Virginia charges $100 to form an LLC, online or on paper, and a $50 annual registration fee due by the end of the month you formed. The state says online filings are approved faster, in some cases the same day.
Northwest charges $39 plus the state fee and includes a year of registered agent service, an operating agreement and a business address to keep your home address off public filings. After year one the agent is $125 a year. It has one package, so there are no tiers to compare.
$39 + state fee
Pros
$39 includes a year of registered agent, an operating agreement and a business address
Registered agent renews at a flat $125/yr
Cancel any service in the portal with no fee
Cons
EIN is a $50 add-on ($200 without an SSN)
Annual report filing is auto-enrolled at $100 + state fee unless you opt out
Lower Trustpilot score (4.1, 318 reviews) than the big brands
MyCompanyWorks has filed LLCs since 2001. Every package includes an operating agreement, and it has the longest refund window here at 90 days. Its $79 Basic order form pre-checks an EIN, a registered agent and a $99 license package, so untick what you don't need.
$79 + state fee
Pros
Operating agreement, minutes and banking resolution in every package
90-day refund or fix guarantee (minus government fees)
Registered agent at $119/yr, among the cheaper renewals
Cons
Basic checkout pre-checks EIN ($69), agent ($119/yr) and a $99 license package
Agent forwards 3 lawsuit notices a year free, then $18 each
Few independent reviews: 2.5/5 from only 5 on Trustpilot
Bizee, formerly Incfile, files your LLC for $0 and includes a free first year of registered agent service, then $149 a year. The $0 Basic plan is slow (Bizee quotes 4 to 6 weeks in total), and refunds end once your fee goes to the state, usually within 24 hours.
$0 + state fee
Pros
$0 Basic includes a free first year of registered agent
Registered agent renews at $149/yr, below ZenBusiness and LegalZoom
4.8/5 on Trustpilot from 26,442 reviews
Cons
Basic takes about 4 to 6 weeks; Standard about 2 weeks
Refunds end once fees go to the state, usually within 24 hours
EIN ($70) and operating agreement ($99) cost extra on Basic
The EIN is free from the IRS if you apply yourself (IRS EIN), which takes $50 off Northwest and $70 off Bizee.
Why these picks for Virginia
Northwest is the cheapest first year and keeps its agent at $125 a year (Northwest agent). Since Virginia's yearly duty is a $50 payment, Northwest's auto-enrolled annual report service at $100 plus the state fee (Northwest annual report) is easy to drop. Opt out in the portal and pay the SCC directly.
MyCompanyWorks has the lowest agent renewal of the three at $119 a year (MyCompanyWorks agent) and a 90-day refund window (MyCompanyWorks guarantee). It files the same business day if you order by 3pm EST (MyCompanyWorks LLC), which pairs well with Virginia's same-day online approvals.
Bizee costs nothing beyond the state fee if you skip the extras, with a free first year of agent service, then $149 (Bizee agent). Basic is slow, 4 to 6 weeks in total by Bizee's own quote.
Virginia traps to avoid
The due date moves with you. It is the last day of your formation month, not a fixed date for everyone, so a company formed in March pays by March 31 each year.
Cancellation comes quickly. Miss the fee and the state adds $25, then cancels the LLC after about three months (SCC).
Avoid attachments in an online filing unless you need them; they add five business days.