Northwest Registered Agent Reviews
Do you need to form an LLC but are overwhelmed with the options available when it comes to LLC formation service and registered agent service?
Northwest Registered Agent is one of the top providers you should consider — let’s go through some of its most impressive features in our Northwest Registered Agent review.
Package & Other Services
- LLC Formation Service ($225 + State Fees)
- Registered Agent Service ($125)
- Annual Report Filing Services (fee depends on the state)
- Employer Identification Number or EIN (ranges from $50 to $200)
- Mail Forwarding Services ($50 monthly)
- VOIP Business Phone Number ($9 monthly)
- Corporate Book and Seal ($80)
- Virtual Office ($49)
- S Corporation Election With IRS ($50)
- Certificate of Good Standing ($50)
- Certified Copy ($50)
- Apostille ($400)
- FMCSA BOC-3 Filing ($125 per year)
Features of Northwest Registered Agent
Service Packages
Northwest Registered Agent offers their services at reasonable prices. The company offers two primary services which are the registered agent service and LLC formation service [1].
LLC Formation Service
Incorporation services cost $225 and a state fee. This pricing includes the cost of the filing which is $100 and the registered agent fee at $125. For a good point of comparison, this review of ZenBusiness states that the starter package is one $49 per year, although that will entail different features for setting up of LLC.
If you don’t know what a state fee means, it is an LLC processing amount in your state for a given period ranging from $40 to $500. For instance, the state fee for Illinois costs $150 for two years, but Michigan state fees cost $50 for the same amount of time.
This package from Northwest Registered Agent service includes the following features:
- Full address use
- Northwest’s dedicated Corporate Guides for customer service
- Same day business filing
- Membership or stock certificates
- Initial resolutions
- Custom-drafted articles
- Online access to formation documents
- Annual reporting compliance
- LLC operating agreement
- Mail scans
- State resources
- Customer service
For the money, I do like everything that comes on the list. And after one year, you’ll have the option to renew the Northwest registered agent service.
Registered Agent Service
If you don’t need assistance in the filing part and only need a registered agent service, Northwest Registered Agent offers this service separately for $125.
Your business needs a registered agent who will be responsible for receiving business notices, government notifications, and correspondence from the Secretary of State. Some states may require you to have a registered agent if you don’t have a physical location, and Northwest can provide an agent for you.
Name Availability Search
The basic feature that Northwest Registered Agent includes is the name availability search. This service used to be included in the Basic Package, Deluxe Package, and Platinum Package of Northwest in the past. Now, it’s a standard with your order when you form an LLC.
Northwest will search the official database of the state and review if the LLC name you want is available. The feature lets you see if your LLC name has not been claimed by any other business structure in different states.
Articles
Northwest Registered Agent will also help your business to prepare articles and file the LLC formation in your state. They’re one of the best in outlining business information so the state can approve the LLC formation officially.
Plus, every account created on Northwest Registered Agent website lasts for a year and requires a yearly fee. On behalf of your LLC, Northwest receives necessary files and forwards them to you.
Operating Agreement
As an LLC formation customer, you know that you don’t need to form an operating agreement, but it’s always better to start businesses with one.
The operating agreement describes the operations behind your LLC and the ownership structure of your business. Northwest Registered Agent includes this agreement in your order and offers written files that outline your business. If you want an operating agreement that is included in your LLC package, check out this Legal Zoom review to see their economy package that starts at $79.
The plan also includes the Federal Tax Numbers or EIN. This is like a Social Security Number for your business. You’ll be using the 9-digit EIN code to enable Northwest Registered Agent LLC to complete tasks for you.
Through the EIN, LLC companies can hire employees, create business bank accounts, and file business taxes in your state. The registered agent service obtains your EIN from the Inland Revenue Service (IRS).
The operating agreement and EIN weren’t included in Northwest’s basic package in the past. But because they’ve consolidated the features for LLCs, businesses can already start with one, making it easier to open a business bank account and authorize employees.
