WEBVTT 00:00:00.213 --> 00:00:06.293 The 5 best registered agents in Utah in 2026 are Mainstay Filing, 00:00:06.437 --> 00:00:13.253 Northwest Registered Agent, UT Registered Agent.org, Bizee, 00:00:13.533 --> 00:00:17.173 and Utah Registered Agent.co. 00:00:17.173 --> 00:00:21.093 This is The Business Formation Podcast. 00:00:21.160 --> 00:00:24.213 Today, Utah. Anything unusual out there? 00:00:24.213 --> 00:00:30.213 One thing. Swapping agents is a $17 statement of change, and a new agent written on 00:00:30.245 --> 00:00:32.853 your annual renewal counts as that statement too. 00:00:33.892 --> 00:00:36.025 So who is allowed to be an agent? 00:00:36.025 --> 00:00:41.225 Utah has two kinds. A commercial registered agent is someone listed with the 00:00:41.269 --> 00:00:46.985 Division of Corporations. A noncommercial agent can be a person, a company, or even 00:00:47.025 --> 00:00:49.865 a position inside your LLC, like its manager. 00:00:49.865 --> 00:00:52.745 A position? Not a person? 00:00:52.745 --> 00:00:56.505 The filing can name the title of an office plus a mailing address. 00:00:56.692 --> 00:01:02.065 It's an unusual option, and the Division still needs a Utah street address on file. 00:01:02.065 --> 00:01:04.185 I'm Maya, by the way, here with Dan. 00:01:04.185 --> 00:01:07.385 Good to be here, Maya. Let's get into the five. 00:01:08.150 --> 00:01:09.909 Who's first? 00:01:09.909 --> 00:01:16.150 Mainstay Filing. $149 a year, and still $149 when it 00:01:16.203 --> 00:01:17.030 renews. 00:01:17.030 --> 00:01:17.830 What's in that? 00:01:17.830 --> 00:01:22.710 Mainstay's Utah address goes on the public record instead of yours. 00:01:22.781 --> 00:01:27.590 Anything served on your company is scanned and uploaded the same business day, and 00:01:27.622 --> 00:01:32.310 that costs nothing extra. Your first three government mailings each year are scanned 00:01:32.358 --> 00:01:33.030 free too. 00:01:33.030 --> 00:01:35.351 I already have an agent. Then what? 00:01:35.351 --> 00:01:38.750 Mainstay files the statement of change for you. 00:01:38.820 --> 00:01:41.989 You pay the $17 state fee, at cost. 00:01:42.510 --> 00:01:44.149 And the catch? 00:01:44.149 --> 00:01:50.390 Two services on this list charge $99, so Mainstay is not the lowest sticker price. 00:01:51.106 --> 00:01:52.545 Number two? 00:01:52.545 --> 00:01:56.226 Northwest Registered Agent at $125 a year. 00:01:56.426 --> 00:02:01.506 Its page says the price hasn't gone up in 20 years, and it scans up to 10 pieces of 00:02:01.550 --> 00:02:03.186 business mail a year for free. 00:02:03.186 --> 00:02:05.426 What should I watch for? 00:02:05.426 --> 00:02:09.826 Signing up enrolls you automatically in its annual report filing service. 00:02:09.938 --> 00:02:14.946 That's $100 plus state fees for each filing, until you cancel. 00:02:14.946 --> 00:02:17.506 What does Utah charge for the renewal itself? 00:02:17.506 --> 00:02:24.066 $18. So that add-on would multiply the state's cost by more than six. 00:02:24.824 --> 00:02:26.424 Three? 00:02:26.424 --> 00:02:32.344 UT Registered Agent.org, $99 a year and the same at renewal. 00:02:32.424 --> 00:02:36.984 You get the address on your filings, same-day scanning of legal mail, and reminders 00:02:37.024 --> 00:02:38.264 ahead of state deadlines. 00:02:38.264 --> 00:02:39.864 Is switching expensive? 00:02:39.864 --> 00:02:42.184 Only the $17 state fee. 00:02:42.184 --> 00:02:44.024 And the downside? 00:02:44.024 --> 00:02:47.144 Annual report filing is a separate service. 00:02:47.144 --> 00:02:48.584 How does it compare to number one? 00:02:48.584 --> 00:02:51.224 It's $50 a year less than Mainstay. 