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Formation ClassClass is in session: LLC paperwork, state by state.

Session 2 · Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Registered Agent Class (2026): 6 Assignments and the 3 Best Agents

If you want help getting a registered agent in Pennsylvania in 2026, the top grades go to PA Registered Agent.org ($99 a year), Mainstay Filing ($149 a year) and Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co ($99 a year), in that order. 6 assignments cover the rule, who is eligible, the address test and the filing.

Taught by the Formation Class faculty

Key facts for this class

The requirementThis state has its own ruleSource for this: legis.state.pa.us, October 2026
Service prices$99 to $149 a yearAs each company lists them
Annual report$7 a yearSource for this: pa.gov, October 2026
Class assignments6Each one explained

By the end you will know

  • The legal requirement
  • Eligibility and address rules
  • Naming the agent with the state
  • Who we would hire as agent

The Pennsylvania honor roll

Graded on the grading page: three-year tuition (30%), homework done (34%), year-two tuition, fit with the Pennsylvania class and fees a student can read.
Highest grade

1. PA Registered Agent.org: best for owners with a tight budget

First year $99; renewal $99

PA Registered Agent.org earns the top grade in Pennsylvania: a street address inside the state for the registered office, at $99 a year.

Tuition breaks the tie: three years run cheaper here than at Mainstay Filing.

Covered by the tuition

  • A physical address in Pennsylvania
  • Scans of anything served on the LLC

Strengths

  • $99 per year
  • Costs less per year than Mainstay Filing

Weak spots

  • No help in other states
  • Annual report is left out of the price
Works in every state

2. Mainstay Filing: best for companies working in several states

First year $149; renewal $149

Mainstay Filing makes a respectable second: a flat $149 a year, whichever state the LLC sits in.

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

Covered by the tuition

  • A Pennsylvania street address for the record
  • Scans of papers served on the company, free and on the same business day
  • Three government letters a year are scanned free
  • Also serves nonprofits, corporations, LPs and LLPs

Strengths

  • The same provider anywhere
  • A flat $149 yearly

Weak spots

  • $50 a year above PA Registered Agent.org
  • This plan does not file your reports
One-state plan

3. Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co: best for another local option

First year $99; renewal $99

Our third pick, Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co: a street address inside the state for the registered office, at $99 a year.

It charges exactly what PA Registered Agent.org charges.

Covered by the tuition

  • A physical address in Pennsylvania
  • Scans of anything served on the LLC

Strengths

  • $99 per year
  • Costs less per year than Mainstay Filing

Weak spots

  • No help in other states
  • Annual report is left out of the price

3 services, side by side

#ServiceAnnual priceRenewal priceThree-year total
1PA Registered Agent.org$99$99/yr$297Visit PA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Mainstay Filing$149$149/yr$447Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co$99$99/yr$297Visit Pennsylvania Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Prices come from each company's own site, read November 13, 2026. Pennsylvania charges the same either way.

Naming a Pennsylvania registered agent, assignment by assignment

  1. Assignment
    1

    Start with the rule

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

    Textbook page: Source for this: legis.state.pa.us, October 2026

  2. Assignment
    2

    Check who is eligible

    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. (15 Pa.C.S. § 8825)

  3. Assignment
    3

    The address rule

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

    Paying a service keeps your home address out of public records.

  4. Assignment
    4

    Choose between acting alone and hiring

    Qualify and you can serve yourself. A professional from the grade list runs $99 to $149 per year.

  5. Assignment
    5

    Put the agent on the state's record

    The agent of a brand-new LLC is listed on the Certificate of Organization (Form DSCB:15-8821), sent to the Pennsylvania Secretary of State. Swapping agents later means filing an amendment with the same office.

    Textbook page: Source for this: pa.gov, October 2026

  6. Assignment
    6

    Track the recurring filing

    Pennsylvania keeps your agent's details current through the annual report ($7, every year, due September 30); notices about it land with the registered agent.

    Textbook page: Source for this: pa.gov, October 2026

Agent and state costs

ItemGoes toSum
Agent serviceThe provider$99 to $149 a year
Agent renewalThe provider$99 to $149 a year
Annual reportState agency$7 every year
Anything paid to Pennsylvania is an official fee you can look up on the pages listed below. The three-year row combines the filing, two later reports and a minimum tax where there is one, and service prices are not part of it.

Why the list runs this way

Tuition across three years makes up 30% of the grade, and that is where got ahead in Pennsylvania.

PA Registered Agent.org comes to $297 across three years, a saving of $150 next to Mainstay Filing.

Pennsylvania questions

Does Pennsylvania require every 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?

The rule in assignment 1 makes it optional, so assignments 2 and 3 apply only if you appoint an agent.

Can I change my registered agent later?

Yes. A switch takes a change filing at the Pennsylvania Secretary of State (assignment 5).

What does a registered agent cost in Pennsylvania?

$99 to $149 per year for the agents listed.

What does the LLC pay the state each year?

Mainly the annual report, $7 every year.

Which registered agent would you choose?

Pick PA Registered Agent.org: $99 a year, with scanned copies of served papers placed in an online account. Then Mainstay Filing and Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co.

See also

Textbook pages and extra reading

  1. The Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and lesson rests on pa.gov, read again in August 2026; check our work against it.
  2. The Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and lesson rests on pa.gov, read again in August 2026; check our work against it.
  3. The 15 Pa.C.S. § 8821 lesson rests on pa.gov, read again in August 2026; check our work against it.
  4. The Pennsylvania formation fee: Filing fee, official source lesson rests on pa.gov, read again in October 2026; check our work against it.
  5. The Pennsylvania registered agent statute lesson rests on legis.state.pa.us, read again in October 2026; check our work against it.
  6. Pulled November 13, 2026: pricing page from PA Registered Agent.org
  7. Pulled November 13, 2026: Pennsylvania service page from Mainstay Filing
  8. Pulled November 13, 2026: pricing page from Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co