Northwest Registered Agent, otherwise known as Northwest Agent Services or just Northwest, is an online provider of business legal services. As the name suggests, they are a Registered Agent service, first and foremost. But they offer far more than just that. Northwest can help you start a new business, manage ongoing compliance requirements, and much more. Our full Northwest Registered Agent review will go over all the details of this popular service.
Northwest overview
Northwest is a business services provider that helps small business owners form companies and achieve their business goals. Their primary functions are to serve as a Registered Agent, to help you form new businesses, and to provide ongoing support for compliance and filing requirements.
Beyond that, Northwest can help with useful services like a virtual office, mail forwarding, VoIP business phone services, S-corp election with the IRS, and much more.
Northwest takes a different approach than most of its competitors. It focuses on simplicity, privacy for clients, transparency, and developing a real relationship with its customers.
When you sign up for any Northwest service, you’ll be paired up with a local Corporate Guide in your state. This representative will guide you through the process of registering a new business and will provide ongoing support.
Check out our roundup of the Best Registered Agent Services
Northwest pros & cons
Like any service that you may consider, there are both advantages and disadvantages to keep in mind when it comes to Northwest Services.
Pros
- Makes it simple to form a business in any state
- Excellent Registered Agent service
- Choose from LLC, corporation, or nonprofit
- Transparent and simple fee structure
- Legendary customer support
- You’re paired one-on-one with a local Corporate Guide
- Northwest does not sell or share your information
- Powerful features to ensure your privacy
- Competitive Registered Agent and LLC formation service pricing
- Superior security & privacy protocols
- Excellent ratings with Trustpilot, Better Business Bureau (BBB), and others
Cons
- Fewer add-on services than some competitors
- State fees charged separately (this is industry standard)
Northwest features
Northwest Registered Agent offers a wide variety of services. Their core focus is on new business formation and registered agent services, however they also offer a range of compatible services for small businesses. Here’s an overview:
Registered Agent
Northwest can serve as your business’ Registered Agent, helping handle government and legal correspondence for your company, while protecting your privacy. Northwest operates in every state, so you can get a local Registered Agent regardless of where you form your business.
Business Formation
Northwest can help you start a new company, whether you want a limited liability company (LLC), corporation (C-corp or S-corp), or even a nonprofit. Like all incorporation services, they work directly with state agencies to help you get registered accurately and efficiently. They also give you business name availability search tools, to help you find the perfect company name.
New State Registration
Northwest can also help with registering existing companies in new states to assist with expansion plans. They can also help renew existing licenses and ensure ongoing compliance.
Ongoing Compliance Filing
Northwest can help with ongoing business compliance filings, such as annual reports and license renewals, with both state and federal agencies.
Corporate Guide
Northwest pairs each customer with their own Corporate Guide in their own state. These guides help you with the services you requested, and serve as your own personal support agent. Northwest uses in-house, US-based agents for these roles, and never outsources customer service.
Mail Forwarding & Virtual Office
Northwest can also set your business up with a “virtual office”, giving you a business address to use to protect your privacy and contact information. They can also set mail to be forwarded to your real address, or even scan mail to send it digitally.
VoIP Business Phone Number
Northwest can also help you get a voice over internet protocol (VoIP) phone number for your business, so that you don’t have to use your own personal number. VoIP numbers work over the internet, so you can accept calls on computers, smartphones, and more.
Free Legal Forms
Northwest has an online library of useful business forms that anyone can access, for free. This includes articles of organization, articles of incorporation, LLC operating agreement, corporate bylaws, meeting minutes, articles of amendment, corporate resolution, LLC resolution, and more.
Obtaining Extras
Northwest can help your business obtain a variety of licenses, permits, forms, ID numbers, etc. from government agencies. They can help you get an EIN, corporate book, Certified Copy, Certificate of Good Standing, and can even serve as an Apostille.
There are a few other additional services available, but these are the core offerings of Northwest Registered Agent. Fortunately, Northwest is not a company that aggressively upsells or tries to sell you into all sorts of random add-ons. They focus on business formation services and registered agent services, and they have perfected their craft.
Northwest pricing
Northwest Registered Agent has a clear and concise pricing structure. They pride themselves on transparency, so you can know exactly what you’re getting upfront – and how much it will cost you. They have a customizable suite of features to choose from, but here’s a breakdown of some of the most common costs:
- Filing Service Fee – $100 – required to start a new LLC, Corporation, or Nonprofit.
- Registered Agent Service – First year is free (plus state fees), then $39/year (plus state fees) – required in most states
- State Filing Fees – Priced individually by state (generally $50-$200+). Northwest passes 100% of these fees onto the relevant state agency.
- Annual Report Filing Service – $100/year + state fees – satisfies annual requirement
- Tax ID Application (EIN) – $50 – adds an Employer Identification Number application.
- S-Corp Election – $50 – adds S-Corporation taxation preference
- Mail Forwarding – $20/month – adds premium mail forwarding service
- Virtual Office – $29/month – adds a virtual office in your choice of locations
- Certificate of Good Standing – varies by state ($50-$70 generally)
- Second Phone Number – $9/month – adds a virtual second phone number for your business
For most people forming a new business with Northwest, a basic formation package will consist of the service fee ($100), the registered agent fee ($125/year), and then the state filing fees for your state ($50-$200+). The other services are largely optional, but can be quite useful for some. Your first-year costs will be higher, due to the service fee, while ongoing costs will be substantially lower.
Overall, Northwest’s pricing is competitive. The flat $100 price point for their service fee is attractive, and we appreciate their transparency with all associated costs. While some competitors may undercut prices on some services, Northwest’s superior service and quality of product still makes it a fantastic value.
Customer service
Customer support is a cornerstone of Northwest’s business model. When you sign up, you’ll be paired with a local Corporate Guide to help guide you through the process, and handle any issues you face in the future. This one-on-one support is a huge selling point of Northwest, as it allows you to build a relationship with a trusted partner.
Northwest’s superior customer service is often mentioned in customer reviews. The main reason behind their excellent reviews is that they have individual compliance specialists who help clients at every stage in their business. Their customer service is based in-house and is not outsourced. Agents are available via phone, and email support is available as well.
Northwest review: Our verdict
Overall, Northwest Registered Agent is a great option for business formation, legal documents, and registered agent services. It offers good ease of use through a simple online account, competitive pricing, and a transparent and honest business model. Northwest works hard to protect client privacy, and security is paramount to their operation.
If you do your own research, you’ll find that Northwest is consistently rated better than many competitors, such as LegalZoom, Bizee, ZenBusiness, etc. This is largely because of Northwest’s one-on-one Corporate Guide system, which pairs you with your own representative.
Northwest is among the best registered agent services, as well as the best LLC formation services. It may not have all the bells-and-whistles that some competitors offer, but by focusing on its core service line, Northwest is able to offer superior service.
If you’re looking for a trusted partner for business services, you can’t go wrong with Northwest Registered Agent.