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LLC 101 Guide

Unit 2 · Arkansas

The Arkansas Registered Agent Unit (2026): 6 Tasks and the 3 Best Agents

Our 2026 Arkansas picks for naming a registered agent, strongest to weakest, are Mainstay Filing ($149 a year), AR Registered Agent.org ($99 a year) and Arkansas Registered Agent.co ($99 a year). Task 1 states the Arkansas rule on a registered agent; 6 tasks later your appointment is done correctly.

Prepared by the LLC 101 Guide instructors

Key facts for this unit

Legally required
Yes
Taken from arkleg.state.ar.us in October 2026
Agent price range
$99 to $149 a year
Read from each company's price page
Annual LLC Franchise Tax Report
$150 a year
Taken from sos.arkansas.gov in October 2026
Unit tasks
6
Each one explained

What this unit teaches

  • The legal requirement
  • Who is eligible and the address test
  • Getting the agent listed
  • The agents at the top of the class

Who we would hire in Arkansas

Five published criteria decide the order; read them on how we grade.

Top of the class

1. Mainstay Filing: best for a nationwide agent under one price

Best overallFirst year $149; renewal $149

Mainstay Filing comes out first, and the reason is that $149 a year, $149 at renewal, and the same plan works in every other state.

Over three years it costs $150 above AR Registered Agent.org, and in return more of the work is handled.

What the price covers

  • An office address inside the state
  • Free scans of legal papers served on the company, sent the business day they arrive
  • Up to three government letters a year are scanned free
  • Also works for nonprofits, corporations, LPs and LLPs

What works

  • $149 each year, no increase
  • Goes with you to any state

What to weigh

  • AR Registered Agent.org is $50 a year lower
  • Report filing needs the formation package
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

2. AR Registered Agent.org: best for one-state companies

Focused on ArkansasFirst year $99; renewal $99

AR Registered Agent.org is a solid second-place option: for $99 a year you get an Arkansas agent with an office inside the state.

What the price covers

  • A registered office address
  • Served papers are scanned into your account

What works

  • Yearly price below the national pick
  • A flat $99 yearly

What to weigh

  • Arkansas only; each other state needs its own agent
  • Annual LLC Franchise Tax Report stays your job
Visit AR Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

3. Arkansas Registered Agent.co: best for a second local choice

Focused on ArkansasFirst year $99; renewal $99

Arkansas Registered Agent.co is a solid third-place option: for $99 a year you get an Arkansas agent with an office inside the state.

AR Registered Agent.org and this service cost the same.

What the price covers

  • A registered office address
  • Served papers are scanned into your account

What works

  • A flat $99 yearly
  • Yearly price below the national pick

What to weigh

  • Arkansas only; each other state needs its own agent
  • Annual LLC Franchise Tax Report stays your job
Visit Arkansas Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

3 services, side by side

#ServiceAnnual priceRenewal priceThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$149$149/yr$447Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2AR Registered Agent.org$99$99/yr$297Visit AR Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Arkansas Registered Agent.co$99$99/yr$297Visit Arkansas Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Taken from each company's price page on November 13, 2026. Switching agents does not change what the state charges.

The Arkansas agent, in order

  1. Task 1

    Learn the requirement

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

    Source: Taken from arkleg.state.ar.us in October 2026

  2. Task 2

    Find out who is allowed to serve

    A commercial registered agent listed with the Secretary of State, or a noncommercial agent: an individual or a business entity serving as agent in Arkansas. The company can also name a position inside it, such as its manager, whose holder then receives papers. See Ark. Code Ann. § 4-20-105 for the text.

  3. Task 3

    The address rule

    The address has to be an actual street address or rural route box number in Arkansas, plus an Arkansas mailing address if it differs. A P.O. box on its own is not accepted.

    Paying a service keeps your home address out of public records.

  4. Task 4

    Decide who will hold the role

    A qualified owner may act as agent. If you would rather not, our recommended agents charge $99 to $149 a year.

  5. Task 5

    Name the agent in your filing

    You identify the agent in your filing with the Arkansas Secretary of State, and any change is its own filing at that office.

    Source: Taken from sos.arkansas.gov in October 2026

  6. Task 6

    Check the record every year

    Arkansas learns your agent's details through the Annual LLC Franchise Tax Report ($150, every year, due May 1), and state notices about it go to the registered agent.

    Source: Taken from sos.arkansas.gov in October 2026

What this unit costs

ItemPaid toAmount
Hiring an agentYour service$99 to $149 a year
Renewing the agentYour service$99 to $149 a year
Annual LLC Franchise Tax ReportThe state$150 every year
To get the three-year state number we add up the filing, the reports due in years two and three and any yearly minimum tax, and we keep service fees separate.

Why the list runs this way

pulled ahead of on assignments the price completes, a criterion worth 31%.

One agent for any state beat the one-state plan.

Questions students ask

Does a Arkansas LLC have to have a registered agent?

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

Can I be my own registered agent?

Yes, if you meet the eligibility and address rules in tasks 2 and 3.

Can I change my registered agent later?

Yes. Switching takes a change filing at the Arkansas Secretary of State (task 5).

What does a registered agent cost in Arkansas?

$99 to $149 per year for the agents listed.

What does the LLC pay the state each year?

The yearly item is the Annual LLC Franchise Tax Report, which costs $150.

Which registered agent would you choose?

The order is Mainstay Filing, AR Registered Agent.org and Arkansas Registered Agent.co, and Mainstay Filing is first since an agent for $149 a year who can follow the company wherever it registers next.

Reading list and sources

  1. Hand-in notes for Arkansas yearly filing: Franchise tax report: what and. Each statement rests on sos.arkansas.gov, last opened October 2026.
  2. Hand-in notes for Arkansas yearly filing: Franchise tax: amount and filing. Each statement rests on sos.arkansas.gov, last opened October 2026.
  3. Hand-in notes for Arkansas report due date. Each statement rests on sos.arkansas.gov, last opened August 2026.
  4. Hand-in notes for Ark. Each statement rests on arkleg.state.ar.us, last opened August 2026.
  5. Hand-in notes for Arkansas formation fee: Filing fee, official source. Each statement rests on sos.arkansas.gov, last opened October 2026.
  6. Hand-in notes for Arkansas registered agent statute. Each statement rests on arkleg.state.ar.us, last opened October 2026.
  7. Arkansas service page of Mainstay Filing, taken on November 13, 2026
  8. pricing page of AR Registered Agent.org, taken on November 13, 2026
  9. pricing page of Arkansas Registered Agent.co, taken on November 13, 2026