mississippi company, as long as the agent has a physical address in Mississippi. Maya: Is there an age or residency rule? Dan: Not in the Act. The street address does the work. Maya: And a commercial agent? Dan: One that registers with the Secretary of State and holds itself out as an agent for hire. There's a $100 listing fee for the agent, not for you. Maya: Is the street address enough? Dan: A filing needs an actual street address in the state, plus a mailing address in the state if it's different. Maya: I'm Maya, by the way, here with Dan. Dan: Thanks, Maya. Now the five. [1:25] Mainstay Filing Maya: Number one? Dan: Mainstay Filing, $149 a year, the same $149 at renewal. Maya: What does it include? Dan: Its Mississippi address on the record instead of yours. Anything served on your company is scanned and uploaded the same business day at no fee, and the first three government mailings each year are scanned free. Maya: And switching? Dan: Mainstay files the statement of change. The $10 state fee passes through at cost. Maya: The honest catch? Dan: It's not the lowest flat price. Two agents below it are $99. [2:01] Northwest Registered Agent Maya: Second? Dan: Northwest Registered Agent, $125 a year. Its page says the price is unchanged in 20 years, and it scans up to 10 pieces of regular mail a year free. Maya: The catch? Dan: You're automatically enrolled in its annual report filing service, $100 plus state fees per filing, until you cancel. Maya: But Mississippi's report is free. Dan: Right, so that would be $100 for a filing that costs nothing from the state. Cancel it unless you want it. [2:34] Registered Agent MS.org Maya: Third? Dan: Registered Agent MS.org, $99 a year, and it stays $99. The address used on your filings, same-day scanning of legal mail, and compliance reminders. Maya: Switching? Dan: Just the $10 state fee. Annual report filing is a separate service. Maya: Versus Mainstay? Dan: $50 a year less, or $150 over three years. [3:01] Bizee Maya: Four? Dan: Bizee, formerly Incfile. Free the first year with a formation package, then $149 a year. Maya: Fine print? Dan: The free year needs a formation order, and the $149 renewal is automatic. Maya: And if I formed another way? Dan: You start at $149. Two years is $298. [3:26] Mississippi Registered Agent.co Maya: And five? Dan: Mississippi Registered Agent.co, a flat $99. A registered address on file, same-day scanning of legal documents, and reminders for state deadlines. Maya: How's that different from number three? Dan: On the listings, it isn't. Same price, same catch, annual report filing sold separately. [3:48] How consent works Maya: Does my agent have to agree? Dan: Naming an agent is your affirmation that you told them, gave them a forwarding address, and that they consented to serve. Maya: What if I name someone who doesn't want it? Dan: A commercial agent that doesn't want the job has to file a Statement of Non-acceptance within 14 days of selection. Maya: And a noncommercial one? Dan: The state's page says you must get their permission before listing them, and that they will not be notified of their selection. Maya: So a friend could end up named without knowing? Dan: Only if you skip the step. That's why people choose a company that's built for it. [4:24] Naming the agent at formation Maya: Where does the agent go when I form the LLC? Dan: In the Certificate of Formation, filed online for $50. Maya: What goes in for a noncommercial agent? Dan: The name, address and email address. For a commercial agent, just its name. Maya: Why the email? Dan: A 2021 law added it. And the Secretary of State says notice of any filing is emailed to the addresses associated with your company, so you're warned if someone tries to file against it. [4:54] Changing the agent Maya: How do I change it later? Dan: There's no separate form anymore. The state handles it as an amendment, called a statement of change, and the fee is $10. Maya: How do I file? Dan: Log in to the Secretary of State's online system, choose to file an amendment on an existing business, and enter your Mississippi business ID. Maya: Does it need member approval? Dan: No. The owners or governors need not approve the filing, and it takes effect on filing. Maya: How quickly? Dan: Some online filings are approved right away and others reviewed within 24 hours, the state says. Maya: So switching to Mainstay or a $99 agent costs? Dan: $10. Plus the agent's price. [5:37] If the agent resigns Maya: What if my agent quits? Dan: Mississippi is stricter than most here. The agent has to send written notice to your company at least 30 days before filing the statement of resignation, and certify that it did. Maya: Then? Dan: The resignation takes effect on the 31st day after filing, or sooner if you appoint a new agent. The state's fee for it is $0. Maya: So you could get 60 days of warning? Dan: In effect, yes. Thirty days of notice, then 31 days after filing. Use that time to file a change. [6:10] When there's no agent Maya: What if papers need to reach a company with no agent? Dan: The governors are treated as the agent for service. Their names and the principal office address can come from your most recent annual report. Maya: And if they can't be served? Dan: Service goes to the Secretary of State. After that, a copy can be handed to the manager or whoever's in charge of a regular place of business. Maya: Does it affect the company's status? Dan: Yes. A company without a registered agent for 60 days or more is grounds for administrative dissolution, and it's dissolved if it isn't corrected within 60 days after notice. Maya: That's a long way down from a $99 problem. Dan: It is. [6:53] The annual report Maya: What does Mississippi want each year? Dan: An annual report, filed online, between January 1 and April 15. It costs $0. Maya: What's on it? Dan: The agent's name, email address and street address, so it's how the state keeps its record current. Maya: So the yearly cost is just the agent? Dan: Yes. $149 with Mainstay, $99 with the others, and nothing from the state. Maya: Does the state send reminders? Dan: We found no official page saying the reminder goes to the agent, so put April 15 on your calendar. [7:30] Doing it yourself Maya: Can I be my own agent in Mississippi? Dan: As an individual with a physical Mississippi address, yes. The Act doesn't say whether the LLC itself can serve. Maya: What's the tradeoff? Dan: A home address that's now on the filing. The state says it redacts your FEIN and phone number from forms on its website, but the Act requires the agent's address on the filing. Maya: And the job? Dan: To forward whatever is served on you to the company at the address it last gave. That's the only duty the Act lists. [8:04] Picking one Maya: How would a Jackson or Gulfport owner decide? Dan: Three questions. Does the price hold, is there a real Mississippi address, and who files the $10 change when you move. Maya: And your answer? Dan: Mainstay Filing. Our pick for Mississippi, at $149 a year. [8:24] 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, Registered Agent MS.org: $99 flat. Four, Bizee: free the first year with a formation order, then $149. Five, Mississippi Registered Agent.co: $99 flat. Maya: The links are in the show notes. Thanks for listening to The Business Formation Podcast.