Updated November 5, 2026 · 9 services tested
We tested 9 registered agent services for Washington. Northwest Registered Agent is our pick: $125 first year, then $125/yr.
By Jon Morgan · Fact-checked by Jon Tobin, Business Attorney · How we test
Northwest Registered Agent
$125 first year, then $125/yrFree first year with its $39 LLCGet Northwest's agent service (opens in a new tab)
ZenBusiness
$99 first year, then $199/yrHalf price in year one when you switch to ZenBusiness (state fee extra)See ZenBusiness agent plan (opens in a new tab)
Harbor Compliance
$99 first year, then $159/yrFor new customersSee Harbor Compliance agent plan (opens in a new tab)Prices checked November 5, 2026.
We compared registered-agent pricing, documented features, and account observations for Washington founders. Our tests covered different service steps by provider, including LLC formation and active-agent account access where available.
Northwest Registered Agent remains our top pick. ZenBusiness ranks second at 4.7/5 for its guided platform and stronger public customer-review score, while Harbor Compliance ranks third at 4.6/5 and remains a strong option for multi-state compliance.
Compare providers on the renewal price below, since that is the figure you pay every year after the first.
Washington's own Annual Report fee stays completely separate from every number in that table, which lists providers in overall recommendation order and shows their ongoing renewal costs.
| Service | Agent price | RA bundled with formation | Service features | Score | Compare offers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $125 first year, then $125/yrFree first year with its $39 LLC | Yes (free first year with formation) | • Same-day scanning of legal mail • Named support rep emails within minutes • Home address kept off public filings | 4.9 | Get agent service (opens in a new tab) |
| $99 first year, then $199/yrHalf price in year one when you switch to ZenBusiness (state fee extra) | No (separately purchased; discounted first year with formation) | • Checkout video names the mail types covered • Never auto-selects the paid extra • Never billed without a signup step | 4.7 | See plan (opens in a new tab) |
| $99 first year, then $159/yrFor new customers | No | • Same-day scanning, no per-document charge • Entity Manager tracks multi-state standing • Rate holds steady on a prepaid term | 4.6 | See plan (opens in a new tab) |
 | $124.99 first year, then $124.99/yrOnly with a Plus or Pro membership | No (Plus or Pro membership required; billed separately) | • Digital document delivery • Attorney consultations via membership • Paid Plus or Pro membership required | 4.5 | See plan (opens in a new tab) |
 | $249 first year, then $249/yr | No | • Documents scanned with time-sensitive alerts • Unlimited cloud storage • No dedicated section in the dashboard nav | 4.4 | See plan (opens in a new tab) |
 | $149 first year, then $149/yrFree first year with a Bizee LLC | Yes (free first year with formation) | • Opt-out sits right beside the opt-in choice • Free-year policy stated upfront on-site • Renewal billed on its own charge line | 4.3 | See plan (opens in a new tab) |
 | $596 first year, then $596/yrBilled $149 a quarter | No | • Dedicated registered office address advertised • One assigned support contact • No formation purchase required first | 4.2 | See plan (opens in a new tab) |
 | $129 first year, then $129/yrPrepaying 5 years brings it to $87/yr | No | • Multi-year prepay cuts the rate substantially • Operates nationwide in every state • Two-day standard shipping on documents | 4.1 | See plan (opens in a new tab) |
 | $59 first year, then $59/yrYear one included in its $359 Washington LLC package | No | • Domain and local phone number included free • State notices carry no per-item fee • In-state Spokane office handles delivery | 3.9 | See plan (opens in a new tab) |
Prices checked November 5, 2026.
Refund: 90 days
A welcome email from Northwest Registered Agent landed within minutes of paying, sent by a named support rep instead of a no-reply inbox.
Inside the account, a single screen shows the renewal date, the address on file and the entity's own ID, with nothing tucked behind a support ticket. State and legal notices get scanned with no cap on volume.
The company also takes on the transfer paperwork whenever a customer switches over from another provider, and the yearly rate stays fixed once the opening term wraps up.
Pros
Cons
Refund: 60 days
A short video on ZenBusiness's upsell screen names the mail types covered: service of process, tax notices, legal and state documents. The current formation offer discounts its first year; it is still a separate purchase. It renews at $199 per year.
The screen never assigns that duty automatically, and a second prompt inside the application repeats the choice with guidance tailored to the entity's industry.
Decline both times and the dashboard still leaves a way to add it later, with nothing billed without a customer's say.
Pros
Cons
Its own team told us Harbor Compliance has no dummy order option. A real order starts the formation process right away, and the wizard lists the registered agent fee on its own line.
The Harbor Compliance team also confirmed the system tracks each entity's due date automatically. By default that means a reminder instead of a filing, unless a customer signs up for the fully managed service.
