The process of forming a business in Indiana comes with many legal requirements and forms that need to be completed. It can be quite hard to keep track of all the state requirements on your own and stay compliant with every document, so hiring a registered agent service can be of immense help.
If you’re looking for an effective registered agent service, our article on the best Indiana registered agent services will give you various recommendations that will suit any budget and need.
Don’t want to read through every recommendation? Check out a short summary of our top three recommendations below.
- Free For The First Year
- $119 / Annually After That
- Never Any Hidden Fees or Contracts
- Loved by 800,000+ Entrepreneurs
- Available in All 50 States
- Rated 4.7 out of 5 On Trustpilot
- $199 / Year
- Only Takes 5 to 10 Minutes To Set-up
- 100% Accuracy Guarantee
- Expert Customer Support
- Free First Year If You Use Their $39 formation package
- $125 Per Year After
- Available in all 50 states
- Free mail forwarding
- Locally-Scanned Documents
Best Indiana Registered Agent Services
| Registered Agent Service | Cost | Office Locations |
|---|---|---|
| ZenBusiness | $199 a year | Not stated |
| Northwest | $125 a year | Fort Wayne |
| IncFile | $119 a year/ first year free with incorporation | Not stated |
| Indiana Registered Agent | $49 a year | Fort Wayne |
| MyCompanyWorks | $99 a year | Not stated |
| Harbor Compliance | $99 | Fort Wayne |
| InCorp | $129 a year | Greenwood |
| CSC Global | $381 a year | Indianapolis |
| Registered Agent Inc. | $200 a year | Not stated |
| MyCorporation | $120 the first year/ $179 every year after | Not stated |
Apart from individual registered agent service recommendations, our article contains a section where we go over all the steps required to register a business in Indiana, as well as a FAQ section at the end.
Let’s start by defining what a registered agent service is.
What Is a Registered Agent?
A registered agent can be an individual or a company that is designated during the formation of your business. Their role is to accept legal correspondence on your behalf and forward the correspondence to you in a timely manner.
Benefits of Hiring a Registered Agent Service
Here are the benefits you can get if you decide to hire a registered agent service:
- You’ll have more privacy
- You’ll be protected from potentially embarrassing situations with clients
- You’ll have more flexibility in terms of working hours and travel
- You’ll be more organized
- You’ll never miss a deadline
Does Indiana Require a Registered Agent Service?
Naming a registered agent is optional in some states. However, the state of Indiana requires you to appoint a registered agent for your business whose job is to receive legal documents on your behalf and handle all the correspondence with the state.
The registered agent you choose must be a qualified resident of Indiana. You also have the option of appointing yourself as your own registered agent, assuming you have a physical address in Indiana. With that said, there are quite a few drawbacks to appointing yourself as your own registered agent, such as lack of privacy.
Without further ado, let’s start with our first recommendation.
1. ZenBusiness
ZenBusiness is one of the most popular registered agent services in the United States. Rated as #1 on sites such as Forbes and Investopedia, ZenBusiness has helped thousands of clients stay compliant with their businesses. They offer a plethora of benefits, such as:
- Mail forwarding
- Mail notifications
- Access to a personalized dashboard
- Fast turnaround
- Compliance reminders
A year of registered agent services with ZenBusiness will cost you $199.
Customers really love how dedicated their customer support is to resolving any issue that might arise.
Apart from providing outstanding service, ZenBusiness is also known for giving back to its community. Their Grant Program allows struggling entrepreneurs to get access to resources to help start and grow their businesses.
You can also hire ZenBusiness for the following services:
- LLC formation
- Incorporation
- Operating agreement
- Worry-free compliance
- Domain name and website
- EIN Number
- Annual reports
- Taxes and accounting
- Business license reports
- Banking and finances
2. Northwest
Northwest is another one of the best registered agent services in Indiana, one that suits both smaller and larger businesses. Should you hire Northwest as your registered agent service, you will get access to benefits such as:
- Pre-filled state forms
- Annual report reminders
- Locally scanned documents
- Free mail forwarding
- Online document storage
Their services cost only $125 a year. If you use their registered agent services for more than five states, you will be given a discount.
Their Indiana office is located in Fort Wayne.
Additionally, your private data will remain protected and secure.
With the help of their amazing customer support team, which they refer to as Corporate Guides, you will get fast answers and help whenever you have a problem.
