WEBVTT 00:00:00.220 --> 00:00:07.180 The 5 best registered agents in Washington in 2026 are Mainstay Filing, Northwest 00:00:07.224 --> 00:00:14.460 Registered Agent, WA Registered Agent.org, Bizee, and InCorp. 00:00:14.460 --> 00:00:17.020 Welcome to The Business Formation Podcast. 00:00:17.056 --> 00:00:20.060 Washington sounds like it has a few unusual rules, doesn't it? 00:00:20.060 --> 00:00:26.540 It does. Changing your agent has no filing fee, the new agent has to sign a consent, 00:00:26.560 --> 00:00:30.140 and going thirty days without an agent can get a company dissolved. 00:00:31.246 --> 00:00:33.026 First, what kinds of agents are there? 00:00:33.026 --> 00:00:34.706 Washington sorts them into two. 00:00:35.106 --> 00:00:39.506 A commercial registered agent is one listed with the Secretary of State. 00:00:39.866 --> 00:00:45.666 A noncommercial agent is, in the state's words, any person or business with a 00:00:45.724 --> 00:00:49.986 Washington address who agrees to accept legal mail for your company. 00:00:49.986 --> 00:00:53.186 Could that be a job title instead of a person? 00:00:53.186 --> 00:00:55.506 Yes, that's a Washington feature. 00:00:55.786 --> 00:01:02.226 A business can appoint an office, like president, secretary, treasurer or member, to 00:01:02.306 --> 00:01:05.426 act as agent no matter who holds the position. 00:01:05.506 --> 00:01:08.306 The statute has no residency or age rule. 00:01:08.306 --> 00:01:10.546 Address rules, I assume? 00:01:10.546 --> 00:01:17.026 A physical address in Washington, and the state says PO boxes and private mailboxes 00:01:17.086 --> 00:01:22.706 are prohibited. A PO box can be added only as a separate mailing address. 00:01:22.846 --> 00:01:28.146 The agent also has to be at the office during business hours, and an email address 00:01:28.226 --> 00:01:29.746 is required on the form. 00:01:29.746 --> 00:01:31.906 Do they have to agree to it? 00:01:31.906 --> 00:01:37.906 They do. The agent must give prior consent, and the form says the consent must be 00:01:37.986 --> 00:01:40.546 signed, regardless of the type of agent. 00:01:40.666 --> 00:01:46.306 Someone named without consent can file a notarized statement and the name comes off 00:01:46.366 --> 00:01:47.027 immediately. 00:01:47.027 --> 00:01:49.907 Before we go on, I'm Maya, and this is Dan. 00:01:49.907 --> 00:01:52.547 Good to be here. The five, then. 00:01:54.511 --> 00:01:55.710 Where do we begin? 00:01:55.710 --> 00:02:02.271 Mainstay Filing: $149 a year, and the same $149 when it renews. 00:02:02.271 --> 00:02:03.311 What do you get? 00:02:03.311 --> 00:02:07.151 A Washington address on the public record in place of yours. 00:02:07.265 --> 00:02:11.791 Papers served on the company are scanned and uploaded the same business day with no 00:02:11.891 --> 00:02:16.431 fee, and the first three government mailings each year are scanned free. 00:02:16.431 --> 00:02:18.751 What about the changeover? 00:02:18.751 --> 00:02:23.551 Mainstay files the Statement of Change for you, and Washington charges no state fee. 00:02:24.231 --> 00:02:25.711 The one catch? 00:02:25.711 --> 00:02:29.071 Cost, compared with the two cheaper flat options. 00:02:29.191 --> 00:02:33.151 The pitch is that the price stays put and the paperwork is handled. 00:02:34.511 --> 00:02:35.071 Second. 00:02:35.071 --> 00:02:38.591 Northwest Registered Agent at $125 a year. 00:02:38.651 --> 00:02:43.231 Its page says that price is unchanged in 20 years, and it scans up to 10 pieces of 00:02:43.281 --> 00:02:45.631 regular business mail annually for free. 00:02:45.631 --> 00:02:47.311 What should I watch for? 00:02:47.311 --> 00:02:52.591 You're automatically enrolled in its annual report service, $100 plus state fees per 00:02:52.660 --> 00:02:57.391 filing, unless you cancel it. Its page says you can add or cancel any time. 00:02:57.391 --> 00:03:00.511 And Washington's report is $70. 