To change your registered agent, sign up with the new service, file your state's change-of-agent form with the state filing office (Texas uses Form 401 and charges $15), and cancel the old agent only after the state's record shows the new one. If you want the agent and your ongoing state filings handled by one company, ZenBusiness is the fit: its registered agent service is $199 a year as of October 6, 2026, and it offers compliance support from the same company.
How do you change your registered agent to a new service?
Changing agents is a state filing, not a handoff between two companies. The new agent has to agree to serve, and the state's record has to be updated to show it. The order below keeps your business covered the whole time.
- Pick a service that covers your state and entity type. Confirm the service operates in every state where your business is registered and accepts your kind of entity before you sign up.
- Sign up before you file. The new agent's name and in-state address are what go on the form, so the account has to exist first.
- File the change with the state. In Texas, that means Form 401, and the Texas Secretary of State charges $15 to change the registered agent or registered office. Forms, fees and filing methods differ from state to state. The National Association of Secretaries of State links to each state's business registration office, and the IRS keeps a directory of state government websites with links for doing business in each state.
- Confirm the record changed. The California Secretary of State's Business Search shows the most current filings of record, including the agent's name and address, so a California business can verify the switch there. If your state offers a business search, use it the same way.
- Cancel the old agent last. Wait until the state shows the new agent before canceling, and check the old provider's renewal terms so you are not billed for another year of service you no longer use.
What happens if there is a gap between agents?
A gap 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 to do business in Texas.
You also cannot cover the gap by naming the company itself. Texas does not allow an entity to serve as its own registered agent, although an officer, owner or employee may serve in an individual capacity. California takes the same position: a business entity cannot act as its own agent for service of process, and corporations, LLCs, limited partnerships and limited liability partnerships are "required by statute to designate an agent for service of process," according to the California Secretary of State.
Outside Texas and California, the rules on who may serve, and what follows when an agent lapses, vary by state. Your state's filing office is the authority.
What does "handles the change filing" actually mean?
Providers use the phrase for three different levels of service, and the difference shows up in what you pay.
- Files the change and pays the state fee. Northwest Registered Agent and LegalZoom both say this on their own pages.
- Files or helps file, with fee terms unpublished. Bizee sells a change-of-agent filing service, and Harbor Compliance says it will handle the full process if you contact it. Neither says on its pages whether the state fee is included.
- Supplies the forms. Harbor Compliance gives new customers state forms pre-filled with its agent address, which you then submit.
In a state with a $15 fee, the gap between those levels is small. Fees vary by state, though, so ask before you order.
The five services
The order below is alphabetical, not a ranking. Prices are as of October 6, 2026, taken from each provider's own pages; where a provider leads with a first-term discount, the ongoing price comes first and the promotional one is labeled.
Bizee
Bizee does not publish its registered agent renewal price on its pricing page, and sells a separate change-of-agent filing service for existing businesses. It includes one free year of registered agent service with each of its formation packages: Basic at $0, Standard at $199 and Premium at $299, each plus state fees. That free year is tied to forming a business, so a company switching in should confirm the annual price at sign-up. Bizee does not publish the price of the change filing itself or whether it covers the state fee.
Best for: owners who want an agent from a formation company and are comfortable confirming the filing cost first.
Harbor Compliance
Harbor Compliance charges $159 a year on an ongoing basis. New customers get a promotional $99 first year, and two- and three-year terms hold $99 a year before renewing at $159. On sign-up it provides state forms pre-filled with its address, and it says it will handle the whole change on request, without publishing a price for that service. Its entity-tracking software and bulk changeover support are built for companies registered in several states, a scale ZenBusiness does not target.
Best for: businesses registered in multiple states, or anyone moving several entities at once.
LegalZoom
LegalZoom does not publish a registered agent price on its LLC pricing page. Its plan includes completing the paperwork to switch agents, with state fees covered.
Best for: owners who already use LegalZoom for other legal services and want everything in one account.
Northwest Registered Agent
Northwest Registered Agent charges $125 a year, and says it prepares and submits the change filing and pays the state fee when you hire it. It lists its own address on public filings by default and bundles a business address, mail scanning, a domain, a website and a phone line. Of the five, it has the lowest published ongoing price and the clearest published promise to file the change at no extra cost.
Best for: owners whose main goal is a cheap, fully handled switch, or keeping a home address off the public record.
ZenBusiness
ZenBusiness charges $199 a year for registered agent service. Ask before ordering whether it prepares the change filing or covers the state fee.
Introductory terms change, so check them on the ZenBusiness page at sign-up. Registered agent service is a $199 annual add-on on every formation package. Where ZenBusiness earns its place is consolidation: it offers compliance support alongside the agent, so the agent and the recurring state filings can sit with one provider.
Best for: owners who want the agent and compliance handled by one company.
Side-by-side: what each service says about the switch
| Provider | Ongoing agent price | Promotional or first-year terms | Who prepares the change filing | State fee covered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bizee | Not published | Free first year with a formation package | Bizee sells a change filing service | Not published |
| Harbor Compliance | $159/yr | $99 first year for new customers | Pre-filled forms; full handling on request | Not published |
| LegalZoom | Not published | Not published | LegalZoom | Yes, per LegalZoom |
| Northwest Registered Agent | $125/yr | None listed | Northwest | Yes, per Northwest |
| ZenBusiness | $199/yr | Check at sign-up | Ask at sign-up | Not published |
Rows are alphabetical. All prices are as of October 6, 2026, from each provider's own pages.
When does switching to ZenBusiness make sense?
Many people switch agents because the original arrangement has become patchy: a former accountant who agreed to serve, or a formation company they no longer use for anything else. If the switch is part of tidying that up, putting the agent alongside annual reports with one provider removes a second vendor and a second set of deadlines to track.
The case is stronger if the switch comes with a new entity, such as a separate LLC for a new venture. As of October 6, 2026, ZenBusiness formation runs from Starter at $0 to Pro at $199 and Premium at $299, each plus state fees, with Pro and Premium renewing at those annual prices. The EIN and operating agreement are included from Pro up and cost $99 each on Starter. When you form an LLC or corporation with ZenBusiness, it also includes a free accounting consultation.
Does the new agent's address change what the public sees?
Yes. The agent's name and address are part of the public record, which is why the California Secretary of State's Business Search can display them. When a commercial agent takes over, its address replaces yours in that field.
That is the whole basis of the privacy argument for using a service, and it is a matter of record rather than opinion. If the old agent was you, at your home address, the switch moves that address off the agent line going forward.
Sources
- Texas Secretary of State, "Form 401 Instructions, Change of Registered Agent or Office"
- Texas Secretary of State, "Registered Agent FAQs"
- California Secretary of State, "Frequently Asked Questions"
- National Association of Secretaries of State, "Corporate Registration"
- Internal Revenue Service, "State Government Websites"
- California Secretary of State, "Service of Process"
This article is general information, not legal, tax or accounting advice, and registered agent requirements vary by state and change over time.