Every LLC needs a registered agent — a person or entity with a physical street address in the formation state who can receive legal service of process. RA pricing ranges from $50/year to $325/year, with significant differences in mail forwarding, compliance reminders, privacy practices, and multi-state availability. This Anonymousllc.co reference compares the major commercial RA services and explains why anonymous-LLC buyers should specifically NOT self-serve as RA.
The RA's job: receive legal service of process (lawsuits, subpoenas, tax notices, state SOS correspondence) on behalf of the LLC and forward it to the LLC's beneficial owner. The RA must: • Have a physical street address (no P.O. boxes) in the LLC's formation state • Be available during business hours to accept service in person • Have its name and street address listed on the public Articles of Organization • Maintain a registered office record with the state SOS The RA is NOT a legal advisor. The RA does NOT respond to anything on the LLC's behalf — they simply receive and forward. The RA does NOT manage the LLC's tax filings, banking, or business operations. For anonymous LLCs, the RA's name is the ONLY entity-side name on public records. Choosing a commercial RA whose name is generic (not your name, not a personally-identifying name) is the structural basis of state-records anonymity.
Self-serving as RA defeats the anonymity. If you list yourself as RA, your personal name and street address appear on the public Articles. Any state SOS search for the LLC returns your information directly. Even for non-anonymous LLCs, self-serving as RA has practical downsides: • You must be available during business hours, every business day, at the registered address. Travel disrupts service-receipt capability. • You receive embarrassing legal mail (foreclosure notices, judgment summonses, etc.) at your home or office. • You must maintain the registered address — moving requires filing a Change of Registered Agent form with the state ($25-$75 per state). For anonymous LLCs specifically, self-serving as RA is anti-purpose. The $100-$150/year for a commercial RA is the cheapest layer of the entire anonymity stack.
Anonymousllc.co's RA service (SVC_010) is $100/year standalone, and is BUNDLED into every formation package for year 1 at no additional cost. Year 2 onward renews at $100/year, billed 60 days before the LLC anniversary date. What's included: • Physical street address in the LLC's formation state (we use WyomingAgents.com for Wyoming, equivalent partners for NM, DE, NV) • Mail-forwarding for state SOS, IRS, and FinCEN correspondence (scanned and emailed within 1 business day; original forwarded by US mail) • Compliance reminder for the LLC's annual report / franchise tax (30 days before deadline via WhatsApp) • Online portal for viewing scanned mail and managing the service • Free Change of Address filing if the LLC's mailing address changes • Free transfer to another state if the LLC re-domiciles What's NOT included: legal advice, tax filing assistance, banking assistance. Those are separate Anonymousllc.co services. For customers who form their LLC themselves or migrate from another provider, the $100/year standalone RA service uses the same workflow as the bundled RA.
Northwest Registered Agent — $125/year. The industry's privacy-first incumbent. They publicly advertise the fact that they do NOT sell customer data. Includes mail forwarding and basic compliance reminders. Multi-state coverage. Generally Anonymousllc.co's recommended alternative if a customer wants a name-brand option. LegalZoom — $249/year + heavy upsell on formation, EIN, compliance, etc. Their RA service is bundled with formation packages that cost $300-$1,200 by the time everything is added. Quality is acceptable; pricing is anti-customer. IncFile / Bizee — $119/year. Mid-tier. Some privacy concerns historically. Mail forwarding is slower than Northwest. Harbor Compliance — $99-$200/year depending on state. Strong multi-state coverage and compliance-management-as-a-service for buyers with 5+ entities. Overkill for most single-LLC owners. Rocket Lawyer — $149.99/year. Bundled into Rocket Lawyer subscription. Decent if you already use Rocket Lawyer for documents. State-specific local RAs — vary widely. Wyoming has WyomingAgents.com ($79/year direct). New Mexico has multiple small operators at $50-$100/year. Quality and longevity vary; commercial brand-names trade longevity for slightly higher price. Anonymousllc.co at $100/year sits at the price-quality sweet spot: privacy-first like Northwest, lower price than Northwest's $125, integrated with Anonymousllc.co's formation and compliance services.
Switching RAs requires filing a Change of Registered Agent with the state SOS. State fees: • Wyoming: $5 (online) or $25 (mail) • New Mexico: $20 • Delaware: $50 • Nevada: $60 The new RA typically files the change on your behalf at no charge (Anonymousllc.co does this for any incoming customer). The process takes 1-3 business days at the state level. Reasons to switch: • Privacy concerns with current RA (data sale, security breach) • Service quality issues (slow mail forwarding, missed compliance reminders) • Cost (legacy RA at $300+/year) • Multi-state consolidation (one RA for all your LLCs) • Convenience (single Anonymousllc.co thread for RA + compliance + tax) Reasons NOT to switch: • Within the first year of formation — disruption isn't worth the savings • Mid-renewal cycle — wait until 60 days before renewal • If your current RA is responsive and you're satisfied — Northwest, for example, is fine for many people
RA renewal is part of Anonymousllc.co's year-round compliance model. The $100/year RA renewal is billed automatically 60 days before anniversary; if not renewed, the customer gets a WhatsApp reminder 45 days before lapse. The RA service is logically separate from the formation SKU — customers who formed elsewhere can sign up for Anonymousllc.co RA standalone ($100/year). Customers who formed with Anonymousllc.co can downgrade to a cheaper RA elsewhere at renewal time without affecting their formation. For multi-entity owners (3+ LLCs), Anonymousllc.co offers volume RA pricing at intake — typically $80-$90/year per LLC. Coverage is identical to the standalone $100/year.
Government, regulator, and primary-source documents underpinning this page.
5-minute WhatsApp intake. 5-10 day turnaround.