Northwest Registered Agent Review (2024)

We love to review Northwest Registered Agent, because they’re not just a standout business formation company or registered agent company—they’re standout people, and they bring an expertise and personal touch to the table that is useful to the novice and veteran alike. They started as a family business in the Pacific Northwest, and remain so today, though they are now a national company.

We’ve formed many LLCs with Northwest and they have always treated us well. As a new business owner, you often don’t know exactly what you need. Lots of companies take advantage of this by charging nothing for formation and then getting you on the back end by charging for things like an operating agreement and expedited handling. But Northwest provides all of this in their basic formation package. It’s no bones and everything you need, and we like that.

Read this Northwest Registered Agent review for a full discussion of their services—which ones are worth it and which aren’t—as well as overall ratings on how they stack up.

Northwest Registered Agent Review: What Makes Them So Great

Privacy as policy

Yes, they have become a large, national company, but they are still family owned. I always return to the fact that they do not sell client data in any way (they call it, Privacy by Default®). Most companies today sell your data by default, which makes this policy all the more valuable. They don’t even advertise it all that much. They just do it.

Private Business Formation

Perhaps the main reason to use a business formation service (especially a registered agent) is for privacy. A registered agent can do what no one else can: use their own contact information instead of yours on formation documents. Depending on the state you are forming your business in, this can include the company address and principal address. A registered agent can often also sign as the organizer and filer.

Easy, Transparent Signup

Northwest lets you know exactly where it is legal to use their information instead of yours on the formation documents on a state by state basis. This makes it easy for you to decided what you want to include and what you don’t. They make it clear to see where your information is going and how and when it’s possible to leave your own information off of public records.

Informative Website

Northwest Registered Agent maintains a simple, but extremely helpful website with lots of tutorials and free legal templates. You can use their templates for anything from creating an Operating Agreement to a Member Resolution. Check out their template library.

Lots of Services, One Account

A great thing about Northwest Registered Agent is that they roll all your services into one account, and you can manage everything from one portal. Is your LLC registered in more than one state? Same account. Need to buy another domain? Same account. Want to register your LLC in Texas? Same account. This is really a huge benefit, because most companies require a separate account for each state you register in. Imagine trying to find your password to renew your domain registration and another password to file an LLC annual report. It would be awful.

There are lots of exciting improvements to report in this updated Northwest Registered Agent Review. Northwest has added an entire host of business services including domain registry, custom websites, and web hosting.

The “Business Identity” Bundle

In January, 2024 Northwest released a “Business Identity” package. It’s a one-stop business and digital footprint service that sets itself apart in a number of ways.

First, all of the services are built and managed in-house by Northwest Registered Agent (not just a collection of third-party contracts). Because of this, all of these products are offered with the express privacy policies of the Northwest brand.

As a new business owner, you’ll be able to form your LLC, secure a domain name, build a secure website, setup your business email address and business phone number, all in one account. It’s kind of remarkable, actually. They say it’s everything you need to “standup a new business”.

Business Identity is a suite of services, all designed to meet the needs of a new business owner. The services are offered as a package at no charge for 90 days. After the 90 day trial is complete, users can keep or drop each service as they see fit. Services can be canceled in the client account with no need to speak to anyone about it.

These websites are intended to be fairly simple, and they are marketed toward new business owners who have an immediate need of securing a domain for their business and setting up an online presence that potential customers can easily find by searching. This service would not be appropriate for someone with complex needs.

The Business Identity package includes the following services:

• Domain name and registry (domains renew annually and prices vary based on the value of the domain itself)
• An easy-setup, website and hosting ($9/mo after trial)
• SSL security Certificate ($9/mo after trial)
• Business email address ($9/mo after trial)
• Business phone with local area code ($9/mo after trial)
• Mail Scanning Services (free with registered agent services)

20% discount when all services are kept, bringing the total after trial cost to $28.90/month for a customized, hosted, and secured website, local business phone number, and business email address.

The primary services offered by Northwest Registered Agent are:

• Full service LLC and corporation formation services ($39 htsab price with this link)
• Registered Agent service $125/yr (offered in all 50 states)
• Address privacy (keeps your address off public record)
• Annual report and compliance services ($100 + state fees)
• Domain registry (annual price varies based on url)
• Web SSL security certificate ($9/mo after free trial)
• Business website development
• Business email services ($9/mo after free trial)
• Virtual office and business address services ($29/mo)
• Mail forwarding services ($20/mo)
• VoIP digital phone service ($9/mo after free trial)

LLC and Corporation Formation Services ($39 with discount)

What makes an LLC formed by Northwest Registered Agent (called the Northwest LLC) different than other LLCs is that the Northwest LLC is formed by a registered agent. On its face, you might not think that would make much of a difference, as a registered agent is really an entity or individual that accepts legal notices and mail on behalf of a business entity. But, because of what Northwest includes with their registered agent service—primarily a business address and digital mail scans—you get a more secure LLC.

Registered Agent Services ($125/yr)

I guess we should discuss registered agent services in our Northwest Registered Agent review. It is, after all, the core of their business. There are cheaper services out there, but there aren’t any cheaper premium services out there. Northwest offers

• Service in all 50 states + DC and Puerto Rico
• Same day mail scanning
• View and print digital mail from anywhere
• Multi-state management from one account
• 20% multi-state discount

Annual Report Filing ($100 + state fees)

Each state varies a little on how annual reports for LLCs and corporations are handled. These aren’t huge financial reports (like they may sound). Their mostly just a small annual tax with contact information updates. But missing an annual report can mean you fall out of good standing with the state, which can lead to a host of problems including the loss of your limited liability status. You can avoid all this by hiring Northwest to file the report for you each year. And you can do it all from your client portal.

