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Biz Formation Academy

A plain textbook on LLC paperwork, one state per chapter.

Unit 2 · Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Registered Agent Chapter (2026): 6 Sections and the 3 Best Agents

In 2026 the services this chapter recommends for appointing a registered agent in Pennsylvania are Mainstay Filing ($149 a year), PA Registered Agent.org ($99 a year) and Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co ($99 a year), best first. Section 1 states the Pennsylvania rule on a registered agent; the other sections apply it, 6 in all.
Written by the Biz Formation Academy editorial board

Read first

The requirement Read the rule Source text at legis.state.pa.us, October 2026
Agent price range $99 to $149 a year Posted rates
Annual report $7 a year Source text at pa.gov, October 2026
Sections 6 In sequence

Chapter objectives

  • Why Pennsylvania requires an agent on file
  • Who can act as agent
  • How an agent is recorded
  • The agents ranked highest

If you want someone else to file

The order rests on five weighted criteria described under how we grade, with three-year cost and paperwork completed on top.

1. Mainstay Filing: best for LLCs that may expand to other states

Top recommendation
$149 annually, unchanged at renewal

In Pennsylvania, Mainstay Filing heads the list: a single yearly charge of $149 follows the company if it registers in a second state.

Set against PA Registered Agent.org, the three-year premium is $150, which the 30% weight on paperwork covered outweighs.

Price covers

  • An office address inside the state
  • Any papers served on the company get scanned for you at no cost
  • Three government mailings a year are scanned at no cost to you
  • Also serves nonprofits, corporations, LPs and LLPs

Advantages

  • $149 each year with no increase
  • Available in all fifty states

Limitations

  • PA Registered Agent.org is $50 a year lower
  • Reports remain the owner's job
Visit Mainstay Filing Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

2. PA Registered Agent.org: best for owners located in the state

Pennsylvania specialist
$99 annually, unchanged at renewal

The second recommendation, PA Registered Agent.org: $99 yearly, with scans of served papers placed in an online account.

Price covers

  • A Pennsylvania address for the registered office
  • Scans of documents served on the LLC

Advantages

  • Priced below Mainstay Filing
  • $99 per year

Limitations

  • No help in other states
  • Annual report is excluded from the price
Visit PA Registered Agent.org Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

3. Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co: best for a second Pennsylvania option

Pennsylvania specialist
$99 annually, unchanged at renewal

The third recommendation, Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co: $99 yearly, with scans of served papers placed in an online account.

It charges exactly what PA Registered Agent.org charges.

Price covers

  • A Pennsylvania address for the registered office
  • Scans of documents served on the LLC

Advantages

  • $99 per year
  • Priced below Mainstay Filing

Limitations

  • No help in other states
  • Annual report is excluded from the price
Visit Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

3 services, side by side

#ServiceAnnual priceRenewal priceThree-year total
1 Mainstay Filing $149$149/yr$447 Visit Mainstay Filing Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2 PA Registered Agent.org $99$99/yr$297 Visit PA Registered Agent.org Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3 Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co $99$99/yr$297 Visit Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Company prices as listed on November 13, 2026. No agent changes the state fees.

The sections

  1. Section 1

    What Pennsylvania requires of an agent

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

    Reference: Source text at legis.state.pa.us, October 2026

  2. Section 2

    Identify eligible agents

    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. Authority: 15 Pa.C.S. § 8825.

  3. Section 3

    Choose a qualifying office address

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

    Every recommended service supplies the in-state address.

  4. Section 4

    Acting personally or hiring

    Professional agents among the recommended services charge $99 to $149 a year; serving personally is available to those who qualify.

  5. Section 5

    Report the agent's details

    The Certificate of Organization (Form DSCB:15-8821) asks for the agent's name and address; the Pennsylvania Secretary of State also accepts filings from LLCs that change agents.

    Reference: Source text at pa.gov, October 2026

  6. Section 6

    Track the recurring filing

    Budget for the annual report: $7 every year, due September 30. Official mail on the subject goes to the registered agent.

    Reference: Source text at pa.gov, October 2026

Pennsylvania agent costs

SectionWho is paidAmount
A professional agent Service$99 to $149 a year
Renewing the agent Service$99 to $149 a year
Annual report Government$7 every year

Anything paid to Pennsylvania is an official fee that can be verified in the bibliography. The three-year row combines the filing, two later reports and a minimum tax where one exists; service prices are not part of it.

How the ranking came out

On chapters the price completes (30% of the ranking) came first, with next.

Reach placed it ahead of PA Registered Agent.org.

What readers ask

Does Pennsylvania require an LLC to have a registered agent?

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?

This state does not require one to be named (section 1); if one is, sections 2 and 3 say who is eligible.

Can I change my registered agent later?

Change it whenever needed through the Pennsylvania Secretary of State, as section 5 describes.

What does a registered agent cost in Pennsylvania?

Across the ranked agents the yearly price is $99 to $149.

What does the LLC pay the state each year?

The yearly item is the annual report, priced at $7.

Which registered agent would you choose?

Mainstay Filing ranks first and PA Registered Agent.org and Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co follow; Mainstay Filing leads on chapters the price completes.

Further reading

Bibliography and primary texts

  1. Cited for Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and: pa.gov, edition of August 2026.
  2. Cited for Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and: pa.gov, edition of August 2026.
  3. Cited for 15 Pa.C.S. § 8821: pa.gov, edition of August 2026.
  4. Cited for Pennsylvania formation fee: Filing fee, official source: pa.gov, edition of October 2026.
  5. Cited for Pennsylvania registered agent statute: legis.state.pa.us, edition of October 2026.
  6. Prices quoted from the Pennsylvania service page at Mainstay Filing on November 13, 2026
  7. Prices quoted from the pricing page at PA Registered Agent.org on November 13, 2026
  8. Prices quoted from the pricing page at Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co on November 13, 2026