Apart from registered agent services, Northwest also provides:
- Foreign qualification
- Payment processing
- Annual reports
- LLC formation
- Phone service
- Virtual office
- Trademarking
3. IncFile
Having helped over 800,000 businesses over the years, IncFile is one of the most successful registered agent services in the United States. The services they provide include:
- Compliance reminders
- Automatic mail forwarding
- Personalized dashboard
- Personalized notifications
One of the best features of IncFile is that they offer a complimentary year of registered agent services if you use their incorporation service. Otherwise, their registered agent service costs $119 a year.
Apart from incorporation and registered agent services, they also offer:
- Trademarking
- EIN Number
- Certificate of good standing
- Virtual address
- Tax consultations
- Amendment
- Foreign qualification
- Business licenses and permits
4. Indiana Registered Agent
If you’re looking for an affordable Indiana registered agent service, check out Indiana Registered Agent. For $49 a year, you will get access to perks like:
- Annual report reminders
- Access to an online registered account
- Pre-signed forms
The best part is – their pricing is transparent and there are no auto-renewals.
Their office is located in Fort Wayne.
Apart from registered agent services, Indiana Registered Agent also offer:
- Annual report reminders
- LLC formation
- Incorporation
5. MyCompanyWorks
Whether you’re starting a business or expanding your existing business in Indiana, MyCompanyWorks is an incredible choice for a registered agent service. Customers really appreciate how customizable their service is. Costing only $99 a year, they provide the following services:
- Free E-delivery
- Access to The Startup Wizard
- Same-day processing
- Access to an online dashboard
- Compliance monitoring
- Online order tracking
If you’re not satisfied with their service, they will give you a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
Other services include:
- LLC formation
- Incorporation
- File a DBA
- Annual reports
- Business licenses
- Company dissolution
- Virtual office
6. Harbor Compliance
If you’re looking for a registered agent service that is both affordable and efficient, look no further than Harbor Compliance. This nationwide registered agent service gives you:
- Same-day document access
- Annual report reminders
- Personalized notifications
- Access to pre-filled state forms
Their services will cost you $99 a year. Additionally, if you use their service for a couple of years, you can use their multi-year discount and save up to 10%.
Harbor Compliance is known for its fast processing speed, so you won’t have to worry about missing any important deadline.
Their Indiana office is located in Fort Wayne.
You can also access the following services on their website:
- Business licensing
- Annual reports
- LLC formation
- Incorporation
- Amendment
7. InCorp
Another nationwide registered agent service we recommend is InCorp. Their benefits include:
- Legal notifications
- Compliance reminders
- Email forwarding
- Access to their Entity Management System
Their normal annual fee is $129, but if you purchase their multi-year service, the price can get as low as $87. Their Indiana office is located in Greenwood.
Not only will your data remain safe with InCorp, but they’re also dedicated to protecting you from identity theft.
On top of providing registered agent services, they also offer:
- Copyright and trademark
- Entity formation
- Entity dissolution
- Foreign qualification
- Apostille service
- UCC search
- Amendment
8. CSC Global
While they’re a little pricier than some of our other registered agent service recommendations, CSC Global are an excellent option. With the help of their SOC2-audited facilities, your personal data will always be secure. You’ll get access to:
- Same-day document scanning
- Electronic delivery of SOP
- Email alerts
- Annual report reminders
On top of that, you’ll also get access to their innovative CSC Navigator – an online compliance dashboard that will keep track of all your important deadlines and prevent any potential fines.
Their services cost $381 a year and they operate nationwide. Their Indiana office is located in Indianapolis.
In addition to providing registered agent services, you can also hire them for:
- Annual reports
- Business licenses
- Entity management
- UCC
- Corporate filings
9. Registered Agent Inc.
No matter whether you’re operating a smaller or a bigger business, Registered Agent Inc. will give you all the tools you need to stay seamlessly compliant with every deadline. When you hire their registered agent service, you will get access to:
- An online account
- Annual report reminders
- Quick notifications
- Access to state forms
Their clients love how easy their interface is and the simple design of their notification system.
Moreover, they operate nationwide, so if you decide to expand your business to multiple states, you won’t need to change registered agents.
Registered Agent Inc. charge $200 a year for their registered agent service. They also offer incorporation services and a BOC-3 process agent service.
10. MyCorporation
Another outstanding choice for a nationwide registered agent service is MyCorporation. Their registered agent package will cost you $120 for the first year, and $179 every year after. With that, you will be granted many perks, such as:
- Expert handling of all paperwork
- Fast document delivery
- Completed filings
Their customer support is always quick to respond and they deliver all their documents in no time, which their customers appreciate.