The provider states this same registered agent product is also sold alone for self-filers, or added to a foreign-registration or change-of-agent order for anyone switching providers.
Pros
Cons
Refund: 60 days
Rocket Lawyer sells this service on its own to anyone. Northwest Registered Agent, by contrast, gives a full year free with formation.
Rocket Lawyer Corporate Services LLC, a firm Rocket Lawyer owns outright rather than an outside name in fine print, actually handles this job. Our own review found fast phone support that fixed most issues in one call.
A Plus or Pro membership cuts the price by about half. That membership bills on its own, separate schedule.
Pros
Cons
Refund: 60 days
The dashboard navigation at LegalZoom lists Compliance, Documents, Attorneys, Books and Virtual mail. No registered agent section appears anywhere in that list.
That gap traces back to a business decision rather than an oversight. LegalZoom hands the job to a subsidiary it owns outright, United States Corporation Agents Inc., rather than staffing it in-house or building it into the dashboard.
There's no separate renewal number listed anywhere on the site. The rate a customer locks in at signup simply repeats every year after.
Pros
Cons
Open any card for the complete review, scores and packages.
Refund: Before state payment
The signup flow at Bizee treats going without this service as a real choice rather than a hard sell. Its selection screen lists a self-serve option right alongside the paid Bizee-as-agent choice, letting a customer opt out entirely.
Pick Bizee and the price drops to zero for the whole first year whenever it ships with an LLC order. Any document sent to that agent afterward triggers an email notice.
Once that free opening term runs out, the standalone price and year-two renewal both kick in, charged separately from anything else Bizee bills for on the account.
Pros
Cons
Refund: 60 days
Swyft Filings advertises a dedicated registered office address, with its own service page promising a fast scan turnaround once a document actually arrives.
Each account gets one specific point of contact for support instead of being funneled into a shared queue.
In the published review's own separate scoring system, this specific service rated 4.3 out of 5, one of the lower marks Swyft Filings received in that system.
Rather than one yearly charge, the bill lands four separate times each year, adding up to noticeably more than what the flat, single-payment providers on this page charge.
Pros
Cons
InCorp rewards owners willing to commit for more than one year, with the standard yearly rate dropping in steps for anyone who prepays a longer term.
The company has been forming businesses since 1998 and maintains a presence in all 50 states, useful for owners who plan to register in more than just Washington.
Document shipping runs on a standard two-day domestic turnaround, per the company's own site.
Our own review of the company noted fast communication whenever a document arrives, plus a support team that stays available throughout the process.
Pros
Cons
Washington Registered Agent runs out of a Spokane office and adds a handful of free extras on top of its flat annual price.
According to its own site, the company signs customers up for license-renewal reminders and includes three mail scans before any per-scan fee applies. It also promises no per-piece charge for Secretary of State notices or service of process.
The same site also promises unlimited customer support, a detail worth knowing before you actually need to place that call.
Pros
Cons
Our testing methodology combines provider research with account observations where access was available.
The ZenBusiness test purchased LLC formation only, without activating its paid registered-agent service; the Harbor Compliance assessment covered direct Q&A and a pricing and signup-wizard walkthrough without a paid order.
We average six numeric categories equally to calculate each overall score, rounding the result to one decimal place. The separate Washington Fit subsection adds context and is not a seventh numeric score.
ZenBusiness's six scores average 4.700/5; Harbor Compliance's average 4.633/5, giving displayed overall scores of 4.7 and 4.6, respectively.
Support scores split this roster more than almost any other category we track, and the registry reflects that spread clearly.
Northwest Registered Agent posts the top score outright, with ZenBusiness close behind on the next tier.
Swyft Filings and InCorp tie further down, and Washington Registered Agent sits just behind them.
Renewal price matters more than the signup discount when comparing recurring costs. Harbor Compliance renews at $159 per year, compared with ZenBusiness at $199 per year, so Harbor earns the higher Price score: 4.7 versus 4.6.
Their current introductory rates both start at $99. Compare the final checkout total and any formation or multi-year conditions before deciding how much the first year will cost.
Northwest Registered Agent has the highest Features score at 4.8, while ZenBusiness and Harbor Compliance each score 4.7. Northwest's forms library and handling of agent-change paperwork add practical value beyond receiving documents.
Harbor Compliance's Entity Manager stands out for tracking registrations in multiple states, while ZenBusiness provides guided account tools through Velo. Those different strengths may matter more to an individual owner than the small numerical gap.
Northwest Registered Agent and Harbor Compliance share the highest Privacy and Security score at 4.9, while ZenBusiness scores 4.7.
We considered documented address-use policies and secure document handling alongside the account observations available to us.
