Northwest advertises an LLC for $39 plus state fees. The number is real, and the reason it can be that low is also real: the year of registered agent service inside it renews at $125/year, and that is the business. This page is the plain version of what the $39 buys, what your state adds on top, and which parts have a price in year two.
The short answer
You pay $39 plus your state’s filing fee. You get the filing, a year of registered agent, Northwest’s address on the public record instead of yours, and a bundle of identity extras. Year two is the agent at $125/year, plus whatever your state charges every year anyway.
From Northwest’s own LLC page and its per-state pages, read on the date in the sources box. The $39 filing includes:
The $39 is Northwest’s fee. Your state charges its own filing fee on top, and many states charge something every year after. A few examples from our data; every state is on its filing guide.
| State | State filing fee | State recurring charge | Year one, all in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | $300 | $0/year (report required, no fee) | $39 + $300 |
| Florida | $125 | $138.75/year | $39 + $263.75 |
| California | $70 | $20 biennial + $800/year franchise tax | $39 + $890 |
| New York | $200 | $9 biennial + $25/year state filing fee | $39 + $234 |
| Wyoming | $100 | $60/year | $39 + $160 |
Year one is Northwest’s $39 plus the state’s first-year required charges from our data, which count a first annual report or entity tax where the state collects one in year one. New York also has a publication requirement that is not in this table. Paying a state fee by card can add the state’s convenience charge; Texas adds 2.7 per cent.
Two things recur, and only one of them is Northwest’s.
The registered agent, $125/year. This is the one Northwest renewal we can confirm from its published pricing, and it is the same figure in year one for a standalone agent and in every year after. That flat rate is the point of comparison with the rest of the market: Harbor Compliance starts at $99 and renews at $149, LegalZoom renews at $249. Our pricing comparison runs the five-year totals.
Your state’s annual charge. An annual or biennial report, an entity tax, or a business licence, depending on the state, and it is owed whoever formed the LLC. It is the middle column in the table above.
The bundle items are the part we cannot price for you. The pages we read say free; they do not say what a second year of the domain, hosting, phone line or email costs. Read the renewal terms at checkout. If you would rather not carry any of them, you do not have to use them, and the LLC and the agent do not depend on them.
Northwest’s older LLC Formation Service page still lists a $225 package with a year of registered agent, an operating agreement and same-day filing. The $39 LLC page is the current offer and includes the year of agent as well, so for most readers the $39 route is the one to take. If you land on the $225 page, that is not a different company and not a mistake on your part; it is the earlier product.
If you already formed the LLC, you do not need formation; buy the agent alone. If you are outside the United States, the $39 does not get you an EIN or a bank account; the Firstbase comparison covers what a non-resident actually needs. And if you are forming in a state you do not operate in because a video told you to, read what that costs first; the $39 is the same either way, and the second state’s fees are not.
$39 plus your state’s fee buys the filing, a year of agent and their address on the record. Year two is $125/year for the agent plus whatever your state charges anyone. The bundle is a free start whose renewals you should read before relying on.
$39 plus the state fee. Their address on the filing, a year of registered agent included, then $125/year a year with no second-year jump.
Start your LLC with Northwest ↗An LLC formed in one state and working in another has to register in the second. Check which states apply.
This review reflects Northwest's published pages as of the date in the sources box. Prices and inclusions can change; verify at checkout. This is not legal or tax advice. Some links on this page are affiliate links.