Selecting the right registered agent is crucial to attaining compliance with state laws and regulations and leading your business to success. Appointing a registered agent is mandatory for West Virginia, and if you’d like to avoid the hassle of being your own registered agent, this article is for you.
In this guide, we’ve reviewed the best West Virginia registered agent services to help you pick the best option that suits your business vision.
If, however, you’re only curious to learn about the best of the best and save some time, check out our summary table below.
Best West Virginia Registered Agent Services
| Registered Agent Service | Cost | West Virginia Office Location |
|---|---|---|
| IncFile | $119 a year/ first year free with incorporation | Not stated |
| ZenBusiness | $199 a year | Not stated |
| Northwest | $125 a year | Beckley |
| West Virginia Registered Agent | $59 a year | Beckley |
| InCorp | $129 a year | Charleston |
| Registered Agents Inc. | $200 a year | Not stated |
| CSC Global | $381 a year | Charleston |
| MyCompanyWorks | $99 a year | Not stated |
| LegalZoom | $299 a year | Not stated |
| Harbor Compliance | $99 a year | Beckley |
| Swyft Filings | $149 a year | Not stated |
To help you get your business up and running, we’ve also covered how to register your West Virginia business and included an FAQ section where you can find more helpful answers.
Before we delve into our recommendations, let’s go over the purpose of hiring a registered agent.
What Is a Registered Agent?
A registered agent can be an individual or a company whose main task is to receive government notices and official correspondence on your business’s behalf and forward those documents to you.
Does West Virginia Require a Registered Agent?
Yes, in West Virginia, it’s required by state law that you appoint a registered agent while forming your business.
Benefits of Hiring a Registered Agent Service
If you decide to hire a registered agent service, you will enjoy the following benefits:
- Having more free time to dedicate to the growth of your business
- Not worrying about missing any important document while away
- Preserving your privacy
- Remaining compliant with the state of West Virginia
- Being able to expand your business across states without changing registered agents
With that said, let’s start with our first recommendation.
1. IncFile
IncFile is a nationwide registered agent service that has been used by over 800,000 businesses. Their registered agent package includes the following benefits:
- Receiving all your documents in a timely manner
- Access to your correspondence on a personal dashboard
- Automatic mail forwarding
- Customized email and text notifications
IncFile have an extremely easy-to-use interface, which is great for business owners who don’t want to spend hours navigating a website.
Since they are a nationwide registered agent service, they give you the option of expanding your business across multiple states without ever changing your registered agent.
A year of registered agent services with IncFile will cost you $119, making them a pretty affordable option. And if you use their formation package, you’ll get their registered agent services for free.
They also offer the following services:
- Certificate of good standing
- Virtual address
- Foreign qualification
- Tax consultations
- Trademarking
- EIN Number
- Amendment
- Business licenses and permits
2. ZenBusiness
Next up is ZenBusiness, one of the most recognized names in the industry that’s featured on sites like Forbes and Investopedia. Apart from providing a West Virginia physical address, ZenBusiness offer a plethora of features that will help your business stay compliant and save you a lot of time, such as:
- Email notifications
- Expert handling of your documents
- Access to a personalized dashboard
- Mail forwarding
- Fast turnaround
- Document scanning
ZenBusiness are an ideal choice for those who want to support companies that give back to their communities – with their $5K Grant Program, they finance business owners who can’t afford to get their businesses up and running.
Just like Northwest, they have excellent customer support, so you can rest assured knowing any problem you might come across will be promptly taken care of.
Their yearly fee is $199. They also offer a few extra perks for anyone who wants to update their package, such as two free filing changes a year and annual support alerts.
Here are all the other services offered by ZenBusiness:
- LLC formation
- Incorporation
- Taxes and accounting
- EIN Number
- Business license reports
- Operating agreement
- Worry-free compliance
- Annual reports
- Domain name and website
- Banking and finances
3. Northwest
The reason we chose Northwest as one of our top three recommendations is because they offer a comprehensive combination of a top-notch customer service and every compliance tool your business might need. These tools include:
- Annual report reminders
- Pre-filled state forms
- Mail forwarding
- Document storage
- Compliance alerts
- Scanned documents
Their premium customer service is one of their best features. Their experienced team, known as Corporate Guides, will answer questions about their services as well as any compliance-related questions you might have, in a timely manner.
