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Last Updated: June 6, 2025
Harvard Business Services opened in 1981, and they’ve formed 400,000+ businesses since then. The company is known for its reasonable pricing models for Delaware business services, but it’s important to point out that it doesn’t offer services in any other state.
✔ If you put a lot of weight on customer reviews, Harvard Business Services makes a strong case in that department. Much like ZenBusiness, they have thousands of reviews across the web, with high average scores.✔ Each of their LLC formations includes a year of registered agent service. Furthermore, if you add additional years of registered agent service, it’s $50 annually, and that price is guaranteed not to increase over the life of your company.✔ In a hurry? All of their LLC formation packages include same-day filing.✔ If you need service in Spanish, they offer bilingual customer support and even have a Spanish version of their full website.
✘ They only form LLCs in Delaware. If you want to form anywhere other than Delaware, you’ll need to find an alternative LLC service, like ZenBusiness, where we’ll form your LLC for free (just pay your state’s required fee). That’s a savings of $229 over Harvard Business Services’ least expensive LLC formation package.
Harvard Business Services has three packages of LLC formation services to choose from: Green, Basic, and Standard.
Before we dive into their packages, we’d like to clarify their pricing a bit. Unlike their competitors, Harvard Business Services includes Delaware’s $110 state fee in their listed prices. With this in mind, the following price points are calculated to match the ones found in our other LLC service reviews so that you can easily compare them if you so choose. For example, the Green Package is $229 and includes the state fee of $110, so the price we list below is $139 because we’ve subtracted the state fee.
➢ Preparation and Filing of Certificate of Formation: The Certificate of Formation is the form you fill out in order to officially create your new business with the state of Delaware. Harvard Business Services will complete this document for you and submit it to the state.
➢ Name Availability Check: They will search through Delaware’s official business database to ensure that your desired business name is still available and hasn’t already been claimed by another company.
➢ One Year of Registered Agent Service: A registered agent is a person or entity that receives important document deliveries from the state and process servers on your behalf, then forwards them to you. This is required of all Delaware LLCs. Harvard Business Services will provide registered agent service for one year, after which you can renew for $50/year. Of course, you’re under no obligation to renew this service.
➢ Ongoing Compliance Notifications: They will keep you informed of all annual requirements (such as annual reports) to keep your company in good standing.
➢ Same-Day Electronic Filing: Your LLC formation paperwork is filed with the state of Delaware on the same day you place your order.
➢ Free Lifetime Customer Support
Everything from the Green package, plus…
➢ Document Templates: You’ll receive templates to create your own LLC operating agreement, banking resolution form, digital membership certificates, and more.
➢ All Shipping Fees: You receive priority mailing for all company formation items.
Everything from the Basic package, plus…
➢ LLC Kit and Seal: A binder with your company name embossed on it, plus a decorative seal customized for your LLC. It also includes some more document templates, a meeting minute book, a transfer ledger to track ownership changes, and more.
Harvard Business Services also offers international LLC services. The Green package is exactly the same as the domestic version, but the international Basic package (and therefore, the Standard package as well) includes things like apostille and notary services to maintain compliance outside the U.S. These two packages also have a higher price point.
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Compared to other incorporation services, Harvard Business Services has higher prices, especially if you just want LLC formation (which several companies, including ZenBusiness, offer for $0 plus the state fee). But you also have to consider that all of its packages include registered agent service for a year.
Compared to the $139 Green package, Harvard Business Services’ $169 Basic package and $269 Standard plan don’t add a ton of value. Overall, Harvard Business Services has solid pricing when you weigh in the extra features in the packages, although there are services like ZenBusiness that will form your LLC for free (+ state fee).
Harvard Business Services was established in 1981 and has since formed more than 400,000 Delaware businesses. For the first 10 years, the founder and his wife ran the business out of their home before expanding their company to an actual office.
Harvard Business Services now serves businesses based in nearly a dozen countries. Their founding CEO is still leading the company and even has his email address listed on the website.
They have thousands of positive reviews online across a handful of sites and some negative reviews; as of May 2025, they were rated 3.8 out of 5 on Trustpilot. While Harvard Business Services can’t quite compete with the 22505 reviews ZenBusiness has online, it does still receive somewhat solid average ratings.
Harvard Business Services offers phone, email, and chat. We reached out via all and were impressed by their customer service and response times.
Our chat question was answered almost immediately. The representative offered to call and talk us through the process, but we declined, wanting to call in on our own. Similarly, our email was answered by midday the following day.
However, Harvard Business Services has short hours of availability that could pose problems for some entrepreneurs. Harvard Business Services reps are only available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET on Fridays.
You want to start a business, but you have no idea where to begin. You don’t know how much goes into forming and running a business behind the scenes, and you shouldn’t lose sleep over figuring it out. The point of using an incorporation service is to save time and make the formation process simple.
