[0:00] The short answer Dan: The 5 best registered agents in Virginia in 2026 are Mainstay Filing, Northwest Registered Agent, VA Registered Agent.org, Bizee, and InCorp. Maya: This is The Business Formation Podcast. Virginia has a couple of surprises, I've heard. What are they? Dan: Changing your agent costs nothing at the state level. And Virginia has no annual report, but it does charge a $50 annual registration fee instead. [0:27] Who can be the agent Maya: Can I be my own agent there? Dan: You can, if you qualify, and the list is longer than in most states. An individual Virginia resident counts if they're a member or manager of your LLC, or an officer, director, partner or trustee connected to a member or manager, or a member of the Virginia State Bar. Their business office has to be the same as the registered office. Maya: What about a company? Dan: A domestic or foreign corporation, LLC or registered LLP authorized to do business in Virginia, with its business office at the registered office. It can't be its own agent, and it has to name natural persons at that office who can accept papers. Maya: And the address rules? Dan: The State Corporation Commission says a Virginia physical business address, available during normal business hours. A post office box isn't acceptable, and the LLC1011 instructions add that a virtual office or a mail drop isn't either. Maya: I should introduce us, I'm Maya, and this is Dan. Dan: Thanks, Maya. On to the five, starting with number one. [1:37] Mainstay Filing Maya: Who's number one? Dan: Mainstay Filing, $149 a year, and $149 again on renewal. Maya: What's in the box? Dan: A Virginia address on the public record in place of yours. Legal papers scanned and uploaded the same business day, free. And the first three government mailings each year scanned free. Maya: What about the switch? Dan: Mainstay files the Statement of Change for you, and Virginia charges no fee for it. Maya: So no state cost at all. Dan: None. The one drawback is the sticker. $99 exists on this list. [2:14] Northwest Registered Agent Maya: Number two. Dan: Northwest Registered Agent: $125 a year. Its page says it hasn't raised the price in 20 years, and it scans up to 10 pieces of regular business mail annually for free. Maya: Where's the catch? Dan: The annual report service. It enrolls you automatically at $100 plus state fees per filing, unless you cancel, and its page says you can add or cancel at any time. Maya: But Virginia doesn't have an annual report. Dan: Which is why I'd check that screen before paying. The SCC wants an annual registration fee, not a report, so a $100 report filing service may be paying for something that isn't there. [2:57] VA Registered Agent.org Maya: Third. Dan: VA Registered Agent.org, $99 a year, the same at renewal. The office address on file, scanned legal mail and compliance reminders ahead of state deadlines. Maya: Switching? Dan: No state fee, no fee from them. The catch it lists is that formation filing is a separate service. Maya: Three-year math? Dan: $297, which is $150 below Mainstay's $447. [3:31] Bizee Maya: Four. Dan: Bizee, formerly Incfile. Free for the first year with any formation package, then $149 a year, renewing on its own. Maya: After year one, then, it costs what Mainstay does. Dan: Right. And only if you formed with them. For an LLC that already exists, it's $149 from the first day. [3:51] InCorp Maya: What about five? Dan: InCorp: $129 a year, flat, in every state. Its page says that price has gone up only once since 1998. Maya: Has it got a deal? Dan: As low as $87 a year for a five-year term. $87 times five is $435. Maya: And over those five years at Mainstay? Dan: $745. So the prepay is $310 less on paper. Maya: What's the catch? Dan: Paying for five years up front. If you might switch agents or sell the company, the $129 yearly rate is the one to compare. [4:34] The $50 fee, not a report Maya: Let's go back to the money Virginia does want. Dan: The annual registration fee is $50, due by the last day of the month you formed the LLC. Late, it's a $25 penalty, and if it's unpaid by the last day of the third month after the due date, the company is canceled automatically. Maya: And who tells me? Dan: The Commission mails the assessment to the registered agent at the registered office on file, two months before the due date. So the agent at the address has to forward it. Maya: Does an agent pay it for me? Dan: Not at Mainstay. It's a registered agent service only, and it doesn't pay or file the fee. Maya: Totals for year one? Dan: The Articles of Organization are $100. With Mainstay, $100 plus $149 is $249. In later years, the $50 fee plus the $149 agent is one dollar short of two hundred. Maya: And with a $99 agent? Dan: $50 plus $99 is $149 a year, if you pay the registration fee yourself. [5:44] Changing, resigning, and no agent Maya: Walk me through the change form. Dan: Statement of Change, LLC1016, no fee, filed online. For a real-time change you use the Commission's filing system, or you request a paper form. Once the clerk's office records it, you get an acknowledgement. Maya: When must I file? Dan: Forthwith, in the statute's word, when your agent dies, resigns or no longer qualifies. Maya: And if the agent resigns? Dan: LLC1017, also no fee. The agent mails you a copy by certified mail by the next business day. It takes effect on the earlier of 12:01 a.m. on the thirty-first day or when a new agent is appointed. When it takes effect, the registered office is discontinued. Maya: What if nobody replaces it? Dan: After 31 days you get a notice that your status changed to pending inactive. If it isn't resolved by the last day of the second month after the notice, the business is terminated, revoked or canceled automatically. Maya: And in the meantime? Dan: The clerk of the Commission is your agent for service. [6:53] Common mistakes Maya: What trips Virginia owners up? Dan: Three things come up. Naming an agent whose business office isn't the registered office. Using a mail drop or virtual office, which the instructions reject. And forgetting that the agent needs to be reachable in business hours. Maya: And the one that costs money? Dan: Missing the registration fee. It's small, but it comes with a late penalty and eventual cancellation. Maya: Is there a Virginia-specific benefit to paying an agent, then? Dan: The sole duty of the agent, in the statute's words, is to forward whatever is served. So choose one that scans quickly and sends it promptly, since the clock on a lawsuit starts at service, not when you read it. Maya: Can I check the SCC's record myself? Dan: The registered office address is part of the public record, which is why many owners prefer a business address over a home one. [7:47] Picking one Maya: How do you choose in Virginia? Dan: Check that the agent qualifies under the state's rules, the price holds next year, and the Statement of Change gets filed for you. Maya: Who clears all of that? Dan: Mainstay Filing. Our pick for Virginia, at $149 a year. [8:04] The five in a row Maya: One more recap? Dan: One, Mainstay Filing: $149 a year, same at renewal. Two, Northwest: $125, minus the report service you don't need. Three, VA 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.