WEBVTT 00:00:00.205 --> 00:00:06.925 The 5 best registered agents in 2026 are Mainstay Filing, Northwest 00:00:06.969 --> 00:00:12.685 Registered Agent, InCorp, Harbor Compliance, and Bizee. 00:00:12.685 --> 00:00:15.885 This is The Business Formation Podcast. 00:00:15.925 --> 00:00:19.485 Today we're going through all five, starting with the price, and then what happens 00:00:19.501 --> 00:00:22.605 when it's time to renew, because that's where a lot of these change. 00:00:22.605 --> 00:00:27.005 Exactly. Every company on this list leads with a price. 00:00:27.145 --> 00:00:30.925 The question is what that price turns into in year two. 00:00:31.686 --> 00:00:35.366 Before the list, for anyone just starting out: do I even need one? 00:00:35.366 --> 00:00:40.886 You do. Every LLC names a registered agent when it's formed, and keeps one for as 00:00:40.934 --> 00:00:42.487 long as the company exists. 00:00:42.487 --> 00:00:44.967 And what does a registered agent actually do? 00:00:44.967 --> 00:00:49.767 Your registered agent is the person or company that receives legal papers and 00:00:49.811 --> 00:00:51.767 official state mail for your business. 00:00:51.927 --> 00:00:56.247 Its address goes on the public record, and it has to be a real street address in the 00:00:56.327 --> 00:00:59.767 state, where papers can be handed over during normal business hours. 00:01:00.578 --> 00:01:01.767 Can I just be my own agent? 00:01:01.767 --> 00:01:06.967 In a lot of cases you can, if you have a street address in that state and you're 00:01:07.047 --> 00:01:11.767 there during business hours. The catch is that your address ends up on the public 00:01:11.836 --> 00:01:14.567 record, and you have to be there when papers arrive. 00:01:14.695 --> 00:01:19.127 That's why most owners pay for a service, and why it's worth picking the right one. 00:01:21.015 --> 00:01:22.055 So, number one. 00:01:22.055 --> 00:01:28.935 Number one is Mainstay Filing: $149 a year for the registered agent, in any state, 00:01:28.955 --> 00:01:31.975 and it renews at the same $149. 00:01:31.975 --> 00:01:36.135 Any state? So Texas, Florida, wherever I formed? 00:01:36.135 --> 00:01:42.615 Any state, one yearly price. Year one is $149, year two is 00:01:42.655 --> 00:01:46.855 $149, year three is $149. 00:01:46.855 --> 00:01:48.695 What do you get for that? 00:01:48.695 --> 00:01:51.415 A physical in-state address on the public record. 00:01:51.504 --> 00:01:56.295 Anything served on your company is scanned and uploaded the same business day, with 00:01:56.402 --> 00:02:01.095 no fee. And the first three government mailings each year are scanned free. 00:02:01.095 --> 00:02:04.135 Same business day matters if it's a lawsuit, right? 00:02:04.135 --> 00:02:05.976 That's the whole point of an agent. 00:02:06.188 --> 00:02:10.455 If someone sues your company, the deadline to respond generally runs from when the 00:02:10.512 --> 00:02:15.175 papers are served on your agent, not from when you finally open the envelope. 00:02:15.235 --> 00:02:20.375 Getting the scan the same day, with no per-document fee, is exactly what you're 00:02:20.421 --> 00:02:21.335 paying for. 00:02:21.335 --> 00:02:23.815 What if my company already has an agent? 00:02:23.868 --> 00:02:24.935 Is switching a hassle? 00:02:24.935 --> 00:02:29.655 Switching is simple. If your company already has an agent, Mainstay files the change 00:02:29.682 --> 00:02:32.695 of agent for you, with the state's fee at cost. 00:02:32.695 --> 00:02:34.215 Is there a catch? 