San Diego, CA, April 19, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- With so many national registered agent services, how do you choose who to hire for your business?
For one thing, it’s essential to know if they have a strong reputation with a lot of great customer reviews. But there is more to look at when considering which is the best registered agent service for your business. Below, you’ll find the five best registered agent services today with comparisons to help you decide which service is best for your needs.
1. Incfile - Best overall service
Price: $119/year
Strengths:
- Low renewal fees
- Positive customer reviews
- Fastest turnaround time
Incfile is one of the better agent services online for anyone looking to form a corporation. Their business formation packages include a year of registered agent service and plenty of other features such as business contract templates and custom document features.
Another perk for Incfile is that their yearly renewal fee is one of the lowest around. Looking ahead, this can be a big advantage since switching companies yearly is not always an efficient use of time, and renewal fees can be costly. Plus, Incfile customers have left thousands of positive reviews.
The only downside to Incfile is that there are lots of upsells and add-on features that cost more. This can be frustrating as many people would prefer to purchase an all-inclusive package. If this is something that bothers you, consider what services you may need and whether Incfile offers a package that includes them.
See prices on Incfile’s Official Site
2. ZenBusiness - Great Value
Price: $99/year
Strengths:
- Strong customer reviews
- Business formation service is the best deal around
- Great for startups
- Good value for money
ZenBusiness is known as one of the best registered agent services on the market due to its fantastic customer feedback. While the company has only been around since 2018, which means their track record isn’t as long as some other companies (like Northwest Registered Agent), they have done a substantial amount of business.
What do their customers particularly love? ZenBusiness has saved them money, and it’s incredibly easy to use their services. For those who need an incorporation service, ZenBusiness charges $39, which includes a full year of registered agent service. If you are purchasing the incorporation service as a standalone feature, it is $99 a year, which is still on the low end.
3. Northwest Registered Agent - Most Experienced
Price: $125/year
Strengths:
- Great customer service
- 12 months free registered agent service
- Low prices
The first thing of note here is that they have been in business for 20 years! That is a long track record standing behind them. Their registered agent service is one of their top offerings and what they’ve come to be known for.
Since they’ve been in business so long, they’ve had the opportunity to refine their offerings and how they handle their business. So while they tend to charge more, their years of experience add value to the company. They provide fantastic customer service and believe a no-nonsense and no upsells policy is the key to ensuring their customers are happy.
Also, while some of their prices may seem higher, they offer volume discounts as well that lower their price point to $100/year. Of course, your judgment of the pricing will depend on your needs. If you are mainly incorporating, this is one of the higher-priced options.
Another nice feature that sets this company apart is that all of your documents are locally scanned. Most companies will only scan the documents they are legally required to by the government. There is a thoroughness here that can pay off for the right business.
Price: $149.99/year
Strengths:
- Subscription service is a value feature
- Strong customer reviews
- Long track record
Rocket Lawyer has been in business since 2008, which makes them one of the most experienced business services companies in the industry. They have strong reviews, a high volume of customers, and the option to chat with a lawyer via text online, which saves many business owners time and hassle.
The $149.99 price is for their registered agent service; however, you can get a 25% discount on this fee if you also subscribe as a member. The subscription costs $39.99 a month. The subscription also includes a free formation service. If you have reason to become a subscribing member, this can help with the costs for Rocket Lawyer considerably.
However, if your business only needs a registered agent service, Rocket Lawyer is probably not your best choice. What stands out about Rocket Lawyer is that their subscription service has enough reliable features to make it the best choice for some specific businesses, so you’ll want to take that into consideration.
5. LegalZoom
Price: $159 to $299/year
Strengths:
- Advanced features for legal advice services
- A 60-day money-back guarantee
- A well-known company with lots of experience
LegalZoom is well-known, respected, and offers a strong 60-day money-back guarantee, so the risk is lower when choosing to use LegalZoom. Their strong history and reputation make them one of the best registered agent services out there, though their pricing leaves a lot to be desired. In fact, their pricing can be a bit confusing.
Most of their packages do not include a registered agent service, so be clear on that before purchasing. It costs $299 to buy agent services as its own feature. However, if you buy a formation package, you can add a registered agent service for $159. This is a downside since many of the other companies on this list include registered agent services in the price.
Registered Agent Services FAQs
What Is a Registered Agent?
A registered agent (often called a “registered agent service”) is a person or team that receives important mail and documents on behalf of your business. This is handy if you run an online business or if you have limited office space, for example.