Virtual Office ($29/mo)

Virtual offices are popular, especially for people working out of their home. A virtual office allows you to maintain the appearance of a professional address without having to pay hundreds of dollars a month in rent. The virtual office product includes:

• A unique physical address in many states
• A real month-to-month office lease
• Mail scanning or physical mail forwarding
• Local phone number and phone service

VoIP Digital Business Phone ($9/mo after free trial)

VoIP is an internet based phone system. It works through an app on your personal phone, allowing you to maintain a separate phone line for business that you can change at any time.

• Area code of your choice
• Unlimited calls
• Unlimited text
• No need for a second phone

The $39 Northwest LLC Formation Service

Northwest offers a very straightforward LLC formation service in any state for $39 plus state fees (available through the link above). They are void of any hard-pushed upsells or tricky language. And if you run into a problem, you can have an expert on the phone in minutes who will walk you through it. On top of that, Northwest will file your paperwork on the same day you submit it. Use the promotional link above, and it’s only $39!

Registered Agent Service Value

At $125/year, Northwest Registered Agent is not the cheapest service out there, but the value is in what they bring to the table.

Northwest Registered Agent Is an Actual Registered Agent. 

• That means they can use their business address instead of yours on formation documents.

Northwest Registered Agent Emphasizes Privacy with Privacy by Default®:

• They do not sell your information.
• They use their business address instead of yours wherever possible.
• They minimize third party exposure to your information by keeping processes in-house.
• They use in-house servers and software.

Northwest can Manage Multiple States in One Account

Most sites require a separate account for each state that your company is registered to do business in. But Northwest Registered Agent lets you:

• Place orders for multiple states at the same time.
• Manage multiple states in one account.

No one likes to sign up for a specific service, only to find themselves barraged by confusing upsells and third party deals for a different service. Marketing departments for online services also often pelt customers with spam email. So, considering the breadth of services Northwest Registered Agent offers, they do a great job of not clobbering you over the head with either. It makes sense though that a company that vows to not sell your data and helps keep your private information out of the public record as much as they can, by default, would also respect your privacy enough not to fill your inbox with spam.

• No upsells
• No spam emails after signup

This is the easiest section of this Northwest Registered Agent review. They provide same-day filing services. What else is there to say?

• Our paperwork was filed with the state of Delaware same day.
• We had a fully formed LLC in 4 business days.

Northwest Registered Agent customer service begins and ends with their Corporate Guides®. These guides are professional and knowledgeable. They were easy to reach and were willing to walk us through the entire process of forming our LLC in real time.

Northwest Registered Agent has a real easy signup process. They make it straight forward. Northwest values transparency, which is evident in their signup form. A lot of companies make you complete part of the form before you can see the rest. Northwest allows you to see the entire form before you enter any information, which allows you to decide to signup based on all the information.

An important consideration of our Northwest Registered Agent review is how they handle their additional services. Their brand is “When You Want More”, with an emphasis on the “When”, because maybe it’s not right now. Right now, maybe you just want to form your LLC, and you don’t care about a registered agent or business address, or business phone number. What’s nice about Northwest Registered Agent is they don’t pressure you to add these additional services while you’re just trying to form your LLC. Instead, they make them all easily added later.

Operating Agreement (Free State Specific Templates)

An operating agreement is a crucial document for every LLC. It outlines the rules and guidelines the LLC will be legally obligated to follow. It doesn’t need to be complicated, but it should be created early on. Northwest Registered Agent makes it easy and affordable to create a state specific operating agreement at the time of formation, or whenever you’re ready.

Federal Tax ID or EIN, ($50)

A Federal Tax ID is free to obtain and is not required by the state. However, you’ll need one in most cases to open a bank account. You can add one to your order and Northwest Registered Agent will obtain one for you. You can also follow their detailed instructions on how to do it yourself.

Annual Business Compliance Filing ($100 + State Fees)

Almost all states require that you file some type of annual report. Each state has their own requirements and due dates. Many states have stiff penalties for failing to file. It gets particularly confusing when your LLC operates in more than one state. Northwest Registered Agent will file this for you for $100 fee, or you can do it yourself following their state-specific annual report instructions.

Virtual Office, Virtual Mail, and Web-Based Phone Service

Northwest Registered Agent offers a few different products, all of which revolve around a private, physical address in one of a handful of states, and an affordable web-based phone number that lets you choose from nearly any area code.

Law on Call

This is a subscription legal service, much like that offered by LegalZoom, but appears to be in a fledgling stage and available only in limited locations. Their trademark services appear to offer the most value at this point.

I don’t include online reviews as part of my Northwest Registered Agent review, but it’s nice to know that they are almost always positive!

Here’s what other have to say about Northwest Registered Agent services. 

I have used Northwest Registered Agent for several business ventures. I’ve used them to form LLCs in the past and used their registered agent services for years. Outside of this personal experience, I’ve conducted all of the regular due diligence. I’ve called and tested the customer service line, thoroughly, and tested all the services I review, including their newly released “Business Identity” package.