WEBVTT 00:00:00.216 --> 00:00:06.856 The 5 best registered agents in Tennessee in 2026 are Mainstay Filing, Northwest 00:00:06.900 --> 00:00:12.136 Registered Agent, TN Registered Agent.org, Bizee, and 00:00:12.208 --> 00:00:15.736 Tennessee Registered Agent.co. 00:00:15.736 --> 00:00:18.216 Welcome to The Business Formation Podcast. 00:00:18.288 --> 00:00:22.696 Tennessee, so I'm guessing the annual report is what people grumble about? 00:00:22.696 --> 00:00:28.696 It is. The report has a $300 minimum, which changes how you compare agents. 00:00:28.785 --> 00:00:34.296 Changing yours is Form SS-4534, and the fee is twenty dollars. 00:00:35.155 --> 00:00:37.395 First, how does Tennessee frame this? 00:00:37.395 --> 00:00:42.435 It requires every entity, other than a general partnership, to keep a registered 00:00:42.515 --> 00:00:46.115 agent and a registered office in Tennessee at all times. 00:00:46.315 --> 00:00:51.395 And the two go together: the registered office and the agent's business office have 00:00:51.448 --> 00:00:53.075 to be at the same street address. 00:00:53.075 --> 00:00:54.755 Who can be the agent? 00:00:54.755 --> 00:01:00.035 An individual who resides in Tennessee, or an organization such as a corporation or 00:01:00.235 --> 00:01:04.035 LLC that keeps a business office at that registered address. 00:01:04.235 --> 00:01:07.076 The statute has no age rule that we found. 00:01:07.076 --> 00:01:09.715 Can my LLC be its own agent? 00:01:09.715 --> 00:01:14.435 The official pages don't say either way, so we'd say we couldn't confirm it, and 00:01:14.475 --> 00:01:16.755 check with the Secretary of State before you try. 00:01:16.755 --> 00:01:18.035 And the address? 00:01:18.035 --> 00:01:20.995 It has to be a physical Tennessee address. 00:01:21.195 --> 00:01:27.235 A post office box, a route number or a box number alone gets rejected, and the form 00:01:27.299 --> 00:01:29.315 says the address will be verified. 00:01:29.582 --> 00:01:33.155 It also asks for the county and the agent's email. 00:01:33.155 --> 00:01:35.155 Does the agent have to sign anything? 00:01:35.155 --> 00:01:40.515 Not that we could see. The forms have no agent signature, and the FAQ describes an 00:01:40.582 --> 00:01:43.556 agent as someone who agrees to accept legal mail. 00:01:43.556 --> 00:01:46.196 I'm Maya, and this is Dan, by the way. 00:01:46.196 --> 00:01:48.036 Thanks, Maya. Here's the list. 00:01:49.275 --> 00:01:50.235 Where do we start? 00:01:50.235 --> 00:01:56.635 Mainstay Filing: $149 a year, the same $149 at renewal. 00:01:56.635 --> 00:01:57.515 What do I get? 00:01:57.515 --> 00:02:00.955 A Tennessee address on the public record instead of your own. 00:02:01.035 --> 00:02:05.515 Papers served on your company are scanned and uploaded the same business day at no 00:02:05.584 --> 00:02:10.395 charge, and the first three government mailings each year are scanned for free. 00:02:10.395 --> 00:02:11.595 And switching? 00:02:11.595 --> 00:02:13.435 Mainstay files the change for you. 00:02:13.555 --> 00:02:16.475 The twenty-dollar state fee goes through at cost. 00:02:16.851 --> 00:02:17.675 Any downside? 00:02:17.675 --> 00:02:20.595 It isn't the cheapest flat plan on the list. 00:02:20.665 --> 00:02:24.955 Two of the others are $99, and that's the honest comparison. 00:02:25.707 --> 00:02:26.746 Second. 00:02:26.746 --> 00:02:30.347 Northwest Registered Agent, $125 a year. 00:02:30.527 --> 00:02:35.467 Its page says it hasn't raised the price in twenty years, and up to ten pieces of 00:02:35.520 --> 00:02:38.107 ordinary business mail a year are scanned free. 00:02:38.107 --> 00:02:40.107 What should I know? 00:02:40.107 --> 00:02:45.387 Signing up enrolls you in its annual report filing service, $100 plus state fees 00:02:45.451 --> 00:02:47.947 each time you file, unless you cancel it. 00:02:48.134 --> 00:02:50.827 It says you can add or cancel any time. 00:02:50.827 --> 00:02:53.947 Tennessee's minimum is $300. 