How much does a registered agent cost?

What do registered agent services charge each year?

Several providers we compare charge a single yearly price for the agent service between $125 per year and $199/year, while others sit outside that range or bill on another cycle. The table further down lists every provider's price and renewal with its source.^{3, 4}

The headline number is only part of the picture, because providers bill on different terms. Here is how the published prices compare, in the order of our score.

• Tailor Brands charges $199/year, renewing at $199/year (renews at the same price).⁴
• ZenBusiness lists $199/year and renews at $199/yr.^{5, 6}
• LegalZoom lists $249/year (first-time registered agent customers). Its renewal term reads "Renews at the purchase rate each year; rate subject to change".⁷
• Bizee (formerly Incfile) charges $149/year, with renewal at $149/year (ongoing annual fee).^{8, 9}
• Swyft Filings quotes $149 per quarter, which works out to $596/year on a yearly basis.²
• doola lists $297 per year, though its page doesn't make clear whether that buys the agent alone or its Starter plan.¹⁰
• Northwest Registered Agent charges $125 per year.³
• Rocket Lawyer lists $125 with a Plus or Pro membership (the membership is covered below).¹¹
• InCorp Services charges $129/year.¹²
• Harbor Compliance offers $99 first year to new customers, then $159 annually.¹

Billing period changes the arithmetic more than people expect. A quarterly price looks small next to an annual one until you multiply it out, and Swyft Filings is the case here. Read the unit on every price before comparing.

If you only want the lowest published number, the cheapest registered agent services list sorts providers by starting price and shows each renewal beside it.

Is a free first year really free?

A free or discounted first year is real, but it lasts for the first term only, and the service then renews at the provider's regular price unless you cancel. The cost that repeats is the renewal.

Several providers bundle the agent with formation. Bizee (formerly Incfile) says "With any of our business formation packages, you get one year of Registered Agent Service for free." and then renews at $149/year (ongoing annual fee). doola says "Registered Agent is free with doola’s Formation Service.", though the length of that free period is not published (Duration not stated). Northwest Registered Agent lists "One year of registered agent service included with formation", as stated on the corporation page; its LLC page doesn't say the agent is included.^{9, 10, 13, 14}

Discounts work the same way. ZenBusiness offers 50% off the first year ($99) when you form an LLC, and the service renews at $199/yr. Harbor Compliance charges $99 first year for new customers, which renews at $159 annually.^{1, 6}

To compare a bundled offer with a standalone price, add the first year and the second. A free year followed by a full renewal can cost more over time than a lower flat price with no promotion. Our method for scoring cost adds the first and second years for the same reason.

Renewal timing is the other trap. Automatic renewal is written into many providers' terms, and some also require notice well ahead of the renewal date: Harbor Compliance's terms require notice of non-renewal at least 90 days before the end of the current term. The guide on cancelling a registered agent service covers notice periods, refunds and the safe order for ending a service.¹⁵

Why do some prices depend on a membership or package?

Some providers sell the agent service only alongside another subscription, so the listed agent price is not the whole bill. The membership or plan fee comes on top.

Rocket Lawyer is the plainest example. Its agent price is $125, and the price block adds: "Requires Rocket Lawyer Plus or Pro membership." The Plus tier is listed as $249/year (Plus; registered agent $125/year). Add the two before comparing it with a provider that sells the agent service by itself.^{11, 16}

Formation packages raise a similar question from the other side. An agent that is "included" in a yearly plan is paid for through the plan fee, which renews like any subscription. When you weigh a bundle, ask what the plan costs in its second year and whether you can keep the agent if you drop the plan. If you want everything from one account anyway, the all-in-one registered agent services list compares how many business services each provider sells.

Which add-ons raise the bill?

The usual extras are mail handling beyond legal papers, a business address product and annual report filing. The providers below price them apart from the agent fee, and none of them is part of appointing an agent.

Mail scanning and forwarding

The agent's core job is to receive service of process and official notices. Ordinary business mail is often a separate product. Northwest Registered Agent describes its agent service this way: "Legal documents scanned and uploaded; normal business mail scanned up to 5 docs per year free". Beyond that, it sells Mail Forwarding $20/month (24 select states). The guide on registered agent mail forwarding compares what each provider publishes about scanning and forwarding.^{3, 17}

Business address products

Every agent puts its own address in the agent field of your filing. A business address product is a different thing: an address you can use for your principal office or mailing address. Bizee (formerly Incfile) lists $29/month; 1 month free with Bizee LLC formation, Swyft Filings lists $29/mo; Standard 1 month free; Premium 3 months free, and Harbor Compliance lists $350/year per company, per location (limited time offer). Northwest Registered Agent notes that "A free business address (RA address, 5 mail pieces/yr) comes with RA service". The guide on keeping your home address off the public record explains which filing fields these products can cover, and the privacy list ranks the providers that sell an address or mail-forwarding product.^{17, 18, 19, 20}