On top of offering registered agent services, they also provide:
- Amendment
- Dissolution
- Filings
- Copyright registration services
- Annual reports
How Do I Register a Business in Indiana?
Now that we went over all our registered agent recommendations, it’s time to explore all the steps required to form a business in Indiana.
Find a Name for Your Indiana Business
Like any other business venture, one of the first steps to opening a business is choosing a name for it.
The business name you choose will represent your business, so it’s important to choose a name that communicates the services and products you offer.
Every state has different requirements in terms of what kind of words are permitted to be in a business name. In Indiana, there are also business naming rules that pertain to the words you have to include in your name. For instance, if you’re forming a corporation, the words “incorporated”, “corporation”, “Corp” or any other variation has to be included. The same applies to starting an LLC – you have to include “Limited Liability Company” or “LLC” in the business name.
If you have trouble coming up with a name, you can always use a business name generator that will help you brainstorm ideas for your business depending on the industry you’re in.
The business name you choose mustn’t be used by another business in the state. To ensure that the name you have in mind is unique, you can perform a business name search. In addition, you should confirm to see if the name you’ve chosen isn’t too similar to another business name in the state.
For any other business name guidelines, you can refer to the Government of Indiana website.
Decide on a Business Structure
After choosing a name for your business, it’s time to choose the right business structure. In Indiana, the most popular types of business structures are:
- Sole proprietorship
- Partnership
- LLC
- Corporation
Every business structure comes with a set of benefits and drawbacks. For instance, forming a sole proprietorship or partnership doesn’t come with as many state requirements as forming an LLC or corporation, and it requires a smaller budget. On the other hand, LLCs and corporations give their owners limited liability, protecting their assets from being seized by the state.
File Articles of Organization
If you’re planning on starting an LLC, then you’ll need to file articles of organization with the state of Indiana. In short, articles of organization is a set of legal documents that detail different information regarding your business, such as its name, location, and information regarding its members.
The fee for filing articles of organization in Indiana is $90.
File Articles of Incorporation
Starting a corporation also entails filing articles of incorporation with the state. When your document is approved, your business will become a legal entity. The filing fee for articles of incorporation is the same as LLCs – $90.
Just like articles of organization, articles of incorporation contain information about the business, such as its name and location. They are important documents because they help lay out the purpose of the corporation, provide information regarding the registered agent, and include information regarding the stock and shares of the corporation.
Get the Necessary Licenses and Permits
General business licenses aren’t required for all industries in Indiana. However, depending on which industry your business is in, you might need to get specific licenses and permits. The type of license you need will also vary from county to county, so make sure you research your specific location to ensure that you’re staying compliant. The state of Indiana’s website contains a business owner’s Guide that contains information regarding the required licenses for each industry.
Business owners who sell goods will need to obtain a Registered Retail Merchant Certificate, the cost of which is $25.
Just like conducting a business name search, you could also use an online business license search that will provide you with all the information regarding specific industries.
Get an EIN
Last but not least, you’ll need an EIN (Employee Identification Number) if you’re planning on hiring employees for your business, or if you want your business to be taxed separately from you.
You can think of an EIN as a Social Security Number for your business – it helps identify your business for tax purposes.
EINs are issued by the IRS regardless of which state you come from. You can apply for an EIN online – the application is entirely free and it only takes minutes to complete.
FAQs
Where Can I Do an Indiana Business Entity Search?
You can do an Indiana business entity search on the government of Indiana website.
How Much Does It Cost to Register a Business in Indiana?
The filing fee for articles of organization and articles of incorporation in Indiana is $90.
How Much Is a Registered Agent in Indiana?
The cost of hiring a registered agent in Indiana depends on several different factors, such as the type of agent you choose. There are more affordable options, like Indiana Registered Agent ($49), and slightly more expensive options, like CSC Global ($381).
A Word of Farewell
We hope you enjoyed our article on the best Indiana registered agent services!
If you don’t have specific preferences in mind, we highly recommend ZenBusiness, Northwest, and IncFile. These registered agent services come with every tool you’ll need to stay compliant with every state requirement and deadline throughout the year.
If you don’t have the budget to pay more than $100 a year for a registered agent service, you can try some of our more affordable recommendations, such as Indiana Registered Agent.
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