Top 7 Best Pennsylvania Registered Agents 2024: Reviews & Guides
Reviewed by Randolph Vialva, MBA
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Your Pennsylvania business needs to have a registered agent available during normal business hours, or else it could hefty fine from the State of Pennsylvania. If you don’t want the responsibility of being your own registered agent, then searching for a commercial registered office provider is your best bet.
This article was designed to introduce you to top Pennsylvania registered agent service options and commercial registered office providers for your business. Keep reading to learn everything you need to know.
An Overview Of A Registered Agent
A registered agent is someone who acts as an official point of contact for your business. It’s their job to accept service of process for legal documents and ensure that your limited liability company or corporation doesn’t run into any issues with the Pennsylvania Department of State.
Some registered commercial agents also help business entities with supplementary services like providing a local office address and helping out with tax notices, business filings, and even business advice.
Whether you need tax advice and annual report reminders or just someone who can accept service of process and legal notices while providing great customer service, a Pennsylvania registered agent service can help you do it.
Read more: Best LLC Services In 2024
How Can You Start Your Business With Pennsylvania Registered Agent?
Starting your business with a registered agent service and commercial registered office provider could save you money. Many registered agent services will give you a free year of a registered agent in Pennsylvania or a commercial registered agent if you create your LLC or corporation through them.
The process for this is very easy. You just choose the registered agent service that you want and follow the on-screen prompts after selecting the kind of business you want to start.
The registered agent in Pennsylvania that you hire will take care of all of the filings for you. This is one reason why hiring registered agent services can be a more useful option than acting as your own registered agent or hiring a noncommercial registered agent.
Top 7 Best Registered Agents In Pennsylvania in 2024
- Zenbusiness: Best Overall
- Northwest Registered Agent: Most Well-Rounded
- IncFile: Most Affordable
- Harbor Compliance: Best Online Tools
- LegalZoom: Best Reputation
- Rocket Lawyer: Best Ongoing Services
- Incorp: Easiest to Use
Read more: Best LLC Formation Services In Pennsylvania (PA) 2024
Top 7 Best Pennsylvania Registered Agents April 2024
Zenbusiness
ZenBusiness is a Pennsylvania registered agent service that does everything well. It’s affordable, has plenty of helpful online resources, and offers customer service outside of normal hours.
- Starts at $0 plus state fees
- Premium registered agent and compliances services
- Affordable EIN and expedited filing options
- Less brand recognition
Zenbusiness is a statutory agent that goes above and beyond what you’d get from most resident agent options and professional registered agent service providers in your area. It helps with compliance, taxes, accounting, and other services to help you run your business. From formation to the all-important registered agent services, they’ve got your back. And with thier worry-free compliance services, you can gain peace of mind while focusing on what you do best: running your business.
Whether your company’s registered agent hasn’t been doing enough or you just want a professional registered agent inc. that can receive legal documents and accept official mail, this Pennsylvania commercial registered office could be for you.
Northwest Registered Agent
Northwest is an affordable service with stand-out online tools and great reviews from customers. It’s a registered agent in Pennsylvania that your business entity can’t go wrong with.
- Affordable
- Powerful online tools
- Good customer reviews
- Add-on services can be expensive
Northwest is a commercial registered agent service that can handle everything for you. From acting as your physical location to helping you access an online account system that can help you in many different ways as a business owner, this company does it all.
Northwest can also help your Pennsylvania business with service of process, phone service, and provide other kinds of support for your business address during regular business hours and beyond.
Incfile
With Incfile, you get best-in-class online tools and the potential to receive a registered agent free for a year if you form your business through them.
- Great reviews
- Helpful online tools
- Free registered agent option
- No discounts for volume buyers
Incfile could be the best-registered agent service for your business entity if you’re looking for a reliable process server that will accept legal documents and ensure you don’t run into any civil and criminal penalties.
The company can help with foreign qualification, setting up a DBA name, assisting with updating the public record, and will even give you a street address with your commercial agent if you need one.
Harbor Compliance
Harbor Compliance is a Pennsylvania registered agent service that stands out with its national reputation and easy-to-use online account system.
- Affordable
- National Reputation
- Easy to use
- Doesn’t offer premium services
Harbor Compliance doesn’t just act as a commercial registered office provider. The company also offers a wide variety of software programs and industry-specific advice that will be beneficial to most business owners.
When you hire Harbor Compliance, you can also get a registered office address (or physical address), and start to receive service at it right away so that you don’t have to worry about maintaining a registered office in Pennsylvania yourself.
LegalZoom
LegalZoom has one of the best reputations in the industry. It also offers plenty of supplementary services that can help your LLC, corporation, or charitable organization thrive.
