ZenBusiness reviews its own products and services and compares them to others in the industry.
CSC is one of the oldest and largest compliance services providers in the world, but it has a high price point for registered agent service. Choose ZenBusiness and save $182 per year.
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If you want to form a business in the United States, you will need to designate a registered agent. The role of the registered agent involves the usage of their address as your official business address, which means they’ll receive important document deliveries on your behalf, including service of process and official correspondence from your state government.
While you can legally serve as your own agent and still operate a compliant business entity, there are some other benefits of hiring a registered agent service. Having a registered agent makes it so that you don’t need to be available at your place of business during all standard business hours, and it also cuts down on the amount of junk mail you’ll receive.
There are many LLC formation services that also offer this vital service to businesses, and it can be difficult to discern which one is the best option for your company. In this review, we’ll take a close look at CSC, one of the most popular service providers in the industry. Are they the right registered agent service for your business?
CSC is one of the most experienced registered agent service providers in the world. In their own words, “We are the unwavering partner for 90% of the Fortune 500®, more than 65% of the Best Global Brands (Interbrand®), nearly 10,000 law firms, and more than 3,000 financial organizations. Headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, USA, since 1899, we have offices throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region.”
CSC is one of the oldest and largest compliance services providers in the world, and today they operate all across North America, Europe, and Asia. CSC knows how to serve businesses of all sizes, and they’re experienced with every stage of the business life cycle. However, their prices certainly reflect this level of experience, as they charge $381 per year for registered agent service.
CSC charges $381 per year for registered agent service. Along with the basics of registered agent service, CSC has a record-keeping and compliance reminder tool that keeps track of all your important business documents and also sends you email alerts when it’s time to file your annual report, franchise tax payments, business license renewals, and more.
CSC does have advantages over some competitors. For instance, their experience level is tough to top, and they include valuable record-keeping and compliance tools with their registered agent service. However, CSC charges $381 per year, while ZenBusiness offers registered agent service for $199. For more information on your other options, take a look at our guide to the top registered agent services available.
CSC doesn’t have many online customer reviews. It’s possible that ― because many of their clients are large corporations ― if something goes wrong, they’re probably not seeking outlets like the Better Business Bureau to air their grievances. As such, we only found six customer reviews ― especially for a business of this size, there’s not much analysis to be done on so few reviews.
CSC provides access to their customer support team via phone or email, but it’s clear that they prefer to talk on the phone. When we sent them our email inquiry, they called us to respond instead of replying to our email. It was only when we sent a follow-up email that they replied to that message. Overall, their support reps are quite helpful, if a bit pushy, and if you want their quickest service you should probably just call them.
If experience matters to you, and you want to use the same registered agent service most of the Fortune 500 companies use, CSC is an option for your business.
Competitors like ZenBusiness can save you a lot of money. Additionally, if you’re more comfortable making purchases from a company that has lots of online customer feedback, there are other options available. For instance, ZenBusiness LLC Service has 12,000+ positive reviews and offers registered agent service for $199/year compared to $381/year from CSC.
Is CSC legit?
CSC has been around since 1899, and they currently serve 90% of all Fortune 500 companies. Their prices can get pretty high, but there’s no doubt that this is a legitimate service.
How can I get in touch with CSC’s customer support team?
CSC’s support is a bit strangely set up, as they don’t list a phone number or even an email address on their website. Instead, you’ll need to fill out the contact form on their website and wait for them to get back to you.
Do I need a registered agent for my LLC or corporation?
In short, yes, every LLC and corporation operating in America today needs to designate a registered agent. This person or business entity receives service of process and important document deliveries from the state, then forwards them to your business. It’s a crucial part of any LLC or corporation’s compliance. However, you don’t necessarily need to hire a registered agent service — you can serve in this role yourself, appoint a family member or friend, hire an attorney or accountant to handle it, etc.
Do they have a refund policy?
After digging through the legal section on CSC’s website, we’ve come to the conclusion that CSC doesn’t offer refunds. In fact, they mention several times that they don’t guarantee the accuracy of their website or the products and services on it.
Other than registered agent service, what else can CSC do?
CSC offers a broad selection of other business services, including annual reports, Certificates of Good Standing, business formations, foreign qualifications, amendments, apostilles, mergers, dissolutions, doing business as (DBA) names, business license research, corporate tax assistance, and more.
What are CSC’s biggest advantage and disadvantage?
CSC’s most noteworthy advantage is its experience, as it has been around since 1899 and currently serves 90% of Fortune 500 companies. However, its biggest disadvantage is pricing, as CSC charges much higher prices than many of its competitors.
Disclaimer: The content on this page is for information purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, or accounting advice. If you have specific questions about any of these topics, seek the counsel of a licensed professional.
Written by Team ZenBusiness
ZenBusiness has helped people start, run, and grow over 700,000 dream companies. The editorial team at ZenBusiness has over 20 years of collective small business publishing experience and is composed of business formation experts who are dedicated to empowering and educating entrepreneurs about owning a company.
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