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Prices and details checked in October 2026. Agent renewals move from one year to the next, so we round them and give a range when a provider has two rates.
Many founders think they need the old agent’s sign-off to change registered agent. They do not: in Wyoming the LLC files one form with a $5 fee, and the signature that counts on the agent side is the new agent’s consent.
Three steps follow. Read the renewal line on your invoice, run the five-year sum, then pick the new agent and file.
Contents
Step 1: find out what you pay and what the law asks of your agent
Start with your last invoice. The figure that counts is the renewal for the agent service alone, often twice the first-year price.
ZenBusiness sells its agent service at $99 for the first year and renews it at $199, according to its registered agent page. Harbor Compliance follows the same pattern, going from $99 to $159 a year on its service page.
Then look at what the job really involves. Wyoming’s statute on registered offices and agents requires a street address in the state, at a physical location, plus an email address the Secretary of State can use.
In Delaware, the LLC Act asks the agent to keep an office in the state, accept legal papers and forward the annual tax statement. That tax is $400 a year for every LLC, due by June 1, per the Division of Corporations.
For a founder in Manchester or Lagos, the address rule means a provider is the only practical route.
Step 2: run the five-year numbers before you move
The sum: savings = (current renewal − new renewal) × years − state fee for the change. For the destination we used Bizee’s standalone agent at $149 a year, the lowest renewal we could confirm on a provider’s own page.
| Current agent | Renewal per year | Cost if you stay five years | Cost after switching to Bizee (Wyoming) | Saved over five years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Firstbase Agent | $299 | $1,495 | $750 | $745 |
| LegalZoom | $249 | $1,245 | $750 | $495 |
| ZenBusiness | $199 | $995 | $750 | $245 |
| Harbor Compliance | $159 (after a $99 first year) | $795 | $750 | $45 |
| Stripe Atlas | $100 after the first year | $500 | Not worth it | None, stay |
The $750 column is five years of Bizee at $149, plus Wyoming’s $5 fee.
In Delaware, the change costs $50 instead of $5, so each saving shrinks by $45. Leaving ZenBusiness still puts $200 back in your pocket over the five years.
Firstbase looks like the biggest win on paper. Its $299 plan also files the annual report and franchise tax, per the Firstbase pricing page. If you would file those yourself, the $745 is real.
Stripe Atlas sits at the other end. Its agent renews at $100 a year after the first, according to Stripe’s Atlas page, so no move pays off.
Step 3: choose the new agent, then file
Sign up with the new agent before anything else. In Wyoming the form carries a consent page that the new agent signs, so you cannot change registered agent on paper until you have one. The old agent signs nothing: your LLC names its successor by filing, and a resignation is a separate step of the agent’s own.
Bizee, the lowest standalone renewal we confirmed
Bizee lists its standalone agent at $149 a year on its registered agent page. Trustpilot reviewers give it 4.8 out of 5 across 26,351 reviews.
An owner in Japan chose not to renew the agent service in late September 2026. A support rep still gave practical advice on switching agents, the review says.
ZenBusiness, worth keeping only for its compliance help
The agent is never part of a ZenBusiness package. It costs $199 a year on top, according to the ZenBusiness LLC page. Its agent page adds that the team can help file the paperwork to change or add an agent.
If you lean on its reps for compliance questions, the extra $50 a year over Bizee buys something.
LegalZoom, if you want the switch handled for you
LegalZoom charges $249 a year to first-time agent customers. Its registered agent page says it completes the switch paperwork and covers the state fees. The renewal rate can change, the page adds.
Firstbase and Doola, bundles more than agents
Firstbase’s Agent plan costs $299 per state per year and adds state filings. Doola’s Starter plan, at $297 a year on the Doola pricing page, bundles the agent with the EIN, an operating agreement and a mailing address.
Neither page offers a standalone agent for an existing company, so treat them as plans you keep or leave.