- Industry-leading reputation
- Offers a wide variety of ongoing services
- Strong customer support team
- Can be more expensive than other options
LegalZoom is so much more than a service for a registered agent in Pennsylvania. The company will also help your business draft legal documents, get advice from experts, and help your LLC out in many other ways.
You’ll also get access to LegalZoom’s online system, which gives you access to a wide variety of helpful tools at the same price so you don’t have to worry about paying additional fees. If your registered agent must do more than help with the service of process and be an office address, LegalZoom could be your best bet.
Rocket Lawyer
Rocket Lawyer offers plenty of ongoing business and legal services in addition to its national registered agent service. It also offers customer-friendly pricing with a money-back guarantee.
- Ongoing business and legal help
- Money-back guarantee
- Subscription-based pricing
- Credit card is required for a free trial
Hiring Rocket Lawyers could be a good option if you want more than a registered agent service that accepts service and acts as your registered office address during normal business hours. This provider will give you ongoing help with public records, business questions, and legal advice.
Customers enjoy using Rocket Lawyer because it offers solid pricing, helps out with more than a filing fee, and will even become your own address if you choose that option while signing up for this registered agent’s service and completing their agent form.
Incorp
Incorp is a good commercial registered office provider for those who enjoy managing things on their mobile devices. The company’s registered agent’s service is also easy to sign up for.
- Has a mobile app
- Easy sign-up process
- Offers foreign qualification
- Limited services
Incorp doesn’t offer the most services in the state of Pennsylvania. But what it does offer, it does incredibly well. If your LLC needs a registered agent service that will help with the service process and maintaining compliance with the Pennsylvania Department of State, this one could be for you.
Customers like using Incfile’s mobile app because it helps them manage compliance for their LLC on the go. That makes this company the best-registered agent and registered agent’s address for some businesses.
How Much Is Pennsylvania Registered Agent?
The cost of choosing from this registered office provider crop can vary based on the decisions you make while signing up. For example, your costs could be higher or lower based on factors like:
- The company you hire
- The services you need
- Whether you run charitable organizations or LLCs
- And other factors
That being said, the average cost of registered agent services in Pennsylvania is between $99 and $300 per year. This is a good point of comparison as you continue evaluating your options in the state of Pennsylvania.
Advantages Of Using Pennsylvania Registered Agent Services
If you already have a registered office address or street address, then you don’t technically have to hire a member of this registered office provider crop. Instead, you can be your own registered agent. But doing this may not be the best idea.
If you act as your own registered agent, then you’ll have a lot of new responsibilities, which could get in the way of running your business. That could lead to you getting overwhelmed and missing something critical which could lead to penalties and fines.
Hiring a professional registered agent for your LLC is typically a much easier way to remain in good standing with the state without compromising your time.
Who Can Be A Pennsylvania Registered Agent Service?
There are only two requirements that someone must satisfy in order to be the registered agent for your LLC:
- They must be over 18 years old
- They must have a valid address in the state
Final Thoughts
Hiring a registered agent will help your company remain in good standing and avoid fines, without forcing you to take time out of your schedule to oversee this.
A Northwest registered agent is our top overall option for the company’s blend of affordability, great online resources, and strong customer reviews. But a registered agent from Zenbusiness or Incfile could also be right for you depending on how much you value after-hours support and online business tools, respectively.
At the end of the day, each of the providers on our list can be a good fit for different types of businesses. It’s all about understanding what your company needs to be successful and choosing a registered agent that offers that.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
A registered agent in the state of Pennsylvania will typically cost between $99 and $300 per year. This depends on the selections that you make while signing up.
A registered agent is responsible for accepting service of process, handling legal documents, and ensuring that you remain in good standing with the state.
Yes, anybody can be a registered agent as long as they are over 18 years old and have a valid street address.
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- FAQ. Pennsylvania Department of State. Accessed November 11, 2022. https://www.dos.pa.gov/BusinessCharities/Business/Resources/Pages/FAQ.aspx
- Title 15. The official website for the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Accessed November 11, 2022. https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/LI/consCheck.cfm?txtType=HTM&ttl=15&div=0&chpt=1&sctn=9&subsctn=0
- Commercial Registered Office Providers. Pennsylvania Department of State. Accessed November 11, 2022. https://www.dos.pa.gov/BusinessCharities/Business/Resources/Pages/Commercial-Registered-Office-Providers.aspx
- Decennial Filing. Pennsylvania Department of State. Accessed November 11, 2022. https://www.dos.pa.gov/BusinessCharities/Business/Resources/Pages/Decennial-Filing.aspx
- Pennsylvania Registered Agent | For LLCs & Corporations. Northwest Registered Agent. Accessed November 11, 2022. https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/registered-agent/pennsylvania
- Get a Pennsylvania Registered Office Today. ZenBusiness Inc. Accessed November 11, 2022. https://www.zenbusiness.com/pennsylvania-registered-office/