Changing Agents: Filings, Fees and Avoiding a Lapse (2026)

Quick answer: what happens if an LLC doesn't have a registered agent?

An LLC without a registered agent is out of compliance with the state that formed or registered it, and that state's law decides what happens next. In Texas, the Secretary of State says failing to maintain a registered agent may result in involuntary termination of a domestic entity, or revocation of a foreign entity's registration. California requires LLCs by statute to designate an agent for service of process. Other states set their own consequences, so the filing office in the state concerned is the place to confirm them.

The fix is a change filing with the state, made before the old agent stops serving. In Texas that filing is Form 401, and the state fee is $15.

What does a registered agent actually do?

The U.S. Small Business Administration describes a registered agent as the person or company that receives official papers and legal documents on a business's behalf. Its guidance says an LLC, corporation, partnership or nonprofit corporation needs a registered agent in its state before it files, and that the agent must be located in the state where the business registers. The SBA also notes that many owners use a registered agent service rather than take the role on themselves.

The title varies by state. California calls the role an agent for service of process, while Texas uses registered agent. The job is the same: a fixed, reachable point in the state where legal papers and official notices can be delivered.

What happens if an LLC has no registered agent?

The direct answer depends on the state, because registered agent law is state law. Two of the largest states have published their positions clearly, and they are worth reading closely.

Texas. The Texas Secretary of State says that failing to maintain a registered agent may result in involuntary termination of a domestic entity. For a foreign entity, meaning one formed in another state and registered to do business in Texas, the consequence it names is revocation of that registration. Neither outcome is a simple late fee: each goes to whether the entity can keep operating in Texas.

California. The California Secretary of State says corporations, LLCs, limited partnerships and limited liability partnerships are "required by statute to designate an agent for service of process." It also says an entity cannot act as its own agent. This page does not state California's specific penalty for a lapse, and the Secretary of State's office is the place to confirm it.

Every other state. Each state writes its own rule, and the rules differ. Where a state is not covered here, the reliable source is that state's business filing office, usually the Secretary of State, rather than a general summary. Businesses registered in more than one state have more to watch: the SBA notes that a business active in several states may need to foreign qualify in each, and the Texas rule shows a lapse can cost a foreign registration even when the home-state entity is in good order.

How can a switch lead to a lapse?

A gap can open in several ways. A service may be canceled or allowed to expire before a replacement is on file. The individual named as agent may move or stop being available. Or the owner may change providers and assume the new one took effect the moment the contract was signed.

The common thread is sequence. The state works from its own record, not from the contract between the business and its agent. That is why the order matters: the new agent should be on file with the state before the old one stops serving.

Some providers build this sequence into their terms. LegalZoom, for example, says it may ask for proof that a new registered agent has been designated with the state before it processes a cancellation. That is a safeguard against a lapse, not an obstacle to leaving.

How do you change a registered agent without a gap?

The details vary by state, but the order of operations that avoids a lapse is the same everywhere.

1. Choose the new agent and confirm it will serve. If the new agent is an individual, check the state's rules first. In Texas, an officer, owner or employee may serve in an individual capacity, but the LLC itself may not. If the new agent is a service, sign up before filing so its details are ready for the form.
2. File the change with the state. Each state has its own form and fee. Texas uses Form 401 and charges $15, as the worked example below shows. Some providers prepare and submit this filing as part of signing up.
3. Keep the old agent active until the state confirms. Do not cancel the outgoing service on the day the form goes in.
4. Check the public record. Look the entity up in the state's online business search where one exists. California's Business Search, for example, shows the current agent's name and address. Once the new agent appears, the change has taken effect.
5. Cancel the old service and turn off auto-renewal. Then file the confirmations with the company records.

Processing times differ by state and by filing method, and this page does not state them. Keeping both services active until the state record shows the new agent is the simplest way to avoid a gap.

Worked example: changing a registered agent in Texas

Texas makes a useful example because its rules are published plainly and its fee is low.

The filing. The entity files Form 401, Change of Registered Agent or Registered Office, with the Texas Secretary of State. The same form covers a change of registered agent and a change of registered office.

The fee. The Texas Secretary of State charges $15 for the change. That fee goes to the state, it is separate from anything a provider charges, and it should be budgeted as its own line.

Who can be named. An officer, owner, or employee may serve as registered agent in an individual capacity, or the entity can appoint a commercial service. The entity itself cannot be its own registered agent.

What it costs in practice. The real cost is the state's $15 plus the provider's annual price, kept as two separate figures. Three examples, listed in alphabetical order:

• A Texas LLC moving to Harbor Compliance pays $15 to the state and $159 a year to Harbor Compliance on an ongoing basis, with a promotional first year at $99.
• LegalZoom says it covers state fees when a business switches its registered agent to LegalZoom, so the $15 would not be paid separately on top of its annual price, which LegalZoom does not publish on its LLC pricing page.
• A Texas LLC moving to ZenBusiness pays $15 to the state and $199 a year to ZenBusiness.

If a lapse has already happened. If a Texas entity has already been terminated or had its registration revoked, the route back runs through the Texas Secretary of State. The filing office is the place to start, before any provider is involved.

