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Founder Mentor Guide

Mentor notes 2 · Pennsylvania

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

Ranked for 2026, the services worth your call for naming a registered agent in Pennsylvania are Mainstay Filing ($149 a year), Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co ($99 a year) and PA Registered Agent.org ($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

What to know before you start

The requirement
Check stage 1
We pulled this from legis.state.pa.us in October 2026
Yearly cost of the agents we recommend
$99 to $149 a year
Pulled from each company's price page
Annual report
$7 a year
We pulled this from pa.gov in October 2026
How many stages
6
First to last

You will walk away able to

  • What the law says
  • The address and eligibility rules
  • How to name or swap the agent
  • How the picks compare

Who we would phone in Pennsylvania

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

Our call

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

Top recommendation$149 per year (renews at $149)

In Pennsylvania, Mainstay Filing leads the list: $149 a year with a single provider, however many states the LLC ends up in.

Three years run $150 higher than at Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co, and you get more of the work done in return.

What you get

  • A registered office in Pennsylvania
  • 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 per year
  • Good in every state

What to watch

  • Costs $50 extra every year
  • Agent service and nothing more
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

2. Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co: best for LLCs that live in Pennsylvania only

Local choice$99 per year (renews at $99)

Our second call, Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co: a one-state plan at $99 a year, renewing at $99.

What you get

  • An in-state office address
  • Scans of anything served on the LLC

What works

  • Beats Mainstay Filing on the yearly bill
  • $99 per year

What to watch

  • No help in other states
  • Annual report is left out of the price
Visit Pennsylvania Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

3. PA Registered Agent.org: best for staying inside one state

Local choice$99 per year (renews at $99)

Our third call, PA Registered Agent.org: a one-state plan at $99 a year, renewing at $99.

It charges exactly what Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co charges.

What you get

  • An in-state office address
  • Scans of anything served on the LLC

What works

  • $99 per year
  • Beats Mainstay Filing on the yearly bill

What to watch

  • No help in other states
  • Annual report is left out of the price
Visit PA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

3 services, compared

#ServiceAnnual priceRenewal priceThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$149$149/yr$447Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co$99$99/yr$297Visit Pennsylvania Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3PA Registered Agent.org$99$99/yr$297Visit PA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Pulled from each price page on November 13, 2026. The state bills the same no matter which agent you name.

How a Pennsylvania agent gets set up

  1. Stage 1

    Understand the requirement

    Pennsylvania requires a registered office (a Pennsylvania street address or a Commercial Registered Office Provider), not an agent.

    Check it yourself: We pulled this from legis.state.pa.us in October 2026

  2. Stage 2

    Who can do this

    Pennsylvania does not require a registered agent. Every LLC keeps a registered office instead: an actual street address in Pennsylvania, or a Commercial Registered Office Provider named in its place by a company without a Pennsylvania address. Legal basis: 15 Pa.C.S. § 8825.

  3. Stage 3

    Learn what counts as a registered office

    The address has to be an actual street address or rural route box number in Pennsylvania. A P.O. box alone is not accepted.

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

  4. Stage 4

    Go solo or hire out

    Owners who meet the tests can name themselves, and for the rest the recommended agents start at $99 to $149 each year.

  5. Stage 5

    Name the agent in the filing

    You name the agent when you file the Certificate of Organization (Form DSCB:15-8821); to replace the agent later you file again with the Pennsylvania Secretary of State.

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

  6. Stage 6

    Track the repeating filing

    When the state writes about the annual report, the letter goes to your registered agent. It costs $7 every year, with timing given as September 30.

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

The bill

What forWho gets paidCost
Hiring an agentThe service$99 to $149 a year
From year twoThe service$99 to $149 a year
Annual reportThe state$7 every year
Whatever goes to Pennsylvania 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 Mainstay Filing is first

What decided it was work taken off your desk, which carries 32% of the score.

Reach put it ahead of Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co.

Short answers

Is a registered agent required in Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania requires a registered office (a Pennsylvania street address or a Commercial Registered Office Provider), not an agent.

Can I be my own registered agent?

Under this state's rule an agent is optional. Stages 2 and 3 apply only if you appoint one.

Can I change my registered agent later?

Yes; the Pennsylvania Secretary of State takes change filings, and stage 5 says what to send.

What does a registered agent cost in Pennsylvania?

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

What does the LLC pay the state each year?

The state's yearly line is the annual report at $7 every year.

Which registered agent would you choose?

The order runs Mainstay Filing, Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co and PA Registered Agent.org, with Mainstay Filing first because the price is $149 a year whichever of the fifty states you choose.

Where we got the facts

  1. For Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and, open pa.gov (we last saw it August 2026).
  2. For Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and, open pa.gov (we last saw it August 2026).
  3. For 15 Pa.C.S. § 8821, open pa.gov (we last saw it August 2026).
  4. For Pennsylvania formation fee: Filing fee, official source, open pa.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  5. For Pennsylvania registered agent statute, open legis.state.pa.us (we last saw it October 2026).
  6. We opened Mainstay Filing's Pennsylvania service page on November 13, 2026 for the prices
  7. We opened Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co's pricing page on November 13, 2026 for the prices
  8. We opened PA Registered Agent.org's pricing page on November 13, 2026 for the prices