Northwest Registered Agent Review 2027: Pros, Cons and Verdict

Who Northwest is for (and who should skip it)

Northwest fits you if you want the lowest total cost over the first few years and don't need a big menu of packages. There is one package at $39, and it includes a year of registered agent service, an operating agreement and a business address (Northwest LLC page).

The business address matters more than it looks, because it keeps your home address off public filings. It comes free with the agent and includes 10 mail scans (Northwest business address).

Skip it if you want a company to handle everything in one bundle, EIN included, or if a large pile of reviews matters to you. Its Trustpilot score is 4.1 from 318 reviews, well below the bigger brands (Trustpilot).

This review is based on research of Northwest's own pages, terms and public reviews, checked on November 12, 2026, and not on a purchase. Prices below exclude the state filing fee.

What you pay in year one and year two

Item	Year one	Year two
LLC package	$39	$0 (one-time)
Registered agent	Included	$125
EIN	$50	$0
Operating agreement	Included	$0
Total	$89	$125

The EIN is a $50 add-on, or $200 if you have no SSN (Northwest EIN). You can skip that fee entirely. The IRS lets you get an EIN yourself online for free (IRS), which drops year one to $39.

After year one the agent is $125 a year. Northwest says it hasn't raised that price in 20 years, and it charges $100 a year per state if you use it in 5 or more states (Northwest registered agent). The agent service has no per-document charges and covers up to 15 legal documents a year (Northwest terms).

If you want more mail handling, the paid mail plans are $49 a year for 15 scans or $99 a year for 20 scans plus an office lease (Northwest mail forwarding).

Renewals and checkout traps

The one charge to watch is the annual report. When you sign up for the agent, Northwest auto-enrolls you in annual report filing and charges $100 plus the state fee about 90 days before your deadline (Northwest annual report). If you plan to file the report yourself on the state website, opt out in your account. If you keep it, year two in a state with an annual report is $225 plus the state fee, not $125.

Both the agent and the annual report bill by auto-pay. You can cancel any service in the online portal with no fee (Northwest terms). That is easier than most rivals, where cancelling the agent can mean a phone call or proof of a state filing.

One small mismatch: Northwest's FAQ page still says the LLC service is "$100 plus state fees" (Northwest FAQ), while its LLC page says $39 (Northwest LLC page). The LLC page is the order page, so expect $39.

Northwest submits your filing the same day. The state's own processing time is extra and no company can skip it (Northwest LLC page).

Refunds

Northwest's terms say fees are generally nonrefundable after 90 days, and state fees are never refunded (Northwest terms). That leaves a fair window to change your mind on the agent, but don't count on getting the state fee back once your filing is in.

Non-US founders

Northwest forms LLCs for non-US founders in any state for the same $39 (Northwest international). The EIN without an SSN costs $200 through Northwest, so budget for that, or for the time to apply with the IRS yourself.

Bottom line

Northwest costs $89 in year one with an EIN, or $39 if you get the EIN from the IRS, and $125 a year after that. Opt out of the auto-enrolled annual report if you will file it yourself, and it stays the cheapest option over several years.