Important mail could cover things such as:
- Official federal & state correspondence
- Subpoenas
- Tax notices
- Lawsuit documents
- Summons
- Wage garnishment notices
- Legal notices
- and more
Registered agents must have a physical office in the state that your company is registered in. If your business is registered in 20 different US states, you would need a dedicated registered agent for each of the 20 states.
Many registered agent services have offices in multiple states for this reason.
Registered agent services must also be open during regular business hours in their location, though the best ones might stay open beyond the office hours that they’re legally required to stay open for.
Why Should You Use a Registered Agent Service?
Your Home Address Stays Private
If you use your home address as your business mailing address, it will be posted online as part of the public records in your state. This means that anyone on the internet can go online and look up your home address by searching for your business.
Obviously, there are privacy and safety concerns here.
By using the best registered agent service for your LLC or corporation, you get to keep your private residence address away from public records and prying eyes on the web.
Your Online Business Will Get a Physical Mailing Address
If you run a strictly online business, you would have to put your home address as your physical mailing address. Privacy concerns aside, it simply looks more prestigious for your business to have a separate mailing address than your home.
It looks better for clients to send mail to registered agent services rather than simply your house.
Peace of Mind
Put simply, registered agents take some of the responsibility off your shoulders when it comes to running your LLC or corporation. If there’s anything important such as tax notices, lawsuits or compliance deadlines, you’ll be notified by your registered agent service in advance.
Never miss anything important!
You Can Operate in Multiple States
If you want to run your business in more than one US state, you need a physical mailing address in each state so as to comply with local laws.
You can hire a registered agent service provider for each state you operate in, making it easier to expand and grow your business.
The Price Is Very Competitive
Registered agent services like Incfile and ZenBusiness are very competitively priced.
If you’re forming a business from scratch, then hiring an Incfile registered agent will cost you $0 plus state fees, while hiring a ZenBusiness registered agent will cost just $49 if you’re forming your LLC.
With such cheap prices, it’s easy to see why people hire registered agent services to help.
You Can Form Your Business With Many Registered Agent Services
As you’ve probably seen, many registered agent services come with packages that allow you to form an LLC or corporation from scratch.
If you’re just starting a new company and you need help to get things up and running, registered agent services can help to get the ball rolling and take care of initial legal hiccups while you stay busy laying the groundwork for your new company.
They Keep Regular Business Hours
Many people start their own business because they’re a night owl that likes to work unsociable hours or because they simply want more flexibility with their schedule.
No matter what hours you work personally, registered agent services keep to regular office hours, so someone is always on hand to receive important mail no matter what you’re doing personally.
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Is a Registered Agent Service Worth It?
It all depends on you and the type of business you’re running. If you don’t like to handle too much of the legal stuff, tax notices, and paperwork that comes through your business, then hiring a registered agent makes sense for you.
Lots of new business owners and entrepreneurs with little experience use a “free registered agent” service to help them set up their company and then take care of basic compliance issues for cheap.
Makes sense.
However, if you’ve got a simple operation or you’re just more experienced with the ins and outs of running a business, you might prefer to keep your mail in-house or handle it personally in order to save money.
How Do I Choose a Registered Agent?
When choosing the best registered agent service for your needs, you first need to consider price. A lot of services claim to be “free”, but they will charge state fees and upsell you with add-ons. Consider the realistic price you’re willing to pay annually within your budget constraints.
After price, you need to take the following factors into consideration:
- Customer feedback & reviews
- Track record & industry experience
- Formation services (if you need them)
- Customer service
- Legal services (if you need them)
- Add-ons like document scanning, cloud storage, annual reports
- Which state(s) they operate in (if you’re looking to expand)
With this information in mind, it should be relatively easy to figure out which registered agent to use, whether it’s your first year or whether you’ve been operating for decades.
Can I Be My Own Registered Agent?
Yes, you can usually be your own registered agent.
It varies from state to state, but you can usually select you or your business itself as a registered agent. In other words, you can often have mail sent to either your home address or your business address (if there is one) without needing a registered agent at all.
Check your local state laws to find out.
Many business owners choose to avoid registered agent services in the early days of their business, but features such as compliance calendars and an annual report can be very helpful if you’re inexperienced.
Top Registered Agent Services: The Main Takeaway
If you’re looking for the best registered agent service, I would have to recommend IncFile above all else.
Incfile’s formation package comes with one year of registered agent services for free, costing $0 plus state fees and occasional add-ons. If you just want their registered agent services, they charge a reasonable fee of $119 for one year.
When it comes to registered agent services, ZenBusiness is also a worthy recommendation thanks to its extensive packages that offer worry-free compliance coverage to already-established businesses whose owners just want peace of mind.
Whichever registered agent service you choose, we hope you find the right fit for your needs. Good luck!
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