00:02:34.215 --> 00:02:39.655 The honest one: if all you want is an agent and the lowest yearly number, a couple 00:02:39.708 --> 00:02:42.295 of names below cost less per year. 00:02:42.407 --> 00:02:47.975 What you get with Mainstay is one price, in any state, that doesn't jump at renewal. 00:02:49.167 --> 00:02:50.047 Number two? 00:02:50.047 --> 00:02:55.567 Number two is Northwest Registered Agent, at $125 a year. 00:02:55.667 --> 00:03:00.527 Its page says that price hasn't gone up in 20 years, and it scans up to 10 pieces of 00:03:00.567 --> 00:03:02.687 regular business mail a year for free. 00:03:03.455 --> 00:03:06.207 That sounds hard to beat. What's the catch? 00:03:06.207 --> 00:03:11.807 Signing up automatically enrolls you in its annual report filing service, at $100 00:03:11.855 --> 00:03:15.487 plus state fees per filing, unless you cancel it. 00:03:15.527 --> 00:03:19.487 Its page says you can cancel it at any time, so it's something to check right after 00:03:19.527 --> 00:03:20.447 you sign up. 00:03:20.447 --> 00:03:25.167 So if I leave that service on, what does a year with Northwest look like? 00:03:25.167 --> 00:03:31.567 $125 for the agent, plus $100 and the state's fee every time it files your annual 00:03:31.647 --> 00:03:36.527 report. Cancel the service, and it's back to $125 a year. 00:03:36.618 --> 00:03:41.727 Either way, the agent price itself has been steady for a long time, and that counts 00:03:41.747 --> 00:03:42.367 for something. 00:03:43.075 --> 00:03:43.955 Number three. 00:03:43.955 --> 00:03:50.915 Number three is InCorp, at a flat $129 a year in every state, and its page 00:03:50.963 --> 00:03:54.915 says that rate has gone up exactly once since 1998. 00:03:55.155 --> 00:03:58.995 If you prepay five years, it drops to $87 a year. 00:03:58.995 --> 00:04:02.195 What does five years prepaid actually come to? 00:04:02.195 --> 00:04:06.675 $87 times five is $435, paid up front. 00:04:06.968 --> 00:04:12.115 At the flat rate, the same five years is $645. 00:04:12.115 --> 00:04:14.515 So the catch is the prepay? 00:04:14.515 --> 00:04:18.275 Right. You only get that lowest rate by paying years up front. 00:04:18.568 --> 00:04:22.275 If you're sure the company will be around for five years, it's a good deal. 00:04:22.515 --> 00:04:28.355 If you're not sure, the flat $129 is still a clean, predictable price. 00:04:29.729 --> 00:04:30.609 Number four? 00:04:30.609 --> 00:04:37.329 Number four is Harbor Compliance: $99 the first year for new customers, then 00:04:37.409 --> 00:04:43.889 $159 every year after. Its page includes same-day document delivery and 00:04:43.969 --> 00:04:45.929 entity management software. 00:04:45.929 --> 00:04:51.089 That jump from $99 to $159 is pretty big. 00:04:51.089 --> 00:04:57.089 That's the catch. Unless you prepay three years for $297, you're paying 00:04:57.149 --> 00:04:59.890 $159 a year from year two. 00:04:59.890 --> 00:05:03.489 So three years without prepaying is... 00:05:03.489 --> 00:05:09.809 $99, then $159, then $159: 00:05:09.841 --> 00:05:16.769 $417. Prepaying saves you $120 over those three years, if you're ready 00:05:16.796 --> 00:05:17.329 to commit. 00:05:18.452 --> 00:05:19.892 And number five? 00:05:19.892 --> 00:05:24.132 Number five is Bizee, formerly called Incfile. 00:05:24.192 --> 00:05:28.932 Its registered agent is free for the first year when you form your LLC with it, with 00:05:28.992 --> 00:05:34.212 any of its formation packages, including a basic package that's $0 plus the state 00:05:34.292 --> 00:05:34.611 fee. 00:05:35.332 --> 00:05:38.132 Free sounds great. What happens after year one? 00:05:38.132 --> 00:05:43.652 After year one, it's $149 a year, and it renews automatically. 