Summary table: the forms, the fees and the order
| State | Form | State fee | How to file | Processing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wyoming | Appointment of New Registered Agent and Office, with the agent’s consent page | $5 | By mail, with a check or money order to the Wyoming Secretary of State; not accepted by email | Up to 15 business days after receipt |
| Delaware | Change of Agent Only Amendment | $50 | Division of Corporations form | Optional 24-hour service for $100 more, same day for $200 more |
Wyoming’s fee appears on the Secretary of State’s filing fee schedule. Delaware’s comes from the Division of Corporations fee schedule revised in August 2026.
Leave the old contract alone until Wyoming’s online record shows the new agent’s name. Your old provider is still the address on file for lawsuits and state notices until that moment, so the written cancellation goes out only after the record changes.
Ending the contract first is the costly slip. If the old agent then resigns, Wyoming’s statute makes it warn the LLC at least 30 days before filing. The LLC has 30 days from receiving the resignation to file a replacement. If the term ends with no successor, papers served on your LLC go to the Secretary of State, which marks the company delinquent awaiting administrative dissolution.
Reinstating a Wyoming LLC dissolved for having no agent costs $350, per the same fee schedule. Delaware is stricter still: if no new agent is named within 30 days of the resignation filing, the LLC Act cancels the certificate of formation.
Few founders abroad own a US checkbook, and Wyoming takes the form by post with a check or money order. Both LegalZoom and ZenBusiness say they handle the paperwork, so put that question to the new agent before you sign.
What owners report on renewals and switching
A founder in Uruguay cancelled Bizee’s agent service in September 2026. The team refunded the payment and updated the company’s agent details, as the review describes it.
A US owner who formed with ZenBusiness in early October 2026 said the whole filing took about three days, then found the agent renewal costs more than expected.
One Bizee reviewer flagged the automatic renewal: an owner who had dissolved an LLC was charged for another year of agent service, then refunded quickly. Note the next renewal date as soon as the new agent confirms your order.
The reverse case is a warning. In a January 2026 review, a Harbor Compliance customer says the service was cancelled in July. A summons was accepted in August and never seen, because the account had no online access. Harbor replied that it must keep accepting papers until a new agent is appointed.
How we chose
In October 2026 we read each provider’s agent page, both states’ fee schedules and statutes, and Trustpilot ratings. A destination had to list its agent price on its own page, outside any formation bundle, and hold at least 4 out of 5 from more than 200 reviewers.
Harbor Compliance, at 3.1 from 53 reviews, serves as a price reference only. Northwest Registered Agent’s pages refused our requests, so we left its price out rather than guess it.
Smart habits
Wyoming lists up to 15 business days for a mailed form, so a filing sent the week of renewal can land after the old agent has billed you again. Keep the state’s filing evidence as a PDF, since banks may ask for it.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to change registered agent?
The state charges $5 in Wyoming and $50 in Delaware. LegalZoom says it covers those fees when you move to it.
How long does the Wyoming filing take?
The form lists up to 15 business days after the Secretary of State receives it, and the filing evidence goes to the email address you give on the form. Keep the old agent until the record shows the new name.
Can I be my own registered agent from abroad?
No. Wyoming requires a street address at a physical location in the state, and Delaware a business office there, so a founder living outside the US uses a provider.
Our verdict
If you pay $199 or more a year for the agent alone, change registered agent. In Wyoming, moving to Bizee keeps $245 to $745 in your account over five years.
Stay if your plan also files annual reports you would otherwise handle, or if you formed with Stripe Atlas and pay $100 a year. For your own legal or tax position, consult a qualified attorney or CPA.
More of our guides
The yearly state bills that come on top of any agent are laid out in our best state to form an LLC comparison. To price Doola or Firstbase bundles against a standalone agent, see the two-year totals for each LLC formation service. If Stripe flags the new address, our Stripe account rejected piece covers the review.
How we work
At Biz Deals Corner, we check prices and official statuses at the source, never in competing comparison sites. We detail what is billed outside the plan, we flag solutions wrongly presented as certified, and we give no personalized tax, legal or financial advice: for that, consult a qualified professional. Our affiliate policy.
