// Formation Guide
Registered Agent: DIY vs. Service
Every LLC in every state needs a registered agent. You can be your own for free, or pay $39–$300/year for a service. Here's how to decide — and why privacy alone might be worth the fee.
What a Registered Agent Does
A registered agent is the person or company designated to receive legal and government documents on behalf of your LLC. This includes service of process (if someone sues your business), annual report reminders, tax notices, and compliance documents from your state.
Every state requires your LLC to have a registered agent with a physical address in the state of formation. This address goes on public record. The agent must be available during normal business hours to accept documents in person.
DIY: Being Your Own Registered Agent
Cost: $0. You list yourself (or any adult member of the LLC) as the registered agent and use your business address — or home address if you work from home.
This works if you have a physical office or storefront in the state of formation, you're available during business hours to accept documents, and you don't mind your home address being on public record.
It doesn't work if you travel frequently, work from multiple locations, value address privacy, or formed your LLC in a state where you don't have a physical presence.
Service: Using a Registered Agent Company
Cost: $39–$300/year. A registered agent service provides a business address in your state of formation, accepts all legal and government documents on your behalf, scans and forwards documents to you digitally, and sends compliance reminders.
| Factor | DIY (Free) | Service ($39–$300/yr) |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | $0 | $39–$300/year |
| Privacy | Home address on public record | Service address on public record |
| Availability | You must be available during business hours | Always available |
| Multi-state | Need physical presence in each state | Covered in all 50 states |
| Document handling | You receive in person | Scanned and forwarded digitally |
| Compliance reminders | You track deadlines yourself | Automated reminders |
| If you move | Must update state records | Nothing changes |
For $39/year, a registered agent service keeps your home address off every public database connected to your LLC. Data brokers, spammers, and anyone doing a business entity search will see the service address, not yours. If you work from home, this is the cheapest privacy protection you can buy — and it costs less than a single month of most software subscriptions.
Our Recommendations
Best value: Northwest Registered Agent — $39/year. Lowest price from a reputable, established service. They've been around since 1998, cover all 50 states, and include mail scanning. No upsells, no hidden fees.
If you're using a formation service: Many formation companies (ZenBusiness, LegalZoom, Incfile) bundle registered agent service for free in the first year, then charge $100–$300/year to renew. If you're already using one of these, take the free year — but switch to Northwest when it expires to save money.
If you want DIY: List yourself as registered agent, use your office address (not home if possible), and set calendar reminders for your state's annual report deadline. You can always switch to a service later by filing a simple change-of-agent form with your state.
If you formed your LLC in a state where you don't live (common with Wyoming and Delaware formations), you must use a registered agent service — you can't be your own registered agent without a physical address in that state. This is a mandatory cost for out-of-state formation.
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