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 registered agent services 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 Northwest Registered Agent, one of the most popular service providers in the industry. Are they the right registered agent service for your business?

About Northwest Registered Agent

Northwest opened for business in 1998. Since then, they’ve helped around 2 million customers. They also form hundreds of new LLCs and corporations each day.

A fun fact about Northwest is that they were the first major nationwide registered agent service provider to locally scan every document they receive on your behalf. Some competitors only scan the government-issued forms they’re legally required to scan.

30-Second Summary of Our Review

Northwest provides solid registered agent service at reasonable price points. They have personalized customer support, and they receive positive customer reviews. While there are companies that have lower prices for registered agent service, Northwest’s pricing is still competitive. However, Northwest charges $225 (plus your state’s fee) for business formation services.

Northwest Strengths

  • Solid registered agent pricing model – Northwest charges $125 per year for registered agent service. They also have volume discounts available if you require service in at least five states.
  • Personalized customer support – Northwest takes customer service seriously. They refer to their representatives as “corporate guides,” and they have the expertise necessary to answer your questions.
  • Plenty of experience – While some companies in this industry were just formed within the last few years, Northwest has already been around for decades.

Northwest Weaknesses

  • Cheaper options available – There are other companies that undercut Northwest’s pricing models, especially for business formation services. For example, Northwest charges $225 to form an LLC, while we’ll form your LLC for free (you’ll pay your state’s required fee either way).

Pricing and Additional Features

Northwest has a rate of $125 per year for registered agent service, although if you require service in five or more states, they’ll drop that rate to a $100 price point. Their local scanning is a good selling point, and they also include free online tools like annual report compliance reminders.

If you haven’t yet formed your LLC or corporation, Northwest will handle your formation for $225. By contrast, some competitors like ZenBusiness will form your new business for free (plus your state’s required fee).

Northwest vs. Other Registered Agent Services

Northwest Registered Agent is a solid overall pick for online registered agent service. Their local scanning can help ensure the accuracy of their service, and their personalized customer support is a positive as well.

There are some cheaper options, especially if you need business formation service — Northwest charges $225, while we charge $0 (add your state’s fee either way). For more information on your other options, take a look at our guide to the top registered agent services available.

Online Customer Reviews

Northwest doesn’t have a huge quantity of client feedback, but we were able to track down 800+ reviews of its services on Google. Of those reviews, the majority are positive. In their positive reviews, Northwest’s customers often point out how helpful their customer support representatives are and how easy it is to use their services. We will note, however, that some competitors like us at ZenBusiness have 12,000+ positive reviews available online.

Customer Service Quality

Northwest’s customer service is provided by their corporate guides, which is what they call their support representatives. Each Northwest client is connected with these representatives, and you can contact them directly if you ever have any questions or concerns. Their guides are knowledgeable about a variety of issues that you may come across as a client. In addition, their response times are usually efficient, as they typically respond to emails and calls quickly.

Main Reasons to Use Northwest

If you prioritize high-quality customer support, Northwest Registered Agent could be an option. They also provide good registered agent service at reasonable price points.

Main Reasons Not to Use Northwest

If you’re looking for the lowest price points in the industry, there are services that offer registered agent services at a lower overall cost. Additionally, Northwest charges $225 (+ state fee) for business formations, while we have a free business formation plan (just pay your state’s fee).

Let ZenBusiness Help

We offer a stress-free registered agent service

Frequently Asked Questions About Northwest Registered Agent

  • Northwest Registered Agent opened for business in 1998. Since then, they’ve become one of the most popular national LLC formation services, as they form hundreds of new business entities each week.

    Seeing as they’ve been around for decades and they’ve served a high volume of customers, we were a bit surprised to see that Northwest only has about 800 reviews available online. Still, the majority of them are positive.

  • Northwest Registered Agent is a solid company in the business services industry. If you’d like to do some more research and read comparative reviews of Northwest, here are our most popular:

  • You can contact Northwest via phone by calling 509-768-2249. Instead of posting a general contact email address on their website, they provide a support inquiry form on the “Contact Us” page that you can fill out to start the email support process.

  • 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.

  • Northwest Registered Agent will refund your money if you request a refund within 60 days ― minus $25. However, they do say on their website, “We form hundreds of LLCs every day, and each filing is backed by our 100% error-free guarantee. Although extremely rare, in the 20 years we’ve been in business, we’ve learned that mistakes do happen. Should an error occur, we’ll file every amendment required to make sure your company information is accurate (at no cost to you).”

  • Northwest’s core services include business formations, annual reports, mail forwarding, and virtual office services. They can also help you with foreign registrations, international business formations, IRS registrations, S corporation tax elections, operating agreements, and business licensing.

  • Northwest has personalized customer support, which is a noteworthy advantage compared to some competitors that outsource their support to massive call centers. Their biggest disadvantage is their pricing for LLC formations. It can be difficult to justify spending $225 for Northwest when some competitors (like us at ZenBusiness) offer LLC services for free.

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.

zenbusiness logo

Written by Team ZenBusiness

Get Your Registered Agent Today!