Top 7 Best Michigan Registered Agents 2024: Detailed Reviews & Guides
Reviewed by Randolph Vialva, MBA
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If you run an LLC or corporation in Michigan, then you need a registered agent to remain legally compliant and avoid fines. But what exactly is a Michigan registered agent? What do they do for you? And how much does it cost to hire someone to help?
We’ve put together this article to answer all of these questions and more. Keep reading to find our reviews of top Michigan registered agent services and learn more about how they can help your business.
Read more: Best LLC services
What Is Michigan Registered Agent?
A Michigan registered agent is a professional who acts as a point of legal contact for your business. They accept service of process, legal documents, and other official documents that your business may receive.
You need a Michigan registered agent (also sometimes called a Michigan resident agent) so that people can always deliver important documents to your business. A business owner can act as their own registered agent by supplying their own address. But it’s often easier to hire a registered agent service to take care of all of this for you.
A Michigan registered agent service is not too expensive and they can remove a lot of stress from your life. We’ve highlighted 7 of Michigan’s best in the sections below to help you get started.
Read more: Best LLC Services In 2024
How A Michigan Registered Agent Helps Your Business
Hiring a registered agent helps you meet the Michigan registered agent requirements. These involve things like having a registered agent available during regular business hours and being able to accept documents during normal business hours.
Hiring a registered agent will also help with licensing and regulatory affairs. Licensing and regulatory affairs can be complicated, as can ensuring that your local office meets all of its requirements through the Michigan Department of Licensing and the public record at all times.
Resident agents help with all of this. You can sign up for a service and ensure your new business remains in good standing regardless of its corporate division. This is why finding the right registered agent service can be so valuable.
Top 7 Best Michigan Registered Agents 2024
- ZenBusiness: Best Overall
- Northwest Registered Agent: Most Affordable
- IncFile: Easiest to Use
- Harbor Compliance: Best Turnaround Time
- Rocket Lawyer: Best For Ongoing Legal Support
- LegalZoom: Best Reputation
- Better Legal: Best Customer Service
Read more: Best LLC Formation Services In Michigan (MI) 2024
Top 7 Best Michigan Registered Agents April 2024
Zenbusiness
ZenBusiness is our pick for the best-registered agent service because it offers a best-in-class blend of affordable pricing and great service. If you want a registered agent service that does everything well, ZenBusiness could be it.
- Starts at $0 plus state fees
- Premium registered agent and compliances services
- Affordable EIN and expedited filing options
- Less brand recognition than the competition
With ZenBusiness, if you go for the Starter Plan, you will get your operating agreement draft, registered agent service, and other benefits at $0. Besides, all the plans have free accounting consultations as well. The company offers several other kinds of support in addition to its registered agent service as well. For example, you can get free accounting consultation and compliance assistance if you’re a paying customer.
ZenBusiness’ after-hours customer support can also be extremely helpful. If you ever need to get in touch with your Michigan registered agent outside of normal hours, you won’t have a problem accomplishing that with ZenBusiness.
Northwest Registered Agent
Northwest is one of the most affordable registered agent services you’ll find anywhere. It also offers some really helpful online tools to help you get more out of your Michigan registered agent.
- Affordable pricing options
- Offers a free registered agent service
- Helpful online tools
- LLC formation services can be expensive
The cost of a Northwest registered agent starts at $125 per year. This comes with some helpful add-ons like same-day local document scans. But where Northwest’s registered agent service really shines is if you still need to create your LLC.
The company will launch your LC for you and then give you a free Michigan registered agent for a year afterward. You won’t find a better deal than that.
IncFile
IncFile stands out with a nice combination of affordable fees, great online tools, and an easy-to-use interface. It’s another Michigan registered agent service that’s absolutely worth considering.
- Great online tools
- Easy-to-use interface
- Free registered agent service available
- No discounts for volume services
IncFile can help you process a wide variety of documents, including legal notices. They can also help with state fees, mail forwarding, and staying on top of each filing fee that you have to pay.
The company’s resident agent service starts at $119 per year. But this is another business that will give you a Michigan registered agent for free for a year if you create your LLC through them.
Harbor Compliance
Harbor Compliance has extremely fast turnaround times, affordable pricing, and a national reputation. This makes it a great nationwide registered agent service for companies with national ambitions.
- Fast turnaround times
- Affordable pricing
- Nationwide presence
- No options for premium services
Harbor Compliance’s charges for a registered agent begin at $125 per year. They’ll also pay the fees for you if you want to change from a different resident agent to a Harbor Compliance one.
This company can also help you with a wide variety of add-on services that can help you transact business through your online account. For example, they can help with regulatory affairs, same-day scans, and more while also acting as a physical street address for your business, if you need one.
Rocket Lawyer
Rocket Lawyer is a great option if your business entity needs more than just a statutory agent. The company offers ongoing legal services in many areas that can help your team thrive.
- Helpful customer support
- Subscription-based pricing
- Provides lots of support with ongoing services
- Requires a credit card for your free trial
The cost of hiring a Rocket Lawyer registered agent starts at $149 per year. However, if you sign up for a premium membership to the site for $39 per month, you can save 25% on those costs.
