You can start an LLC with Northwest Registered Agent in about ten minutes: pick your state, choose a name, decide on the EIN add-on, create an account and pay $39 plus your state’s filing fee. A full year of Northwest’s registered agent service is included. Below is every screen of the checkout, what each choice costs, and what to do once the state approves your LLC.
Northwest Registered Agent
Form your LLC for $39 + state fees, with a full year of registered agent service included.
What you get for $39 plus state fees
Northwest’s $39 covers preparing and filing your formation paperwork with the state, plus the first year of registered agent service. After that year, the registered agent service renews at $125 a year. The package also includes:
- Northwest’s address on your filings wherever the state allows it, so your home address stays off the public record.
- Mail scanning of state and legal mail into your account.
- Privacy by Default: Northwest says it never sells your data, and there is nothing to opt in to.
- Compliance reminders before your annual report is due.
- Free identity tools: a domain name, a simple website, a business email and a phone line. The free tiers are small (limited website storage, one inbox, a small number of calls and texts a month), with paid upgrades if you outgrow them.
Before you start
- Your state. For most people that is the state where you live and actually do business. Forming in Wyoming or Delaware rarely saves money if you operate somewhere else, because you would often have to register in your home state as well.
- A name that is free. Search your state’s Secretary of State business name database first (search your state name plus “business name search” and make sure you are on the official government site). A name that is taken or too similar to an existing one can get your filing rejected.
- Who runs the LLC. If you run it yourself or with partners, it will be member-managed.
- A card and about ten minutes.
Step 1: Choose LLC and your state
Click “Start your LLC” on the Northwest page and you land on the Form A New Company screen. The checkout has four steps: formation, company name, account and payment. Under Entity Type, keep LLC selected. Under Jurisdiction, pick your state.
Watch the order summary on the right as soon as you pick a state, because that is where the real price appears. The Northwest Basic Package stays at $39, the filing service fee is $0, the registered agent service shows as included (renews at $125/year), and the state’s fee is added on top. State fees vary a lot: Texas charges $300, so the total came to $339; California charges $90, so the total came to $129. California also shows a free initial report filing, because new California LLCs have to file a report shortly after forming and Northwest includes it.
Standard or expedited filing?
You will also see filing speed options. Standard is the cheapest and fine for most people. Expedited only changes how fast the state processes your paperwork, not your LLC itself, and in some states it costs a lot more: in California it showed $440 instead of $90. Pay for it only if you have a real deadline, like a contract or a bank account you need open this week.
Step 2: Enter your company name and decide on the EIN
Type your company name and choose a designator. LLC is the most common. Right below, Northwest shows a preview of exactly how your business name will appear on state records, so check the spelling here.
On the same screen is the EIN filing service. An EIN is your federal tax ID, which you need to open a business bank account, file taxes and hire people. If you switch it on, Northwest gets it for you for $50 if you have a Social Security number, or $200 if you don’t. You can also get an EIN free from the IRS online, but only after the state approves your LLC. If you have an SSN and don’t mind one short task later, skip it. If you don’t have an SSN, the $200 option can save you a lot of hassle, because that process is slower and more complicated.
Step 3: Create your Northwest account
Enter your first and last name, a phone number (used for two-factor login), your email and a strong password. This is the login you will use for everything afterwards: your documents, your scanned mail and your filing status.
Step 4: Pay and submit
Enter your card details and billing address, then take one last look at the order summary. You should see the $39 package, your state fee and any add-on you chose, and nothing else. When it looks right, click Submit Order.
What happens after you pay
After payment you are taken into your Northwest account to finish the details your state needs: whether the LLC is member-managed or manager-managed, who the members are, and which addresses go on the filing. If you run the business yourself or with partners, choose member-managed. Wherever the form lets you, use Northwest’s address instead of your home address. Nothing is filed until you review and confirm everything, and you can track the status and estimated completion date in your account. Once the state approves the LLC, your articles of organization appear there too.
What it costs after year one
The $39 is a one-time fee. These are the costs to know about, using the prices shown in the checkout:
| Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Northwest LLC formation | $39, once | Plus the state fee |
| State filing fee | Varies by state | Texas $300, California $90; Northwest lists $40 (Kentucky) to $500 (Massachusetts) |
| Registered agent | Included in year one, then $125/year | No per-document charges |
| EIN filing (optional) | $50 with an SSN, $200 without | Free if you apply to the IRS yourself |
| Expedited state filing (optional) | Set by the state | California: $440 instead of $90 |
| Annual report filing service | $100 + state fee per filing | Shows $0 at checkout; charged when Northwest files, unless you turn it off |
Most states require an annual or biennial report to keep your LLC in good standing, and missing it can mean penalties or even a dissolved LLC. Northwest sends reminders for free and offers to file the report for you for $100 plus the state fee. If your state’s report is quick and cheap to file online, you can turn that service off in your account and file it yourself. If you would rather never think about deadlines, leave it on.
