Best Registered Agent Services in Alabama

If you have decided to open an LLC, you will definitely need registered agent services in Alabama.

According to the law, an RA will be needed for both an LLC and a corporation.

So, let's figure out why you need one and how to choose the best service.

Best Registered Agent Service in Alabama

Before you start an Alabama registered agent search, you need to understand the state requirements for this.

An RA is your representative who will receive important correspondence for you (primarily interacting with the government and doing process maintenance).

Under Alabama law, your statutory agent can be:

• Any adult individual with a physical address in the state;
• A legal entity registered with the Secretary of State as a company that provides statutory agent services.

In addition, the resident agent should be available during normal business hours to receive correspondence and service of process. If your agent is unavailable to receive documents from the court, you may not know that a lawsuit has been filed against you.

You can act as an RA for your company on your own or choose a professional service. Your agent is not required to be located in the same city as you. The important thing is that you can get the documents needed quickly.

Registered Agent in Montgomery, Alabama

Montgomery is the capital of Alabama, thus, the state government is located here. This can be convenient because your representative will be able to take documents to the state government office in person.

On the other hand, real estate costs are always higher in the capital than in smaller communities. This necessarily affects the cost of services. And today, the ability to be present in person at the Secretary of State's office is no longer a particular advantage.

Registered Agent in Birmingham, Alabama

Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama and also the administrative center of Jefferson County. Here, you can also find many offers of registered agent services.

It is worth remembering that you can find the services you need in any city. What's more, local companies often offer affordable services. But if you see an offer for $50 a year or less, be sure to research:

1. What is included in this list of services? Often, these packages are limited in the number of documents the company is ready to scan and forward to you;
2. What is the reputation of the company? Research Alabama registered agent reviews. Be careful with firms with unclear or doubtful reputation.

In most cases, the services of an RA in 2022 cost between $100 and $300 a year. You can do an Alabama registered agent search on the Secretary of State’s website.

And also, explore our list of the best registered agents, compare their pros and cons, and choose the best solution for you.

Northwest Registered Agent

Cost: $125 per year

Northwest can rightfully be called the best Alabama registered agent. The price of $125 per year includes a premium level of service, like unlimited scanning of all documents, reporting deadlines, and professional advice from experienced professionals.

Customer support at Northwest inspires respect. You get an individual corporate guide at the very beginning of the cooperation, which will help you at all stages (when setting up a company, sending reports, working with documents, etc.).

Each corporate guide is a professional who has an in-depth understanding of LLCs and corporations formation in the state of Alabama and will always be able to provide you with reliable support.

Pros 

• Northwest has been in the US business services market for over 20 years. The vast experience accumulated over the years is a big advantage;
• Each employee is a professional who has experience as a lawyer or businessman and has an in-depth knowledge of Alabama state laws;
• The quality of customer service is rated higher than most similar companies;
• The cost of services is very attractive considering the value for money: $125 per year;
• The cloud service is convenient, reliable, and easy to use;
• All documents are scanned and uploaded to your personal account on the company's website;
• In addition to being a registered agent for LLC in Alabama, the company offers assistance in starting a business and other services;
• If you register your company with the help of the Northwest specialists, the resident agent service for 1 year is free of charge. 

Cons

• The cost of registered agent services Alabama at Northwest is not the lowest possible;
• Corporate guides always try to answer as many questions as possible, even if you need a brief consultation. This can be annoying.

Overall

Northwest will offer you help in setting up a business in the state of Alabama at bargain prices. Even the cheapest package includes the bare minimum you need. They can help you draw up Articles of Organization, register a DBA, draft an Operating Agreement, etc.

The registered agent service includes a notification calendar to help you always submit reports to the Secretary of State in a timely manner. Also, no-limit scanning of documents is offered by very few other companies. The value for money in Northwest is exceptional.

Harbor Compliance Registered Agent

Cost: $99 a year

Harbor Compliance is another very reliable provider of registered agent services in Alabama. It's simple and affordable.

Pros

• Reliable service;
• Convenient and easy-to-use;
• Notifications and responses are always quick and timely;
• Cost-effective price of $99 per year;
• Personal account manager for each client.

Cons

• No notification calendar to help you submit reports on time;
• No advice or additional services for businesses;
• The company only scans and forwards important documents that are legally relevant (not all correspondence).

Customer support at Harbor Compliance is reliable, professional, and responsive. But you'll only get help with website and RA service issues.

