Best Registered Agent Services in Washington

In order for your LLC to operate legally in the United States, you will need to adhere to the rules that are set by the state. Although each state imposes a different list of conditions for business owners, they have a lot in common.

To register an LLC in Washington state you need to choose a name for the company, appoint a registered agent for your business, execute an EIN and fill out the Articles of Organization (the most important document of the company).

It is mandatory to have a registered agent for your LLC: this is a condition that you have to comply with in any state of the country. And Washington State is no exception. You cannot avoid appointing a registered agent.

Why Is It Necessary to Appoint a Registered Agent for Washington State LLC?

Appointing a registered agent is one of the first things you need to do when registering your business in the United States. Why do you need a registered agent, and why do state representatives require you to have one? In fact, a registered agent is a person or company that is the guarantor of smooth communication between state authorities and your LLC in Washington State.

A registered agent has to be in touch at all times during business hours. This means that this person cannot have days off or vacations. After all, if he or she misses an important notice, it could cost your company a loss in court or a loss of reputation.

Who can become a registered agent for your company? According to the Secretary of State it can be any U.S. citizen over the age of 18. It can be your employee, accountant, or even your cousin, friend, or grandmother. What is more, you can become a registered agent for your LLC in Washington state. But keep in mind that if you do so, you'll have to forget about weekends, vacations, lunch breaks, or sick leave.

Also, you will have to make your physical address publicly available. This means that anyone (say, a disgruntled customer or bailiffs) can show up on your doorstep at any time.

We always advise readers of our articles to contact companies that offer registered agent services in Washington State. This will save you from a lot of troubles:

• The staff will publish their address, and you can keep your privacy; 
• They will filter out the spam emails themselves;
• The staff will notify you right away about important business emails;
• You will be able to do business instead of being distracted by taking care of papers and sorting them;
• You will be able to save a lot of time;
• You can have weekends and vacations. 

On average, the help of such registered agent services will cost you $100-$150 per year. It's a reasonable price for your comfort and the ability to focus on the things that are really important to your LLC in Washington State.

Often, registered agent service is included in the packages of various LLC formation companies.

Washington State Registered Agent Search: Our Local Suggestions

Many companies have offices in all or several states and are willing to provide their services to hundreds or even thousands of clients at a time, covering large territories. But some companies cover a local market. It may be one state or even one city. Some business owners think this is the best option for them. That's because smaller companies give the feeling of more personalized service. So, we'd like to tell you about such local companies in Washington State. Perhaps, among them, you will find an option that is right for your LLC.

Registered Agent in Spokane, WA

Washington Commercial Registered Agent LLC

Washington Commercial Registered Agent LLC is headquartered in Spokane, a major Washington city. We find this company's offer of registered agent services to be very attractive. The company promises quality assistance for the price of only $59 per year. That cost is below the market average, although the company (based on registered agent service reviews) is not inferior in quality of assistance to its competitors.

No hidden fees or unexpected charges for additional services. Everything is transparent and honest. You just pay $59 per year and put all the inherent difficulties of being a registered agent on the staff of Washington Commercial Registered Agent LLC.

Moreover, to prove the quality of service and transparency in their work, the company will give you 2 months of some services’ use for free.

For $59 per year, Washington Commercial Registered Agent LLC will provide you with such assistance: 

• Digital storage for your documents;
• Notification and forwarding of important letters;
• Maintaining your privacy.

Washington LLC Services

This company also has an office in Spokane. They have been in the LLC formation services market for over 15 years and provide quality registered agent services in the region.

If you are just getting ready to start your business, Washington LLC Services can be a true friend to you and give you a helping hand on this difficult path. They offer one package for $325, which includes: 

• Company Formation - $100 (+ $200 state fees);
• Registered agent service - $35;
• Filing of annual returns and reminders to file annual returns - free of charge.

The registered agent service included in this package is very reasonable in terms of price. It is much cheaper than many competitors offer. 

The company's prices are stable. This means that in the middle of cooperation, you will not be dumbfounded by additional commissions or hidden fees. Their work is transparent and of high quality, and that can't help but win you over.

The reviews of Washington LLC Services have impressed us. In general, clients are happy to cooperate with this company and remain users of their services for many years. 

