# Registered agent cost: What your LLC really pays Michel Myara, Co-founder & Product Designer · September 22nd 2026 *Amounts last verified on September 21st 2026* Canonical: https://looch.money/blog/registered-agent-cost --- ## Yes, your LLC needs a registered agent, and a service costs $125 to $249/year ![A founder weighing registered agent cost signs for official mail at home.](https://looch.money/img/blog/registered-agent-cost/registered-agent-cost-founder-signing-official-mail-at-home.webp) Delaware, Wyoming, and Florida each require an LLC to appoint and continuously maintain a registered agent with a physical street address in the state. A national service costs from [$125/year](https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/registered-agent) to [$249/year](https://www.legalzoom.com/business/business-operations/registered-agent-overview.html). You can serve as your own agent for $0 if you meet the state’s requirements, while [looch Start includes the first year](https://looch.money/start) in its $249 all-in formation price. *Last verified: September 28th, 2026.* | Service | First year | Renewal | What’s included | Address privacy | |---|---|---|---|---| | [looch Start](https://looch.money/start) | Included in the $249 all-in price with the state filing fee and EIN | $249/year as the business protection bundle, including registered agent service, the virtual office with its business address and mail scanning, the state annual report filing, and weekly trademark monitoring | Registered agent with unlimited state mail and service of process, a business address, mail scanning for up to 3 regular mail pieces per year, and service in all 50 states | The business address keeps your address off public records | | [Northwest Registered Agent](https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/registered-agent) | $125/year | $125/year, a price it says hasn’t changed in 20 years; $100/year per state for five or more states | Mail scanning, business address, domain, website, phone line, and email | Not stated on its registered agent page | | [Bizee](https://bizee.com/business-management/registered-agent) | Free for the first year with formation | $149/year | Availability during standard business hours, state correspondence, document handling, and lifetime compliance notifications | Privacy protection that keeps a personal address off public records | | [ZenBusiness](https://www.zenbusiness.com/registered-agent/) | $99 + state fees for the first year | $199/year | Document receipt, secure digital delivery, email notifications, and priority handling of legal notices | Not stated on its registered agent page | | [LegalZoom](https://www.legalzoom.com/business/business-operations/registered-agent-overview.html) | $249/year for first-time registered agent customers | Auto-renews at the purchase rate, and the renewal rate is subject to change | Mail alerts, document scanning, Compliance Calendar reminders, unlimited cloud storage, and paperwork to switch agents with state fees covered | Not stated on its registered agent page | looch is a financial technology company operated by Simplicity Fintech Inc, not a bank. looch Start forms a Delaware, Wyoming, or Florida company for $249 all-in, including the state filing fee, EIN, and a virtual office with registered agent service. It then brings formation, financial tools, payments, and accounting into the same app. Simplicity Fintech Inc is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. As part of looch Start, Simplicity Fintech Inc acts as a Third-Party Designee to facilitate the EIN application. EINs can be obtained directly from the IRS at no cost. ![Registered agent cost comparison showing self-service at $0 and commercial service pricing.](https://looch.money/img/blog/registered-agent-cost/registered-agent-cost-self-service-vs-paid-service.webp) ## A registered agent is the person the state and courts can always reach A registered agent receives official papers and legal documents for your company. The [Wyoming Secretary of State](https://sos.wyo.gov/Business/Docs/HowToFindOrBecomeARegisteredAgent.pdf) puts it plainly: If the business is sued, the legal documents are served to the agent. Florida requires the agent to forward a process, notice, or demand received for the LLC. Delaware requires the agent’s office to be open during normal business hours for [accepting service of process](https://corp.delaware.gov/agents/) under 8 Del. C. § 132. That availability is the point. The state, a court, or another party needs a dependable physical place where legal papers can reach the company. ## Delaware, Wyoming, and Florida require an in-state street address ### Delaware requires every entity to maintain an agent [Delaware requires every business entity](https://corp.delaware.gov/howtoform/) to have and maintain a registered agent in the state. The agent must have a physical Delaware street address. The registered office must be open during normal business hours. A business may act as its own agent only