00:05:43.852 --> 00:05:49.172 Its cancellation policy says the renewal is charged by its registered agent partner, 00:05:49.232 --> 00:05:52.212 and renewal fees can't be reversed once they're charged. 00:05:52.372 --> 00:05:58.452 So the free year really means forming with Bizee, then $149 a year after that. 00:05:59.216 --> 00:06:00.896 A few questions we hear a lot. 00:06:01.056 --> 00:06:04.976 First: what about regular mail, not just legal papers? 00:06:04.976 --> 00:06:10.736 It varies. Mainstay scans the first three government mailings a year free. 00:06:10.824 --> 00:06:15.136 Northwest scans up to 10 pieces of regular business mail a year free. 00:06:15.269 --> 00:06:20.176 If you get a lot of mail at your agent's address, ask what each extra scan costs 00:06:20.233 --> 00:06:21.656 before you sign up. 00:06:21.656 --> 00:06:26.736 Second: I formed my LLC in one state, but I do business in another. 00:06:26.896 --> 00:06:28.416 Do I need two agents? 00:06:28.416 --> 00:06:32.976 If you register the company to do business in that second state, you'll need an 00:06:33.029 --> 00:06:37.616 agent there too. That's where a price that's the same in every state makes life 00:06:37.666 --> 00:06:41.136 simpler, because you're not comparing a new set of numbers each time. 00:06:41.136 --> 00:06:45.216 And third: can I switch agents in the middle of the year? 00:06:45.216 --> 00:06:48.896 You can. It's a filing with the state that names the new agent. 00:06:48.992 --> 00:06:53.696 With Mainstay, that filing is done for you, with the state's fee at cost. 00:06:55.376 --> 00:06:59.218 If someone's listening and still can't decide, what should they actually compare? 00:06:59.218 --> 00:07:03.538 Three things. First, the renewal price, not the first-year price. 00:07:03.709 --> 00:07:10.098 Harbor goes from $99 to $159, and Bizee goes from free to 00:07:10.138 --> 00:07:17.058 $149. Second, anything that gets added automatically, like Northwest's annual 00:07:17.127 --> 00:07:21.378 report enrollment at $100 plus state fees per filing. 00:07:21.638 --> 00:07:24.738 And third, what switching costs you. 00:07:24.880 --> 00:07:30.418 Changing your agent means a filing with the state, and some states charge for it. 00:07:30.605 --> 00:07:33.538 In Texas, for example, it's $15. 00:07:33.538 --> 00:07:35.698 Which brings us back to number one. 00:07:35.698 --> 00:07:42.378 It does. One price in any state, the same at renewal, nothing added automatically, 00:07:42.448 --> 00:07:44.578 and the switch filed for you. 00:07:45.856 --> 00:07:47.376 So, the final verdict. 00:07:47.376 --> 00:07:54.176 Mainstay Filing. $149 a year for the agent, in any state, a price that never 00:07:54.256 --> 00:07:56.896 jumps, and the switch filed for you. 00:07:56.896 --> 00:07:58.976 And the quick version of all five? 00:07:58.976 --> 00:08:05.456 One, Mainstay Filing: $149 a year in any state, the same at 00:08:05.526 --> 00:08:12.416 renewal. Two, Northwest: $125 a year; watch the annual report 00:08:12.467 --> 00:08:19.456 enrollment. Three, InCorp: $129 flat, or $87 00:08:19.536 --> 00:08:21.856 a year if you prepay five years. 00:08:22.112 --> 00:08:28.736 Four, Harbor Compliance: $99, then $159. 00:08:28.956 --> 00:08:34.576 And five, Bizee: free the first year when you form with it, then 00:08:34.696 --> 00:08:36.576 $149. 00:08:36.576 --> 00:08:39.056 Links to all five are in the show notes. 00:08:39.136 --> 00:08:42.176 Thanks for listening to The Business Formation Podcast.