00:03:00.511 --> 00:03:06.351 So a filing with the service would be the $100 service fee plus $70 to the state, or 00:03:06.411 --> 00:03:10.831 $170. Without it, you do the $70 report yourself. 00:03:11.896 --> 00:03:13.895 Third place. 00:03:13.895 --> 00:03:19.016 WA Registered Agent.org: $99 a year, same at renewal. 00:03:19.156 --> 00:03:23.896 The address used on your filings, same-day scanning of legal mail and compliance 00:03:23.960 --> 00:03:24.896 reminders. 00:03:24.896 --> 00:03:26.056 Moving to them? 00:03:26.056 --> 00:03:28.536 No state fee, and none from them either. 00:03:28.749 --> 00:03:33.736 As with the others at this price, annual report filing is a separate service. 00:03:33.736 --> 00:03:35.496 Over three years? 00:03:35.496 --> 00:03:39.416 $297, against $447. 00:03:40.863 --> 00:03:41.823 Four. 00:03:41.823 --> 00:03:44.303 Bizee, which used to be Incfile. 00:03:44.363 --> 00:03:47.703 Its agent is free the first year with a formation package. 00:03:47.750 --> 00:03:51.663 After that it's $149 a year, renewed automatically. 00:03:51.663 --> 00:03:54.223 Do I have to form with them to get the free year? 00:03:54.223 --> 00:03:59.983 Yes. If your Washington LLC is already formed, the free year isn't on the table, and 00:04:00.003 --> 00:04:02.303 you start at $149. 00:04:03.092 --> 00:04:03.812 And the fifth? 00:04:03.812 --> 00:04:08.612 InCorp: $129 a year, flat, every state. 00:04:08.879 --> 00:04:12.692 It says that rate has risen once since 1998. 00:04:12.692 --> 00:04:13.732 And the deal? 00:04:13.732 --> 00:04:20.532 Five years prepaid brings it to as low as $87 a year, which is $435 00:04:20.599 --> 00:04:21.132 total. 00:04:21.132 --> 00:04:22.532 Compared to Mainstay? 00:04:22.532 --> 00:04:29.332 $149 times five is $745, so the difference is 00:04:29.372 --> 00:04:32.772 $310 in InCorp's favor on paper. 00:04:33.552 --> 00:04:34.772 But? 00:04:34.772 --> 00:04:36.852 You're paying for five years at once. 00:04:37.012 --> 00:04:43.252 If you might change agents, the $129 yearly rate is the honest comparison. 00:04:44.353 --> 00:04:46.273 What does Washington itself charge? 00:04:46.273 --> 00:04:52.193 The Certificate of Formation is $180 plus an online processing fee. 00:04:52.353 --> 00:04:58.673 The annual report is $70, due by the end of your anniversary month, with a $25 00:04:58.713 --> 00:05:00.193 delinquency fee after that. 00:05:00.193 --> 00:05:03.635 What if I need to change the agent partway through the year? 00:05:03.635 --> 00:05:09.554 Inside the 180-day window before the due date, you can put the new agent on the 00:05:09.611 --> 00:05:16.114 annual report. Outside it, you file an Amended Annual Report for $10, or the 00:05:16.162 --> 00:05:22.434 Statement of Change. And an initial or annual report naming a different agent counts 00:05:22.487 --> 00:05:23.715 as a statement of change. 00:05:23.715 --> 00:05:26.674 Run the first-year total with Mainstay. 00:05:26.674 --> 00:05:31.714 The $180 plus $149 is 00:05:31.781 --> 00:05:36.195 $329, plus the online processing fee. 00:05:36.367 --> 00:05:41.794 After that, $70 plus $149 is 00:05:41.834 --> 00:05:43.794 $219. 00:05:44.593 --> 00:05:45.873 How does the change work? 00:05:45.873 --> 00:05:49.793 The Statement of Change or Designation of Registered Agent. 