00:02:53.947 --> 00:02:59.227 So the service plus the state's minimum is $400 in a filing year. 00:02:59.367 --> 00:03:02.667 The agent alone is the $125. 00:03:03.396 --> 00:03:05.076 And number three? 00:03:05.076 --> 00:03:11.716 TN Registered Agent.org, at $99 a year, and still $99 when it 00:03:11.769 --> 00:03:17.236 renews. A registered address on file, same-day scanning of legal documents and 00:03:17.287 --> 00:03:20.356 compliance reminders before state deadlines. 00:03:20.356 --> 00:03:21.316 To move to them? 00:03:21.316 --> 00:03:24.996 The twenty-dollar state fee, and nothing extra from them. 00:03:25.087 --> 00:03:27.956 Annual report filing is its own service. 00:03:27.956 --> 00:03:29.556 Against Mainstay? 00:03:29.556 --> 00:03:34.676 $50 a year cheaper, so $150 across three years. 00:03:35.941 --> 00:03:36.501 Four. 00:03:36.501 --> 00:03:38.781 Bizee, which used to be Incfile. 00:03:38.851 --> 00:03:44.181 Its agent is free for the first year with any formation package, and $149 a year 00:03:44.237 --> 00:03:45.221 afterward. 00:03:45.221 --> 00:03:46.661 Does it renew automatically? 00:03:46.661 --> 00:03:53.621 Yes. Over three years that's free, then $149, then $149, 00:03:53.701 --> 00:03:55.701 so $298. 00:03:55.701 --> 00:03:58.500 And if my LLC already exists? 00:03:58.500 --> 00:04:00.421 Then you're not eligible for the free year. 00:04:00.521 --> 00:04:03.061 You start at $149. 00:04:04.082 --> 00:04:04.882 And the fifth? 00:04:04.882 --> 00:04:10.122 Tennessee Registered Agent.co, $99 flat. 00:04:10.232 --> 00:04:14.882 The registered office address, same-day scanning of legal documents and alerts 00:04:14.939 --> 00:04:16.242 before state deadlines. 00:04:16.242 --> 00:04:18.722 How do I tell it apart from number three? 00:04:18.722 --> 00:04:25.682 From the listings, you can't. Same price, and the same catch: filing the annual 00:04:25.762 --> 00:04:27.442 report is extra. 00:04:28.203 --> 00:04:31.164 Let's talk about that report. What's due and when? 00:04:31.164 --> 00:04:35.964 Tennessee's annual report is due on or before the first day of the fourth month 00:04:36.044 --> 00:04:38.284 after the close of the fiscal year. 00:04:38.404 --> 00:04:41.244 For a December year end, that's April 1. 00:04:41.457 --> 00:04:44.844 It's filed through the state's TNCaB system. 00:04:44.844 --> 00:04:46.763 And what does it cost? 00:04:46.763 --> 00:04:53.724 A minimum of $300, plus $50 for each member over six, up to $3,000. 00:04:53.788 --> 00:04:58.204 That's before franchise and excise tax, which goes to the Department of Revenue. 00:04:58.204 --> 00:05:01.643 So what's the yearly bill with an agent on top? 00:05:01.643 --> 00:05:08.604 At the minimum, $300 plus $149 is $449 with Mainstay, 00:05:08.664 --> 00:05:15.404 and $300 plus $99 is $399 with one of the $99 agents. 00:05:15.404 --> 00:05:17.644 Is formation the same kind of math? 00:05:17.644 --> 00:05:24.604 The Articles of Organization, Form SS-4270, are $50 per member with a 00:05:24.644 --> 00:05:28.604 $300 minimum and a $3,000 maximum. 00:05:28.724 --> 00:05:32.764 The agent and the office are items 16 and 17. 00:05:33.747 --> 00:05:36.467 Does the state email the agent when something is due? 00:05:36.467 --> 00:05:39.507 No, and that's a Tennessee detail worth knowing. 