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by Benjamin AronsonInterested in Northwest Registered Agent?
If your looking to see if Northwest Registered Agent are the LLC formation service for your business, you’ve found the right article.
We think very highly of Northwest Registered Agent so much that they made the #3 spot in our top online incorporation service. In this article, we are going to share our experience forming an LLC with Northwest and explain what sets them apart from the average LLC formation service.
(4.5/5)
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Northwest Registered Agent is a family-owned online formation service that operates in Spokane, Washington, and was established back in 1998.
Their main differentiation point from competitors is that they have zero investors and use no salespeople. Northwest Registered Agent employs customer service employees also know as local Corporate Guides. Northwest Registered Agent’s Corporate Guides offer unreal customer support and are business experts.
Northwest Registered Agent provides each and every client with a Corporate Guide who is there to ensure that small business owners receive the help that they need in order to file the proper legal documents and ensure LLC formation in the best state.
Although Northwest Registered Agent isn’t the biggest LLC formation service, they have hundreds of positive customer reviews and it goes to show that they go above and beyond.
Northwest Registered Agent provides online LLC formation at $225 + state fees which includes a year of registered agent services. They aren’t the cheapest LLC filing company, but they offer 1 on 1 personalized customer support that justifies their LLC services.
Northwest Registered Agent provides many legal services related to starting and maintaining an LLC such as:
Northwest Registered Agent is a down-to-earth LLC formation company that understands real value. They have invested in one of the most in-depth and thorough learning centers which are completely free and available to everyone.
Before diving into Northwest Registered Agent, we made it a point to create and follow a set of guidelines:
Those questions enabled us to follow true value and ensured that we provide the most valuable and in-depth overview out of the northwest registered agent reviews online.
We kept those principles in mind while we were analyzing features, their customer support, track record, professionalism, and overall value.
Let’s take a second to understand where Northwest Registered Agent offers value, where they come short and if they’re the LLC formation service for your business
1. Customer Support
Northwest Registered Agent has phenomenal customer support. They have in-house “Corporate Guides” that are available for their clients every step of the way. While forming an LLC with Northwest we called to better understand the tax implications of creating an LLC in Texas and the representative on the phone was super helpful. She gave us an answer immediately.
2. Free Registered Agent
An agent is a must-have when forming an LLC and Northwest Registered Agent provides that service for a full year for free. The majority of LLC formation services don’t offer that perk, for example, MyCorporation, BetterLegal, and Swyft Filings are competitors and they charge anywhere from $99-$149 a year in addition to the LLC filing costs.
3. Same Day Filing
If you’re looking to file your LLC quickly, Northwest practices same-day filing! They file your new LLC the same day that you decide to use Northwest. While the state receives all the information that they need, you will still need to wait for approval from the security of state which can take 7-21 days, depending on the state.
4. Experience
Northwest has been in the filing business since 1998 and their track record has guided them to be one of the best LLC formation services. They specialize in small/medium businesses and are famously know to get the job done minus the B.S. Since 98′, Northwest has helped establish around two million LLCs and takes on over four thousand businesses each month!
1. Expensive
If we are going to look at Northwest alternatives, there are cheaper LLC formation services out there. At $225 plus state fees, They’re not the most economical. But again, if you’re looking for a professional LLC company to establish your new business and you want top customer support, Northwest is the optimal choice.
2. Lack of Customer-friendly Refund Policy
While Northwest has very good customer support, they do not have a clear refund policy. In fact, there isn’t any note of a refund for unsatisfied customers. There are many LLC competitors that make sure to offer a quality refund policy.
3. Lack of Customer Reviews
While auditing Northwest, one of the first steps that we took was to read through online reviews. We found a bit over three hundred customer reviews on Better Business Bureau, Trustpilot, Google Reviews, and Yelp, but were supposed by the low customer review volume.
Northwest is great for entrepreneurs who want to tap into the perks of a free registered agent, amazing customer support, and professionalism in LLC formation. With their slogan “We’re Just Not Annoying”, you can trust them to get their work done properly so you can focus on your business operations.
There are other LLC formation services like Harvard business services that will set up your LLC for around $50 cheaper than Northwest. If cost is your main concern, Northwest Registered Agent might not be the best for you.