Professional advice related to reports, specifics of Alabama state laws, business creation, or taxation will not be provided in this case.

Overall

If you are interested in a simple, reliable, and transparent Alabama registered agent for service of process, Harbor Compliance may be a good choice for you. It has everything you need according to state law.

Customer reviews confirm that the company is trustworthy and stable. You can be sure that your statutory agent will receive your documents in a timely manner and forward them to you.

The price of the service is slightly lower than at Northwest ($99). This is virtually the minimum cost when you consider reliable offers from reputable companies. Harbor Compliance is a great choice if you want to save money and don't need extra help.

ZenBusiness Registered Agent

Cost: $99 per year

ZenBusiness is a very popular service for setting up a business in any of the US states. The minimum package costs only $49. In addition to the usual registration assistance, you'll get advice from a professional accountant, access to document templates, and other benefits.

At this company, you can order registered agent services for $99 a year. And if ZenBusiness helps you create an LLC or corporation, the first year of the agent's assistance will be cost-free.

It has a large number of customer testimonials, and most of them are positive. Customers note the quality of the company's operations, professionalism, responsiveness, and assistance in saving money and time.

Pros

• The services of a registered agent will cost you $99 per year;
• High standards of customer support service;
• A wide range of business start-up services, as well as assistance for established companies;
• The first year of Alabama registered agent service is free with all business formation packages. 

Cons

The company does not consider registered agent services as its core business and offers only those types of assistance that are required in terms of Alabama state laws and nothing beyond that.

If you want to receive additional reminders to submit reports or any other important documents, you have to pay an additional $50 per year.

Overall

Overall, the results of the Alabama business registered agent search show that the prices at ZenBusiness are favorable. Moreover, the reliability of the company is strong.

If you benefited from the help of this company in registering a legal entity, sign the Alabama registered agent consent form right away. The quality of services is high, and the company is very reliable and operates in all the U.S. states.

But if you need more guidance, such as a consultation or reminder calendar, it will cost you  $50 a year. And then, the price of services will be higher than at Northwest, and the scope of services will be somewhat narrower.

Rapid Registered Agent

Cost: $100 a year

Rapid Registered Agent is another company worth considering as an RA's assistance provider. The service costs $100 a year, which is very cost-effective. Additional features are also included in the price.

If your Alabama company is searching for an RA or you plan to run an LLC in several states, note that Rapid Registered Agent operates in all the U.S. states (as well as Colombia and Puerto Rico).

In addition, the company offers a wide range of value-added services, a great variety of packages, quality customer support, online access to a library of useful information, and a repository for your documents.

Pros

• Convenient service and a bargain price of $100 per year;
• Ability to order a selection of additional services as needed;
• Stable prices, no fees, no imposed features;
• No extra charge for faxing;
• The service offers a wide choice of ready-made business forms for quick drawing up and sending documents and reports;
• Professional advice on drafting documents and other matters related to establishing and running your company.

Cons

Rapid Registered Agent has been in business since 2007. During this time, many competitors have collected thousands of reviews while Rapid Registered Agent can’t boast the same numbers. However, the reviews it does have are mostly positive.

In other respects, Rapid Registered Agent is very attractive. But the low number of reviews jeopardizes the credibility rating.

Overall

Rapid Registered Agent service is worth exploring when you do an Alabama registered agent search. It offers a wide range of services, notifications, a large selection of templates, and ready-to-use forms to generate reports at no extra charge for all company clients.

But you will have to assess the level of reliability and quality of support service by yourself. It is difficult to make a definite conclusion based on the reviews available online.

Rocket Lawyer Registered Agent

Cost: $149.99 per year

Rocket Lawyer is a company with extensive experience and a good reputation that provides business formation assistance and a wide range of legal services (consultations, supervision for individuals and legal entities).

On its website, the company indicates that it has been operating since 2008. It has already helped more than 800,000 companies in business formation. And this figure is impressive.

The services of a registered agent for Rocket Lawyer are not basic. But if you're also interested in legal help, cooperation with a multifunctional company may be convenient.

Pros

• Extensive experience and highly professional staff. At Rocket Lawyer, only professional lawyers, business experts, and accountants will cooperate with you;
• High ratings and a large number of positive reviews;
• Assistance in setting up and maintaining a business in all states of the USA.

Cons

• The company does not offer free RA services;
• The cost of a registered agent's assistance is $149.99, which is pretty high;
• There are negative reviews. Most of them are related to people's dissatisfaction with legal services.