Customer Service
Our Northwest Registered Agent review shows that it has a well-trained customer service team that assists many customers to form an LLC. They are very responsive to phone calls and emails, contrary to reviews of Bizfilings customer service. This could be a reason why many customers like Northwest.
Plus, the Corporate Guides are LLC formation experts in the accounting or legal industry. They can provide answers to all of your questions and provide support throughout the formation process.
Online Document Access
If you like, you can monitor your LLC business right through the NorthwestRegisteredAgent online website. This also makes it easy for you to access important documents.
When you form an LLC with Northwest, you can also create state filing reports or amend them online. You don’t have to provide your company’s information every time.
Annual Report Reminders
Northwest Registered Agent will send you free email reminders right before the due date for your LLC company report. The email reminder might just save you from late penalties and the potential dissolution of your LLC.
Even if you consider yourself an organized person, you may still appreciate this free feature of Northwest. Northwest Registered Agent will have your back in case you ever forget a nearing due date for your state filing every year.
Mail Scan And Upload
Whenever a letter is sent to your LLC, you can expect that the mail will be scanned and uploaded each time. You’ll also be notified once you have new mail waiting for you. What’s more, Northwest does local office scanning instead of forwarding your documents to scan hubs, so your notifications will be available in a timely manner.
If you think it’s best to see hard copies in your possession, you can also avail of the option of having digital scans or physical copies mailed to you. I get that when you form an LLC, you’d like to get everything in order — which is the best practice as well.
In-house Services
Another thing that many people like about Northwest is it doesn’t outsource any of its LLC formation services. The site maintains its own offices in all 50 states, so that keeps the money around as well.
All notices, including government notifications, tax notices, and lawsuits, are accepted by Northwest on your behalf. Plus, the company also helps you pre-populate records you need with Northwest’s information to make it easy for you to complete filings.
Same Day Processing
Northwest used to offer separate LLC service packages for businesses, but has combined them all into a single formation package so every customer gets same-day processing.
Plus, with no upsells in Northwest, you’ll get faster processing since they already include it with the base package.
Strong Privacy Policies
When you form an LLC, some registered agent services may try to sell your information for money, but Northwest promises to protect your company data. The information provided by clients at the time of signing up for their services stays encrypted with them indefinitely. So, you don’t have to worry about things like getting hacked.
An important aspect of being a registered agent is building trust, and Northwest has rightfully earned a reputation for being one of the most trustworthy providers through its reviews.
Addresses On Public Records
Generally, if your LLC filing has been made public, you’re more likely to receive spam mail. Files like business articles, business certificates, formation certificates, and any operating agreement display your address and make it public.
Being with a registered agent has an advantage in this regard. If you want, you can provide the address of your registered agent instead of your own to help get rid of spam mail. If you pick Northwest Registered Agent, then the LLC files can indicate their address depending on the state your business is in.
Additional Features
Other than its service package, Northwest also offers additional features at extra cost. These include the following:
Annual Reporting Filing Services
Northwest can help you with filing services every year. They also provide their address as the contact information on your filings. Plus, since it files reports on your behalf, the state would also record Northwest’s IP address, which consequently protects your privacy from the start.
It doesn’t charge any initial fees for the filing services but will send you a notification 90 days before your filing is due. After 5 days, it will file the documents for you and charge you $100 plus state fees.
Employer Identification Number or EIN (ranges from $50 to $200)
Companies need to have an employer identification number for federal corporate income tax filings, employee reporting requirements, and other business transactions. Northwest Registered Agent can order your EIN for you so you don’t have to file your paperwork to the IRS and conduct follow-ups yourself.
Mail Forwarding Services ($50 monthly)
With Northwest’s mail forwarding services, a unique suite number is assigned for your business instead of a private mailbox number. This way, your business will have a real business address in the US, and Northwest will store your mail in your secure online account.
VOIP Business Phone Number ($9 monthly)
A Voice over IP number or VOIP number is a telephone number that’s assigned to a user, and calls can be made over the internet instead of being routed to a local telephone company. Northwest can provide your business with a VOIP phone number in whatever US jurisdiction you want.
