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Statewise Business The state fee almanac for LLCs, sourced line by line.

Registered agent guide · Delaware

Delaware Registered Agents (2026): Official Rules, State Fees and the 3 Best Agents

For registered agent service in Delaware this year (2026), the order is Mainstay Filing ($149 a year), DE Registered Agent.org ($99 a year) and Delaware Registered Agent.ai ($99 a year). Each Delaware LLC keeps a registered agent on record. The state's recurring charges come to $400 a year, ranking 47th of 50.

Entry by the Statewise Business almanac desk ·

Delaware: the entry in figures

47thin the 50-state table, yearlyLowest fees rank first. The complete table
Registered agent required
Yesdelcode.delaware.gov (read October 2026)
Annual LLC Tax
$400 / yrFalls due: annual alternative-entity tax due on or before June 1. legis.delaware.gov (read October 2026)
State fees per year
$400What the state bills in a normal year

Delaware shortlist

Three-year service fees and filings covered count most; the methodology gives all five weights.

1. Mainstay Filing: best for businesses on the grow

Rank one$149 yearly (renews $149)

We enter Mainstay Filing first: $149 a year and the same at renewal, with every state covered.

DE Registered Agent.org comes in $150 lower across three years, yet coverage counts ahead of that gap in our method.

In the price

  • A street address for the registered office
  • Papers served on the company scanned within the same business day, free
  • Your first three government letters each year, scanned free
  • Serves LLCs, corporations, LPs, LLPs and nonprofits alike

Strengths

  • One provider for any state
  • A flat $149/yr

Weak points

  • DE Registered Agent.org charges $50 less each year
  • Report filing belongs to the formation package
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

2. DE Registered Agent.org: best for a one-state company

In-state option$99 yearly (renews $99)

Listed second: DE Registered Agent.org, because $99 a year flat, plus served papers scanned to you online.

In the price

  • A Delaware street address as the registered office
  • Served papers scanned into your online account

Strengths

  • Yearly price below Mainstay Filing
  • A flat $99/yr

Weak points

  • One state only
  • Annual LLC Tax stays with you
Visit DE Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

3. Delaware Registered Agent.ai: best for a local agent

In-state option$99 yearly (renews $99)

Listed third: Delaware Registered Agent.ai, because $99 a year flat, plus served papers scanned to you online.

On price it ties with DE Registered Agent.org.

In the price

  • A Delaware street address as the registered office
  • Served papers scanned into your online account

Strengths

  • Yearly price below Mainstay Filing
  • A flat $99/yr

Weak points

  • One state only
  • Annual LLC Tax stays with you
Visit Delaware Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

The 3 picks compared

#EntryPrice a yearRenewalService fees over three years
1Mainstay Filing$149$149/yr$447Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2DE Registered Agent.org$99$99/yr$297Visit DE Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Delaware Registered Agent.ai$99$99/yr$297Visit Delaware Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Prices as the companies publish them, taken November 12, 2026. Whichever agent you name, Delaware charges the same.

Agent and state fees, by year

Each agent's price is paired with the repeating state fees (the Annual LLC Tax from year two); formation fees are left out of the total.
Mainstay Filing for 3 years: $800 to the state, $447 to the service, $1,247 in all.

Delaware among its neighbors in the rank

PositionStateYearly state fees
44thTennessee$300
46thNevada$350
47thDelaware$400
48thRhode Island$450
49thMassachusetts$500
Find the other states in Registered agent rules by state.

What Delaware law says about a registered agent

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 qualifies as agent: The LLC itself, a Delaware resident, or a business entity formed in Delaware or authorized to do business there. Basis: 6 Del. C. § 18-104.

What Delaware bills every year

On top of the agent, the LLC files the Annual LLC Tax every year for $400, due annual alternative-entity tax due on or before June 1. A late filing costs $200.

Basis for the order

The deciding criterion in Delaware was requirements covered, weighted 28%.

One agent for any state beat the single-state option here.

Delaware registered agent questions

Is a registered agent compulsory in Delaware?

It is. Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

Who is allowed to act as the registered agent in Delaware?

The LLC itself, a Delaware resident, or a business entity formed in Delaware or authorized to do business there.

What does a Delaware registered agent charge each year?

The agents listed here charge $99 to $149 a year.

What does the state charge an LLC every year?

$400 a year on the almanac's yearly measure, which is the Annual LLC Tax ($400 every year).

Which registered agents does this entry list?

Mainstay Filing ($149 a year), DE Registered Agent.org ($99 a year) and Delaware Registered Agent.ai ($99 a year), from the first entry to the last.

Which registered agent should I choose?

Our entry order: Mainstay Filing (one $149 agent plan that stays with the company if it registers in more states), then DE Registered Agent.org and Delaware Registered Agent.ai.

See also

Citations for this entry

  1. Delaware yearly filing: Recurring obligation, official source, from corp.delaware.gov, last read October 2026
  2. Delaware yearly filing: Recurring obligation, official source, from corp.delaware.gov, last read October 2026
  3. Delaware yearly filing: HB 400, official source, from legis.delaware.gov, last read October 2026
  4. Delaware report due date, from delcode.delaware.gov, last read August 2026
  5. 6 Del, from delcode.delaware.gov, last read August 2026
  6. Delaware registered agent statute, from delcode.delaware.gov, last read October 2026
  7. Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business Services, from tnbear.tn.gov, last read August 2026
  8. Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business Services, from sos.tn.gov, last read August 2026
  9. Tennessee yearly filing: Annual report: fee, official source, from sos.tn.gov, last read October 2026
  10. Nevada yearly filing: Annual list + license: fees, from nvsos.gov, last read October 2026
  11. Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division, from docs.sos.ri.gov, last read August 2026
  12. Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division, from sos.ri.gov, last read August 2026
  13. Rhode Island other cost, from tax.ri.gov, last read October 2026
  14. Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, from sec.state.ma.us, last read August 2026
  15. Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, from malegislature.gov, last read August 2026
  16. Mainstay Filing: Delaware service page, recorded November 12, 2026
  17. DE Registered Agent.org: pricing page, recorded November 12, 2026
  18. Delaware Registered Agent.ai: pricing page, recorded November 12, 2026