Northwest Registered Agent offers one LLC filing option. They don’t offer a confusing formation package or try to sneak up on you with hidden fees. Using Northwest makes business formation easy and simple.
While Northwest Registered Agent doesn’t offer formation packages, they do provide two payment methods:
These payment plans are in place to ensure that you choose the most comfortable financial method when hiring Northwest.
The upfront payment plan includes LLC filing and a registered agent for a year ($225 plus state filing fees). The upfront payment plan makes it super easy for business owners to get a company in legal formation and registered status.
If you’re interested, you will have the option to choose to add ons such as a virtual office, certificate of good standing, annual compliance services, and much more. We noticed that the annual compliance filings are automatically added and look as though they are free in the checkout cart. Choosing annual compliance is free, but you will be charged three months before the annual compliance filing is due so please be aware.
If you’d rather take care of yearly compliance by yourself, Northwest Registered Agent has a free Do it Yourself resource so make sure you uncheck the annual compliance.
If you would like to spread out your LLC filing costs, the VIP service is a great option! This includes everything the upfront payment has to offer plus your LLC Employer Identification Number (EIN).
Northwest Registered Agents’ monthly payment plan is to be spread out across twelve equal payments. The cost varies from $30/month – $70/month and is directly related to the state that you form your LLC (each state has a different filing cost).
Canceling Northwest services is fairly simple and depends on the payment plan that you choose.
Upfront Payment
LLC cancelations with the upfront payment plan can be difficult because they practice same-day filing and therefore if you don’t want Northwest Registered Agent to file your new LLC, you need to cancel the services quickly.
Monthly Payment Plan (VIP Service)
If you decide that you’d like to cancel the monthly payment plan you may do so, but Northwest requires customers to pay for the remaining months that are on the contract.
While Northwest Registered Agent allows you to cancel their LLC formation process, you basically lose the funds, no matter which payment plan you choose.
Whether you choose the upfront method or the VIP service, the services below are all included.
Note: As mentioned above, the VIP service also offers EIN registration as an included cost.
Northwest will make sure that the LLC name that you have chosen is available by running a web search through the secretary of state name database.
The articles of organization is a required document that you must file in order to form an LLC. The articles of organization are the generic LLC formation paperwork and they must be filed properly. Northwest offers a tailor-made temple for your LLC.
A registered agent is a nationwide business requirement and Northwest Registered Agent offers a full year for free. They will be in charge of receiving mail and other important notices to ensure that you are compliant. After the first year, this service will cost $125 annually. If you’d like to change your registered agent, simply let them know and they’ll help you with the process.
An operating agreement is a document that outlines how an LLC will operate (member-managed or manager-managed). Creating an operating agreement is not a must, but it is highly recommended. If you need to establish a business bank account one of the first documents requested is your operating agreement. Northwest will help you pull it together to make sure that your business is in top shape.
Northwest Registered Agents offers LLC filing for $225 plus state fees. They will take care of your business formation quickly and provide a year of agent services. As noted above, a registered agent costs $125, so that added perk is a big benefit and turns out to be a big money saver when you look at the full picture.
As mentioned above, the optional add-on services are related to the upfront payment method so if you are interested in paying upfront this section is for you.
Northwest Registered Agent offers more than just LLC filing for the round price of $225. There are many additional services below to choose from:
Yes, Northwest Registered Agent has a refund policy.
In the event that you cancel your business formation before the arrival of the legal document to the Security of State, you can receive a refund. But if Northwest Registered Agent files the legal documents with the state, you may only receive a portion of their refund cost. The state filing fee will be 100% nonrefundable because that goes to the state.
If you would like to cancel the agent services, just make sure to give them a call 90 days upon signing up and ask for a refund. You most likely won’t receive the full refund, but a percentage of the cost.
Overall there aren’t that many customer reviews of Northwest Registered Agents noting that they’ve been in business since 1998. This came as a shock to us because they are known to provide such great support.