Corporate Book and Seal ($80)
Northwest can also provide you with high-quality corporate books and an embossing seal. Their corporate books are made from synthetic black leather, while their corporate seal is laser engraved with your company name for stamping and embossing documents.
Virtual Office
With the Virtual Office, LLCs get an office lease and suite number as an address. Companies also get a phone number for professional use.
S Corporation Election With IRS ($50)
If you want to be designated as an S-Corp, Northwest can help you file your Form 2553 to the IRS if you meet the eligibility requirements. There are certain advantages to being an S-Corp, including boosted credibility and tax-favorable benefits.
Certificate of Good Standing ($50)
A Certificate of Good Standing in your home state is one of the qualifications if you want to expand to another state. It tells the government that you have no outstanding penalties and that you’re in compliance with all the requirements. Since Northwest helps you comply with state laws, they can also help you obtain this document.
Certified Copy ($50)
As your business grows, you may need certified copies of documents that have been filed in different agencies. The process of getting certified copies can be tedious, so Northwest can also do this for you.
Apostille ($400)
This is to verify that the seal and signature on a document by a party are authentic. You may need this if you’re a foreigner looking to take an American company to another country and hire employees for business.
FMCSA BOC-3 Filing ($125 per year)
Unlike its competitors, Northwest doesn’t hire third parties for scanning, uploading, and the delivery of your service process. Northwest offers blanket agent coverage for any state, and they can also file your Form BOC-3 with the FMCSA for hassle-free compliance.
Refund Policy
According to their site, Northwest does not officially include a refund policy for companies. However, it’s good that they will offer you a refund in case of mistakes on their part.
Northwest Registered Agent Customer Reviews
Northwest Registered Agent services don’t have a massive online community unlike other services for LLCs like Swyft Filings and Incfile services, but reviews from customers who use Northwest have been positive.
The online reviews point out the friendliness of Northwest’s staff. People also like their customer service. Here are the ratings and reviews on different review websites:
- Google — 4.1 stars out of 5
- BirdEye — 4.3 stars out of 5
- Yelp — 4.0 stars out of 5
- BBB — 4.5 stars out of 5
According to many review sites, some things people like best include pricing, privacy, ease of use, and responsive customer service.
How Does Northwest Compare To LegalZoom As Registered Agent?
Customer Support: Northwest offers you dedicated customer support officers that learn about your business and help you with everything that your company needs. This is a customized approach for a registered agent service. The support team in the website is also made out of experts, so they can provide professional answers to your business squestions.
LegalZoom does not offer you dedicated customer support, although its customer service is available 7 days a week to respond to your questions. In a separate comparison between LegalZoom and Incfile, it also did pretty well on the availability of customer support, although the addition of dedicated customer support can boost it further.
Packages: Northwest offers a single package that includes same-day processing and official certificates.
On the other hand, LegalZoom offers several packages at different pricing points. The Economy package, which has the lowest pricing, doesn’t offer certificates and same-day process service, although it’s cheaper than Northwest’s.
LegalZoom’s Standard package may be a better comparison to the basic package services Northwest has. It also has an Express Gold package where you have expedited processing and express shipping. Northwest used to have Basic Package and Deluxe Package, but the company shifted to a single-plan scheme.
Pricing: LegalZoom’s Standard package is more expensive at $329 before state fees compared to $225 for Northwest. Hence, it’s still best to use Northwest if you want to process on the same day and get official certificates at a lower price point compared to LegalZoom. However, if you have a much less budget for the process, you can start with Rocket Lawyers, which, in comparison to Legalzoom and Northwest, offer cheaper rates.
Northwest Registered Agent Review Conclusion
Northwest Registered Agent definitely earned my seal of approval because of its approach to understand your business and give support with everything that you might need. It’s indeed among the best LLC registered agents you can use out there today.
Despite having a single registered agent package, it features pretty much everything a starting business needs: dedicated customer support guides, same-day processing, free mail uploads, and more. It also comes with a more affordable price than many of its competitors, making this service package particularly attractive to use.