Premium memberships come with a wide variety of legal and document assistance in addition to a registered agent in Michigan who can help with annual report reminders, your Michigan annual report, receive service of process, formation documents, annual reports, and more.
LegalZoom
LegalZoom stands out with one of the best reputations in the industry. It also has helpful online access and a money-back guarantee that reduces risk.
- Excellent reputation
- Money-back guarantee on services
- Easy platform to use for registered agent services
- Can be more expensive than competitors
LegalZoom’s registered agent service costs begin at $299 per year. That’s a more expensive price for a registered agent than what competitors charge. But if you want your registered agent’s name to be tied to a company with a national presence, this could be a good option.
LegalZoom also has some really great other services that can work on your LLC’s behalf. For example, they offer compliance notifications, official correspondence, process servers, default judgment support, and other kinds of help for a Michigan corporation.
Better Legal
Better Legal stands out with its helpful ongoing services, use online dashboard, and affordable pricing for a registered agent in Michigan.
- Provides several kinds of ongoing services
- Has a helpful online dashboard
- Offers affordable pricing
- Customer support can be lacking
Better Legal can get you a resident agent in Michigan at an extremely affordable price. The company charges just $90 annually for this service, and you can even pay $10 per month if you don’t want to pay it all at once.
Your registered agent will come with a lot of helpful online resources. Whether you need help navigating the Michigan Department of Treasury or the Commercial Licensing Bureau, you can get help with some of these documents.
Start Your Michigan Business With a Registered Agent
Nearly every registered agent service can also help you form either an LLC or a Michigan corporation in addition to acting as your registered agent.
For example, you can use ZenBusiness to file the appropriate business entity formation documentation to the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. Then they can also act as your new registered agent and even your physical business address if you need them to do so.
Whether you need a physical address or a registered agent’s address or not, this process takes place online. Simply choose the national registered agent service that you want, visit their website, and choose the appropriate options as an individual or business entity.
Which Advantages Does Michigan Registered Agent Bring?
Finding the right registered agent or registered agents inc. for your Michigan business will help it a lot. You only need to fill out an agent form to get started, too.
Your registered agent will ensure that your company always stays in good standing and that you know when official correspondence arrives so that you don’t miss any deadlines that could get you in trouble with the Michigan Department of Licensing or any other Michigan Department of government.
You also won’t have to worry as much about regulatory affairs on your own when you hire a Michigan resident agent. That can be a big weight off of your shoulders.
Final Thoughts
Hiring a Michigan registered agent service is the easiest way to ensure that your company doesn’t incur unnecessary fines and meets all of its legal obligations. If you want to go with our pick for the best Michigan registered agent service overall, then ZenBusiness will be your selection.
But the other options on our list are also worth considering. Companies like Northwest and IncFile are affordable and offer a lot of other services that can bring value to your business during normal business hours and outside of them. They may also be a good fit for your Michigan registered agent service needs.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Yes, you need a resident agent or else you risk violating regulatory affairs and incurring fines. Hiring a Michigan resident agent will ensure that you don’t cost your business extra money unnecessarily by ensuring that you always have a point of contact for legal matters at a business address during standard business hours.
While looking at your options for a registered agent, you want to consider how much they cost, what kinds of legal documents they can help with, whether they are the best-registered agent for your goals, and any other factors that are relevant to your situation.
Your registered agent’s name can be your own if you want. But acting as your own registered agent can be stressful. A resident agent has a lot to keep up with and if you miss something, you can face fines. That’s why most business owners opt to hire a resident agent instead.
The main thing that a resident agent service does is act as a point of contact for your business. They can also serve as a physical address so that you have a valid street address for the service of process, an agent form, state fees, and other kinds of documents you might have to deal with. Your registered agent in Michigan may be able to help out with other kinds of business needs as well depending on the service that you end up hiring.
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- Resident Agent and Registered Office. www.michigan.gov. Accessed November 9, 2022. https://www.michigan.gov/lara/bureau-list/cscl/corps/limited-liability-co/filing/resident-agent-and-registered-office
- MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT of LICENSING and REGULATORY AFFAIRS CORPORATIONS, SECURITIES & COMMERCIAL LICENSING BUREAU RESIGNATION of RESIDENT AGENT for Use by Resident Agents of Corporations, Limited Partnerships and Limited Liability Companies (Please Read Information and Instructions on Reverse Side). Accessed November 9, 2022. https://www.michigan.gov/lara/-/media/Project/Websites/lara/cscl/Folder5/521_08-15.pdf?rev=169b91f133bf4deaa176c544ea6cbedc&hash=F436C3D988D968E725555E6264742C5E
- Get Your Michigan Resident Agent Today. ZenBusiness Inc. Accessed November 9, 2022. https://www.zenbusiness.com/michigan-resident-agent/
- Michigan Registered Agent | For LLCs & Corporations. Northwest Registered Agent. Accessed November 9, 2022. https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/registered-agent/michigan
- Find Registered Agents for Michigan LLCs – MI LLC Agent. www.incfile.com. Accessed November 9, 2022. https://www.incfile.com/michigan-llc/registered-agents-michigan-llc