We were able to track down customer reviews on Better Business Bureau, Trustpilot, Yelp, and Google Business Reviews.
| Source | Number of Reviews | Rating |
| Better Business Bureau | 79 reviews | 4.4/5 stars
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| Trustpilot | 3 reviews | 3.3/5 stars |
| Google Business Reviews | 227 reviews | 4.5 stars |
| Yelp | 41 reviews | 4.5 stars |
After analyzing upwards of 350 reviews we can confidently say that Northwest Registered Agent provides great LLC formation services. The majority of the customer feedback was positive noting that they have super knowledgeable staff and have great customer support.
It goes without saying that Northwest Registered Agent provides super professional LLC services, heck, they’ve made it to our #1 spot on the best-registered agent companies for LLC formation. But just because we think they offer great incorporation service, doesn’t necessarily mean that they are perfect for your LLC.
Nowadays there are dozens of LLC formation companies, and if your looking for a filing service it can get overwhelming. Below are the leading three competitors that can help you form an LLC.
Kicking things off with the pricing, Incfile is a filing company that offers LLC formation for $0 plus state fees. Like Northwest Registered Agent, Incfile offers a year of free registered agent service in their base package.
Not only does Incfile offer a get price point to get your business rolling, but they also have a real-time tracking tool that ensures great customer support and allows business owners to follow everything that’s happening with the LLC online.
Looking at Northwest vs Incfile, the pricing is in favor of Incfile so if that is the most important aspect of forming your business, go with Incfile. If customer support is what you’re forcing on then Northwest Registered Agent is the filing business to go for as they offer top support and premium registered agent service.
If you’re interested in the difference between Incfile and LegalZoom, we coved both of them in a separate article.
If you’re looking to start an LLC online we highly recommend checking out ZenBusienss as they give great filing services starting at just $49 plus a state fee. ZenBusiness offers three formation packages with different add-on services available.
ZenBuisness offers very straightforward LLC formation packages to choose from with great customer support throughout the process.
ZenBusiness like Incfile and Northwest offer a registered agent, but not for free. Looking at that category, Northwest is the superior service provider.
If you’re looking into ZenBusiness or Northwest, scan our in-depth comparison, I’m sure you will find it valuable.
LegalZoom is one of the most well-known filing companies in the LLC industry. Aside from the added value of brand authority, LegalZoom offers a variety of other legal services on top of the general new business formation process.
If you think you might need additional legal help, LegalZoom is a great alternative to other incorporation services as they have a wider scope.
LegalZoom like BiZFilings and ZenBusiness offers three formation packages to choose from. The basic and starting LLC package costs $79 plus state fees. LegalZoom is known to be a bit more expensive changing extra for services such as an EIN, Operating Agreement, registered agent service, and more.
Another comparing point is turnaround time. If you use Northwest, you get same-day processing, while LegalZoom offers different turnaround times based on the formation package. It can take up to 30 days for LLC approval with LegalZoom’s base package.
When looking at overall value, Northwest comes out on top over LegalZoom in support and cost, but if you need additional services and brand power interests you, LegalZoom is a great option.
After analyzing and reviewing many LLC services, we found Northwest to be of the best incorporation service providers. With over 20 years of experience and amazing customer feedback, Northwest Registered Agent makes it easy and painless to hire a registered agent service and form an LLC.
As you saw in the Northwest Registered Agent review, there are many supporting services such as an annual report, business address, premium registered agent, and more.
Northwest Registered Agent LLC services is very straightforward and what you see is what you get with them.
If you’re looking to get personalized and professional customer support while forming an LLC with a fast turnaround time, Northwest Registered Agent is undoubtedly the incorporation service for you.
Absolutely Northwest Registered Agent is legitimate. Northwest is a family-owned business based out of Spokane, Washington. They employ more than 200 employees and have been in business for over 20 years.
Northwest Registered Agent charges $100 for LLC filing and $125 for registered agent service. Those services come together, and the final cost is $225 plus state fees.
Paying a small fee for a registered agent to receive your legal forms and accept official mail on behalf of your LLC is a huge benefit and highly worth it. A registered agent keeps track of important mail and makes sure notices are organized and easy to find.
Benjamin is the Co-Founder and CEO of FinancePond. He worked at a private accounting firm before he created FinancePond. Benjamin is an entrepreneur at heart and firmly believes in strong personal finance and investing education. He has a passion for finance and his goal is to cut out the fluff and make personal finance simple for everyone.
