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Founder Mentor Guide

Mentor notes 2 · Hawaii

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

If you want help with naming a registered agent in Hawaii in 2026, phone HI Registered Agent.org ($99 a year), Mainstay Filing ($149 a year) and Hawaii Registered Agent.co ($99 a year), in that order. You are 6 short stages away from a properly named registered agent.

Advice from the Founder Mentor Guide mentors

Walkthrough snapshot

Required by law
Yes
capitol.hawaii.gov, seen in October 2026
Agent price range
$99 to $149 a year
Pulled from each company's price page
Recurring report
$12.50 a year
files.hawaii.gov, seen in October 2026
Stage count
6
Each one explained

By the end you will know

  • Why Hawaii wants an agent on file
  • Who can act as agent
  • Getting the agent listed
  • Which agents we recommend and why

Hawaii: our recommended services

The mentors' five criteria are on how we score, and they decide the order.

Our call

1. HI Registered Agent.org: best for one-state companies

Best overall$99 a year, $99 when it renews

In Hawaii, HI Registered Agent.org leads the list: $99 yearly, and scans of served papers land in an online account.

Because Mainstay Filing costs more over three years, this service takes the top spot.

What you get

  • A registered office address
  • Scans of anything served on the LLC

What works

  • Under Mainstay Filing on price
  • $99 each year, no increase

What to watch

  • Serves Hawaii alone
  • Domestic Limited Liability Company Annual Report is left out of the price
Visit HI Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

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

Upkeep covered$149 a year, $149 when it renews

Our second call, Mainstay Filing: $149 a year with a single provider, however many states the LLC ends up in.

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

What you get

  • An office address inside the state
  • 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

  • A flat $149 yearly
  • Good in every state

What to watch

  • Higher by $50 a year
  • Reports remain your job
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

3. Hawaii Registered Agent.co: best for an in-state mailing address

Hawaii specialist$99 a year, $99 when it renews

Third place goes to Hawaii Registered Agent.co, since $99 yearly, and scans of served papers land in an online account.

It charges exactly what HI Registered Agent.org charges.

What you get

  • A registered office address
  • Scans of anything served on the LLC

What works

  • Under Mainstay Filing on price
  • $99 each year, no increase

What to watch

  • Serves Hawaii alone
  • Domestic Limited Liability Company Annual Report is left out of the price
Visit Hawaii Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Every price in one table

#ServiceAnnual priceRenewal priceThree-year total
1HI Registered Agent.org$99$99/yr$297Visit HI 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.
3Hawaii Registered Agent.co$99$99/yr$297Visit Hawaii Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Listed prices, viewed November 13, 2026. Your choice of agent leaves the state fees untouched.

The walkthrough, stage by stage

  1. Stage 1

    What Hawaii expects from an agent

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

    Check it yourself: capitol.hawaii.gov, seen in October 2026

  2. Stage 2

    Check who may take the job

    A Hawaii resident, or a business entity formed in Hawaii or authorized to do business there. The LLC cannot be its own agent. It is written into Haw. Rev. Stat. § 428-107.

  3. Stage 3

    Choose a compliant address

    The address has to be a place of business with a street address in Hawaii. P.O. boxes are not accepted.

    Each of our picks supplies a Hawaii office address.

  4. Stage 4

    Decide who takes the role

    A qualified owner can act as agent. Prefer to hand it off? Our recommended agents bill $99 to $149 yearly.

  5. Stage 5

    Name the agent in the filing

    The Articles of Organization for Limited Liability Company (Form LLC-1) asks for the agent's name and address, and the Hawaii Secretary of State also handles the change filing when you switch.

    Check it yourself: cca.hawaii.gov, seen in October 2026

  6. Stage 6

    Check the record each year

    Every year the Domestic Limited Liability Company Annual Report confirms who your agent is, for $12.50, by last day of the quarter in which the LLC was organized. Filing late costs $10.

    Check it yourself: files.hawaii.gov, seen in October 2026

What this walkthrough costs

ItemPayeeSum
Hiring an agentThe provider$99 to $149 a year
From year twoThe provider$99 to $149 a year
Recurring state reportThe state$12.50 every year
Add the filing fee, two later reports and any minimum tax and you have the state's three-year total. The pages listed below show where each figure came from.

Why the list runs this way

What decided it was three-year bill, which carries 32% of the score.

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

Short answers

Can a Hawaii LLC get by without a registered agent?

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

Can I be my own registered agent?

You can, once you clear the who-qualifies and address rules in stages 2 and 3.

Can I change my registered agent later?

Yes. Replacing the agent takes a change filing at the Hawaii Secretary of State (stage 5).

What does a registered agent cost in Hawaii?

The agents we recommend charge $99 to $149 a year.

What does the LLC pay the state each year?

Every year the LLC files the Domestic Limited Liability Company Annual Report, which costs $12.50.

Which registered agent would you choose?

Phone HI Registered Agent.org, because a one-state plan at $99 a year, renewing at $99. After that come Mainstay Filing and Hawaii Registered Agent.co.

Where we got the facts

  1. For Hawaii DCCA Business Registration Division release of July, open cca.hawaii.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  2. For Hawaii yearly filing: Annual report: fee, official source, open files.hawaii.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  3. For Hawaii formation fee: Filing fee, official source, open cca.hawaii.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  4. For Hawaii formation fee: Filing fee, official source, open cca.hawaii.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  5. For Hawaii registered agent statute, open capitol.hawaii.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  6. The pricing page at HI Registered Agent.org, viewed November 13, 2026
  7. The Hawaii service page at Mainstay Filing, viewed November 13, 2026
  8. The pricing page at Hawaii Registered Agent.co, viewed November 13, 2026