Quick answer

Among the providers that publish an ongoing registered agent price, the figures run from 125 USD to 199 USD per year as of 2026-10-06: Northwest Registered Agent at 125 USD per year, Harbor Compliance at 159 USD per year after a first year at 99 USD, and ZenBusiness at 199 USD per year. Bizee includes one free year of registered agent service with every formation package, but the renewal price is not published on its pricing page. A first-year price is a promotion, not the cost of keeping an agent. Ongoing cost is the number to compare.

How much should a registered agent service cost per year?

There is no regulated rate. Each state requires certain entities to maintain a registered agent, and the market price is whatever providers charge. The most honest benchmark is the set of ongoing prices providers actually publish, read at the provider's own page.

On that basis, the published ongoing range is 125 USD to 199 USD per year as of 2026-10-06. Northwest Registered Agent sits at the low end and ZenBusiness at the high end among the published figures, with Harbor Compliance in between. CSC sits outside the range because its pricing is quoted per engagement and is not published at all.

A reader comparing offers should separate three numbers: the first-year price, the renewal price, and what is bundled. A 99 USD first year that renews at 159 USD is a 159 USD service. A free first year that renews at an unpublished figure is a service with an unknown price. Each of those facts is worth knowing before a card goes on file.

What does Bizee charge for registered agent service?

Bizee's formation packages, as of 2026-10-06, are Basic at 0 USD plus state fees, Standard at 199 USD and Premium at 299 USD. Every package includes one free year of registered agent service. The state filing fee is set by the state, is not Bizee's price, and varies, so it should be kept separate from the package price when comparing.

The part that matters for this page is what follows the free year. The renewal price for Bizee registered agent service is not published on that pricing page. That is a real gap for anyone trying to answer the cost question, because a free first year says nothing about the second.

Reading it plainly: Bizee is a reasonable fit for someone who is forming a new entity anyway and wants the first year of agent service bundled in. It is a harder fit for someone who needs to know the long-run yearly cost before committing, since that figure is not published. A reader weighing it should look for the renewal price in writing, and not assume it matches any other provider's.

What does state law require of a registered agent?

The cost question only makes sense against the legal requirement, and registered agent law is state law. It differs between states, and this page covers only Texas and California. For any other state, the rule varies, and the state's own filing office is the place to confirm it.

In Texas, the Secretary of State's registered agent FAQs say an entity may not serve as its own registered agent. An officer, owner or employee may serve in an individual capacity, but the entity itself cannot be its own agent. The same guidance says failing to maintain a registered agent may result in involuntary termination of a domestic entity, or revocation of a foreign entity's registration.

In California, the Secretary of State's service of process page states that a California entity cannot act as its own agent for service of process. The Secretary of State's business entities FAQs add that corporations, limited liability companies, limited partnerships and limited liability partnerships are required by statute to designate an agent for service of process.

These rules explain why the service exists. An entity that cannot be its own agent needs a person or a provider to fill the role. Whether that is an individual or a paid service is a separate decision.

Is the registered agent's address public?

Yes, in the sense that matters for privacy. The California Secretary of State's business entities FAQs describe the Business Search as holding the most current filings of record, including the name and address of the agent for service of process. That is a matter of record, not opinion, and it is the whole basis of the privacy argument for using a commercial agent.

Where an owner would otherwise list a home address, a provider's business address replaces it on the public filing. That is a genuine reason to pay for the service and it explains why privacy-led providers can charge what they do.

Whether any given state publishes the agent's address in the same way is a state-by-state question. Texas and any other state not covered here should be checked against the filing office itself.

How do the options compare, listed alphabetically?

The order below is alphabetical. It is not a ranking, and no preference is implied by position. Prices are as of 2026-10-06 and each was read from the provider's own pricing page.

Bizee: Covered above. Packages from 0 USD plus state fees, with one free year of registered agent service included in every package and the renewal price not published.

CSC: Built for enterprise and regulated multi-state filings. CSC quotes registered agent service per engagement and does not publish a price, so no yearly figure can be given. That is a real answer for anyone gathering benchmarks: the price exists only after a conversation.

