Northwest Registered Agent is worth it for most people forming an LLC. You pay $39 plus your state’s filing fee, the first year of registered agent service is included, and after that it is $125 a year, with your address kept off public filings and real people on the phone. It is not the cheapest way to start, it offers no legal services, and its reviews are more mixed than its marketing. Below is what you get, what it costs in year one and year two, the real downsides, and who should pick something else.
Northwest Registered Agent
Form your LLC for $39 + state fees, with a full year of registered agent service included.
Northwest at a glance
| Northwest Registered Agent | |
|---|---|
| LLC formation | $39 + state filing fee, one plan, no tiers |
| Registered agent, year one | Included with formation |
| Registered agent, year two onwards | $125 a year ($100 per state for 5 or more states) |
| Your address on public filings | Northwest’s address wherever the state allows (Privacy by Default) |
| All state and legal mail scanned; regular business mail up to 10 free scans a year | |
| Support | Corporate Guides: Northwest’s own staff, no outsourcing |
| Coverage | All 50 states, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico |
| Free extras | Domain, starter website, business email, local phone line, brand protection |
| Company | Spokane, Washington; in business since 1998 |
What a registered agent does
Every LLC or corporation in the United States has to name a registered agent: a person or company with a physical address in your state who accepts legal papers and official state mail for your business during normal business hours. You can be your own registered agent, but then your name and address go on the public record and you have to be reachable at that address every working day. That trade-off is why most owners pay a service instead.
Pricing: what you pay in year one and year two
Northwest keeps pricing simple. If you are forming a new LLC there is one plan: $39 plus your state filing fee, with the first full year of registered agent service included. The order summary shows the real total as soon as you pick your state. In California the state fee is $90, so the total is $129; in Texas it is $300, so the total is $339. Your state fee is the same whichever company you use, so the part you are really comparing is the $39.
If you already have an LLC, stand-alone registered agent service is $125 a year, or $100 per state once you cover five or more states, and Northwest says it has not raised that price in 20 years. The same $125 is what your service renews at after the free first year. So think of Northwest as $39 to start, then $125 a year for as long as you keep it.
| Year one | Year two onwards | |
|---|---|---|
| Northwest | $39 (registered agent included) | $125 registered agent |
| State | Formation fee (e.g. California $90, Texas $300) | Annual or biennial report fee, where your state has one |
| Optional | EIN filing $50 ($200 without an SSN) | Northwest files the annual report for you: $100 + state fee |
One state-level cost to plan for: California charges every LLC a minimum $800 franchise tax each year, whichever formation service you use.
What Northwest does well
Privacy by default
Wherever your state allows, Northwest lists its own address on your public filings instead of your home address, and it says it never sells your data. It is automatic, with nothing to opt in to. If you run an online business from your apartment, that alone keeps a lot of junk mail and spam calls away.
Real support, in every state
When you call you reach a Corporate Guide, Northwest’s name for an employee who knows state filing rules, and this is the thing reviewers praise most. Because Northwest has a registered address in every state, you can add states later without juggling providers, and if you already have an LLC with another agent, Northwest files the change of agent paperwork and pays the state fee for you.
A clean checkout and the paperwork done for you
Add-ons are labelled with their price and nothing is pre-checked. The EIN service costs $50, but with a Social Security number you can get an EIN free from the IRS in a few minutes; the $200 version for founders without an SSN is the one that genuinely saves time. When Northwest forms your LLC it also prepares your operating agreement and initial resolutions, and it publishes free attorney-prepared templates if you form elsewhere, so you should not need to pay extra for one. Our step-by-step Northwest LLC guide walks through every checkout screen.
A free starter business identity
Northwest now lists its identity services as free plans with no trial period: a free domain with renewals covered, a starter website on open-source WordPress, a business email, a local phone line and brand protection that watches for similar names and trademarks. The free tiers are small: one inbox, modest hosting and 10 calls or texts a month on the phone line. Paid upgrades start at a few dollars a month for email and around $9 a month for more hosting or unlimited calling. For a brand-new business it still means a real number and email from day one.
