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LLC 101 Guide

Section 2 · New Jersey

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

Ranked for 2026, the services worth hiring for naming a registered agent in New Jersey are Registered Agent NJ.org ($99 a year), Mainstay Filing ($149 a year) and New Jersey Registered Agent.co ($99 a year). Task 1 states the New Jersey rule on a registered agent; 6 tasks later your appointment is done correctly.

Prepared by the LLC 101 Guide instructors

Unit overview

Must you have one?
Yes
pub.njleg.gov (page read October 2026)
What recommended services charge
$99 to $149 a year
Posted prices
Annual report
$75 a year
njportal.com (page read August 2026)
How many tasks
6
From first to last

You will leave able to

  • The New Jersey agent rule
  • Eligibility and address rules
  • How an agent gets on record
  • Which agents we recommend and why

Services we recommend in New Jersey

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

Top of the class

1. Registered Agent NJ.org: best for a small yearly agent fee

Top of the class$99 a year, unchanged at renewal

Registered Agent NJ.org comes out first, and the reason is that for $99 a year you get a New Jersey agent with an office inside the state.

A smaller three-year total than Mainstay Filing earns it first place; cost counts 34%.

What the price covers

  • A physical address in New Jersey
  • Served documents appear online

What works

  • Under Mainstay Filing on price
  • Price $99; renews at $99

What to weigh

  • New Jersey only; each other state needs its own agent
  • You finish the annual report on your own
Visit Registered Agent NJ.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

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

Any state$149 a year, unchanged at renewal

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

Counted over three years, it trails Registered Agent NJ.org by $150.

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

  • The same provider anywhere
  • $149 each year, no increase

What to weigh

  • $50 a year above Registered Agent NJ.org
  • Reports stay on your plate
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

3. New Jersey Registered Agent.co: best for an in-state office address

New Jersey specialist$99 a year, unchanged at renewal

Our third choice, New Jersey Registered Agent.co: for $99 a year you get a New Jersey agent with an office inside the state.

It lists the same prices as Registered Agent NJ.org.

What the price covers

  • A physical address in New Jersey
  • Served documents appear online

What works

  • Price $99; renews at $99
  • Under Mainstay Filing on price

What to weigh

  • New Jersey only; each other state needs its own agent
  • You finish the annual report on your own
Visit New Jersey Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

The New Jersey picks compared

#ServiceAnnual priceRenewal priceThree-year total
1Registered Agent NJ.org$99$99/yr$297Visit Registered Agent NJ.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Mainstay Filing$149$149/yr$447Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3New Jersey Registered Agent.co$99$99/yr$297Visit New Jersey Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Company prices as listed on November 13, 2026. Switching agents does not change what the state charges.

How the New Jersey agent gets set up

  1. Task 1

    Read what New Jersey requires

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

    Source: pub.njleg.gov (page read October 2026)

  2. Task 2

    See who may act

    A New Jersey resident, or a business with authority to do business in New Jersey, such as a corporation registered and in good standing with the State Treasurer. (N.J.S.A. 42:2C-14)

  3. Task 3

    Use an office address that qualifies

    The address has to be a New Jersey street address. A P.O. box can be listed only together with the street address.

    A service gives you a New Jersey street address so yours stays off the filing.

  4. Task 4

    Choose between acting alone and hiring

    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

    Get the agent listed publicly

    On a new New Jersey LLC, the agent goes on the Certificate of Formation. A later switch is a separate filing with the New Jersey Secretary of State.

    Source: pub.njleg.gov (page read October 2026)

  6. Task 6

    Watch the details

    New Jersey learns your agent's details through the annual report ($75, every year, due last day of the LLC's anniversary month), and state notices about it go to the registered agent.

    Source: njportal.com (page read August 2026)

Agent and state costs

Line itemPaid toSum
Agent serviceThe provider$99 to $149 a year
Every year afterThe provider$99 to $149 a year
Annual reportState office$75 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.

The reasoning behind the order

On course fee across three years (34% of the grade) won out, with right behind.

Registered Agent NJ.org costs $297 for years one to three, while Mainstay Filing costs $150 more.

Questions students ask

Must a New Jersey LLC maintain 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?

Change whenever you like, through the New Jersey Secretary of State, as task 5 describes.

What does a registered agent cost in New Jersey?

Plan on $99 to $149 a year.

What does the LLC pay the state each year?

The yearly item is the annual report, which costs $75.

Which registered agent would you choose?

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

Reading list and sources

  1. Everything about New Jersey Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services above traces to njportal.com, a page we reread in August 2026.
  2. Everything about New Jersey Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services above traces to njportal.com, a page we reread in August 2026.
  3. Everything about New Jersey report due date above traces to njleg.state.nj.us, a page we reread in August 2026.
  4. Everything about New Jersey DORES, Getting Registered above traces to nj.gov, a page we reread in October 2026.
  5. Everything about New Jersey formation fee: Filing fee, official source above traces to pub.njleg.gov, a page we reread in October 2026.
  6. Everything about New Jersey registered agent statute above traces to pub.njleg.gov, a page we reread in October 2026.
  7. Figures from Registered Agent NJ.org's pricing page, November 13, 2026
  8. Figures from Mainstay Filing's New Jersey service page, November 13, 2026
  9. Figures from New Jersey Registered Agent.co's pricing page, November 13, 2026