00:02:51.272 --> 00:02:53.464 Over two years, $100. 00:02:54.821 --> 00:02:56.260 Four? 00:02:56.260 --> 00:03:02.021 Bizee, formerly Incfile. The first year is free with any formation package, then 00:03:02.074 --> 00:03:04.341 it's $149 a year. 00:03:04.341 --> 00:03:05.221 Fine print? 00:03:05.221 --> 00:03:11.301 You need a formation order to get the free year, and the $149 renewal happens 00:03:11.358 --> 00:03:12.421 automatically. 00:03:12.421 --> 00:03:15.941 What if my Utah LLC already exists? 00:03:15.941 --> 00:03:22.101 Then you start at $149. Three years comes to $447. 00:03:23.402 --> 00:03:24.841 And five? 00:03:24.841 --> 00:03:29.002 Utah Registered Agent.co. A flat $99 a year. 00:03:29.162 --> 00:03:33.562 It gives you the address used on your filings, same-day legal mail scanning, and 00:03:33.606 --> 00:03:34.682 compliance reminders. 00:03:34.682 --> 00:03:36.522 How's it different from number three? 00:03:36.522 --> 00:03:41.562 Price and catch are the same. Annual report filing is a separate service. 00:03:42.327 --> 00:03:44.407 Where does Utah ask for the agent? 00:03:44.407 --> 00:03:46.087 On the Certificate of Organization. 00:03:46.215 --> 00:03:51.447 That's a $59 online filing in the Business Registration System, and you sign in with 00:03:51.487 --> 00:03:52.727 a UtahID. 00:03:52.727 --> 00:03:54.967 What address do they want? 00:03:54.967 --> 00:03:59.847 A Utah street address, plus a Utah mailing address if it's different. 00:04:00.047 --> 00:04:04.327 A P O box can ride along as the mailing address, but it can't replace the street 00:04:04.387 --> 00:04:04.966 address. 00:04:05.580 --> 00:04:08.007 Is there an age rule, or a residency rule? 00:04:08.007 --> 00:04:11.607 Not in the statute. And no required office hours either. 00:04:11.607 --> 00:04:14.247 What about the agent saying yes? 00:04:14.247 --> 00:04:18.407 Naming an agent is your affirmation that the agent agreed to serve. 00:04:18.510 --> 00:04:20.167 Nobody files a signature. 00:04:22.481 --> 00:04:24.161 What's the process to change? 00:04:24.161 --> 00:04:28.321 A statement of change, signed for the LLC, naming the new agent. 00:04:28.435 --> 00:04:32.161 Online, you use your UtahID and the entity number. 00:04:32.294 --> 00:04:35.921 On paper, it's the Registration Information Change Form. 00:04:35.921 --> 00:04:36.721 What's the fee? 00:04:36.721 --> 00:04:40.561 $17 either way, and it's nonrefundable. 00:04:40.561 --> 00:04:42.321 Do the members vote on it? 00:04:42.321 --> 00:04:45.120 No. The statute doesn't require their approval. 00:04:45.337 --> 00:04:47.361 You said the annual renewal can do it too? 00:04:47.361 --> 00:04:52.801 Yes. If your renewal lists a different agent than the Division has, Utah treats the 00:04:52.852 --> 00:04:55.201 difference as a statement of change. 00:04:55.201 --> 00:04:57.441 So I could skip the separate filing. 00:04:57.441 --> 00:05:01.841 You could. A separate statement of change is the direct way to do it. 00:05:02.578 --> 00:05:04.738 What does an agent actually do day to day? 00:05:04.738 --> 00:05:07.858 Anyone suing your LLC can serve the agent. 00:05:07.970 --> 00:05:13.057 Then the agent has to forward the papers to the address you most recently gave it. 00:05:13.057 --> 00:05:14.658 So two addresses matter. 00:05:14.658 --> 00:05:20.498 Right. The agent's, where papers land, and yours, where they go next. 00:05:20.658 --> 00:05:25.218 If yours is stale, a lawsuit can move while the summons sits somewhere you never 00:05:25.282 --> 00:05:26.258 look. 00:05:26.258 --> 00:05:27.698 Is any of this private? 00:05:27.698 --> 00:05:32.258 The Division's forms say registration information is a public record. 