00:05:39.667 --> 00:05:45.027 The Articles ask for a contact email for the LLC, and the instructions say all 00:05:45.091 --> 00:05:48.147 reminders will be sent by email to that address. 00:05:48.147 --> 00:05:51.187 So the reminders don't go through the agent. 00:05:51.187 --> 00:05:56.227 Right. There's also a separate mailing address field, for when the Division should 00:05:56.267 --> 00:05:59.427 write to somewhere other than the principal office. 00:05:59.427 --> 00:06:01.827 Then what's the agent for? 00:06:01.827 --> 00:06:07.187 Legal papers. A lawsuit or a demand lands on the agent, so the reminders and the 00:06:07.258 --> 00:06:09.267 lawsuits travel by different roads. 00:06:09.411 --> 00:06:13.827 Keep the contact email current, and pick an agent who forwards fast. 00:06:15.497 --> 00:06:18.457 Tell me about Form SS-4534. 00:06:18.457 --> 00:06:22.057 The Statement of Change of Registered Agent by Entity. 00:06:22.197 --> 00:06:28.777 The filing fee is $20. You can file in TNCaB, by mail, or in person. 00:06:28.777 --> 00:06:30.697 Does it cost extra online? 00:06:30.697 --> 00:06:34.057 Paying by card or e-check adds a convenience fee. 00:06:34.190 --> 00:06:37.017 If you don't want it, you can mail the form with a check. 00:06:37.017 --> 00:06:38.137 What does it ask for? 00:06:38.137 --> 00:06:42.937 The current agent, the new agent and the new agent's business email. 00:06:43.044 --> 00:06:47.337 It also has you certify that the registered office and the agent's business office 00:06:47.397 --> 00:06:48.937 are at the same street address. 00:06:49.685 --> 00:06:50.885 What if the agent quits? 00:06:50.885 --> 00:06:57.685 They file Form SS-4420, the Statement of Resignation, also $20, 00:06:57.733 --> 00:07:01.925 paid by the agent. They mail a copy to you by certified mail. 00:07:01.925 --> 00:07:03.684 When does it take effect? 00:07:03.684 --> 00:07:07.365 This is the part that differs from the other states we've covered. 00:07:07.405 --> 00:07:11.205 A resignation takes effect on the date the Secretary of State files it. 00:07:11.418 --> 00:07:12.565 No waiting period. 00:07:13.114 --> 00:07:14.405 So there's no cushion at all. 00:07:14.405 --> 00:07:21.045 None. A 2025 change to the statute also requires written notice of the resignation. 00:07:21.152 --> 00:07:26.325 If you don't name a new agent, being without a registered agent is a listed reason 00:07:26.365 --> 00:07:28.125 for administrative dissolution. 00:07:28.125 --> 00:07:30.084 How bad is that? 00:07:30.084 --> 00:07:36.885 Reinstatement is Form SS-9410 at $70, plus a tax clearance from the Department of 00:07:36.935 --> 00:07:40.885 Revenue. That second piece is the one that slows people down. 00:07:41.685 --> 00:07:44.165 How would you choose if you were in Nashville or Memphis? 00:07:44.165 --> 00:07:49.845 Does the price repeat next year, is the address a real Tennessee street address, and 00:07:49.893 --> 00:07:52.645 does someone file the Statement of Change for you. 00:07:52.645 --> 00:07:53.765 And the pick? 00:07:53.765 --> 00:07:59.445 Mainstay Filing. Our pick for Tennessee, at $149 a year. 00:08:00.189 --> 00:08:01.869 Go through all five once more. 00:08:01.869 --> 00:08:08.109 One, Mainstay Filing: $149 a year, same at renewal. 00:08:08.369 --> 00:08:15.309 Two, Northwest: $125, and cancel the report service if you don't need it. 00:08:15.496 --> 00:08:21.629 Three, TN Registered Agent.org: $99 flat. 00:08:21.773 --> 00:08:28.949 Four, Bizee: free the first year with a formation order, then $149. 00:08:29.101 --> 00:08:34.350 Five, Tennessee Registered Agent.co: $99 flat. 00:08:34.350 --> 00:08:36.750 The links are in the show notes. 00:08:36.841 --> 00:08:39.870 Thanks for listening to The Business Formation Podcast.