We can recommend this company for consideration if you are just planning to start registering an LLC in Washington State, as it is not possible to purchase registered agent services separately.

Best Registered Agent Services in Washington: National Operators

While we've told you about options of local registered agent service companies, there are plenty of national companies out there. 

There are several reasons to trust the larger companies that serve clients across the country. First, it's their experience and a large number of satisfied clients. This means that they are better known on the market for such services. Their reputation is a huge plus when choosing a company for cooperation.

Secondly, if you’re planning to operate in more than one state, you should have a registered agent in each of them. Therefore, it is always easier and cheaper for you to start cooperation with a large company that can give you a discount on services in several states. Your location is also not a decisive factor. You can use the services of such companies staying in any city: Seattle, Spokane, Everett, Vancouver, etc.

If this is your case, continue reading this article. We'll talk about such companies next.

Northwest Registered Agent

This is one of the most famous and popular companies on the market for registered agent services in the US.

Advantages

Northwest Registered Agent has been providing services for over 20 years. You can surely trust their experience. It guarantees a smooth process in both company formation and related services such as registered agent service. By the way, not only can you have this service separately but you can also take advantage of LLC formation packages, where it is included for free (for 1 year). This will suit you if you are just planning to start an LLC in Washington State.

Although their prices are not the lowest, clients are willing to pay for their expertise and high level of service. For $125 a year, you'll get help from professionals. They will do all the work for you and allow you to fully enjoy running your Washington state LLC without unnecessary paperwork.

They provide a guarantee to protect your personal data. In the 21st century, this is an important aspect. They promise that they will not hand over your personal data to third parties and will provide proper protection so that the data cannot be stolen. Since all work with the service takes place online, we advise you to pay attention to the privacy aspect of the data.

In case you have any questions or problems, you can contact customer support, which is always ready to give you a helping hand. User reviews show that customers are satisfied and appreciate the customer support service of this company.

Northwest Registered Agent's website is quite user-friendly. You can easily and quickly find the information you need.

Disadvantages

One of the few disadvantages of Northwest Registered Agent is the inability to provide refunds for VIP services. In the standard packages refunds are possible if you call the support. For VIP offers, there is no such option.

If your budget is limited and the price of a registered agent is crucial, you may be able to find cheaper deals on the market. The cost of Northwest Registered Agent’s services is not the lowest, although it may well be considered mid-market.

Zenbusiness

Zenbusiness is a great company to work with, and we often recommend them in our articles. The company has unparalleled experience and a lot of positive customer feedback on their agency service for LLCs.

Advantages

It offers a great pricing policy. For as little as $99 per year, you can get a registered agent service for your Washington state LLC. Price can be a determining factor in choosing this company, as the aforementioned competitor charges a higher price for a similar service.

And if you're just about to start a business in Washington state, you can purchase an LLC formation package from Zenbusiness. Then, a registered agent service will be included for only $39 per year. That's a great deal! Moreover, any of the company’s formation packages include this service.

The excellent reviews of Zenbusiness win over even the most critical customers. Users actively share the details of their successful cooperation with this provider.

Disadvantages

It's very hard to find faults with a company that has so many positive customer reviews. They really do their job professionally and efficiently. There is not a single complaint about their registered agent services. And while we've already said that Zenbusiness' prices are lower than the prices for similar services from Northwest Registered Agent, you can find even better deals on the market. So, if you're on a tight budget, other options may work better for you.

Incfile

Incfile has some pretty unique offerings on the market for such services. That's because it's the only company that offers free help in setting up an LLC. You read that right: they do charge $0 for their U.S. business registration services. Of course, they won't pay government fees for you, but it's still the most attractive offer on the market in terms of price. The registered agent service is also included for a full year absolutely for free.

Advantages

Incfile helps you save your company budget. If you are just planning to start a company, rather than changing your registered agent for an existing LLC, this option will save you money. In fact, you are given a trial period of 12 months. After the first year of using their free services, you have to pay for their help. Then, the registered agent will cost you $119 per year. It is also a reasonable price, which is pretty much in the mid-market and acceptable range.