On top of that, they offer free access to their compliance calendar for their customers during the first year of services.
Additionally, Northwest use a Privacy by Default practice, which will ensure that no third parties get a hold of your personal data.
Northwest offer an appealing discount for anyone who wants to use their services in more than four states. Their usual fee is $125 a year, but if you hire them for multiple states, your fee will be lowered to $100.
Their West Virginia address is located in Beckley.
They also offer:
- Trademarking
- Foreign qualification
- Annual report filings
- Payment processing
- Virtual office
- Mail forwarding
- Phone service
4. West Virginia Registered Agent
If you’re looking to hire a registered agent service whose fee won’t cross the $50 threshold, look no further than West Virginia Registered Agent. Reliable yet affordable, this registered agent service will grant you:
- Access to pre-filled state forms
- An online account
- Annual report reminders
- Online document storage
- Email notifications
You can enjoy the above-mentioned benefits for only $49 a year, without worrying about encountering any hidden fees or contracts.
Their West Virginia office can be found in Beckley.
Their other services include:
- LLC formation
- Incorporation
- Filing services
5. InCorp
One of the largest and most popular registered agent services in the United States, InCorp is an A+ rated nationwide service that has helped thousands of businesses flourish for twenty years. Their offer includes:
- Access to their Entity Management System
- Legal notifications
- Mail forwarding
- Annual report filings
Another reason to opt for this service is their amazing EntityWatch technology, which offers a plethora of information about the status of your filings and prevents identity theft.
InCorp offer a volume discount for anyone who hires their services for multiple years. Their regular fee is $129, but it can be lowered to $87 a year.
InCorp’s West Virginia office is located in Charleston.
Apart from registered agent services, they also offer:
- LLC formation
- Incorporation
- Articles of amendment
- Foreign qualification
- Copyright
- EIN Number
- DBA Filing
- UCC search
- Trademarking
- Apostille service
6. Registered Agents Inc.
Registered Agents Inc. include all the essential tools you need from a good registered agent, such as:
- Access to a Corporate Accounts Portal
- Digital notifications
- Professional filer tips
- Compliance reminders
They have offices in every single state, so if you ever decide that you want your business to cover multiple states, you won’t have to change registered agents.
Among their customers’ favourite aspects about Registered Agents Inc. is their easy-to-use website, which is very convenient for new business owners.
A year of their registered agent services will set you back $200.
They also offer the following services:
- BOC-3 Process Agent Service
- Start-up formation
- Incorporation services
7. CSC Global
CSC Global is a premium registered agent service with an excellent reputation that provides expert data security. Their benefits include:
- Access to SOC-2 facilities
- Annual compliance reminders
- Access to a personalized online dashboard
- Same-day document scans
- Electronic delivery of documents
Thanks to their advanced SOC-2 technology, your business will remain protected from any third parties and privacy violations.
In addition, they process all SOP centrally and offer a reliable customer support team who is ready to help you solve any issue that might arise.
Their pricing is slightly higher ($381 a year), but their premium services are a worthwhile investment for anyone that has a higher budget to work with.
Their West Virginia office is located in Charleston.
You can also hire CSC Global for:
- Corporate filings
- Entity management
- Legal management
- Digital brand services
- UCC
- Real estate and erecording
8. MyCompanyWorks
MyCompanyWorks is an affordable and reliable service that will represent your business and help you stay compliant with West Virginia laws by equipping you with the following tools:
- Access to an online dashboard
- Free E-delivery
- Same-day processing
- Compliance monitoring
- Online order tracking
- Access to The Startup Wizard
Their pricing is extremely affordable – their annual fee is only $99. On top of that, they offer to give you a 100% satisfaction guarantee in case you’re not satisfied with their services.
They also offer:
- LLC formation
- Incorporation
- Business licenses
- File a DBA
- Company dissolution
- Virtual office
- Annual reports
9. LegalZoom
LegalZoom is among the best premium registered agent services in the United States. Known for being an outstanding choice for bigger companies, LegalZoom provide all the essentials you need from a registered agent, as well as some additional perks. These include:
- Unlimited cloud storage
- Annual report reminders
- Mail alerts
- $1M in identity theft protection
Another awesome benefit you can take advantage of is their offer to change your registered agent for free, in case you already have a registered agent and you’d like to switch to LegalZoom.