Already have an LLC with a different registered agent? Northwest’s change of agent service is free, so switching over is easy.
What I would do if I were starting today
In the walkthrough I went through the checkout for a California LLC with every optional box unticked, and the order summary stayed at $129: Northwest’s $39 plus California’s $90 state fee. That is the version I would pick for most first-time founders.
In order, this is what I would do. Search the name on the Secretary of State site before opening the checkout, because a rejected name costs you days. Leave expedited filing off unless a bank or a client is waiting on the paperwork this week; in California it would have turned $90 into $440. Skip the EIN add-on if you have a Social Security number, since the IRS issues one free online once the LLC is approved, and pay for the $200 version only if you don’t have one.
Inside the portal, choose member-managed and use Northwest’s address wherever the form allows it, which keeps your home address off the public record. The one thing I would put in the calendar straight away is the annual report: the renewal filing service shows $0 at checkout but charges $100 plus the state fee when it files, so decide early whether you want it on.
After your LLC is approved: checklist
- Download your articles of organization from your Northwest account and check every detail.
- Get your EIN, either through Northwest or free from the IRS.
- Create an operating agreement. Most states don’t make you file it, but it is the rule book for your LLC, and Northwest has free templates prepared by its attorneys.
- Open a business bank account and keep business money completely separate from personal money; mixing them can weaken the liability protection you formed the LLC for.
- Check local licenses and permits with your city, county and state. No LLC service handles these for you; the SBA website has a helpful guide.
Two last tips. Once your LLC is on the public record you may get official-looking letters asking you to pay for compliance documents, so always check with your state’s website before paying anyone. And you don’t need to decide on S corp taxation today: it can save money once you earn a solid profit, but it adds payroll, so talk to an accountant when you get there.
Common mistakes
- Forming in another state to save money. If you live and work elsewhere, you usually end up registering twice.
- Skipping the name search. A taken or too-similar name gets the filing rejected.
- Paying for expedited filing without a deadline. It doesn’t change your LLC, only the state’s speed.
- Forgetting the annual report. Either leave the filing service on or put the due date in your calendar.
- Putting your home address on the filing when Northwest’s address is available.
Ready to form your LLC?
$39 plus state fees, with a full year of registered agent service included.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to start an LLC with Northwest?
Northwest charges $39 plus your state’s filing fee, and the first year of registered agent service is included. A Texas LLC came to $339 at checkout ($300 state fee) and a California LLC to $129 ($90 state fee). After the first year the registered agent service renews at $125 a year.
Does Northwest have a coupon or promo code?
No. Northwest has no coupon or promo code; $39 plus state fees is its standard price, and the link in this guide takes you straight to the LLC formation page.
Is the registered agent service really included?
Yes, for the first year. It covers accepting state and legal mail, scanning it to your account and putting Northwest’s address on your filings. From year two it costs $125 a year, with no per-document charges.
Do I need Northwest’s EIN filing service?
No. You can get an EIN free from the IRS online once the state approves your LLC. Northwest’s service costs $50 if you have a Social Security number and $200 if you don’t, and the $200 option is the one that saves real hassle.
How long does it take to form an LLC with Northwest?
The checkout takes about ten minutes and Northwest processes orders the same day. The state’s processing time is separate: in the walkthrough, California’s standard filing showed 3 business days, or 1 business day for $440 with expedited filing.
Should I form my LLC in Wyoming or Delaware instead of my home state?
Usually not. If you live and do business in another state, you would often still have to register there too, so you pay twice. Pick the state where you live and operate unless you have a specific reason.
Can I be my own registered agent?
Yes, but your address then goes on the public record, and you have to be available at that address during business hours to accept legal papers. That is why most new owners pay for a registered agent.
Related next step
Next, read our Northwest Registered Agent review for the year-two costs and the cons, see all our LLC and business formation guides, compare the business tools on our deals page, or, if the LLC is for an online store, read how to get the Shopify free trial. Still choosing a provider? Compare the best LLC services by 3-year cost.