The company has many positive customer reviews. We conclude that the level of service they provide is trustworthy. The average customer rating is 4.8 out of 5 on Facebook. That's a very high score! But on independent resources, we can come across a large number of negative reviews. For example, on Trustpilot, their score is 3/5. Almost half of their customers rated them one or two stars. It makes us doubt the quality of their support.

Their service is very easy to use. You don't have to search distressingly long for the information you need on the site. Everything is done quickly and literally in a few clicks. If you suddenly have any questions, contact support directly or leave a request for feedback on Incfile's website. It is worth noting that in some cases, you will have to wait for a response. Sometimes, the response time can range from a few hours to a few days.

Disadvantages

According to the reviews, the level of their customer support is quite mediocre. We decided to personally check this and contact representatives of the company. Having made three attempts at different times of the day, only one of them was successful on the same day. We were answered our questions briefly enough and in a generally good manner. But we were not impressed with their work. The rest of our inquiries were answered within a few days. The wait for answers was excruciatingly long. This is a huge disadvantage of this company.

We were able to find out that the Incfile’s support team consists of less than 20 people. Every day, they receive thousands of requests for feedback and have to handle them all. With such a ratio of requests to employees, it is very difficult for them to provide customer support at the proper level and in the shortest possible time. Also, they only work on weekdays.

Many users also note the difficulty in getting a refund. Even if you apply for a refund in time, there may be many "buts" that will either make the process long or impossible. To avoid getting in trouble, read the refund policy beforehand. This way, you can have a basis for starting to make such an application. But we hope that you will not need this information, and you will be satisfied with the service.

Washington State Registered Agent Reviews: Quick Conclusions

In our opinion, each of the options we selected is worthy of your consideration. Local companies offer registered agent services for LLCs in Washington state at low prices. On top of that, being small companies, they can give you a sense of a more personalized approach.

If you appreciate these aspects, consider Washington Commercial Registered Agent LLC when you are changing your registered agent or only need this service. If you are starting a new business, Washington LLC Services would be a great company that will provide quality registered agent services for your new LLC at a low cost in addition to business registration. 

Large companies that operate in all or many states across the country boast experience and reputation. If these characteristics are crucial to you when choosing a company, then one of the three options we described in the article will work for you:

• Northwest Registered Agent for those who value a company's reputation and prominence;
• Zenbusiness for those who trust the positive experiences of loyal customers; 
• Incfile for those who are on a tight budget and want to save money.

Best Washington State Registered Agent: How We Choose

In this part of the article, we would like to tell you how we chose among the multitude of companies and chose the ones we talked about in this article. You will find out how we evaluated the competitors and what you should pay special attention to.

Why You Can Rely on Our Choice

We have done a lot of comprehensive work comparing different services that provide LLC formation and registered agent services. Some of them did not meet our expectations at all, and some exceeded them. We compared many factors such as the list of services, cost, customer feedback, the usability of the service, customer support, etc.

We have created a unique system of evaluation in order to be as objective as possible.

Among all the registered agent services, we have selected those that scored the highest on a variety of factors to tell you about them in more detail.

We did all this so that you don't waste your time on the difficult process of analyzing the services. This way, you can get concise information about the most important things and make the right choice.

Best Registered Agent Service in Washington State: Selection Algorithm

To make our conclusions about the service as transparent and objective as possible, we evaluated all registered agent services on several points, which we are going to describe below. When analyzing the services, we always advise to pay attention to these aspects:

• Ease of use of the site. Visit the sites of registered agent services that you are interested in. Since working with such companies is a long process, you should always be comfortable using the platform. Choose a company with an interface of the website that is the most understandable for you. The site should look clear and logical for you. In this article, we have told you about services that seem to have user-friendly websites;
• The work of the customer support service. We personally contacted customer service representatives to get a real opinion of their work. Sometimes, the services made us wait for days for an answer, but others provided help in a matter of minutes. This helped us to form an opinion about them and make the right evaluation;
• Customer reviews. We read thousands of reviews about various services to learn about customer experiences. Often, we contacted customers who left their information for this purpose. A collective opinion about a service always helps us learn about the overall trend in the company's work; 
• Price comparison. We compared prices for different packages from different services (and for the registered agent service in particular). In this article, we've focused on value for money and tried to choose the best deals.

Frequently Asked Questions