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Why your registered agent renewal went up, and what to do

By the Statutia Ledger Desk · Published by Carefree Charters LLC

Updated Oct 11, 2026 · prices and terms read on each provider’s own site · not hands-on tested

Your registered agent bill went up and you want to know why, whether it will happen again, and whether switching is worth it. Here’s what each provider charges after year one, what their terms allow, and the math on staying versus switching.

How we make money: Statutia has no affiliate relationships yet. Every provider link on this page is a plain link that earns us nothing. If that changes, commercial links will be labeled next to the link. Commissions will never change our rankings. Details.

Why the bill went up: the first-year discount

Several agents advertise a low first-year price and renew at a higher one. The renewal is usually printed on the pricing page, but it’s easy to miss.

Charging the same every year: Northwest Registered Agent ($125), Bizee ($149), Registered Agents Inc ($200), LegalZoom ($249). The full list, including three- and five-year totals, is in our price index.

Real price increases, and what the terms allow

Harbor Compliance renewed at $149 until sometime in 2026; its page now says $159. We could confirm today’s price on Harbor’s site but not the date of the change, so we label it reported. Here is what each provider’s own terms say about future increases:

Are existing customers protected?

Not by any promise we could find. No provider we track says current customers keep their price. Harbor locks its $99 rate only for years you prepay. Northwest’s “never goes up” is a published claim (we found $125 in every source we checked), not a contract term. If your price matters to you, check your account’s renewal price 60–90 days before the date.

Stay or switch: the five-year math

Five years of agent fees if you stay, compared with the cheapest five-year option among the agents we track. A switch adds your state’s change fee unless the new agent pays it (Northwest and LegalZoom say they do).

Switching = the new agent’s first-year price + four renewals. State change fees run $0–$100; the middle state charges $15. Your state’s fee · your own numbers in the calculator.

When staying is the better deal: if you use a service that includes something you’d otherwise buy. Registered Agents Inc’s $200 a year includes filing your annual report (it doesn’t say whether the state fee is covered). Northwest charges $125 a year plus $100 per report if you want reports filed, so for reports-included service Registered Agents Inc is $25 a year cheaper, or more if its filing covers the state fee. Also stay if you prepaid several years, or if the saving is smaller than your state’s change fee.

The cheapest option of all is acting as your own registered agent: $0 a year, but your name and address go on the public record and someone must be available during business hours to accept legal papers. Each state’s rules are in our state table.

See Northwest’s agent service ↗ (opens in a new tab) Plain link · we earn $0

What to do before your next renewal

1. 90+ days out: find your exit rule. Harbor requires written notice at least 90 days before renewal, or that year’s invoice stays due. Others are simpler (table below).
2. 30–60 days out: choose and sign up with the replacement (another agent, or yourself if you qualify). Ask whether it files the state change for you and who pays the fee.
3. File the change with the state and wait until the state’s business record shows the new agent. Our change guide has every state’s fee and official links.
4. Then cancel the old service and turn off auto-renewal. Keep the confirmation. Our cancellation guide covers each provider.

Already charged?

Ask the provider first; refund rules differ a lot. A disputed card charge doesn’t remove an agent from your state record, so file the change either way.

Common questions

Is it a price increase or did my discount end?

Compare your old charge with the provider’s first-year price. If you paid $99 to ZenBusiness or $99 to Harbor in year one, the renewal at $199 or $159 is the published renewal price, not a new increase.

Can a registered agent raise my price mid-contract?

Their terms set the rules: Harbor allows yearly increases of up to 10%, LegalZoom can change the renewal with 30 days’ notice, and ZenBusiness and Bizee say prices are subject to change. Harbor locks the price only for years you prepay; check your own provider’s terms before prepaying. This is general information, not legal advice.

Do I lose anything by switching?

Only what your current plan includes. Check for bundled extras (for example, annual-report filing with Registered Agents Inc) and for prepaid years before you move.

Will switching cause a gap in coverage?

Not if you file the change with the state before cancelling. Your current agent stays on record until the state processes the change.

How often do you re-check these prices?

Every price on this page carries the date we read it. Anything not re-checked within 120 days is removed at the next weekly rebuild.

What this page can’t tell you

We read prices and terms on each provider’s own site and dated them. We haven’t bought these services, so we can’t rate support, speed or accuracy, and we don’t publish star ratings. “Not verified” means we couldn’t confirm it on the provider’s site; it is never counted as free. Anything not re-checked within 120 days is removed at the next weekly rebuild. Commissions are not an input to any ranking (methodology). This is general information, not legal advice.

Related: Registered agent price index · Best agent to switch to · How to change your agent (fees by state) · How to cancel agent service

How we make money: Statutia has no affiliate relationships yet. Every provider link on this page is a plain link that earns us nothing. If that changes, commercial links will be labeled next to the link. Commissions will never change our rankings. Details.