Delaware Registered Agent Primer (2026): 6 Moves and the 3 Best Agents
Best picks for appointing a registered agent in Delaware in 2026, in order: Delaware Registered Agent.ai ($99 a year), DE Registered Agent.org ($99 a year) and Mainstay Filing ($149 a year). 6 moves: the Delaware rule for a registered agent, who qualifies, the address test and how to record the agent.
Posted prices, read November 13, 2026. The state bills the same whichever agent you name.
The Delaware agent, in order
Move 1
What Delaware requires
Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.
Where this comes from: Check it yourself at delcode.delaware.gov; we read it in October 2026
Move 2
Check eligibility
The LLC itself, a Delaware resident, or a business entity formed in Delaware or authorized to do business there. The rule is in 6 Del. C. § 18-104.
Move 3
Pick a compliant address
The address has to be a registered office in Delaware. An entity agent keeps a business office there that is generally open; an individual agent has to be generally present there. A virtual office or mail-forwarding service alone does not qualify.
Each service we rank gives you the in-state address.
You name the agent in your filing with the Delaware Secretary of State; any change is a separate filing at the same office.
Where this comes from: Check it yourself at delcode.delaware.gov; we read it in October 2026
Move 6
Track the repeating filing
Anything the state sends about the Annual LLC Tax goes to your registered agent. The filing costs $400 every year, due annual alternative-entity tax due on or before June 1.
Where this comes from: Check it yourself at legis.delaware.gov; we read it in October 2026
What the agent costs in Delaware
Move
Paid to
Amount
Registered agent service
Service
$99 to $149 a year
Renewal
Service
$99 to $149 a year
Annual LLC Tax
To the state
$400 every year
Filing plus the reports in years two and three plus any minimum tax: that is the state's three-year total. Sources are listed below.
Why Delaware Registered Agent.ai is first
won on founder outlay over three years (27% of the mark), with close behind.
Add up three years and Delaware Registered Agent.ai is $297, $150 below Mainstay Filing.
What founders ask
Is a registered agent mandatory for a Delaware LLC?
Yes. Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.
Can I be my own registered agent?
Yes, if you pass the eligibility and address tests in moves 2 and 3.
Can I change my registered agent later?
You can. An existing LLC files a change with the Delaware Secretary of State; see move 5.
What does a registered agent cost in Delaware?
Our picks charge $99 to $149 a year.
What does the LLC pay the state each year?
Once a year there is the Annual LLC Tax at $400.
Which registered agent would you choose?
Pick Delaware Registered Agent.ai: an in-state street address for the registered office, $99 a year. Behind it: DE Registered Agent.org and Mainstay Filing.