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Annual reports are an important part of a formal business entity’s ongoing compliance requirements, as these filings keep your state updated regarding changes to your business structure or ownership group. Many entrepreneurs prepare and file their own annual reports, while some choose to hire an attorney to tackle this responsibility. However, our preference is to hire a reputable online annual report service (often offered by many of the top LLC services). These companies are much more affordable than an attorney while still providing significant peace of mind compared to the do-it-yourself option.
If you would rather receive some assistance with your annual reports, you’re in luck. The same companies that offer reliable business incorporation services also typically provide annual report services. Some of these companies provide fully managed services in which they’ll track your due dates, provide you with reminders, and fill out and file the forms. Others (like Northwest Registered Agent) simply offer to complete and submit the annual report form, leaving you to keep track of the deadline. In this guide, we’ll discuss what Northwest has to offer for annual report service and also take a look at several other important aspects of this company.
Let’s quickly review its pros and cons before we dig into the details.
Northwest Registered Agent’s one annual report service package includes the professional preparation and efficient filing of your annual report. Northwest offers annual report service for $100 (+ state fee), which is a reasonable price point that matches our rate.
While some competitors offer bundles that combine annual reports and business formation services, Northwest has no such package. If you would also like to purchase a business formation service, Northwest Registered Agent sells this service starting at $225 (+ state fee).
Northwest Registered Agent has a reasonable price point for annual reports, making it a popular alternative to LegalZoom. In addition, at $100, it matches our price point for similar services.
The solid value of this service, paired with Northwest’s personalized customer service team (more on this in a moment…), makes this company a viable option for online annual report services.
However, while we do appreciate Northwest’s domestic business formation service, it has a higher price point than we’d like. At $225, it’s not a bad deal, but considering that we’ll form your LLC or corporation for $0, $225 feels like a lot (add your state’s fee to either of these rates to get your total price).
Northwest was founded in 1998 out of Spokane, Washington. They’ve found a niche in being a medium-sized business and boast a motto of “We’re Just Not Annoying.” Their primary goal is to simplify business formation and registered agent services while being transparent with their customers.
Since its founding, Northwest has helped form around 2 million businesses. They share on their site that they’re currently working with upwards of 200 new LLCs and corporations each day. While there aren’t too many reviews online for the company (around 800), most of the ones we found were positive and aligned with the mission and values promised by Northwest.
Northwest offers phone and email support. You can fill out a form on their site to send an email. While it took nearly 24 hours to receive an email back, the response was detailed, and the rep went beyond simply answering our question and checking off an email response.
We also called them. The representative who answered the phone took the time to ask for details so that he could give us the most accurate answer. Whereas some competitors in this industry outsource their customer support to large, anonymous call centers, we appreciate Northwest’s commitment to providing personalized customer service.
The entire point of using an annual report service is to make this part of your business run seamlessly with little-to-no effort on your part. Northwest Registered Agent fits the bill, as it’s simple to place orders, renew services, and navigate its website.
The process of ordering annual report service from Northwest Registered Agent is simple, although there’s a good chance one of their representatives will need to contact you to get further information. Here’s an overview of what you can expect when you click the “GET STARTED” button after you select your state and entity type on the Northwest annual report service page. Keep in mind that the process for annual reports can vary from state to state, but in most states, it will look something like this.
Compared to some companies in this industry that have thousands of reviews available online, we only found a few hundred for Northwest Registered Agent. That said, while the volume of reviews isn’t as high as some competitors, it’s tough to complain about the quality of feedback this company receives.
On Google, we found around 800 reviews for Northwest with an average rating score of 4.7 out of 5. We discovered that its customers like the customer support they receive and the lack of pushy sales tactics. There are annual report services with larger volumes of customer feedback, but not many with a higher quality of reviews than Northwest Registered Agent.
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.
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