WEBVTT 00:00:00.209 --> 00:00:05.649 The 5 best registered agents in Wyoming in 2026 are Mainstay Filing, Northwest 00:00:05.685 --> 00:00:10.769 Registered Agent, WY Reg Agent.com, Bizee, and 00:00:10.829 --> 00:00:13.169 Wyoming Registered Agent.ai. 00:00:13.169 --> 00:00:16.609 Welcome to The Business Formation Podcast. 00:00:16.666 --> 00:00:20.849 Before the five names, give me the Wyoming twist, because I know it has one. 00:00:20.849 --> 00:00:26.609 It does. Wyoming wants your registered office at a physical street address where a 00:00:26.657 --> 00:00:29.329 real person is standing there to accept papers. 00:00:29.469 --> 00:00:34.129 And appointing a new agent costs just $5, but it goes in by mail. 00:00:35.171 --> 00:00:37.944 So no virtual address and no mail drop? 00:00:37.944 --> 00:00:43.864 Right. The Secretary of State's FAQ says post office boxes, drop boxes, virtual 00:00:43.928 --> 00:00:49.544 addresses, mail forwarding locations and UPS or FedEx stores don't qualify as a 00:00:49.588 --> 00:00:50.824 registered office. 00:00:50.824 --> 00:00:53.464 Then who is actually allowed to be the agent? 00:00:53.464 --> 00:00:58.504 An individual who's at least eighteen, lives in Wyoming and has a business office at 00:00:58.524 --> 00:01:03.144 the registered office. Or a business entity with a written agency agreement. 00:01:03.277 --> 00:01:07.464 Or a commercial registered agent, which is a business that serves more than ten 00:01:07.544 --> 00:01:09.784 entities and registers with the state. 00:01:09.784 --> 00:01:12.744 I'm Maya, by the way. Dan's across the table. 00:01:12.744 --> 00:01:15.544 And I'm Dan. Let's put some prices on it. 00:01:16.344 --> 00:01:17.144 Start us off. 00:01:17.144 --> 00:01:22.024 Mainstay Filing, at $149 a year for the registered agent. 00:01:22.051 --> 00:01:26.664 It renews at $149, so year three costs what year one did. 00:01:26.664 --> 00:01:28.344 What's inside that number? 00:01:28.344 --> 00:01:31.944 Its Wyoming address is the one on the public record, not yours. 00:01:32.035 --> 00:01:36.744 Papers served on your company are scanned and uploaded the same business day, free. 00:01:36.844 --> 00:01:40.744 The first three government mailings of each year are scanned free too. 00:01:40.744 --> 00:01:42.424 And if I already have an agent? 00:01:42.424 --> 00:01:45.304 Mainstay prepares and files the change for you. 00:01:45.364 --> 00:01:50.744 The state's form is paper and carries the agent's signed consent, and the fee is $5, 00:01:50.797 --> 00:01:53.224 which Mainstay passes through at cost. 00:01:53.678 --> 00:01:55.144 What's the honest downside? 00:01:55.144 --> 00:01:59.704 If you only care about the lowest flat yearly price, two names later on the list 00:01:59.752 --> 00:02:04.664 come in at $99. That's $50 a year less than Mainstay. 00:02:04.744 --> 00:02:09.624 What you buy with Mainstay is the same price every year and the paperwork handled. 00:02:10.946 --> 00:02:11.746 Who's next? 00:02:11.746 --> 00:02:15.826 Northwest Registered Agent, at $125 a year. 00:02:15.926 --> 00:02:20.146 Its page says it hasn't raised that price in 20 years, and up to 10 pieces of 00:02:20.186 --> 00:02:23.026 regular business mail a year are scanned for free. 00:02:23.026 --> 00:02:23.986 Where's the trap? 00:02:23.986 --> 00:02:27.346 Not exactly a trap, but read the sign-up screen. 00:02:27.446 --> 00:02:32.706 You're automatically enrolled in its annual report service, which is $100 plus the 00:02:32.759 --> 00:02:35.346 state's fee per filing, until you cancel. 00:02:35.466 --> 00:02:39.266 Its page says you can add or cancel that service at any time. 00:02:39.266 --> 00:02:41.506 In Wyoming that matters, doesn't it? 00:02:41.533 --> 00:02:43.106 There's a report every year. 00:02:43.106 --> 00:02:49.426 Every year, yes. So a customer who forgets to cancel pays for the agent and a $100 00:02:49.476 --> 00:02:50.626 service on top. 00:02:51.402 --> 00:02:52.761 And third? 