when it’s physically located in Delaware, which rules out self-service for a founder operating entirely from another state or country. ### Wyoming requires continuous coverage [Wyoming requires all domestic and foreign businesses](https://sos.wyo.gov/faqs.aspx?root=RAO) to continuously maintain a registered agent. The registered office must be a Wyoming street address where a person can accept service of process. A PO box, drop box, virtual address, mail-forwarding location, or shipping store doesn’t qualify. An individual agent must be at least eighteen (18) years old, live in Wyoming, and have a physical Wyoming address and valid email address. ### Florida requires the agent to accept the role [Florida Statutes section 605.0113](http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0600-0699/0605/Sections/0605.0113.html) requires an LLC to designate and continuously maintain a registered office and registered agent in the state. The [Florida LLC filing instructions](https://dos.fl.gov/sunbiz/start-business/efile/fl-llc/instructions/) require a physical Florida street address and prohibit a PO box. The LLC itself can’t serve as its own agent, but an individual or principal associated with it can. The agent must sign the application to accept the role, and Florida lists a $25.00 Registered Agent Designation fee at formation. Nearly every state requires a registered agent. If you’re choosing between states, compare the wider differences in our guide to a [Delaware LLC versus a Wyoming LLC](/blog/delaware-llc-vs-wyoming-llc) and our [Florida LLC guide](/blog/florida-llc). ## Skipping the requirement can cost the company itself Wyoming says that failure to maintain a registered agent results in the dissolution or revocation of the business entity. That consequence comes directly from the [Wyoming Secretary of State’s registered agent guidance](https://sos.wyo.gov/Business/Docs/HowToFindOrBecomeARegisteredAgent.pdf). Florida also makes failure to appoint and maintain an agent a ground for administrative dissolution under [section 605.0714(1)(c)](http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0600-0699/0605/Sections/0605.0714.html). If the agent’s name or address changes, the LLC must deliver the change for filing within 30 days under section 605.0714(1)(d). This isn’t a box to check once and forget. The agent and registered address must remain valid while the LLC exists. ## Being your own registered agent costs $0 but limits your flexibility ![Registered agent cost checklist for serving as your own LLC agent.](https://looch.money/img/blog/registered-agent-cost/registered-agent-cost-self-service-requirements.webp) Serving as your own agent can remove the annual service bill. It also puts the registered street address on the public filing, requires dependable availability during normal business hours, and ties the role to an address in the formation state. A PO box won’t solve the privacy problem. Florida prohibits one, while Wyoming also excludes drop boxes, virtual addresses, mail-forwarding locations, and shipping stores. Moving can create another filing obligation. Florida requires a qualifying change to be filed within 30 days, and Delaware permits a business to act as its own agent only when it’s physically located in the state. A foreign founder without a qualifying in-state street address can’t serve as their own agent under these rules. The choice is direct: Pay $0 and accept the address, availability, and filing obligations, or pay $125 to $249/year for a service to hold the role. If your company operates in another state, our [foreign qualification cost guide](/blog/foreign-qualification-cost-by-state) explains why that state may require another registered agent. ## looch Start puts the registered agent inside the formation [looch Start forms a company for $249 all-in](/start). That price includes the state filing fee, EIN with or without an SSN, and the first year of its virtual office with registered agent service. The virtual office includes unlimited state mail and service of process, a business address that keeps your address off public records, and mail scanning for up to 3 regular mail pieces per year. The registered agent and virtual office renew at $249/year as the business protection bundle, which includes registered agent service, the virtual office with its business address and mail scanning, the state annual report filing, and weekly trademark monitoring. looch provides the registered agent service in all 50 states. The registered agent is part of a larger operating system rather than a separate purchase after filing. Any US-registered LLC or corporation with an EIN and a qualifying US street address can open a looch profile. A registered agent, virtual office, PO box, or commercial mail receiving agency (CMRA) address [doesn’t qualify](/blog/fintech-accounts-foreign-owned-llc). A Smartcard is a Visa Commercial Card, powered by Stripe and issued by Celtic Bank. looch also provides CPA-quality books and a migration tool for QuickBooks