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Founder Primer

LLC paperwork, boiled down for founders.

Quick read 2 · Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Registered Agent Primer (2026): 6 Moves and the 3 Best Agents

Our order for appointing a registered agent in Pennsylvania, 2026, is PA Registered Agent.org ($99 a year), Mainstay Filing ($149 a year) and Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co ($99 a year). Move 1 is the Pennsylvania rule on a registered agent. By move 6 the appointment is on record.
From the Founder Primer desk

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The requirement
Check move 1
Per legis.state.pa.us, as of October 2026
Service prices
$99 to $149 a year
Posted prices
Annual report
$7 a year
Per pa.gov, as of October 2026
Move count
6
First to last

Primer goals

  • The legal requirement
  • The eligibility and address rules
  • Naming the agent with the state
  • Which agents we pick and why

Our picks for Pennsylvania

Cost over three years first, then to-dos cleared, renewal, Pennsylvania fit and readable pricing (scoring page).

First choice Year one $99, year two $99

1. PA Registered Agent.org: best for founders on a budget

We start with PA Registered Agent.org: $99 a year gets you a Pennsylvania agent with an office in the state.

Cost settles it: three years total less here than at Mainstay Filing.

Inside the price
  • A Pennsylvania street address
  • Online copies of served documents
In its favor
  • Yearly price below the national pick
  • $99 yearly
Against it
  • No help in other states
  • The annual report is yours to finish
Any state Year one $149, year two $149

2. Mainstay Filing: best for LLCs that may add states

Mainstay Filing lands second: the agent is $149 a year in every state.

Over three years it sits $150 behind PA Registered Agent.org.

Inside the price
  • A physical address in the state
  • Served papers scanned free, the same business day
  • Three government letters a year scanned at no charge
  • Also serves nonprofits, corporations, LPs and LLPs
In its favor
  • A flat $149 per year
  • Covers all fifty states
Against it
  • Pricier by $50 a year
  • Agent-only plan, so no report filing
In-state service Year one $99, year two $99

3. Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co: best for an in-state office address

Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co is a fair third choice: $99 a year gets you a Pennsylvania agent with an office in the state.

Its prices match PA Registered Agent.org's, so either one works.

Inside the price
  • A Pennsylvania street address
  • Online copies of served documents
In its favor
  • Yearly price below the national pick
  • $99 yearly
Against it
  • No help in other states
  • The annual report is yours to finish

The Pennsylvania picks compared

# Service Annual price Renewal price Three-year total
1 PA Registered Agent.org $99 $99/yr $297 Visit PA Registered Agent.org Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2 Mainstay Filing $149 $149/yr $447 Visit Mainstay Filing 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. Pennsylvania charges the same either way.

How the Pennsylvania agent is set up

  1. Move 1

    The Pennsylvania rule, short

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

    Where this comes from: Per legis.state.pa.us, as of October 2026

  2. Move 2

    Who counts as an agent

    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. Read 15 Pa.C.S. § 8825.

  3. Move 3

    Use an address that qualifies

    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 pick supplies the Pennsylvania office address.

  4. Move 4

    Self-serve or professional

    An eligible owner may serve. Otherwise our recommended agents run $99 to $149 a year.

  5. Move 5

    File the agent's details

    For a new Pennsylvania LLC the agent goes on the Certificate of Organization (Form DSCB:15-8821). A change later is its own filing with the Pennsylvania Secretary of State.

    Where this comes from: Per pa.gov, as of October 2026

  6. Move 6

    Update when things change

    File the annual report on time ($7, September 30) and the agent record stays right.

    Where this comes from: Per pa.gov, as of October 2026

What the agent costs in Pennsylvania

Cost item Paid to Figure
Agent service Service $99 to $149 a year
Renewing the agent Service $99 to $149 a year
Annual report The state $7 every year

These are the official Pennsylvania fees, cited below. The three-year line adds the filing fee, the year-two and year-three reports and any minimum tax.

How the marks came out

won on founder outlay over three years (27% of the mark), with close behind.

Three years with PA Registered Agent.org come to $297, $150 under Mainstay Filing.

Pennsylvania quick answers

Does Pennsylvania force an LLC to keep 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?

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

Can I change my registered agent later?

You can. An existing LLC files a change with the Pennsylvania Secretary of State; see move 5.

What does a registered agent cost in Pennsylvania?

Our picks charge $99 to $149 a year.

What does the LLC pay the state each year?

Expect to file the annual report and pay $7 every year.

Which registered agent would you choose?

PA Registered Agent.org first, then Mainstay Filing and Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co; PA Registered Agent.org wins on founder outlay over three years.

Next primer

Sources, so you can check us

  1. For Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and the primer cites pa.gov, a page we went back to in August 2026.
  2. For Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and the primer cites pa.gov, a page we went back to in August 2026.
  3. For 15 Pa.C.S. § 8821 the primer cites pa.gov, a page we went back to in August 2026.
  4. For Pennsylvania formation fee: Filing fee, official source the primer cites pa.gov, a page we went back to in October 2026.
  5. For Pennsylvania registered agent statute the primer cites legis.state.pa.us, a page we went back to in October 2026.
  6. PA Registered Agent.org pricing page as of November 13, 2026
  7. Mainstay Filing Pennsylvania service page as of November 13, 2026
  8. Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co pricing page as of November 13, 2026