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LLC 101 Guide

Course unit 2 · Delaware

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

Ranked for 2026, the services worth hiring for naming a registered agent in Delaware are DE Registered Agent.org ($99 a year), Delaware Registered Agent.ai ($99 a year) and Mainstay Filing ($149 a year). Work through the 6 tasks and your registered agent will be appointed the right way.

Prepared by the LLC 101 Guide instructors

Key facts for this unit

Needed by law?
Yes
Official page delcode.delaware.gov, last read October 2026
Agent price range
$99 to $149 a year
From company pricing pages
Annual LLC Tax
$400 a year
Official page legis.delaware.gov, last read October 2026
Task count
6
In order

Unit goals

  • The legal requirement
  • Eligibility and address rules
  • Recording the agent
  • Who we would hire as agent

Who we would hire in Delaware

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

Top of the class

1. DE Registered Agent.org: best for LLCs that live only in Delaware

Start with this oneFirst year $99; renewal $99

Our first pick is DE Registered Agent.org; for $99 a year you get a Delaware agent with an office inside the state.

The decision is cost: across three years it totals less than Mainstay Filing.

What the price covers

  • A registered office address
  • Scans of anything served on the LLC

What works

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

What to weigh

  • Another state means another agent
  • You finish the Annual LLC Tax on your own
Visit DE Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

2. Delaware Registered Agent.ai: best for a local alternative

Focused on DelawareFirst year $99; renewal $99

Delaware Registered Agent.ai takes second place: for $99 a year you get a Delaware agent with an office inside the state.

Its prices are the same as DE Registered Agent.org's, so either works.

What the price covers

  • A registered office address
  • Scans of anything served on the LLC

What works

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

What to weigh

  • Another state means another agent
  • You finish the Annual LLC Tax on your own
Visit Delaware Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

3. Mainstay Filing: best for one agent in every state

Does most of the workFirst year $149; renewal $149

Mainstay Filing is a solid third-place option: an agent for $149 a year who can follow the company wherever it registers next.

It runs $150 above DE Registered Agent.org over three years, and cost is 34% of the grade.

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

  • Good in every state
  • $149 a year, same at renewal

What to weigh

  • Higher by $50 a year
  • An agent-only plan, so no report filing
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Grades and prices together

#ServiceAnnual priceRenewal priceThree-year total
1DE Registered Agent.org$99$99/yr$297Visit DE Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Delaware Registered Agent.ai$99$99/yr$297Visit Delaware Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Mainstay Filing$149$149/yr$447Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Listed prices, read November 13, 2026. The state bills the same whichever agent you name.

The unit, task by task

  1. Task 1

    Learn the requirement

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

    Source: Official page delcode.delaware.gov, last read October 2026

  2. Task 2

    Who counts as an agent

    The LLC itself, a Delaware resident, or a business entity formed in Delaware or authorized to do business there. The rule comes from 6 Del. C. § 18-104.

  3. Task 3

    Learn the registered office rule

    The address has to be a registered office in Delaware. An entity agent keeps a business office there that is generally open; an individual agent has to be generally present there. A virtual office or mail-forwarding service alone does not qualify.

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

  4. Task 4

    Serve yourself or use a professional

    If you pass the tests above you can name yourself; hiring one of the recommended agents costs $99 to $149 a year.

  5. Task 5

    Record the appointment

    On a new Delaware LLC, the agent goes on the Certificate of Formation of a Limited Liability Company. A later switch is a separate filing with the Delaware Secretary of State.

    Source: Official page delcode.delaware.gov, last read October 2026

  6. Task 6

    Check the record every year

    The Annual LLC Tax costs $400 every year and is due annual alternative-entity tax due on or before June 1; any notice about it comes through the registered agent.

    Source: Official page legis.delaware.gov, last read October 2026

The bill

ItemPaid toSum
The agentThe provider$99 to $149 a year
RenewalThe provider$99 to $149 a year
Annual LLC TaxState agency$400 every year
State fees were read from the official pages named in the sources. Three years means the filing, two years of reports and the minimum tax where there is one.

How the grades came out

Course fee across three years makes up 34% of the grade, and that is where got ahead in Delaware.

Three years with DE Registered Agent.org add up to $297, which is $150 under Mainstay Filing.

Delaware questions

Is an LLC in Delaware obliged to keep a registered agent?

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

Can I be my own registered agent?

Often. Test yourself against the two rules in tasks 2 and 3.

Can I change my registered agent later?

Yes, any time. Task 5 explains how to file the change with the Delaware Secretary of State.

What does a registered agent cost in Delaware?

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

What does the LLC pay the state each year?

Mostly the Annual LLC Tax, $400 every year.

Which registered agent would you choose?

DE Registered Agent.org, because $99 a year with no bump at renewal, a good match for an LLC that stays in one state. After it come Delaware Registered Agent.ai and Mainstay Filing.

Reading list and sources

  1. Want proof for what the unit says about Delaware yearly filing: Recurring obligation, official source? Go to corp.delaware.gov; the copy we used dates from October 2026.
  2. Want proof for what the unit says about Delaware yearly filing: Recurring obligation, official source? Go to corp.delaware.gov; the copy we used dates from October 2026.
  3. Want proof for what the unit says about Delaware yearly filing: HB 400, official source? Go to legis.delaware.gov; the copy we used dates from October 2026.
  4. Want proof for what the unit says about Delaware report due date? Go to delcode.delaware.gov; the copy we used dates from August 2026.
  5. Want proof for what the unit says about 6 Del? Go to delcode.delaware.gov; the copy we used dates from August 2026.
  6. Want proof for what the unit says about Delaware registered agent statute? Go to delcode.delaware.gov; the copy we used dates from October 2026.
  7. Figures from DE Registered Agent.org's pricing page, November 13, 2026
  8. Figures from Delaware Registered Agent.ai's pricing page, November 13, 2026
  9. Figures from Mainstay Filing's Delaware service page, November 13, 2026