In addition, they provide up to $1,000,000 in identity theft insurance for your West Virginia business, which is incredibly important, especially for owners of larger businesses. Plus, they’re known for being an expert in IP protection.
With that said, they do come with a higher price tag – LegalZoom’s yearly fee is $299.
LegalZoom also offer the following legal and business services:
- Business formation
- Power of attorney
- Business registration
- Foreign qualification
- Incorporation
- Taxation
- Residential lease
- Copyright
- EIN Number
- Annual reports
- Trademarking
10. Harbor Compliance
If you’re on a limited budget, you can’t go wrong with Harbor Compliance. With hundreds of positive online reviews and over 35,000 clients, they’re experienced in maintaining the compliance of different kinds of businesses by offering the following benefits:
- Same-day electronic delivery of your documents
- Pre-filled state forms
- Annual report reminders
- Customizable notifications
Their calling card is their rapid processing speed, which ensures that you get all your important documents in a timely manner.
Additionally, they’re dedicated to protecting their client’s privacy, which is crucial for preventing data leakage.
Their online interface is user-friendly, and they offer a great customer support team.
Harbor Compliance offer a discount if you’re using their multi-year subscriptions – while their normal fee is $99, you can get a 10% discount on their multi-year service.
Their West Virginia office is located in Beckley.
Other services include:
- Amendments
- LLC formation
- Business licenses
- Incorporation
- Registration
11. Swyft Filings
Our last recommendation in our guide on the best West Virginia registered agent services is Swyft Filings. As your registered agent, they will provide your business with:
- Expert handling of all your documents
- Access to an online account
- Document storage
Just like many other recommendations in our guide, their customer support is responsive and extremely knowledgeable, ready to help you with any issue you might have.
Their yearly fee is $149 and they offer free order shipping.
You can also hire Swyft Filings for:
- LLC formation
- Amendment
- Foreign qualification
- Incorporation
- EIN Number
- Registered agent change
- Business dissolution
- Withdrawal
How Do I Register a Business in West Virginia?
Here are all the steps required for you to register a business in West Virginia.
Create a Business Name
Choosing a name for your business is one of the first steps to registering your business.
West Virginia has a couple of naming requirements you’ll need to follow.
For starters, all business names must be unique. Your business isn’t allowed to have the same name as another business in the state. To double-check that this is the case, you can do a Virginia business entity search on the West Virginia Secretary of State website.
Additionally, you need to put an entity identifier in your name – a word that indicates what business entity you’ve selected. These words depend on the structure of your business; for example, if you’re forming an LLC, you can use “L.L.C.” or “Limited Liability Company”.
Choose a Business Structure
Along with choosing a name for your business, you’ll also need to pick your business structure.
These are the four most common types of business structures in West Virginia:
To ensure that you’re picking the right structure for your business, consider your stance on important aspects, like limited liability and yearly filings with the state.
File the Required Articles
If you’re forming an LLC, you’ll need to file articles of organization with the state. This document is mandatory and it requires providing important information about your business, like its location and purpose.
The equivalent of articles of organization for corporations is articles of incorporation. It has a similar purpose, except with added information about the shareholders and the stocks of the company.
The cost of filing the articles is $100.
Get the Required Licenses
In West Virginia, all business entities must get a West Virginia business registration certificate from the State Tax Department. The other licenses depend on your sector and the location of your business.
To acquire more information about your specific industry and location, check out the Licenses, Permits, and Renewals section on the West Virginia SOS website.
Get an EIN
The last obligation you’ll have to fulfil is getting an EIN from the IRS website.
This step is compulsory for anyone who has hired employees, as well as business owners who are taxed separately from their entities.
Even if you’re not required to get one, EINs come with many perks, like making it significantly easier for you to open a business bank account.
FAQs
Where Can I Do a West Virginia Business Entity Search?
You can do a West Virginia business entity search on the West Virginia Secretary of State website.
How Much Does It Cost to Register a Business in West Virginia?
The cost of registering a business in West Virginia is $100.
Final Thoughts
We hope our guide on the best West Virginia registered agent services provided you with some ideas about what agents you should consider.
Regardless of the size and type of your business, you can’t go wrong with our top three recommendations: IncFile, ZenBusiness, and Northwest. All of these agents come with the essential tools you’ll need to stay compliant, all the while remaining relatively affordable.
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