00:02:52.761 --> 00:02:57.802 WY Reg Agent.com, at $99 a year, the same at renewal. 00:02:57.935 --> 00:03:03.242 It lists a physical Wyoming street address, same-day scanning of service of process, 00:03:03.375 --> 00:03:07.401 an online document portal and compliance reminders. 00:03:07.401 --> 00:03:09.241 What does it cost to move over? 00:03:09.241 --> 00:03:14.442 Only the $5 state fee. Its page shows a zero-dollar fee on its side. 00:03:14.602 --> 00:03:19.882 One catch: annual reports aren't part of the plan, that's sold separately. 00:03:19.882 --> 00:03:21.801 Three years of that? 00:03:21.801 --> 00:03:28.522 $297. Mainstay is $447 for the same three years, so the 00:03:28.622 --> 00:03:35.082 gap is $150. Stretch it to five years and it's $495 against 00:03:35.135 --> 00:03:37.002 $745. 00:03:38.194 --> 00:03:40.434 Number four is a name people know. 00:03:40.434 --> 00:03:45.794 Bizee, formerly Incfile. The registered agent is free for the first year with any of 00:03:45.834 --> 00:03:51.474 its formation packages. After that it's $149 a year, and it renews on its own. 00:03:52.333 --> 00:03:54.274 So it ends up at Mainstay's price. 00:03:54.274 --> 00:03:59.394 Exactly, only after a free year that depends on forming your company through Bizee. 00:03:59.554 --> 00:04:03.634 If your Wyoming company already exists, that free year isn't on the table. 00:04:05.385 --> 00:04:07.464 And the last one? 00:04:07.464 --> 00:04:12.905 Wyoming Registered Agent.ai, also $99 a year, flat. 00:04:13.085 --> 00:04:17.625 You get the registered office address, same-day scanning of legal documents and 00:04:17.694 --> 00:04:19.545 alerts before state deadlines. 00:04:19.785 --> 00:04:25.265 And, like number three, annual report filing is a separate purchase. 00:04:25.265 --> 00:04:28.185 So how do those two differ from each other? 00:04:28.185 --> 00:04:34.265 On the page, hardly at all. Same price, same promise to scan the same day. 00:04:34.441 --> 00:04:37.305 Pick the one whose site you'd rather log in to. 00:04:38.020 --> 00:04:39.900 You mentioned an annual report. 00:04:39.956 --> 00:04:42.180 What does Wyoming actually charge? 00:04:42.180 --> 00:04:44.740 Wyoming calls the money a license tax. 00:04:44.900 --> 00:04:50.180 It's $60, or two-tenths of one mill on the dollar of your Wyoming assets, whichever 00:04:50.207 --> 00:04:54.580 is greater. For most small companies, that means $60. 00:04:54.580 --> 00:04:55.460 When is it due? 00:04:55.460 --> 00:04:58.660 The first day of your company's anniversary month. 00:04:58.772 --> 00:05:03.380 Miss it, and the company is delinquent on the second day of the following month. 00:05:03.647 --> 00:05:08.260 If it still isn't filed within 60 days after the due date, the state 00:05:08.316 --> 00:05:10.060 administratively dissolves it. 00:05:10.060 --> 00:05:12.020 Does paying online cost extra? 00:05:12.020 --> 00:05:18.420 It does. A card payment adds a 2.4% processing fee, with a $1 minimum. 00:05:18.740 --> 00:05:21.301 Mailing a printed report skips that fee. 00:05:21.991 --> 00:05:25.541 And none of the agents on this list file that report in the base price? 00:05:25.541 --> 00:05:31.141 Right. Think of the agent fee and the report fee as two separate bills. 00:05:32.356 --> 00:05:35.806 I've heard Wyoming agents ask for more information about your company than in other 00:05:35.897 --> 00:05:37.806 states. Is that true? 00:05:37.806 --> 00:05:40.206 It is, and it comes from the statute. 00:05:40.306 --> 00:05:44.606 The agent has to keep your managers' names and addresses, a copy of the written 00:05:44.662 --> 00:05:49.326 agreement between you and the agent, and a designated communications contact at your 00:05:49.376 --> 00:05:50.046 company. 00:05:50.046 --> 00:05:51.086 Who's the contact? 00:05:51.086 --> 00:05:55.806 A natural person who's an officer, director, member or manager. 00:05:55.902 --> 00:06:00.526 They can't be the agent or one of the agent's employees, unless they're also a 00:06:00.560 --> 00:06:02.366 member or manager of your company. 