Delaware state charges, charted
47th
on the yearly fee map, of 50
Delaware top picks
Criteria and weights behind this order are on the
method page.
Our pick
1. Mainstay Filing: best for businesses planning to spread out
$149 per year; $149 once it renews
Mainstay Filing leads the chart because $149 per year, no step up at renewal, and the same price on every state's map.
Delaware Registered Agent.ai is $150 lower over three years, and coverage is the criterion that pulls the other way.
Price covers
- A physical address on the public record
- Court papers or notices served on the company are scanned the same business day, with no fee
- Mail from government offices is scanned free, up to three pieces each year
- Not just for LLCs: corporations, LPs, LLPs and nonprofits can use it
Upside
- Any state, one price
- $149 each year
Downside
- $50 extra each year compared with Delaware Registered Agent.ai
- The agent role only; you send in the reports
Home-state option
2. Delaware Registered Agent.ai: best for founders who live in Delaware
$99 per year; $99 once it renews
Just behind comes Delaware Registered Agent.ai, where $99 per year gets an agent whose office address is inside the state.
Price covers
- Delaware office address on the public record
- Served documents arrive as scans in your login
Upside
- $99 yearly, no increase
- A smaller yearly bill than Mainstay Filing
Downside
- Delaware and nothing else
- You send in the Annual LLC Tax yourself
Home-state option
3. DE Registered Agent.org: best for a Delaware local
$99 per year; $99 once it renews
Just behind comes DE Registered Agent.org, where $99 per year gets an agent whose office address is inside the state.
Prices match Delaware Registered Agent.ai's exactly, so the two sit next to each other on the chart.
Price covers
- Delaware office address on the public record
- Served documents arrive as scans in your login
Upside
- $99 yearly, no increase
- A smaller yearly bill than Mainstay Filing
Downside
- Delaware and nothing else
- You send in the Annual LLC Tax yourself
The 3 providers compared
All prices here are as the companies showed them on November 12, 2026. Any agent, same state bill.
Agent and state fees, year by year
Each agent's price is added to the state charges that repeat (the Annual LLC Tax from year two). The formation fee is not part of the total.
Delaware and the states beside it on the chart
Delaware registered agent requirements by statute
Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street 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.
Who may be named: The LLC itself, a Delaware resident, or a business entity formed in Delaware or authorized to do business there. The rule comes from 6 Del. C. § 18-104.
What Delaware bills each year
The state writes to your registered agent about the Annual LLC Tax, which costs $400 every year and is due annual alternative-entity tax due on or before June 1.
What put the first pick first
For Delaware, the criterion that decided it was requirements handled, at 24%.
An agent that goes with you into every state outscored Delaware Registered Agent.ai's lower price.
Delaware FAQ
Is a registered agent required for every Delaware LLC?
Yes. Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.
Who qualifies as the registered agent for a Delaware LLC?
The LLC itself, a Delaware resident, or a business entity formed in Delaware or authorized to do business there.
How much does Delaware registered agent service run each year?
The agents ranked here charge $99 to $149 per year.
What does the state bill an LLC every year?
$400 per year by our yearly measure, which is the Annual LLC Tax ($400 every year).
Which registered agents does this chart rank?
Mainstay Filing ($149 a year), Delaware Registered Agent.ai ($99 a year) and DE Registered Agent.org ($99 a year), in ranked order.
Which registered agent should I use?
Our route runs through Mainstay Filing: a single $149 agent plan that goes along when the company registers in another state. After it, Delaware Registered Agent.ai and DE Registered Agent.org.
Where each number comes from
- Figure on Delaware yearly filing: Recurring obligation, official source: corp.delaware.gov (seen October 2026).
- Figure on Delaware yearly filing: Recurring obligation, official source: corp.delaware.gov (seen October 2026).
- Figure on Delaware yearly filing: HB 400, official source: legis.delaware.gov (seen October 2026).
- Figure on Delaware report due date: delcode.delaware.gov (seen August 2026).
- Figure on 6 Del: delcode.delaware.gov (seen August 2026).
- Figure on Delaware registered agent statute: delcode.delaware.gov (seen October 2026).
- Figure on Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business Services: tnbear.tn.gov (seen August 2026).
- Figure on Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business Services: sos.tn.gov (seen August 2026).
- Figure on Tennessee yearly filing: Annual report: fee, official source: sos.tn.gov (seen October 2026).
- Figure on Nevada yearly filing: Annual list + license: fees: nvsos.gov (seen October 2026).
- Figure on Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division: docs.sos.ri.gov (seen August 2026).
- Figure on Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division: sos.ri.gov (seen August 2026).
- Figure on Rhode Island other cost: tax.ri.gov (seen October 2026).
- Figure on Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth: sec.state.ma.us (seen August 2026).
- Figure on Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth: malegislature.gov (seen August 2026).
- Mainstay Filing, Delaware service page; company page seen November 12, 2026
- Delaware Registered Agent.ai, pricing page; company page seen November 12, 2026
- DE Registered Agent.org, pricing page; company page seen November 12, 2026