How to Change Your Registered Agent With the State (2026)

Quick answer

To change your registered agent to a new service, sign up with the new service first, then file your state's change of registered agent form with the new agent's name and in-state address, pay the state fee, and cancel the old service only after the state has accepted the change. Each state sets its own form and fee. In Texas, the Secretary of State uses Form 401 and charges $15; other states use their own forms and charge their own fees, so check with your state's business filing office before you file. Some services will prepare the change filing for a new customer, which can make the switch mostly hands-off.

What does changing a registered agent actually involve?

A registered agent receives official papers and legal documents on behalf of a business. The U.S. Small Business Administration explains that LLCs, corporations, partnerships, and nonprofit corporations need a registered agent in their state, and that the agent has to be located in the state where the business registers. The SBA also notes that many business owners prefer to use a registered agent service instead of filling the role themselves.

Changing agents has two parts. The commercial part is picking and paying a new provider. The legal part is telling the state, because the agent's name and address sit on the state's public record, and that record is what anyone looking up the business will see.

California shows how public that record is. The California Secretary of State's Business Entities FAQs explain that its Business Search contains the most current filings of record, including the agent's name and address. That is a matter of record, not opinion, and it is a common reason owners who named themselves at formation later move to a service.

How do you switch to a new registered agent service, step by step?

1. Find out who is on file now. Search for your business in your state's business records and note the exact legal name of the entity, any file or entity number shown, and the current agent's name and address. Having these ready makes the state form straightforward.
2. Sign up with the new service first. You need the new agent's exact name and in-state address to complete the state form, and the provider needs to have agreed to act for you. Ask whether the provider prepares and submits the state filing or leaves it to you. Practices differ, and the provider entries below note what each one says.
3. File the change with the state. Each state sets its own form, filing method, and fee. In Texas, it is Form 401 with a $15 fee. For any other state, go to the office that handles business registrations; the SBA notes that most states handle registration through the Secretary of State's office or a state business bureau or agency.
4. Confirm the change is on record. Save the state's acknowledgment, then check the public record and make sure it shows the new agent and address.
5. Cancel the old service after that. Turn off auto-renewal with the outgoing provider. Some providers may ask for proof that a new agent has been designated before they cancel, so keep the state's confirmation where you can find it.
6. Repeat for every state where the business is registered. The SBA explains that a business active in more than one state may need to foreign qualify in each one, and each registration requires an agent located in that state. A change filed in one state does not update another.

What does the Texas filing look like?

Texas is the state this page can describe in detail, because its filing and fee are published by the Texas Secretary of State. The office uses Form 401 for a change of registered agent or registered office, and the filing fee is $15. If your business is moving its registered office address at the same time as it changes agents, the same form covers it.

Texas also has a rule worth knowing before you pick a replacement. Per the Texas Secretary of State's Registered Agent FAQs, an entity may not serve as its own registered agent. An officer, owner, or employee may serve in an individual capacity, but the company itself cannot.

For any state other than Texas, this page does not name a form or quote a fee. Those details are set by each state and change over time, so the state's own filing office is the place to confirm them.

Can you name yourself or your own company instead?

Sometimes, but the rules depend on the state. In Texas, an individual connected to the business can serve, but the entity cannot be its own agent. The California Secretary of State's guidance on service of process says the same about the entity itself, and explains that corporations, LLCs, limited partnerships, and limited liability partnerships are required by law to designate an agent.

The trade-off in naming yourself is privacy. Whatever address is listed for the agent becomes part of the public record, and in California anyone can see it through Business Search. If your business is registered in a state not covered here, check that state's filing office for its rules rather than assuming the Texas or California rules apply.

Why does timing matter when you switch?

A gap in coverage is the main risk in a switch. The Texas Secretary of State warns that failing to maintain a registered agent may result in involuntary termination of a domestic entity, or revocation of a foreign entity's registration. Consequences in other states vary, but the safe sequence is the same everywhere.

Get the new agent active, file the change, wait for the state to accept it, and only then cancel the old service. Canceling first, or letting the old service lapse while the state filing is pending, is how businesses end up with no valid agent on record.

Which registered agent service should you switch to?

The five providers below are listed alphabetically, not ranked. Prices are as listed on each provider's own site on the date shown and may change. Where a provider leads with a first-year discount, the ongoing price comes first and the promotional price is labeled as promotional.

Bizee

Bizee, formerly known as Incfile, includes a free first year of registered agent service with its LLC formation packages (Basic $0, Standard $199, and Premium $299, each plus state fees). The renewal price after that year is not published on its LLC pricing page. The registered agent page does not say whether Bizee prepares the change filing as part of the service, so ask before signing up.

Best for: owners forming a new LLC who want the first year of agent service included.

Harbor Compliance

Harbor Compliance charges one national price rather than a per-state rate: $159 a year ongoing, with a promotional $99 first year. Its 2- and 3-year terms hold the $99 rate for the term and then renew at $159. Harbor is built for businesses with multi-state registrations and regulated filings, a scale that most formation-focused providers do not target. If your business is registered in many states or operates in a licensed industry, Harbor is the stronger fit.

Best for: multi-state and regulated businesses.

LegalZoom

LegalZoom does not publish its registered agent price on its LLC pricing page. The service auto-renews at the purchase rate, and the company notes that the renewal rate can change. Its main advantage for a switch is that it says it completes the switching paperwork and covers the state fees. When canceling, LegalZoom says it may ask for proof that a new agent has been designated with the state.

Best for: owners who want the switch handled end to end.

Northwest Registered Agent

Northwest Registered Agent charges $125 a year, the lowest ongoing price here, and includes a domain, website, business address, phone line, and mail scanning. Privacy is the whole proposition. If the reason for switching is to get a home address off the public record, Northwest deserves a serious look, and the included business address supports that goal.

Best for: owners whose main reason for switching is address privacy.

ZenBusiness

ZenBusiness charges $199 a year for registered agent service. Any introductory terms should be confirmed on the ZenBusiness page before counting on them. The service is available to businesses formed with other providers, but ZenBusiness says it does not currently offer it to PLLCs or nonprofits.

Its real advantage is consolidation. The same company sells compliance tracking, so one provider handles the agent and the recurring state deadlines that come with it.

Best for: owners who want their registered agent and ongoing state compliance with one provider.

How to choose between them

The right choice depends on why you're switching. If privacy is the reason, start with Northwest. If the business is registered in many states, Harbor Compliance is built for that. For most single-state LLCs and corporations that want the agent, annual report reminders, and filings handled in one place, ZenBusiness is the most practical choice.

Should you change anything else while you switch?

A registered agent change is a good time to look at the rest of the administrative setup, because the same records come up again. Check when your next annual report or state filing is due, and confirm that the business address and contact details the state holds are current. If those deadlines are spread across several vendors, consolidating them reduces the number of renewals to track.

The same applies to the books. Owners who are already moving the agent and compliance work to one provider sometimes add bookkeeping as well; ZenBusiness accounting is one option for keeping that under the same account. Whether that makes sense depends on how your bookkeeping is handled today, and a switch of agent does not require it.

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