00:06:02.366 --> 00:06:05.006 And what if I give the agent wrong records? 00:06:05.006 --> 00:06:11.566 The penalty can be a fine of up to $1,000, up to six months in jail, or both. 00:06:11.726 --> 00:06:15.726 So keep it current, and update within 60 days of a change. 00:06:15.726 --> 00:06:19.006 Do I also need to give the state an email address? 00:06:19.006 --> 00:06:24.526 Yes. Each business entity and each agent must keep an email address on file that the 00:06:24.582 --> 00:06:27.406 Secretary of State can use to serve documents. 00:06:28.960 --> 00:06:31.812 After all that, is doing it myself even realistic? 00:06:31.812 --> 00:06:37.413 The FAQ says yes. You must be at least eighteen, live in Wyoming, have a physical 00:06:37.473 --> 00:06:40.133 Wyoming address and a valid email address. 00:06:40.277 --> 00:06:45.733 Then you take on the work: being present to accept service, keeping the records, and 00:06:45.763 --> 00:06:47.893 putting your address on the public record. 00:06:47.893 --> 00:06:51.093 And if I use a company, is there something to check about the company? 00:06:51.093 --> 00:06:56.773 One thing. A commercial agent has to renew its state registration every year, which 00:06:56.840 --> 00:07:03.813 costs $50. The FAQ says if it misses December 31, it pays a $500 late 00:07:03.893 --> 00:07:07.973 fee plus administrative fees for each entity it represents. 00:07:08.113 --> 00:07:12.853 And on January 1 it's removed as the agent for all of them. 00:07:12.853 --> 00:07:15.093 Which would leave my company without an agent. 00:07:15.093 --> 00:07:20.933 Right, and that's the reinstatement scenario we talked about, with the $350 fee. 00:07:21.120 --> 00:07:25.413 It's worth asking any agent you're considering whether it is registered as a 00:07:25.435 --> 00:07:26.373 commercial agent. 00:07:27.158 --> 00:07:30.198 Say I just want out. Can my agent quit on me? 00:07:30.198 --> 00:07:36.118 Yes. A Wyoming agent can resign, but the statute says it has to send you notice at 00:07:36.171 --> 00:07:38.518 least 30 days before it files. 00:07:38.625 --> 00:07:42.598 After that, you have 30 days to file a statement of change. 00:07:42.598 --> 00:07:44.918 And if I never name anybody? 00:07:44.918 --> 00:07:49.718 Papers can then be served on the Secretary of State, your company gets flagged as 00:07:49.778 --> 00:07:56.198 delinquent, and the reinstatement fee for having no registered agent is $350. 00:07:56.246 --> 00:08:02.198 That's a lot of money to waste for not having a $99 or $149 agent. 00:08:02.198 --> 00:08:04.438 What else should I know about switching? 00:08:04.438 --> 00:08:10.278 Processing for the change form can take up to 15 business days, and the form can't 00:08:10.331 --> 00:08:15.158 be sent by email. Start before your old agent's contract runs out. 00:08:15.870 --> 00:08:18.190 Give me the quick test for Wyoming. 00:08:18.190 --> 00:08:22.030 Ask three questions. Is the price the same next year? 00:08:22.323 --> 00:08:25.150 Is anything added without my say-so? 00:08:25.370 --> 00:08:29.550 And will somebody handle that paper form with a signed consent? 00:08:29.790 --> 00:08:33.390 Mainstay Filing checks all three boxes. 00:08:33.390 --> 00:08:34.990 So that's the pick? 00:08:34.990 --> 00:08:40.910 Mainstay Filing, our pick for Wyoming, at $149 a year. 00:08:42.214 --> 00:08:43.814 Run the list for the people in the car. 00:08:43.814 --> 00:08:48.935 One, Mainstay Filing, $149 a year and the same at renewal. 00:08:49.215 --> 00:08:55.575 Two, Northwest, $125, with the annual report enrollment to watch. 00:08:55.775 --> 00:09:01.175 Three, WY Reg Agent.com, $99 flat. 00:09:01.463 --> 00:09:08.215 Four, Bizee, free for the first year if you form with it, then $149. 00:09:08.519 --> 00:09:14.695 Five, Wyoming Registered Agent.ai, $99 flat. 00:09:14.695 --> 00:09:16.295 All five are linked in the show notes. 00:09:16.455 --> 00:09:19.735 Thanks for listening to The Business Formation Podcast.