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Filing MapperRoutes through every state's LLC paperwork, priced leg by leg.

Registered agent guide · Delaware

Delaware Registered Agent Route (2026): Rules, State Fees and the 3 Best Agents

Plotting a registered agent in Delaware for 2026, the route we recommend runs Mainstay Filing ($149 a year), DE Registered Agent.org ($99 a year) and Delaware Registered Agent.ai ($99 a year). A registered agent is a fixed stop on the route. The state's own yearly charges: $400, or 47th of 50.

Surveyed by the Filing Mapper team

Delaware survey figures

47th

of 50 when a year of tolls is added

Mile 1 is the lightest toll. Compare the neighbors

Registered agent required
Yes
Survey of delcode.delaware.gov, October 2026
Annual LLC Tax
$400 / yr
The checkpoint closes, in the state's words: annual alternative-entity tax due on or before June 1. Survey of legis.delaware.gov, October 2026
State toll, one year
$400
Tolls that keep coming after entry, per year

Delaware route picks

How the stops were ordered: cost over three years, steps covered, renewal, Delaware fit, fee labeling (method).

1. Mainstay Filing: best for companies that might cross into other states

Stop oneLap one $149; lap two $149

Begin at Mainstay Filing, since a single $149 agent fare that goes along if the company crosses into another state.

Its three-year provider cost runs $150 above DE Registered Agent.org's, and in exchange more of the state's checkpoints are cleared for you.

The fare covers

  • Street address in Delaware on the public map
  • If papers are served on the company, they are scanned the same business day at no cost
  • Letters from government offices are scanned free, the first three each year
  • The same service runs for corporations, partnerships and nonprofits

On the plus side

  • Good in each of the fifty states
  • A flat $149/yr

On the minus side

  • Costs $50 more a year than DE Registered Agent.org
  • Report filing rides with the formation package, not this ticket
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

2. DE Registered Agent.org: best for companies that stay inside Delaware

Local pickLap one $99; lap two $99

Farther along, DE Registered Agent.org, where a flat $99 each year, and papers served on the company are scanned and forwarded.

The fare covers

  • Street address the state can reach
  • Papers served are scanned into your account

On the plus side

  • $99 per lap
  • Under Mainstay Filing on the yearly fare

On the minus side

  • A one-state route
  • No help clearing the Annual LLC Tax
Visit DE Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

3. Delaware Registered Agent.ai: best for a nearby agent

Local pickLap one $99; lap two $99

Farther along, Delaware Registered Agent.ai, where a flat $99 each year, and papers served on the company are scanned and forwarded.

Compared with DE Registered Agent.org, the fares come out level.

The fare covers

  • Street address the state can reach
  • Papers served are scanned into your account

On the plus side

  • $99 per lap
  • Under Mainstay Filing on the yearly fare

On the minus side

  • A one-state route
  • No help clearing the Annual LLC Tax
Visit Delaware Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Fares in a row

StopProviderYearly rateRenewal rateProvider cost, three years
1Mainstay Filing$149$149/yr$447Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2DE Registered Agent.org$99$99/yr$297Visit DE Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Delaware Registered Agent.ai$99$99/yr$297Visit Delaware Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Fares as listed on November 12, 2026. Name any agent and Delaware charges the same tolls.

Delaware agent route calculator

Each agent fare is paired with the state tolls that repeat (the Annual LLC Tax beginning in year two). The opening fee is not in the total.

With Mainstay Filing, 3 years come to $1,247 ($800 state, $447 provider).

Delaware and the stops on either side of it

MileStateYearly state fees
44thTennessee$300
46thNevada$350
47thDelaware$400
48thRhode Island$450
49thMassachusetts$500

Registered agent rules by state plots all fifty, least expensive first.

Delaware registered agent requirements (official source: Secretary of State)

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.

Who may be named: The LLC itself, a Delaware resident, or a business entity formed in Delaware or authorized to do business there. Source of the rule: 6 Del. C. § 18-104.

Keeping a Delaware LLC on the road, 2026

One stop repeats: the Annual LLC Tax, $400 every year, annual alternative-entity tax due on or before June 1. Arriving late adds $200.

What put the first stop first

For Delaware, the criterion that decided the lead was steps the service takes over, at 27%.

Reach moved it ahead of DE Registered Agent.org.

Common questions

Does every Delaware LLC have to carry a registered agent?

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

Who is allowed to serve as the registered agent on a Delaware route?

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

What does registered agent service cost per year for Delaware?

Our picks cost $99 to $149 per lap.

What does the state toll an LLC every year?

$400 a year by our one-year measure, which is the Annual LLC Tax ($400 every year).

Which registered agents are on this route?

Mainstay Filing ($149 a year), DE Registered Agent.org ($99 a year) and Delaware Registered Agent.ai ($99 a year), in ranked order along the route.

Which registered agent should I take?

Take Mainstay Filing first and DE Registered Agent.org and Delaware Registered Agent.ai after it; what separates Mainstay Filing is steps the service takes over.

Connecting routes

Survey markers for this route

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