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Founder Mentor Guide

Walkthrough 2 · Delaware

Delaware Registered Agent Walkthrough (2026): 6 Stages and the 3 Best Agents

For naming a registered agent in Delaware in 2026, our mentors would send you to DE Registered Agent.org ($99 a year), Mainstay Filing ($149 a year) and Delaware Registered Agent.ai ($99 a year), in that order. Stage 1 is the Delaware rule on a registered agent; by stage 6 the appointment is on file.

Advice from the Founder Mentor Guide mentors

The short version

Must you name one?
Yes
We pulled this from delcode.delaware.gov in October 2026
Agent price range
$99 to $149 a year
From company pricing pages
Annual LLC Tax
$400 a year
We pulled this from legis.delaware.gov in October 2026
Stages in this walkthrough
6
One at a time

Walkthrough goals

  • What the law says
  • Who can serve and from what address
  • How an agent gets on record
  • The agents at the top of the list

Delaware: our recommended services

Three-year cost and work taken off your desk weigh the most; how we score lists all five.

Our call

1. DE Registered Agent.org: best for owners based in the state

Our first callYear one $99; then $99

In Delaware, DE Registered Agent.org leads the list: $99 a year buys you a Delaware agent who keeps an office in the state.

Over three years it costs less than Mainstay Filing, and three-year cost is 32% of the ranking.

What you get

  • A physical address in Delaware
  • Served documents appear online

What works

  • Less each year than Mainstay Filing
  • $99 each year, no increase

What to watch

  • Only works in Delaware; any other state needs its own agent
  • Annual LLC Tax is left out of the price
Visit DE Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

2. Mainstay Filing: best for a nationwide agent at one price

Works in every stateYear one $149; then $149

Mainstay Filing is a solid second: a steady $149 per year, with nothing to change if you move into another state.

Total up three years and it comes to $150 more than DE Registered Agent.org.

What you get

  • A registered office in Delaware
  • Papers served on the company are scanned for you, no charge
  • Up to three government mailings a year are scanned for free
  • Also works for nonprofits, corporations, LPs and LLPs

What works

  • $149 each year, no increase
  • Works in all fifty states

What to watch

  • $50 a year above DE Registered Agent.org
  • Agent service and nothing more
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

3. Delaware Registered Agent.ai: best for an in-state mailing address

In-state serviceYear one $99; then $99

Our third call, Delaware Registered Agent.ai: $99 a year buys you a Delaware agent who keeps an office in the state.

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

What you get

  • A physical address in Delaware
  • Served documents appear online

What works

  • $99 each year, no increase
  • Less each year than Mainstay Filing

What to watch

  • Only works in Delaware; any other state needs its own agent
  • Annual LLC Tax is left out of the price
Visit Delaware Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Every price in one table

#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.
2Mainstay Filing$149$149/yr$447Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Delaware Registered Agent.ai$99$99/yr$297Visit Delaware Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Company prices as listed on November 13, 2026. Your choice of agent leaves the state fees untouched.

The walkthrough, stage by stage

  1. Stage 1

    The Delaware rule in plain terms

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

    Check it yourself: We pulled this from delcode.delaware.gov in October 2026

  2. Stage 2

    See who is eligible

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

  3. Stage 3

    Choose a compliant address

    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.

    The record shows the service's address instead of yours.

  4. Stage 4

    Serve yourself or bring in a pro

    The agents we recommend cost $99 to $149 a year; serving yourself is for owners who qualify.

  5. Stage 5

    Make the agent official

    the Delaware Secretary of State is where the agent gets recorded, and where any later change goes too.

    Check it yourself: We pulled this from delcode.delaware.gov in October 2026

  6. Stage 6

    Check the record each year

    When the state writes about the Annual LLC Tax, the letter goes to your registered agent. It costs $400 every year, with timing given as annual alternative-entity tax due on or before June 1.

    Check it yourself: We pulled this from legis.delaware.gov in October 2026

What the agent costs in Delaware

EntryPayeeTotal
Agent serviceThe service company$99 to $149 a year
Every year afterThe service company$99 to $149 a year
Annual LLC TaxThe state$400 every year
Whatever goes to Delaware is an official fee you can verify on the pages listed below. The three-year row combines the filing, two later reports and a minimum tax where there is one; service prices stay out of it.

Why DE Registered Agent.org is first

Three-year bill makes up 32% of the score, and that is where pulled ahead in Delaware.

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

Delaware questions

Is a registered agent required in Delaware?

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

Can I be my own registered agent?

Yes, if you pass the eligibility and address tests in stages 2 and 3.

Can I change my registered agent later?

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

What does a registered agent cost in Delaware?

$99 to $149 a year across the agents on our list.

What does the LLC pay the state each year?

$400, every year, for the Annual LLC Tax.

Which registered agent would you choose?

DE Registered Agent.org ranks first and Mainstay Filing and Delaware Registered Agent.ai follow; DE Registered Agent.org wins on three-year bill.

Where we got the facts

  1. Our Delaware yearly filing: Recurring obligation, official source notes lean on corp.delaware.gov as of October 2026.
  2. Our Delaware yearly filing: Recurring obligation, official source notes lean on corp.delaware.gov as of October 2026.
  3. Our Delaware yearly filing: HB 400, official source notes lean on legis.delaware.gov as of October 2026.
  4. Our Delaware report due date notes lean on delcode.delaware.gov as of August 2026.
  5. Our 6 Del notes lean on delcode.delaware.gov as of August 2026.
  6. Our Delaware registered agent statute notes lean on delcode.delaware.gov as of October 2026.
  7. DE Registered Agent.org pricing page; prices copied November 13, 2026
  8. Mainstay Filing Delaware service page; prices copied November 13, 2026
  9. Delaware Registered Agent.ai pricing page; prices copied November 13, 2026