[0:00] The short answer Dan: The 5 best registered agents in Ohio in 2026 are Mainstay Filing, Northwest Registered Agent, OH Registered Agent.org, Bizee, and InCorp. Maya: This is The Business Formation Podcast. Ohio has a few quirks. What should a listener know first? Dan: First, Ohio calls it a statutory agent, not a registered agent. Second, Ohio has no annual report at all, so your agent is one of the few recurring costs you'll carry. And changing agents is Form 521, with a $25 fee. [0:36] Ohio's statutory agent rules Maya: Who can be one? Dan: A natural person who lives in Ohio, or a corporation, nonprofit, LLC or partnership with a business address in Ohio. If it's an entity other than an Ohio corporation, it needs to be authorized to do business in Ohio. There's no age rule in the statute. Maya: And the address? I'm guessing a PO box won't do. Dan: Ohio is stricter than most. It has to be the agent's residence or usual place of business, which means a place that's customarily open during normal business hours, with someone generally present who's authorized to perform an agent's services. No post office box, even if the box has a street address, and Form 610 says addresses from commercial mail receiving agencies are not allowed. Maya: Not a mailbox store, then. Dan: Right. Maya: I should say, I'm Maya, and this is Dan. Dan: And I'm Dan. Now the five, in order. [1:32] Mainstay Filing Maya: Who's first? Dan: Mainstay Filing, $149 a year, the same $149 at renewal. Maya: What does that buy? Dan: An Ohio address on the public record in place of your own. Anything served on your company is scanned and uploaded the same business day, and there's no fee. The first three government mailings per year are scanned free. Maya: And if I want to move my company over? Dan: Mainstay files the Form 521 for you. The $25 state fee goes through at cost. Maya: What's the trade-off? Dan: A flat $99 exists on this list, and so does a five-year prepay for less, which we'll get to. Mainstay is $149 on a year-by-year basis, with the form filed on your behalf. [2:20] Northwest Registered Agent Maya: Number two. Dan: Northwest Registered Agent: $125 a year. Its page says it hasn't raised that price in 20 years, and it includes free scans of up to 10 pieces of regular business mail annually. Maya: And the thing to look for? Dan: The auto-enrolled annual report service, $100 plus state fees per filing, unless you cancel. Its page says you can add or cancel it at any time. Maya: But Ohio doesn't have an annual report. Dan: That's the interesting part. The state says business entities in Ohio aren't required to file one. So if you sign up in Ohio, check that enrollment and cancel it if it isn't something you need. [3:01] OH Registered Agent.org Maya: Third? Dan: OH Registered Agent.org, at $99 a year, the same at renewal. It lists the Ohio office address, same-day scanning of legal correspondence and reminders for state deadlines. Maya: Switching? Dan: The $25 state fee plus nothing from them, according to its page. For this one, the catch the listing gives is that formation filing is a separate service. Maya: What does that tell me? Dan: If you're not forming, it might not matter. But if you also need a company filed, price that separately. [3:36] Bizee Maya: Number four. Dan: Bizee, which used to be called Incfile. The agent is free for the first year with any formation package. After that, it's $149 and renews on its own. Maya: So once the free year is over, it's the same as Mainstay. Dan: Yes. Over three years, free plus $149 plus $149 is $298, against $447 at Mainstay. But only if you formed with Bizee to begin with. [4:08] InCorp Maya: And a surprise at number five. Dan: InCorp: $129 a year, flat, in every state. Its page says that price has gone up exactly once since 1998. Maya: That's not in the $99 club. Dan: No. But there's a multi-year deal: as low as $87 a year if you prepay five years. Maya: What's that in total? Dan: $87 times five is $435. Mainstay over the same five years is $745, so on paper, the prepay is $310 less. Maya: And the catch? Dan: It's in the name. The lowest rate means paying years up front. If you'd rather not tie up $435 at once, or you might change agents, the year-by-year price is $129. [5:02] No annual report: what it means Maya: Back up. No annual report in Ohio. Is that really true? Dan: The Secretary of State's FAQ says business entities in Ohio are not required to file one. Maya: Then what's the state actually asking for? Dan: Mostly the original filing and any updates. Articles of Organization on Form 610 are $99, and that form includes the original appointment of the statutory agent and the agent's acceptance. There's no fee for the original appointment. Maya: So a first year is $99 for the state plus an agent. Dan: With Mainstay, $99 plus $149 is $248. In year two the state charge is zero, so it's just the agent: $149. Maya: Compare that with a state that has a $200 annual report. Dan: That's the case for hiring an agent in Ohio with a long view. There's nothing else to rack up every year. [6:02] Changing, resigning, and being served Maya: Walk me through Form 521. Dan: It's called the Statutory Agent Update, and it handles three things: a subsequent appointment of an agent, a change of address, and a resignation. It's $25 for any of those. The company files a written appointment of the new agent with their acceptance, and a statement that the former agent's appointment is revoked. Maya: What about the agent resigning on me? Dan: The agent files written notice and mails a copy to your LLC's principal office no later than the filing date. The agent's authority ends 30 days after the filing. Maya: And with no agent? Dan: Someone suing you can file an affidavit with the Secretary of State and pay $5 for four copies, and the state forwards the papers to you by certified mail. Separately, if you fail to keep an agent, the state sends notice, and if it isn't fixed within 30 days after the mailing, the articles can be canceled without further notice. [6:59] Picking one Maya: If I'm in Columbus and I want a rule of thumb? Dan: Ask whether the price is the same next year, whether anything is added that Ohio doesn't need, and whether somebody files Form 521 for you. Maya: And the name that clears all three? Dan: Mainstay Filing. Our pick for Ohio, at $149 a year. [7:20] The five in a row Maya: One last pass through them. Dan: One, Mainstay Filing: $149 a year, same at renewal. Two, Northwest: $125, and cancel the report service you won't need. Three, OH Registered Agent.org: $99 flat. Four, Bizee: free the first year with a formation order, then $149. Five, InCorp: $129 a year, or $87 a year if you prepay five. Maya: The links are in the show notes. Thanks for listening to The Business Formation Podcast.