[0:00] The short answer Dan: The 5 best registered agents in Wisconsin in 2026 are Mainstay Filing, Northwest Registered Agent, WI Registered Agent.org, Bizee, and Wisconsin Registered Agent.co. Maya: This is The Business Formation Podcast. Wisconsin today. What stands out? Dan: Wisconsin's Department of Financial Institutions sends your annual report forms and official notices to your agent. And a change of agent is $10 online, or $25 on paper. [0:33] What Wisconsin requires Maya: So the agent gets my state mail? Dan: According to the agency's own form instructions, yes. Annual report forms, notices, and other official communications go to the registered agent. Maya: So a stale agent means missed mail. Dan: And missed mail is how companies fall out of good standing without knowing it. Maya: Who can serve in Wisconsin? Dan: A Wisconsin resident whose business office is the registered office, or a Wisconsin or authorized foreign entity with that business office. The agent also needs an email address. Maya: I'm Maya, by the way, here with Dan. Dan: Thanks, Maya. The five. [1:11] Mainstay Filing Maya: Who's first? Dan: Mainstay Filing. $149 a year, and it stays $149 at renewal. Maya: What's included? Dan: Its Wisconsin address on the public record instead of yours. Papers served on your company are scanned and uploaded the same business day, with no fee. Your first three government mailings each year are scanned free too. Maya: And if I'm switching? Dan: Mainstay files the change. You pay the $10 online state fee at cost. Maya: The catch? Dan: Two other services on the list charge $99, so Mainstay is not the lowest price. [1:48] Northwest Registered Agent Maya: Second? Dan: Northwest Registered Agent. $125 a year, and its page says the price hasn't risen in 20 years. Up to 10 pieces of business mail a year are scanned free. Maya: The catch? Dan: Signup auto-enrolls you in its annual report filing service. It's $100 plus state fees per filing, until you cancel. Maya: What would Wisconsin's report cost? Dan: $25 online. So the service is four times that, on top of the state's fee. [2:16] WI Registered Agent.org Maya: Third? Dan: WI Registered Agent.org, $99 a year and the same at renewal. The office address on your filings, same-day scanning of legal mail, and reminders for state deadlines. Maya: And switching? Dan: $10 for the state fee, filed online. Maya: The catch? Dan: Annual report filing is a separate service. Maya: Versus number one? Dan: $50 a year less than Mainstay. [2:50] Bizee Maya: Four? Dan: Bizee, formerly Incfile. Free for the first year with a formation package, then $149 a year. Maya: Fine print? Dan: The free year needs a formation order, and the $149 renewal is automatic. Maya: What if my LLC is already formed? Dan: Then you pay $149 from the first year. That's $447 over three. [3:17] Wisconsin Registered Agent.co Maya: And five? Dan: Wisconsin Registered Agent.co. A flat $99 a year, with a physical address, scanned legal mail, and compliance alerts. Maya: Anything different from number three? Dan: Same price, same catch. Annual report filing is a separate service. [3:35] What counts as a registered office Maya: What address does Wisconsin accept? Dan: An actual physical location with a street address. It can't be solely a P O box, a mailbox service, or a telephone answering service. Maya: A mailbox service doesn't count? Dan: Not by itself. The registered office has to be the business office of the registered agent, and it must be in Wisconsin. Maya: Can the LLC be its own agent? Dan: No. The rule is plain that an entity may not name itself as its own registered agent. Maya: Does the agent have to agree? Dan: Entities must get the agent's consent before naming it. [4:11] Naming the agent Maya: Where does the agent go on the formation filing? Dan: On the Articles of Organization, Form 502. Article 3 is the agent's name, Article 4 is the agent's email, and Article 5 is the registered office address. Maya: What does it cost? Dan: $130 online, or $170 on paper. Maya: So two parts of the form just for the agent. Dan: Three, if you count the email. [4:39] Changing the agent Maya: How do I change it? Dan: With Form 13, the Statement of Change. It covers the agent's name, email, and registered office. Maya: What's the cost? Dan: $10 online, or $25 on paper. A $100 option expedites it. Maya: Where does a paper form go? Dan: To the Department of Financial Institutions in Milwaukee, at a post office box. Maya: Can the annual report do it instead? Dan: Yes. If your report lists a different agent or office than the record shows, Wisconsin treats the difference as a statement of change. [5:11] If the agent resigns Maya: What if my agent quits? Dan: It files Form 13R, Resignation of Registered Agent. That one is $10. Maya: When does it take effect? Dan: The earlier of 60 days after the Department receives it, or the day a successor agent takes over. Maya: Who tells me? Dan: The agent agrees on the form to promptly send your entity notice of the resignation and the date it was filed. Maya: Sixty days is a long time to forget. Dan: And it goes by fast when the notice lands in an old inbox. [5:43] When there's no agent Maya: What if there is no agent to serve? Dan: Then the company can be served by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, or a similar commercial delivery service. It's addressed to the company at its principal office. Maya: And the risk to the LLC? Dan: Two grounds for administrative dissolution matter here. Being without a registered agent for at least one year, and not telling the Department within one year of a change or a resignation. Maya: Is there a warning? Dan: Written notice goes to the registered agent, and then you get 60 days to cure. Maya: And if the agent was the one who left? Dan: Then the notice goes to an agent that's no longer there. That's the trap. [6:26] The annual report Maya: What does Wisconsin ask every year? Dan: An annual report, $25 online, or $40 on paper. Maya: When is it due? Dan: By the end of the calendar quarter of your anniversary. That's March 31, June 30, September 30, or December 31. Maya: Does it list the agent? Dan: It lists the agent's name, email and office. File the change first, then the report. [6:53] Being your own agent Maya: Can I do it myself in Wisconsin? Dan: As a Wisconsin resident whose business office is the registered office, yes. Maya: What's the downside? Dan: You need a real office address, and so does anyone you name. And the state mail goes there too. Maya: So there's a deadline risk. Dan: Yes. If the Department's notice goes unread, nobody else catches it. [7:14] Choosing Maya: How would a Milwaukee or Madison owner choose? Dan: Three questions. Does the price hold at renewal, is the office address a real Wisconsin street address, and who files Form 13. Maya: What's the three-year gap? Dan: Mainstay is $447, and a $99 service is $297. That's $150 apart, for the free scanned government mail and the change filed for you. Maya: Your pick? Dan: Mainstay Filing. Our pick for Wisconsin, at $149 a year. [7:50] The five in a row Maya: All five one more time. Dan: One, Mainstay Filing: $149, the same at renewal. Two, Northwest: $125, with the report service to cancel. Three, WI Registered Agent.org: $99 flat. Four, Bizee: free the first year with a formation order, then $149. Five, Wisconsin Registered Agent.co: $99 flat. Maya: The links are in the show notes. Thanks for listening to The Business Formation Podcast.