Registered agent
Best registered agent service
Prices checked
Be your own registered agent if you have a street address in the state and can be there during business hours. If you can't, use Northwest Registered Agent at $125/yr. That is the lowest renewal below, and it does not charge per document.
The verdict
Be your own if you can. Otherwise, Northwest at $125/yr.
You qualify to serve yourself when a physical street address in the formation state is staffed during business hours. That address goes on the public filing. Hire Northwest if the address would be your home, you travel, or you don't live in the state.
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What a registered agent actually does
A registered agent is the person or company named on the state filing to receive lawsuits and official mail. Every state requires one where the LLC is formed, and another in each state where it registers to do business. The agent does not form the LLC, file your taxes, or run the company.
You are paying for an in-state street address that is staffed during business hours, and for someone to tell you when a paper arrives. Miss a lawsuit and a court can enter a judgment without you. Miss a state notice and the state can dissolve the LLC.
When you don't need a paid one
Serve yourself, for free, when all three are true. A street address in that state, not a PO box. Someone there during business hours. And you are willing to publish the address. The state page below has the exact rule, including states that call the role a statutory agent or a resident agent.
If the only address you have is your home, hire an agent. The home address becomes public, and a process server can come to the door. Don't buy a formation package just to get a free year of agent service if the LLC already exists.
What a paid agent costs
Compare the renewal. Northwest is $125/yr every year. ZenBusiness is cheaper for one year, then more. Bizee's first year is free only when Bizee also forms the LLC. LegalZoom charges the most for the same job. Any state fee to appoint or change an agent is extra, and it is listed on the state page.
| Service | Price | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Northwest Registered Agent Same price every year. No per-document fee. Five or more states is $100 a year per state. | $125/yr | Use this |
| Bizee Standalone price. The first year is free only if Bizee also forms the LLC. | $149/yr | $24 more a year |
| ZenBusiness Cheaper for one year, then more than Northwest every year after. | $99 the first year, then $199/yr | $74 more after year 1 |
| LegalZoom Same job as the others. | $249/yr | Skip it |
Northwest also includes a domain, a website, and a phone line at this price. You don't need those to have a registered agent. You are paying for the address and the mail scan. If you still need the LLC filed, compare formation services instead of buying an agent by itself.
Get a registered agent from NorthwestRegistered agent rules by state
Who can serve, what the state charges to change agents, and whether a home address is a bad idea. These are the states with a verified page.
- Arizona statutory agent
- California agent for service of process
- Delaware registered agent
- Georgia registered agent
- Illinois registered agent
- Indiana registered agent
- Maryland resident agent
- Michigan resident agent
- Montana registered agent
- Nevada registered agent
- North Carolina registered agent
- Ohio statutory agent
- Oklahoma registered agent
- Oregon registered agent
- Pennsylvania registered office or CROP
- Tennessee registered agent
- Texas registered agent
- Utah registered agent
- Virginia registered agent
- Washington registered agent
- Wyoming registered agent
If your state is not listed, the choice is the same. Be your own agent if you qualify. Otherwise use Northwest. The state-specific writeup is not published yet.
Questions
What is the best registered agent service?
Northwest, at $125/yr, if you need a paid agent. Be your own agent if you have a street address in the state and can be there during business hours. That costs nothing, and the address goes on the public filing.
How much does a registered agent cost?
Nothing if you serve yourself. A paid agent in this comparison runs from $125/yr at Northwest to $249/yr at LegalZoom. Compare the renewal, not a free first year that only comes with forming the LLC.
Can I be my own registered agent?
Yes, if you have a physical street address in the state where the LLC is formed and someone can accept mail there during business hours. A PO box does not qualify in most states. The address is public. If that address is your home, hire an agent instead.
What does a registered agent do?
A registered agent receives lawsuits and official state mail at a street address in the state, during business hours, and gets those papers to you. The agent does not form the LLC, file your taxes, or run the business. Miss a lawsuit and a court can enter a judgment without you. Miss a state notice and the state can dissolve the LLC.
Do I need a registered agent if I work from home?
You still need an agent. You do not have to pay for one if a non-home street address in the state is staffed during business hours. If the only address is your home, use Northwest at $125/yr so the home address stays off the public filing.