and Xero. ## Another registered agent can be the better fit If you already have an LLC and only need a registered agent, Northwest Registered Agent is the more direct purchase. Its service costs $125/year, and it says that price hasn’t changed in 20 years. It may also be the better choice if direct human support is your priority, as our [Northwest Registered Agent comparison](/compare/northwest-registered-agent) explains. Bizee is worth considering if you’re already forming through Bizee because it includes registered agent service free for the first year. Review the full formation trade-offs in our [Bizee comparison](/compare/bizee). You can also compare the broader packages from [LegalZoom](/compare/legalzoom) and [ZenBusiness](/compare/zenbusiness). Self-service is the better fit when you live in the formation state, have a street address you’re comfortable publishing, and can reliably receive legal papers there during normal business hours. In that case, paying for a commercial agent may solve a problem you don’t have. looch Start is the stronger fit when you haven’t formed yet and want the registered agent, state filing, EIN, virtual office, payments, and accounting organized together. Everything begins with the company instead of another account to assemble afterward. ## Frequently asked questions ### Do I need a registered agent for my LLC and what does one cost? Delaware, Wyoming, and Florida each require an LLC to designate and continuously maintain a registered agent. A national service costs $125 to $249/year based on the provider prices verified above. You can serve as your own agent for $0 if you meet the state’s residence, address, and availability requirements. looch Start includes the first year in its $249 all-in formation price, and its registered agent and virtual office renew at $249/year as the business protection bundle, which includes registered agent service, the virtual office with its business address and mail scanning, the state annual report filing, and weekly trademark monitoring. ### Can I be my own registered agent? Yes, if you meet your state’s rules. Delaware permits it when the business is physically located there, Wyoming requires an individual to be at least eighteen (18) years old and reside at a physical Wyoming address, and Florida allows a person associated with the LLC to serve even though the LLC itself can’t. Your street address becomes part of the filing, and you must remain available there during normal business hours. ### What happens if my LLC doesn’t have a registered agent? Wyoming says failure to maintain an agent results in dissolution or revocation of the business entity. Florida treats failure to appoint and maintain one as a ground for administrative dissolution under section 605.0714(1)(c). Losing the agent can therefore put the LLC’s legal existence at risk. ### Can a registered agent use a PO box? No. Florida requires a physical street address and says not to list a PO box. Wyoming also excludes PO boxes, drop boxes, virtual addresses, mail-forwarding locations, and shipping stores from qualifying as a registered office. ### Can I change my registered agent later? Yes. You’ll need to file the required change with the state and keep continuous coverage during the transition. Florida requires a qualifying change to the agent’s name or address to be delivered for filing within 30 days. ## Sources - [Delaware Division of Corporations: How to form a new business entity](https://corp.delaware.gov/howtoform/), read September 28th, 2026 - [Delaware Division of Corporations: Registered agents](https://corp.delaware.gov/agents/), read September 28th, 2026 - [Wyoming Secretary of State: Registered agent FAQs](https://sos.wyo.gov/faqs.aspx?root=RAO), read September 28th, 2026 - [Wyoming Secretary of State: How to Find (or Become) a Registered Agent](https://sos.wyo.gov/Business/Docs/HowToFindOrBecomeARegisteredAgent.pdf), read September 28th, 2026 - [Florida Division of Corporations: Florida LLC filing instructions](https://dos.fl.gov/sunbiz/start-business/efile/fl-llc/instructions/), read September 28th, 2026 - [Florida Statutes section 605.0113](http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0600-0699/0605/Sections/0605.0113.html), read September 28th, 2026 - [Florida Statutes section 605.0714](http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0600-0699/0605/Sections/0605.0714.html), read September 28th, 2026 - [Northwest Registered Agent service](https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/registered-agent), read September 28th, 2026 - [Bizee registered agent service](https://bizee.com/business-management/registered-agent), read September 28th, 2026 - [ZenBusiness registered agent service](https://www.zenbusiness.com/registered-agent/), read September 28th, 2026 - [LegalZoom registered agent service](https://www.legalzoom.com/business/business-operations/registered-agent-overview.html), read September 28th, 2026 - [looch Start](https://looch.money/start), read September 28th, 2026