00:05:49.873 --> 00:05:54.313 There's no filing fee, and you can file online at the Secretary of State's 00:05:54.341 --> 00:05:56.913 corporations system, or mail it to Olympia. 00:05:57.133 --> 00:06:02.913 Expediting costs $100 more. And the new agent signs the consent on page 2. 00:06:02.913 --> 00:06:05.073 What about if my agent resigns? 00:06:05.073 --> 00:06:07.953 The Statement of Resignation is also free. 00:06:08.053 --> 00:06:11.793 The agent has to notify you in a record of the date it was filed. 00:06:11.953 --> 00:06:17.073 It takes effect on the earlier of the 31st day after filing or the day a new agent 00:06:17.126 --> 00:06:17.953 is designated. 00:06:18.637 --> 00:06:20.593 And if I just ignore it? 00:06:20.593 --> 00:06:24.913 The state can administratively dissolve an entity that has no agent for thirty 00:06:24.960 --> 00:06:30.033 consecutive days. After the notice, you get 60 days to cure it. 00:06:30.033 --> 00:06:31.955 What about lawsuits in the meantime? 00:06:31.955 --> 00:06:37.234 If the agent can't be served, the entity can be served by registered or certified 00:06:37.314 --> 00:06:42.194 mail at its principal office. Failing that, the papers can be handed to the person 00:06:42.221 --> 00:06:44.434 in charge of a regular place of business. 00:06:44.621 --> 00:06:48.354 As a last resort, the Secretary of State is the agent. 00:06:48.354 --> 00:06:51.875 So the state is the safety net, not a plan. 00:06:51.875 --> 00:06:55.715 Exactly, and the dissolution clock is the real risk. 00:06:58.216 --> 00:07:01.256 One thing I noticed: you keep saying email. 00:07:01.256 --> 00:07:05.656 Washington requires an email address on all documents submitted to the office. 00:07:05.754 --> 00:07:10.776 Existing addresses are used for notifications unless you replace them in a filing. 00:07:10.776 --> 00:07:12.296 So that's where reminders go? 00:07:12.296 --> 00:07:16.456 That's the idea. Keep it current, because it's how the state reaches you about the 00:07:16.513 --> 00:07:18.937 annual report and anything else on file. 00:07:18.937 --> 00:07:20.497 And the agent's duty? 00:07:20.497 --> 00:07:25.737 The statute says an agent must forward to the entity, at the address most recently 00:07:25.799 --> 00:07:31.897 supplied, any process, notice or demand that's served on or received by the agent. 00:07:32.164 --> 00:07:34.537 So the quality of the forwarding matters. 00:07:35.353 --> 00:07:36.457 Same-day scanning, then. 00:07:36.457 --> 00:07:41.817 Right. A company that scans the same business day gives you a head start on any 00:07:41.879 --> 00:07:44.297 deadline, and that's part of what you're paying for. 00:07:46.006 --> 00:07:47.606 What's your Washington rule of thumb? 00:07:47.606 --> 00:07:52.886 Make sure someone signed the consent, the price is the same next year, and nobody is 00:07:52.920 --> 00:07:54.886 adding a report service you can't use. 00:07:54.886 --> 00:07:56.405 And the pick? 00:07:56.405 --> 00:08:01.686 Mainstay Filing. Our pick for Washington, at $149 a year. 00:08:02.444 --> 00:08:03.964 Say all five once more. 00:08:03.964 --> 00:08:09.244 One, Mainstay Filing: $149 a year, same at renewal. 00:08:09.624 --> 00:08:16.204 Two, Northwest: $125, with the report enrollment to cancel. 00:08:16.444 --> 00:08:22.604 Three, WA Registered Agent.org: $99 flat. 00:08:22.924 --> 00:08:28.364 Four, Bizee: free the first year with a formation order, then 00:08:28.444 --> 00:08:35.004 $149. Five, InCorp: $129 a 00:08:35.084 --> 00:08:39.004 year, or $87 a year if you prepay five. 00:08:39.004 --> 00:08:41.244 The links are in the show notes. 00:08:41.358 --> 00:08:44.684 Thanks for listening to The Business Formation Podcast.