Inside the client portal there is also an AI assistant called Mark that answers questions about your filings, invoices, domains and phone service and hands off to a real guide when you want one. Northwest says it runs these models on its own servers and does not train them on customer data.
The cons
- Not the cheapest way to start. Several competitors advertise $0 formation where you only pay the state fee, so on day one Northwest costs $39 more.
- The renewal is ongoing. $125 a year is fair and well below the biggest names, but some smaller agents charge under $100.
- No legal services. Northwest files paperwork, provides templates and offers a trademark service, but there is no attorney advice plan.
- Reviews are mixed outside Google. Northwest shows a 4.7 Google rating, but its Trustpilot score is noticeably lower, with complaints about billing and renewals. Read a few low reviews and put the renewal date in your calendar.
- Regular mail scanning is limited. State and legal mail is always scanned; ordinary business mail gets a limited number of free scans a year. Full mail forwarding starts at $20 a month and a virtual office at $29 a month.
Who should pick something else
- Startups raising venture capital usually want a Delaware C corporation with investor-ready paperwork, which is what Stripe Atlas or Clerky are built for.
- If the lowest upfront cost is all that matters, a free-filing service saves you the $39. Inc Authority files your LLC for free (you pay the state fee) with a year of registered agent service; expect upsells at checkout and check the renewal price.
- If you want ongoing legal advice, a company like LegalZoom sells attorney plans, and you will pay more for them.
My honest take
For most people starting an LLC, Northwest is the service I would pick today. The price is simple, $39 plus the state fee and then $125 a year, and nothing in the checkout is pre-ticked, so it is hard to overpay by accident. The privacy default is the part I value most: Northwest’s address goes on the public filing, not yours.
Two things I would do on day one. Skip the $50 EIN add-on if you have a Social Security number, because the IRS issues one free online in minutes once the LLC is approved. And put the renewal date in your calendar straight away, since the mixed Trustpilot reviews mostly come from people surprised by renewals.
Where I would not use Northwest: if you are raising venture capital and need a Delaware C corporation, or if saving the $39 today matters more to you than the long-term service. Over the life of a small business, though, it is one of the best values.
Start your LLC with Northwest
$39 plus state fees, with a full year of registered agent service included.
Frequently asked questions
Is Northwest Registered Agent legit?
Yes. Northwest has operated since 1998 from Spokane, Washington, acts as a registered agent in all 50 states plus Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico, and handles mail and support with its own staff. Its Google rating is 4.7 out of 5 (Northwest’s figure); its Trustpilot reviews are more mixed, mostly about billing and renewals.
How much does Northwest Registered Agent cost per year?
Forming an LLC costs $39 plus your state fee, with the first year of registered agent service included. After that the registered agent service is $125 a year, or $100 per state if you use Northwest in five or more states.
Does Northwest have hidden fees?
Northwest charges no per-document fees, and add-ons such as the $50 EIN filing are optional and not pre-selected. The costs to plan for are your state’s own fees, the $125 yearly renewal, and the optional annual report filing service at $100 plus the state fee if you leave it on.
Can I switch my existing LLC to Northwest?
Yes. Northwest’s change of agent service is free: it files the change with your state and pays the state fee, then charges the normal $125 a year.
Is the free business identity really free?
The domain, starter website, email, phone line and brand protection are listed as free plans with no trial. They are small: one inbox, modest hosting and 10 calls or texts a month. Paid upgrades start at a few dollars a month.
Is Northwest better than a $0 formation service?
Not on day one: a free-filing service saves you the $39. Northwest is the better value if you want simple renewals, privacy by default and real support over the years. Check any free service’s renewal price and upsells before you choose.
Related next step
Ready to file? Follow our step-by-step guide to starting an LLC with Northwest, browse all LLC and business formation guides, or see the business tools on our deals page. Still choosing a provider? Compare the best LLC services by 3-year cost.