Overall, the ordering process with Harvard Business Services is straightforward. We were able to complete the process of forming a company in less than 10 minutes.
After selecting a package, you put in your personal and business information. Before reaching the end of the order form, you’ll receive an upsell to include a federal tax ID number (also known as an employer identification number or EIN). If you want to save some hassle, adding an EIN isn’t a bad idea, although you can acquire one from the IRS for free if you’re willing to do the legwork yourself.
Harvard Business Services includes the total turnaround time for each of its packages, which is 1 to 3 business days (this refers to the time it takes for them to submit your paperwork to the state, not how long it will take the state to process it). They guarantee same-day electronic filing of all documents as long as everything is in order.
Harvard Business Services is one of the most popular LLC service options for formations in Delaware. Their speedy filing times and affordable service packages make them worthy of consideration. Of course, no one solution will fit every business type, so let’s finish by discussing scenarios where you may or may not want to use their services.
If you’re forming an LLC in Delaware, they’re a solid option. All of their packages include same-day filing with the state.
If you want to form in any state other than Delaware, you’ll need to find someone else. Additionally, even though their prices are somewhat reasonable, you can still save quite a bit of money on basic LLC formation with another service. For example, ZenBusiness will form your LLC for free (+ state fee).
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Frequently Asked Questions About Harvard Business Services
Harvard Business Services has formed more than 400,000 business entities since it opened for business back in 1981. They have a good reputation for customer feedback, as the majority of their thousands of reviews are positive. However, their TrustPilot ratings aren’t as high as many of their competitors, such as ZenBusiness.
Both in our own experience and as it pertains to their general reputation, Harvard Business Services has solid customer service, although it has limited hours of availability. You can only contact them from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET on Fridays.
Unfortunately, we are not aware of any discount codes for Harvard Business Services.
Harvard Business Services doesn’t list their refund policy on their website, but a customer service rep told us that you can get a 100% refund if you request it before they submit your paperwork to the state. However, given that they do same-day filing, that doesn’t give much of a window. This refund policy isn’t bad, but it pales in comparison to ZenBusiness’s satisfaction guarantee, which provides a full refund of our service fees at any time within 60 days of purchase.
Of course. Many entrepreneurs do form their own LLCs. If this is something you’d like to look into, check out our step-by-step LLC formation guide. On the other side of the coin, some people choose to hire a lawyer to form an LLC, but this route is usually much more expensive than using an online LLC service.
It’s normal to be uncertain about which online LLC formation service is the right choice for your unique business. After all, there are a many options out there, and each of them has its own set of advantages and disadvantages.
We invite you to check out our Best LLC Service Providers guide to compare the top LLC formation companies.
In most situations, this is not a necessary step. The only times that we recommend reserving a name in advance are if you’re not yet ready to form your business but want to ensure that the name you want will be available when you do enter the LLC formation process or if you’re forming a business in a state like Alabama that requires an advance reservation. Otherwise, you can safely skip this step.
You sure can. In fact, there are almost zero restrictions on who can form an LLC in this country. You don’t need to live here, you don’t need to be a resident, and you don’t even need to have a physical presence in the United States.
To connect with Harvard Business Services via phone, you can call 1-800-345-CORP, and their general information contact email address is info@delawareinc.com. You can also contact them via live chat.
We don’t feel like Harvard Business Services gets pushy at all when it comes to the category of upsells, especially compared to LegalZoom.
Once you select your formation package, they don’t try to convince you to upgrade to a higher tier of service or to add unnecessary bonus features. In general, we don’t have any issue with the way Harvard Business Services presents their products and services.
Harvard Business Services has some of the fastest turnaround times in the entire industry when it comes to processing times in Delaware. All LLC packages have a processing time of one business day.
Harvard Business Services provides quite a few additional services for their Delaware clients, including registered agent service, Certificates of Good Standing, EIN acquisition, certified copies, apostille, mail forwarding, foreign qualifications, operating agreements, amendments, and dissolutions.
Our answer to this question varies a bit depending on your priorities as an entrepreneur. If you have the extra money available, we love the convenience of having your LLC formation documents and your EIN confirmation in the same place. If that’s not worth the extra $95 to you, you might as well just get your own EIN from the IRS for free.
The biggest advantage for Harvard Business Services is its fast Delaware LLC formations. Harvard Business Services has turnaround times in this state that beat some competitors by weeks.
As for disadvantages, their Delaware-only focus is obviously a major issue if you’re trying to form or maintain a business elsewhere. For instance, if you expanded your business beyond Delaware, Harvard Business Services wouldn’t provide registered agent services for your additional locations.
Yes. Harvard Business Services charges $50 per year for Delaware registered agent service. However, keep in mind that if your business expands beyond Delaware, you’ll need to find a different registered agent for your locations in other states. They also offer assistance with your Delaware annual report and franchise tax.
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 800,000 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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