Skip to content
LLC Data Desk State LLC fee data, kept in one place.

Registered agent guide · Delaware

Delaware Registered Agent Requirements (2026): State Fees on File and the 3 Best Agents

Delaware 2026, a registered agent: the desk ranks Mainstay Filing ($149 a year), Delaware Registered Agent.ai ($99 a year) and DE Registered Agent.org ($99 a year), in that order. Requirement: a registered agent, no exceptions for LLCs. Annual state fees total $400; rank 47th of 50.

Desk note by LLC Data Desk ·

Delaware: data sheet

47thof fifty, yearly state cost1 = smallest bill. Full 50-state sheet
Registered agent required
YesPulled October 2026 from delcode.delaware.gov
Annual LLC Tax
$400 / yrDate set by the state: annual alternative-entity tax due on or before June 1. Pulled October 2026 from legis.delaware.gov
Total owed to the state, 1 yr
$400Yearly cost to the state after formation

Services ranked for Delaware

Criteria and weights: method.

1. Mainstay Filing: best for owners who may add states

Desk pick$149/yr, then $149/yr

We rank Mainstay Filing first. Reason: a single $149 agent plan that moves with the company into new states.

Three-year service fees: $150 above Delaware Registered Agent.ai. In return, more of the state's paperwork is done for you.

What the fee covers

  • Delaware street address, public record
  • No fee for same-business-day scanning of papers served on the company
  • Government mail: first three pieces each year scanned, no fee
  • Also open to nonprofits, corporations, LPs and LLPs

Pros

  • One provider, any state
  • $149 yearly, no step up

Cons

  • Delaware Registered Agent.ai charges $50 less per year
  • Reports are not filed under this plan
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

2. Delaware Registered Agent.ai: best for the smallest flat agent fee

Local pick$99/yr, then $99/yr

#2 is Delaware Registered Agent.ai: Delaware-only plan: $99 a year, $99 afterward.

What the fee covers

  • Physical Delaware address
  • Scans of papers served on the company

Pros

  • Costs less a year than Mainstay Filing
  • $99 yearly, no increase

Cons

  • Delaware only; other states need their own agent
  • You send in the Annual LLC Tax yourself
Visit Delaware Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

3. DE Registered Agent.org: best for an in-state office address

Local pick$99/yr, then $99/yr

#3 is DE Registered Agent.org: Delaware-only plan: $99 a year, $99 afterward.

Same prices as Delaware Registered Agent.ai.

What the fee covers

  • Physical Delaware address
  • Scans of papers served on the company

Pros

  • $99 yearly, no increase
  • Costs less a year than Mainstay Filing

Cons

  • Delaware only; other states need their own agent
  • You send in the Annual LLC Tax yourself
Visit DE Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Fees in a row

#ServiceAnnual feeRenewal feeService fees, 3 yrs
1Mainstay Filing$149$149/yr$447Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Delaware Registered Agent.ai$99$99/yr$297Visit Delaware Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3DE Registered Agent.org$99$99/yr$297Visit DE Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Fees pulled from each company's own pages on November 12, 2026. Switching agents does not change state fees.

Delaware agent cost calculator

Agent fees plus the state's recurring charges (the Annual LLC Tax from year two). Formation fees are left out.
Total, 3 years, Mainstay Filing: $1,247. State $800; service $447.

Delaware next to nearby ranks

RkStateYearly state fees
44thTennessee$300
46thNevada$350
47thDelaware$400
48thRhode Island$450
49thMassachusetts$500
Other states: Registered agent rules by state.

Delaware registered agent rules, in the state's words

Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. The address has to be a registered office in Delaware. An entity agent keeps a business office there that is generally open; an individual agent has to be generally present there. A virtual office or mail-forwarding service alone does not qualify.

Eligible: The LLC itself, a Delaware resident, or a business entity formed in Delaware or authorized to do business there. Per 6 Del. C. § 18-104.

Delaware LLC upkeep, 2026

$400 every year for the Annual LLC Tax, annual alternative-entity tax due on or before June 1. The state's letters go to the address of your registered agent.

Basis for the order

Deciding criterion for Delaware: scope of the price, at 29%.

An agent that works in every state outscored Delaware Registered Agent.ai's lower fee.

Quick answers

A registered agent required for Delaware LLCs?

Yes. Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

Who can be the registered agent for Delaware LLCs?

The LLC itself, a Delaware resident, or a business entity formed in Delaware or authorized to do business there.

Yearly cost of registered agent service for Delaware?

Our picks: $99 to $149 a year.

Yearly state fees on an LLC?

$400 a year on our yearly measure: the Annual LLC Tax ($400 every year).

Which registered agents are ranked here?

Mainstay Filing ($149 a year), Delaware Registered Agent.ai ($99 a year) and DE Registered Agent.org ($99 a year), listed best to weakest.

Which registered agent do you pick?

Pick Mainstay Filing: $149 yearly here and everywhere else; renewal $149. Next: Delaware Registered Agent.ai and DE Registered Agent.org.

Related files

Basis for this page

  1. Desk file: Delaware yearly filing: Recurring obligation, official source. Basis corp.delaware.gov; pulled October 2026.
  2. Desk file: Delaware yearly filing: Recurring obligation, official source. Basis corp.delaware.gov; pulled October 2026.
  3. Desk file: Delaware yearly filing: HB 400, official source. Basis legis.delaware.gov; pulled October 2026.
  4. Desk file: Delaware report due date. Basis delcode.delaware.gov; pulled August 2026.
  5. Desk file: 6 Del. Basis delcode.delaware.gov; pulled August 2026.
  6. Desk file: Delaware registered agent statute. Basis delcode.delaware.gov; pulled October 2026.
  7. Desk file: Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business Services. Basis tnbear.tn.gov; pulled August 2026.
  8. Desk file: Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business Services. Basis sos.tn.gov; pulled August 2026.
  9. Desk file: Tennessee yearly filing: Annual report: fee, official source. Basis sos.tn.gov; pulled October 2026.
  10. Desk file: Nevada yearly filing: Annual list + license: fees. Basis nvsos.gov; pulled October 2026.
  11. Desk file: Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division. Basis docs.sos.ri.gov; pulled August 2026.
  12. Desk file: Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division. Basis sos.ri.gov; pulled August 2026.
  13. Desk file: Rhode Island other cost. Basis tax.ri.gov; pulled October 2026.
  14. Desk file: Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth. Basis sec.state.ma.us; pulled August 2026.
  15. Desk file: Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth. Basis malegislature.gov; pulled August 2026.
  16. Delaware service page for Mainstay Filing, pulled November 12, 2026
  17. Pricing page for Delaware Registered Agent.ai, pulled November 12, 2026
  18. Pricing page for DE Registered Agent.org, pulled November 12, 2026