What a registered agent is for
Every LLC must name a registered agent: a real address in the state, staffed during business hours, where official mail can be delivered. That includes annual report notices, tax correspondence and — if it ever happens — service of a lawsuit.
Using your home address works until you move, and then the state keeps writing to a house you no longer live in. Mail you never see is still legally considered delivered. That is how businesses miss annual reports, fall out of good standing, and in some states get administratively dissolved without ever knowing a letter went out.
We act as your agent, so the address stays constant, and anything that arrives gets scanned to you the day it lands with a plain explanation of what it is and whether it needs anything from you.
The compliance calendar
Every business accumulates deadlines: the state annual report, license renewals in each city you work in, insurance renewals, sales tax filing dates, payroll tax deposits, year-end forms. Each one is small. Together they are the thing that quietly goes wrong.
We build the calendar once, watch it, and act on it before the date rather than after. When something needs your signature we come to you in advance with the date and the next step — never with urgency language, because a deadline you know about three weeks early is not an emergency.
That is the whole promise: "your annual report is due March 1, we will have it ready for your okay by February 15." Not "URGENT, avoid penalties now."
Signs you need this
- You moved and never updated the address on your LLC filing.
- You are not sure when your annual report is due.
- A letter from the state arrived and you were not sure what it meant.
- A licence lapsed because nobody was tracking the date.
- Your own home address is the one on public record.
- You have no idea whether your business is currently in good standing.
If two or more of these sound familiar, take the free business checkup — ten questions, two minutes, and you get the list of gaps either way.
How it works
Take over the agent role
We become your registered agent so the address stays constant no matter where you move.
Build the calendar
Every state, local, tax and insurance date collected in one place.
Watch it
We act ahead of each date and come to you in advance when something needs your signature.
File
Annual reports and renewals filed on time, with your okay, and confirmations kept on record.
What is included
- Registered agent service in your formation state
- Mail scanned and explained the day it arrives
- A compliance calendar covering state, local, tax and insurance dates
- Annual report preparation and filing
- Business license renewals in every city you work in
- Advance notice of anything that needs your signature
All of this sits inside one package — the Whitelow Launch + Back Office Partnership — rather than being quoted as a separate service.
Who it is for
- Every LLC — a registered agent is required by law
- Owners who work from home and do not want that address public
- Businesses already out of good standing who want to get current
- Anyone who has missed a filing date before
What affects the price
Whitelow sells one package with two ways to pay: $2,497 one-time plus $597 a month, or $0 up front in exchange for a 15% stake in the LLC. Government fees and your QuickBooks subscription are passed through at cost on both. These are the factors that move what this piece of the work involves:
| Factor | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Number of states | An entity registered in more than one state needs an agent and annual filings in each. |
| Number of local licences | More cities means more renewal dates on the calendar. |
| Current standing | If the entity has already fallen out of good standing, reinstatement fees are set by the state and passed through at cost. |
| Agency fees | Annual report and renewal fees go to the state at cost, never marked up. |
See both payment options side by side, including what each one costs in year one.
Frequently asked questions
What does a registered agent service cost?
Bought separately, registered agent services commonly run about $125 to $249 a year — LegalZoom publishes $249 a year and Northwest publishes $125. Whitelow includes registered agent service inside the partnership rather than billing it as a separate line.
Can I be my own registered agent?
In most states, yes, if you have a physical address there and are available during business hours. The practical problems are that your address becomes public record, you have to be there to receive mail, and you have to remember to update it every time you move. For most owners it is not worth the saving.
What happens if I miss my annual report?
Most states charge a late fee first. If it keeps going, the business falls out of good standing, which can block loans, contracts and licenses, and some states eventually dissolve the entity administratively. Reinstating it costs more than the report ever would have. This is the exact problem the calendar exists to prevent.
Will you tell me before you file something?
Always. Nothing is filed on your behalf without your okay. You see what it is, what it says and what it costs, in plain English, before it goes.
How do I know if my business is in good standing?
Most states publish it on the Secretary of State website, though it is not always obvious how to read. We check it as part of the free business checkup and tell you plainly where you stand.
What happens to my mail?
Anything that arrives at the agent address gets scanned to you the day it lands, with a short note explaining what it is and whether it needs anything from you. Nothing sits in a pile.