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LLC UnpackedEvery filing, unpacked: the fee, the form, the catch.

Unpacked · Washington

2 Best Registered Agents in Washington (2026): What Is Inside Each

Washington, 2026: WA Registered Agent.org ($99 a year) and Mainstay Filing ($149 a year), in that order, are the registered agents worth opening first. Inside the price: $99 to $149 for year one, and $297 to $447 across three years.
Unpacked by the LLC Unpacked editorial team

Top layer

Required to name one?
Required, yes
Label in the statute
Registered agent
Going price
$99 to $149 per year
Top of the stack
WA Registered Agent.org then Mainstay Filing

The Washington stack, best on top

The order follows our five layers: three-year cost first, then what the price covers.
Top of the stack

1. WA Registered Agent.org: best for an LLC that stays in the state

$99 a year, then $99 at renewal

WA Registered Agent.org is first, and $99 a year, then $99, fits an LLC that stays in Washington.

A smaller three-year total than Mainstay Filing puts it on top for a company that stays put.

Inside the price

  • A local address on file
  • Legal papers scanned to your account

Inside, the good

  • Below Mainstay Filing on yearly price
  • $99 a year, flat at renewal

Inside, the catch

  • Nothing for other states
  • The annual report is a job you keep
Holds up anywhere

2. Mainstay Filing: best for an LLC that may expand

$149 a year, then $149 at renewal

What puts Mainstay Filing second: nothing inside changes by state: $149 a year, $149 at renewal.

Why not higher? Three years cost $150 more than WA Registered Agent.org, and cost is the heaviest layer.

Inside the price

  • An in-state address on file
  • Scans of three government mailings a year at no charge
  • Reaches beyond LLCs: corporations, LPs, LLPs and nonprofits

Inside, the good

  • Annual price $149, renewal price $149
  • A single account works in any state

Inside, the catch

  • WA Registered Agent.org charges $50 less each year
  • Nothing inside beyond the agent role

Inside each price

#CompanyYear oneEach year afterTotal, 3 yearsWhat is inside
1WA Registered Agent.org$99$99/yr$297A local address on file; legal papers scanned to your accountSee WA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Mainstay Filing$149$149/yr$447An in-state address on file; scans of three government mailings a year at no charge; Reaches beyond LLCs: corporations, LPs, LLPs and nonprofitsSee Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Service fees only, from company prices read November 13, 2026. State fees are the same whichever pick you open.

Layer by layer

Is a registered agent required?

Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

Statute: RCW 23.95.415. peek at app.leg.wa.gov, confirmed October 2026

Who qualifies?

A commercial registered agent listed with the Secretary of State, a noncommercial agent (any person or business with a Washington address), or the holder of a named position in the company. The agent consents in advance.

A qualifying owner can be the agent for free.

How much does an agent cost?

Services we rank charge $99 to $149 each year, which adds up to $297 to $447 over three.

State fees stay the same whichever agent you pick.

What does an agent handle for the LLC?

The agent is the party that signs for lawsuits and state mail addressed to the LLC, at a Washington street address.

What matters is that nothing important sits unnoticed while you are away. Service of process, unpacked

Is anything else due every year?

Year after year the recurring job is the annual report: yearly, costing $70. The calendar line from the state reads last day of the entity's anniversary month.

peek at sos.wa.gov, confirmed October 2026

What put number one on top?

WA Registered Agent.org wins the total across three years layer, which counts 34%.

Five layers set the order: total across three years (34%), what is inside the price (29%), price laid out in the open (14%), how the renewal behaves (12%) and how far it reaches (11%).

WA Registered Agent.org stacks up to $297 over three years, $150 under Mainstay Filing.

The five layers

What Washington requires of an agent

PartAmount or rulePeek at source
Fee to form$200peek at sos.wa.gov, confirmed October 2026
Registered agentRequired, yespeek at app.leg.wa.gov, confirmed October 2026
Annual report$70 every yearpeek at sos.wa.gov, confirmed October 2026
What the state collects in three years$340The rows above, stacked
The last row stacks the filing fee, the reports in years two and three and any minimum tax. A cost with no fixed amount, such as a newspaper notice, is explained above and kept out of the sum.

Also worth asking

Can I be my own agent?

Usually. Check who qualifies and which address counts, and if you fit, you can.

Which addresses does the state accept?

The address has to be a physical street address in Washington. P.O. boxes and private mailboxes are not accepted.

How do the three-year totals compare?

WA Registered Agent.org runs to $297 and Mainstay Filing runs to $447

What do these numbers rest on?

Official Washington paperwork stands behind every state fee here, and every service price traces back to the company's own pricing.

Do I have to use a service?

No. Owners can file with the state directly. A service saves time and can act as agent, but nothing makes you hire one.

What is the best registered agent for Washington?

WA Registered Agent.org, because inside the price is an agent in the state for $99 a year. Then Mainstay Filing.

What the page rests on

  1. Unpacking Washington Secretary of State, Corporations led us to ccfs.sos.wa.gov, confirmed August 2026, which you can open yourself
  2. Unpacking Washington Secretary of State, Corporations led us to sos.wa.gov, confirmed August 2026, which you can open yourself
  3. Unpacking Washington yearly filing: Annual report led us to sos.wa.gov, confirmed October 2026, which you can open yourself
  4. Unpacking Washington report due date led us to app.leg.wa.gov, confirmed August 2026, which you can open yourself
  5. Unpacking Washington formation fee: Filing fee led us to sos.wa.gov, confirmed October 2026, which you can open yourself
  6. Unpacking Washington formation fee: Filing fee led us to sos.wa.gov, confirmed October 2026, which you can open yourself
  7. Unpacking Washington registered agent statute led us to app.leg.wa.gov, confirmed October 2026, which you can open yourself
  8. The WA Registered Agent.org pricing page, opened November 13, 2026
  9. The Mainstay Filing Washington service page, opened November 13, 2026