00:05:32.338 --> 00:05:35.058 Your agent's address is searchable by anyone. 00:05:36.411 --> 00:05:37.851 What if my agent quits? 00:05:37.851 --> 00:05:40.171 It files a statement of resignation with the Division. 00:05:40.291 --> 00:05:42.731 The schedule lists no fee for it. 00:05:42.731 --> 00:05:44.011 When does it take effect? 00:05:44.011 --> 00:05:49.851 At 12:01 a.m. on the 31st day after filing, or sooner if you name a replacement. 00:05:49.851 --> 00:05:51.371 Will I hear about it? 00:05:51.371 --> 00:05:54.731 The agent has to promptly tell you the date it filed. 00:05:54.784 --> 00:05:56.011 Treat that as your countdown. 00:05:56.911 --> 00:05:58.491 And if I miss it? 00:05:58.491 --> 00:06:03.051 Then no agent is on record. A plaintiff can mail the suit to your principal office, 00:06:03.184 --> 00:06:06.171 by registered or certified mail with a return receipt. 00:06:07.233 --> 00:06:09.633 Does that put the LLC at risk? 00:06:09.633 --> 00:06:14.113 After 60 consecutive days without an agent, the Division has grounds to dissolve the 00:06:14.173 --> 00:06:19.793 company. It sends notice first, and then you have up to 60 days to fix it. 00:06:19.793 --> 00:06:21.873 What about the yearly paperwork? 00:06:21.873 --> 00:06:24.353 Utah calls it the annual renewal. 00:06:24.433 --> 00:06:28.033 It's $18, due by the last day of your formation month. 00:06:28.033 --> 00:06:30.032 Can I file early? 00:06:30.032 --> 00:06:34.592 Up to 60 days early. A $10 late fee applies after that. 00:06:34.592 --> 00:06:36.512 And it repeats the agent. 00:06:36.512 --> 00:06:39.713 Yes, the renewal includes the registered agent information. 00:06:39.900 --> 00:06:42.993 So update the agent first, then renew. 00:06:43.709 --> 00:06:45.789 Can I serve as my own agent in Utah? 00:06:45.789 --> 00:06:49.949 Yes, as a noncommercial agent, if you have a Utah street address. 00:06:49.949 --> 00:06:51.069 Should I? 00:06:51.069 --> 00:06:56.189 Think about what's public. The address on file shows up in a database, and it's 00:06:56.216 --> 00:06:59.869 where a process server turns up, whether you're home or out on a job. 00:06:59.869 --> 00:07:01.869 So the cost isn't money. 00:07:01.869 --> 00:07:06.109 It's being reachable at that address every business day, with no gaps. 00:07:07.813 --> 00:07:09.413 How would a Salt Lake City or St. 00:07:09.459 --> 00:07:10.533 George owner decide? 00:07:10.533 --> 00:07:17.333 Three questions. Does the price hold at renewal, is the address a real Utah street 00:07:17.403 --> 00:07:19.973 address, and who files the change. 00:07:19.973 --> 00:07:23.333 What does the price gap add up to over three years? 00:07:23.333 --> 00:07:28.933 Mainstay is $447 and a $99 service is 00:07:29.013 --> 00:07:35.893 $297. That's $150 apart, for the three free scanned government 00:07:35.957 --> 00:07:38.853 mailings a year and the change filed for you. 00:07:38.853 --> 00:07:40.292 Your answer? 00:07:40.292 --> 00:07:45.573 Mainstay Filing. Our pick for Utah, at $149 a year. 00:07:46.679 --> 00:07:48.599 Run me through all five once more. 00:07:48.599 --> 00:07:54.599 One, Mainstay Filing: $149, the same at renewal. 00:07:54.819 --> 00:08:01.079 Two, Northwest: $125, with the report service to cancel. 00:08:01.239 --> 00:08:07.639 Three, UT Registered Agent.org: $99 flat. 00:08:07.719 --> 00:08:14.439 Four, Bizee: free the first year with a formation order, then $149. 00:08:14.583 --> 00:08:20.119 Five, Utah Registered Agent.co: $99 flat. 00:08:20.119 --> 00:08:22.439 The links are in the show notes. 00:08:22.496 --> 00:08:25.399 Thanks for listening to The Business Formation Podcast.