Why the agent's address matters: the California example

The California Secretary of State says its Business Search contains the most current filings of record, including the name and address of the agent for service of process. That makes the agent's address a public fact rather than a private detail. An owner who names themself as an agent at a home address puts that home address on the record.

This is the real basis of the privacy argument for using a commercial agent, and it is a matter of record rather than marketing. Anyone switching from self-service to a provider, or from one provider to another, should check afterward that the public listing shows the address they intended.

What does a new registered agent cost in 2026?

The five providers below are listed in alphabetical order, not in order of preference. Editorial judgment is in the "best for" lines. Prices come from each provider's own pages as of October 6, 2026. Ongoing prices are given first, and promotional rates are labeled.

Bizee

Bizee sells formation packages at Basic $0, Standard $199 and Premium $299, each plus state fees, and every package includes one free year of registered agent service. As of October 6, 2026, the renewal price after the free formation year is not published on its LLC pricing page, so that figure should be confirmed before relying on it.

Bizee also lists a change of registered agent filing among its compliance services, which is relevant for an owner moving an existing entity.

Best for: owners forming a new entity who want the first agent year folded into the formation package.

Harbor Compliance

Harbor Compliance charges $159 a year on an ongoing basis. Its promotional first year is $99, and its two- and three-year terms hold $99 a year before renewing at $159. It quotes one national price rather than a per-state figure.

Harbor Compliance is built for multi-state and regulated filings at a scale ZenBusiness does not target. For a business registered in several states, a single provider with one national rate simplifies the switch considerably.

Best for: businesses registered in several states, or in regulated industries, that want one agent and one price everywhere.

LegalZoom

LegalZoom does not publish its registered agent price on its LLC pricing page as of October 6, 2026, and the service auto-renews at the purchase rate until canceled. Its terms say the renewal rate is subject to change. Its formation packages run Basic $0 plus state fees, Managed Service $249 and Expert Service $999.

For switchers, the notable point is that LegalZoom says it completes the paperwork to change agents and covers the state fees. On the way out, it may ask for proof that a new agent has been designated before canceling.

Best for: owners who want the change filing and its state fee handled entirely by the provider.

Northwest Registered Agent

Northwest Registered Agent charges $125 a year for registered agent service. That price includes a free domain, website, business address, phone line and mail scanning.

Privacy is the center of Northwest's offer, and it is the name that comes up most often on keeping an address off the public record. For an owner whose main reason for switching is getting a home address out of a state business search, Northwest deserves a serious look, and at $125 a year it costs less than ZenBusiness.

Best for: owners switching primarily for address privacy who want the lowest ongoing price in this group.

ZenBusiness

ZenBusiness charges $199 a year for registered agent service, as of October 6, 2026. Any introductory terms should be checked on the ZenBusiness page, and an existing LLC switching in should expect the $199 rate unless checkout shows otherwise.

The service takes entities whether or not ZenBusiness formed them, but it is not offered to PLLCs or nonprofits. ZenBusiness says it monitors state notices sent to the agent address. At $199 it pairs the agent with compliance tracking.

Its formation packages are Starter $0 plus state fees, Pro $199 and Premium $299, with Pro and Premium renewing at their annual prices. Registered agent service is sold as an add-on across those packages.

Best for: owners who want formation, registered agent and ongoing compliance filings from one provider with one renewal date, and owners consolidating an entity formed elsewhere into a single account.

What should go in the company records after the change?

A switch leaves a paper trail, and keeping it in one place makes the next change, audit or bank request easier. Four items are worth keeping together.

• The filed change form and the state's acceptance of it, such as a Texas Form 401 and its confirmation.
• The new agent's service agreement, with its renewal date and price noted.
• A dated copy of the state business search listing showing the new agent of record.
• The old provider's cancellation confirmation, so no one later wonders whether two agents were being paid.

For owners still at the formation stage, the order of setup matters more than any single tool: the entity first, then the EIN, then a separate business account, and then the books. ZenBusiness includes the EIN and operating agreement from its Pro package up, and charges $99 each for them on Starter. Customers who form an LLC or corporation with it also receive a free accounting consultation covering first-year bookkeeping and tax needs, according to ZenBusiness.

Common questions about changing registered agents

Can an LLC be its own registered agent?

Not in Texas or California. Both states' filing offices say the entity cannot serve as its own agent. In Texas, an officer, owner or employee may serve individually. Other states set their own rules, so check with the relevant filing office.

Is there a fee to change agents?

Texas charges $15 on Form 401. Other states set their own fees, and some providers say they cover the state fee for customers switching to them. Keep the state fee and the provider's price separate when comparing.

Does a business need a separate agent in each state?

The SBA's guidance ties the agent to the state where the business registers, and a business active in more than one state may need to foreign qualify in each. Each state registration should be checked separately, since Texas, for one, can revoke a foreign entity's registration for failing to maintain an agent.

When is it safe to cancel the old agent?

After the state's record shows the new agent. Canceling before then risks leaving the entity without an agent on file.

This is general information, not legal, tax or accounting advice, and registered agent requirements vary by state and change over time.