Annual report filing

Where a state requires a recurring report, providers will file it for a fee plus the state's own charge. LegalZoom lists $99 + state filing fees, bills once. Northwest Registered Agent charges $100 + state fees, charged at filing. InCorp Services lists $89 + state fees. ZenBusiness lists "Annual Report Filing $100 per report; Worry-Free Compliance $199/year".^{5, 21, 22, 23}

Watch for trials that convert. Swyft Filings sells ComplianceGuard $199/year, offered as a 14-day free trial then auto-charged. That charge is easy to miss because the trial comes with the formation plans: "Every LLC plan includes a 14-day trial of ComplianceGuard". The annual reports guide explains what the report is, and the compliance list groups providers by whether they file it for you.²⁴

What does the state charge when you change agents?

States charge their own fee to record a new agent, separate from any provider price. In the examples below, fees run from nothing in Washington to Alabama's $100, and some states price online and paper filings differently.²⁵

Some examples from the state data show how wide the range is.

• Washington lists "No fee" for a change of registered agent or office.²⁶
• Arizona charges $5.00, and Pennsylvania $5.^{27, 28}
• Texas charges $15 for its change form.²⁹
• Louisiana's fee is $30 (from October 1, 2026; was $25).³⁰
• Nevada charges $60 for a statement of change.³¹
• Alabama charges $100.²⁵

Filing method can change the price within a single state. Massachusetts charges $25 by paper or fax, $0 if filed electronically. Idaho lists $0 online, $20 by paper. Wisconsin's fee is $10 online, $25 by mail. Minnesota runs the other way, at $35 by mail, $55 online or in person.^{32, 33, 34, 35}

A few states fold the change into a recurring filing. California updates the agent through its Statement of Information, with "No fee (Statement of Information filed to update the agent)" for an update between required filings (The required biennial statement itself costs $20.). In Georgia, the agent can be changed on the annual registration, and when it is done with the $60 annual registration there is no separate fee, which avoids the amended-registration fee of $30 (amended annual registration). Wisconsin notes that the agent can also be changed on the annual report.^{36, 37, 38}

The full form and fee for every state is in the guide to changing your registered agent, with the steps in order. Each state page, such as California's registered agent rules or Alabama's, has the source.

Do states charge anything for the agent at formation?

The agent is named on the formation document, so any state charge for it is set by that state's formation fee schedule.

Florida's published fee breaks it out: Articles of Organization ($100 filing fee + $25 registered agent designation = $125). Each state page lists that state's own formation fee.³⁹

Florida's statute also shows what an individual agent must meet: "An individual who resides in this state and whose business address is identical to the address of the registered office" (Fla. Stat. § 605.0113). The Florida registered agent page has the full rule.⁴⁰

New York takes a different approach. Its formation form says "The Secretary of State is designated as agent of the limited liability company upon whom process against the limited liability company may be served." Under its statute, an LLC "may designate a registered agent" (N.Y. Ltd. Liab. Co. Law § 302), so naming a registered agent there is optional rather than required. The New York registered agent page explains how that works.^{41, 42}

Pennsylvania lets an LLC name a commercial registered office provider in place of its own registered office address (15 Pa.C.S. § 8825). The provider's fee is the cost there, and the Pennsylvania page covers the details.^{43, 44}

What does it cost to be your own registered agent?

Serving as your own agent has no provider fee and costs nothing beyond the state filings you make anyway, such as Florida's designation charge.

The real costs are practical: keeping an in-state address where papers can be delivered and someone to receive them, and having that address on the public record.

The statutes set the test. Texas requires a street address where process can be personally served, and the office "may not be solely a mailbox service or a telephone answering service" (Tex. Bus. Orgs. Code § 5.201). Washington adds a consent rule: "A registered agent shall not be appointed without having given prior consent in a record to the appointment." (RCW 23.95.415). So in Washington a friend or relative named as agent must consent first.^{45, 46}

The hidden costs show up in three places. A missed lawsuit can lead to a default judgment, which can cost more than years of agent fees. A home address on the record attracts solicitations. And if you form or register in a second state, you need someone there anyway, which is where national pricing like Northwest Registered Agent's $100 per state for five or more states comes in. The foreign registration guide covers agents in several states.³

Whether you qualify, and when a service makes sense, is covered in depth in can I be my own registered agent?.

Provider prices and renewals

The table shows each provider's published agent price, renewal and cheapest formation package, in the order of our score. "Not published" means the provider's own pages don't state it. Read each provider review for the full terms, including Harbor Compliance, Swyft Filings and Bizee.

Related guides

• What a registered agent is and does
• How to change your registered agent
• How to cancel a registered agent service
• Registered agent requirements by state
• Glossary of registered agent terms
• Frequently asked questions