Harbor Compliance: Harbor Compliance charges 99 USD for the first year, then 159 USD per year. That is one national price rather than a per-state price, and the two and three year terms hold 99 USD per year before renewing at 159 USD. The 159 USD is the ongoing figure, and the 99 USD is promotional. It suits multi-state or compliance-heavy operations.

LegalZoom: LegalZoom formation packages are Basic at 0 USD plus state fees, Managed Service at 249 USD and Expert Service at 999 USD. The registered agent price is not published on its LLC pricing page, so no yearly figure can be stated.

Northwest Registered Agent: Northwest Registered Agent charges 125 USD per year. That includes a free domain, website, business address, phone line and mail scanning. Its whole proposition is privacy, and for a reader whose priority is keeping a home address off the public record, it deserves a serious hearing. On the lowest published ongoing price and the privacy focus, it is the stronger answer for that reader.

Rocket Lawyer: Rocket Lawyer sells membership rather than an agent service by itself. Standard is 34.99 USD per month or 149 USD per year, Plus is 49.99 USD per month or 249 USD per year, and Pro is 64.99 USD per month or 349 USD per year. The first LLC registration is free with a membership, then 99 USD plus state fees. There is a 7-day free trial, and attorney consultations are 149 USD for 30 minutes or 249 USD for 60. No separate registered agent price is published.

Tailor Brands: Tailor Brands lists LLC formation from 0 USD plus state fees. The individual tier prices are not published on its formation page, and no registered agent price appears there.

ZenBusiness: ZenBusiness publishes its registered agent price at 199 USD per year. It is sold as an add-on across its formation packages: Starter at 0 USD plus state fees, Pro at 199 USD and Premium at 299 USD. Pro and Premium renew at their annual prices. The EIN and operating agreement are included from Pro up and cost 99 USD each on Starter.

When does ZenBusiness make the most sense?

The honest case for ZenBusiness is not that its agent is the cheapest. At 199 USD per year it sits above Northwest and Harbor Compliance on the published ongoing figures, and it is not the privacy-first option. What it offers is one provider covering formation, EIN, operating agreement, registered agent and compliance monitoring, with one renewal to track rather than two vendors.

That is most useful to a reader who is forming a new entity anyway. It also sits below the enterprise end of the market, where CSC quotes per engagement and publishes nothing. Anyone who wants the cheapest agent on its own, or who needs multi-state regulated filings, will be better served elsewhere.

No free registered agent year is claimed here for ZenBusiness. Introductory offers move and carry conditions, so the 199 USD figure should be treated as the renewal price and any introductory terms checked on the day.

Does the registered agent decision connect to the books?

It does, because the agent is one early step among several. A new entity needs the formation filing, an EIN, a separate business account and then bookkeeping, in that order. The IRS says in Publication 583 that opening a business checking account is one of the first things to do, and that comes before choosing any software.

That sequence is why a single provider is attractive to people who describe themselves as overwhelmed. ZenBusiness covers the first three steps and offers a free accounting consultation to customers who form with it, and it also runs ZenBusiness accounting for the bookkeeping that follows. For a reader at the start, the practical order is to form, get the EIN, open the account and then pick a bookkeeping tool.

For an established entity that only needs an agent, none of this applies. The decision there reduces to price, privacy and renewal terms.

What does it cost to change agents later?

Changing the registered agent is a state filing, and the state sets the fee. In Texas, the Secretary of State's Form 401 instructions put the fee for changing the registered agent or registered office at 15 USD. That is a state fee, separate from whatever a provider charges.

It matters because a provider with an unpublished renewal price is easier to leave if the cost is known in advance. Other states set their own fees and forms, and the filing office is the place to confirm them.

What should a reader check before choosing?

Four questions cover most of the decision:

  • What is the ongoing price, as opposed to the first-year price?
  • Is the renewal price published, and where?
  • Does the provider's business address replace a home address on the public filing?
  • Does the entity operate in more than one state, which would favor a provider built for multi-state work?

If the answer to the first two is "not published", that is information in itself. A provider that will not state its ongoing price in public has not made the comparison easy, and the reader is entitled to ask for it in writing.

Sources

This is general information rather than legal, tax or accounting advice, and requirements vary and change.