ZenBusiness reviews its own products and services and compares them to others in the industry.
Harbor Compliance offers affordable registered agent service, but its pricing for some other services (like LLC formations) is considerably higher than some competitors. For example, we can save you $198 on business formation service.
Starts at $119
If you want to form a business in the United States, you’ll 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 Harbor Compliance, one of the most popular service providers in the industry. Are they the right registered agent service for your business?
Harbor Compliance has served 40,000+ organizations since opening in 2012. You can find more experienced online formation services, but Harbor Compliance is finding success as a midsize company.
According to the mission statement on their website, they “simplify the licensing process to help your organization stay compliant. That means access to a team of compliance experts backed by our proprietary tracking software to ensure that no detail goes unnoticed. So you can proceed with confidence — and peace of mind.”
Harbor Compliance offers affordable pricing for registered agent service, with volume discounts based on prepaying multiple years. They have positive customer feedback, albeit with a smaller volume of reviews than many competitors. They also offer good customer support.
However, some of Harbor Compliance’s services are only available to large enterprise clients that serve multiple businesses. In addition, their pricing for some services (like LLC formations) is uninspiring.
Their registered agent service is available for $99 per year, although if you pay for more than one year in advance, Harbor Compliance will provide a discount of up to 10%. Additionally, you’ll receive access to software that provides annual report reminders.
We like what Harbor Compliance has to offer for registered agent service. However, they have high pricing for business formations and limited availability for some other popular small business services.
We offer LLC formations for free (+ state fee) and annual reports for $100 — Harbor Compliance charges $198 for LLC service and up to $175 for annual reports. For more information on your other options, take a look at our guide to the top registered agent services available.
We found 130 customer reviews on Google for Harbor Compliance, with an average score of 4.3 out of 5 stars, along with a 4.6 score on Facebook (32 reviews). These are solid average scores, but we’d like to see more reviews. For example, ZenBusiness has 12,000+ positive reviews on Trustpilot.
Harbor Compliance assigns account managers (they call them “Compliance Specialists”) to oversee your account. Their customer support phone number is 888-995-5895. You can also reach them by fax or email.
If you’re looking for a company that provides registered agent service at a reasonable rate, and you don’t need to form a business or order any other services, Harbor Compliance could be an option.
If you’re looking for a business formation service or annual reports, you’ll probably want to look elsewhere, as Harbor Compliance’s pricing can get pretty steep. We offer an LLC formation package for free (plus your state’s fee) while providing reasonable rates for best registered agent service. We also have 12,000+ positive reviews compared to around 200 for Harbor Compliance.
Is Harbor Compliance legit?
Harbor Compliance doesn’t have as much experience as some competitors, but it has served 40,000+ customers since 2012. Additionally, most of its 150+ online reviews are positive. Harbor Compliance is a legitimate operation.
How can I get in touch with Harbor Compliance’s customer support?
You can reach Harbor Compliance by phone at 888-995-5895, and its support email address is info@harborcompliance.com. You can also fax Harbor Compliance at 717-202-2576. We were unable to find any information regarding its hours of operation.
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?
Harbor Compliance’s refund policy varies based on what you purchase, but in general, it’s far from generous. It specifically mentions that it doesn’t offer refunds in any circumstances for registered agent service.
Other than registered agent service, what else can Harbor Compliance do?
Harbor Compliance also offers business formations, amendments, annual reports, withdrawals, dissolutions, Certificates of Good Standing, certified copies, doing business as (DBA) names, foreign qualifications, and publication service (in states that require it).
What are Harbor Compliance’s biggest advantage and disadvantage?
Interestingly, we think that Harbor Compliance’s biggest pro and con is the same: pricing. For registered agent service, Harbor Compliance has a $99/year price point that compares favorably to many competitors. However, its pricing for other services isn’t great, as it charges at least $198 (+ state fee) to form an LLC and up to $175 (+ state fee) for annual reports.
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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