An agent's address can replace a personal address in the registered-agent field, but it does not remove information required elsewhere on state filings.
ZenBusiness explicitly limits its agent address to legal and state mail, rather than general business correspondence.
Northwest Registered Agent and Harbor Compliance each score 4.9 for Compliance Alerts, while ZenBusiness scores 4.6. We considered the clarity and availability of deadline reminders; managed filing services, when offered, may carry a separate charge.
Public customer reviews are one input in our comparison, alongside service features and account observations. ZenBusiness earns a 4.8 User Ratings score; Harbor Compliance earns 3.9.
These are editorial category scores derived from the review snapshot checked on October 2, 2026, rather than ratings of a state-specific office.
ZenBusiness's score combines Trustpilot's 4.8/5 from 32,767 reviews and BBB's 4.04/5 from 817 customer reviews, weighted by review count. The result is 4.78/5, rounded to 4.8.
Harbor Compliance's score uses Trustpilot's 3.1/5 from 53 reviews, BBB's 1.0/5 from 8 customer reviews, and Birdeye's 4.2/5 from 245 Google reviews. The same weighting gives 3.93/5, rounded to 3.9.
Review counts and invitation practices differ across platforms, so these samples are not directly comparable measures of service quality.
BBB customer-review averages are separate from its business letter grades; Harbor's own site also reports a separate Google sample of 4.3/5 from 212 reviews.
What makes Washington distinct isn't the core registered-agent rule, since its statute mostly tracks the Model Registered Agents Act framework other states also lean on.
It's that Washington keeps a genuine commercial-versus-noncommercial registered agent split written into statute, a distinction several other states skip entirely.
A commercial agent files once with the state and can then be listed across many entities, while a noncommercial agent serves a single business without that separate registration.
Washington also stands out on the change-of-agent side. Filing a Statement of Change costs nothing here, unlike several sibling states that charge $15 to $25 for the identical paperwork.
Washington's Annual Report bill runs on its own track entirely apart from whatever a registered agent charges. It falls due on the last day of the LLC's formation-anniversary month instead of a set calendar date.
Standalone annual rates among these providers start at $59 and reach about $249 per year, excluding quarterly billing, prepaid discounts and paid membership requirements.
ZenBusiness starts at $99 and renews at $199; Harbor Compliance starts at $99 and renews at $159.
Rocket Lawyer's $124.99 annual (the same in the first year and every year after) agent add-on requires a separately paid Plus or Pro membership, so its agent fee is not the whole recurring bill.
Swyft Filings bills $149 or more per quarter, which totals at least $596 across twelve months.
None of that touches the state's own side of things. Washington's $70 Annual Report fee goes to the Secretary of State's Corporations and Charities Division on its own separate clock, unrelated to any provider's billing date.
An eligible Washington resident can take on this job personally for free, and anyone wanting a full LLC formation package instead should see our Washington LLC services guide.
Washington statute spells out who qualifies for this job and what the address has to look like. The requirements break down as follows:
Yes. Washington law requires every LLC to designate and maintain a registered agent, or risk administrative dissolution after 30 days without one.
A Washington registered agent forwards service of process and official state notices to the business, using the entity's most current contact details on file.
Yes. An individual Washington resident with a qualifying street address is eligible, and serving as your own noncommercial agent is allowed under state law.
Standalone annual rates on this list start at $59 and reach about $249, excluding prepaid discounts, with first-year promotions starting at $99.
Swyft Filings costs at least $596 first year, then $596/yr (billed $149 a quarter) when its quarterly bills are added together. Rocket Lawyer requires a paid membership in addition to the agent fee.
A Statement of Change of Registered Agent/Office, filed either through the state's online portal or by mail, is what makes the switch official, and Washington charges nothing for either method.
Yes. Washington LLCs owe a $70 Annual Report by the final day of their formation-anniversary month, and that fee is entirely separate from whatever a registered agent charges.
Every provider reviewed here keeps a customer's home address off Washington's public record. They set themselves apart through how fast each one moved on incoming paperwork and what the bill looked like once the first year passed.
Northwest Registered Agent is the strongest pick for one clear, upfront renewal price. Harbor Compliance is the stronger fit for a business that operates in several states at once.
Price-only shoppers land on Washington Registered Agent. Its flat $59 annual rate ($59 first year, then $59/yr) undercuts every other name on this page, and the bundled domain plus phone number is a bonus on top of the lowest bill here.
ZenBusiness is our second overall choice at 4.7/5, combining guided account tools with the stronger public customer-review score.
Harbor Compliance ranks third at 4.6/5 and is still the specialist pick for owners tracking compliance across multiple states.
References
Our verdict
$125 first year, then $125/yr. 90-day money-back guarantee.
Prices checked November 5, 2026.