Overall

Rocket Lawyer would be the best choice for those companies that often need a lawyer to help them through the process. If you're looking for a reliable but straightforward agent service, it makes sense to check out other offers.

Rocket Lawyer's website is user-friendly and informative. All services and prices are transparent. The customer support is top-quality, although it is not impressive. This is all because the work schedule is regular, and you have to wait for an answer.

If you want comprehensive legal support and order a "Premium" package, you can get an Alabama registered agent's assistance discount (25%). In this case, the price of the statutory agent services becomes profitable.

Alabama Registered Agent Review: General Conclusions

Here's a quick summary of the providers’ comparison. Northwest Registered Agent is the undisputed leader. It wins over the competition in terms of price-to-service value ratio.

At Northwest Registered Agent, for $125 per year, you get:

• All the registered agent services required by Alabama law;
• Secure cloud-based document storage on the company's website;
• Scanning and sending documents to the cloud with no restrictions or additional fees. All your correspondence will be stored for as long as you need;
• Professional consultations and expert advice;
• Working with a personal corporate guide, i.e. you will be constantly served by the same person;
• Calendar reminders will always help you submit reports on time, pay taxes, and respond to important inquiries and letters.

Northwest, like other companies on our list, is a national provider. Working with a national registered agent is especially beneficial if you are planning to work in several states at the same time. But it's also beneficial for smaller companies.

Of course, you can find an offer from a local statutory agent list. That often reduces your costs even more. But the reliability of such companies is hard to verify.

Benefits of Using an Alabama Registered Agent Service    

Some business owners wonder if they should pay for a statutory agent's assistance as long as they don't need it and can handle their own mailings. Alabama law allows business owners or anyone else to become nonprofit registered agents.

The advantages of this choice:

• You don't have to pay anyone for a service you are able to perform yourself;
• You get all the documents at once and don't depend on the performance of a third-party company;
• You only need to have one actual address.

But there are a lot of disadvantages to this decision:

• You will lose privacy. Your office or home address will be available to anyone interested;
• You will get a lot of spam. All public addresses are used for marketing purposes, and there is no way to shield yourself from this;
• You will have a strict work schedule. You will not be able to leave for lunch, take a sick day, or an unscheduled day off, etc.;
• Your reputation will be at risk. The information that a lawsuit has been filed against you could go public;
• You are responsible for all the mistakes.

So, in most cases, business people prefer to choose the best Alabama registered agent service and focus on their company operations that cannot be delegated. Such assistance is inexpensive, and you will not feel significant savings by refusing it.

And the tranquility and reliability are worth paying for. It's even more beneficial for new businesses to choose a company that also helps with reports and other matters.

Best Registered Agent Review: How Do We Choose        

Every time we choose the best offers, we do a registered agent Alabama search online:

• Through search engines;
• Based on social media advertising;
• With the help of review websites, etc.

We usually start selecting the best 50 or 60 companies with both national and local registered agents among them.

Then, we examine different parameters and rate the service with a 5-point scale at each step. If any company at a certain step shows a critically low rating compared to others, it is eliminated from the comparison.

We examine:

• Consistency of advertising and real prices. If we identify hidden fees and unfair advertising, such companies are always dropped from our comparison;
• User-friendliness of the website. Convenience, availability of necessary information, and the relevance of data;
• Price policy. If the cost is a little more expensive, but the service is much more useful, then such a company gets more points;
• Customer feedback. The number of reviews, overall rating, pros and cons of the service described by customers are taken into account.
• Quality of support service. The number of interaction channels, opening hours, and feedback speed and quality are examined;
• Presence or absence of imposed services or overly intrusive presales.

Finally, we get a rating, which we later use to make a general list of companies offering Alabama registered agent services. So, we describe the best of them in a detailed review.

Why You Can Trust Our Choice

We study and analyze companies that provide business services for many years. These are primarily business formation and registered agent services.

The experience of our specialists allows us to quickly evaluate the quality of a company's work.

We are constantly studying the market for business services and are familiar with the laws of different states. Our staff includes lawyers, business people, and accountants.

Conclusion

Since registered agent services in Alabama are mandatory, you need to understand how to choose the best representative for your company. 

We have tried to describe in detail whether you should perform these duties yourself, and which companies are the most reliable and profitable. We hope that this information will be useful for you.

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