A virtual address gives your LLC a real street address with a suite number that is not your home. Mail sent there is received for you, scanned, and shown in an online account, and packages can be held or forwarded. Owners usually want one for one of three reasons: to keep a home address off business records, to keep one stable address while they move around, or to have an address in a state where they do not live.
The setup is short. You pick a provider and a location, sign USPS Form 1583 in front of a notary, and put the new address on your records. The decisions that matter are which provider, which tier, and which fields the address is actually allowed to go in.
The short answer
Start with your registered agent’s own mail tier. Go standalone only for a state it does not cover or a staffed office.
- You work from one fixed location and do not mind it being publicYou do not need a virtual address. Your agent handles the legal mail and your address handles the rest.
- You want your home address out of business mailNorthwest’s mail forwarding at $49/year gives you a suite number and same-day scanning, up to a yearly scan limit, in the same account as the agent.
- You need an address a bank will acceptAsk your bank about the exact address before buying. Northwest’s virtual office at $99/year includes a lease, but a lease does not guarantee acceptance. The bank may still require your actual operating address.
A virtual address cannot be your registered agent. Why, and what fills that role instead, is in our registered agent vs virtual address guide.
Other optionsa state Northwest does not cover, or a staffed office
The rest of this page covers the steps, where the address can and cannot go, what it costs, and how the providers differ.
How to get a virtual address for your LLC, step by step
1. Decide which jobs the address has to do. Receiving mail, going on your state filing as the principal office, going on your website and invoices, and satisfying a bank are four different jobs. The first three work with a basic mail tier in most cases. The bank is the one that may push you to a virtual office with a lease, and even that is not guaranteed. Settle this first, because it decides the tier you buy.
2. Check your registered agent’s add-on before anything else. If you already pay a commercial agent, its mail tier is usually the cheapest way to get the address, with one login for legal and ordinary mail. The two main options are listed under “The cheaper route” below.
3. Pick the location. If you need an address in a particular state, for example one you have registered in as a foreign LLC, check the provider’s location list for that state, not just its brand name. A provider that covers all 50 states for agent service may cover far fewer for mail or office tiers.
4. Complete USPS Form 1583. Every commercial mail receiving agency needs USPS Form 1583 before it can accept mail for you. It takes two accepted IDs and signature verification by an authorized CMRA representative or a notary, in person or by live video. Alliance and Davinci include the online notarization at no extra charge. iPostal1 charges $25 for its online notary, or you can sign in person at a mail center where that is offered.
5. Put the new address on your records. Update the principal office or mailing address with the state (usually on your next annual report, or by amendment), your IRS mailing address on Form 8822-B, your bank, vendors, website and invoices. The point of the address is to replace your home address everywhere, and it only works if you actually make the swap.
Where you can use a virtual address, and where you cannot
Where the address can go
Using a virtual address for IRS mail
It works, with two practical cautions. The first is timing. IRS notices often carry short response windows, and a plan that scans mail once a week can use up a real part of that window before you know the notice exists. If IRS mail goes to the address, use a plan with prompt scanning and turn notifications on.
The second is that changing the address later means filing Form 8822-B again, so pick an address you intend to keep. That argues for the provider you expect to stay with, not the cheapest tier you might drop in a year.
Who actually needs a virtual address
Not every LLC does. Four situations make it worth paying for.
Your business mail goes to your home. Bank statements, vendor checks, IRS notices and contracts go to whatever address you gave when you opened those accounts. If that is your home, your home address is now embedded in records you do not control. A virtual address replaces it with one you can keep for the life of the business. The state filing is a separate step, covered in our guide to keeping your home address off LLC records.
You registered in another state and have no presence there. Your registered agent in that state handles the legal mail, but you may also want a street address there for contracts, licenses or a local bank.
You travel, relocate often, or work from coworking spaces. A home address does not stay put for people who move every year or two. A virtual address does.
You want an address for a bank application. Ask the bank first. A mailing address is not necessarily an acceptable operating address, and a lease does not guarantee approval.
When you probably do not need one
- Your LLC operates from one fixed location and you are comfortable with that address being public.
- You already have a real office with a front desk that receives mail.
- Your registered agent already scans the little ordinary mail you get. Northwest scans five non-legal documents a year free; Registered Agents Inc sells scanning as a paid tier, because its base agent service covers legal and state mail only. Check before you pay for a second service.
The cheaper route: your registered agent’s add-on
Several registered agent services sell a mail tier on the same account. It is usually cheaper than a separate provider and gives you one login for legal mail and everything else.
Address tiers from registered agent services
The exception is when you need an address in a state your agent does not cover for mail, or a staffed office with reception. Then a standalone provider makes sense.
Standalone virtual address providers
These are the providers most LLC owners use when their agent’s tier does not fit. Of the options on this page, only Northwest issues an actual lease.
The standalone providers, comparedfour providers
Standalone providers
What each provider’s address covers
The table below shows, for each provider’s address product, whether it works as a business address on public filings, how it tends to go with banks, and whether the same company also sells registered agent service. The bank decides which location and documents it accepts; there is no universal ranking of leases, mailboxes and certification letters.
Provider capability matrix
What each provider's address product satisfies. Verified 2026 against each provider's own documentation.
| Provider | Business address | Bank-friendly | Registered agent | Provider site |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Northwest |
Yes | Lease included; confirm with bank | Yes, all 50 states | Get started |
 Davinci |
Yes | Real address, confirm | Yes, via Legalinc | Get started |
 Registered Agents Inc |
Yes | Confirm with bank | Yes, all 50 states | Get started |
 iPostal1 |
Yes | Maybe, CMRA can be flagged | Add-on, 22 states + DC | Get started |
 Bizee |
Yes | Maybe, CMRA can be flagged | Not via this product | Get started |
 Alliance |
Limited | Certification letter; confirm with bank | No | Get started |
The last column is a separate service sold by the same company, not something the address does by itself. Before buying for a bank, confirm what the bank requires: a lease and an address certification letter are different documents, and neither guarantees that a virtual office is accepted.
Formation-first services like ZenBusiness, LegalZoom, and Harbor Compliance are not in the table because they do not sell a standalone business address. If you use one of them, you would still add an address from the list above.
Does iPostal1 offer registered agent service?
Yes, as a separate add-on, not as part of the mailbox. The mailbox plan gives you an address for general business mail. Registered agent service is a distinct product with its own price, and iPostal1 offers it in a limited set of states rather than all 50, so check that your state is covered before you plan around it. Bizee’s virtual address does not include the role at all. If you want the agent and the address from one vendor, Northwest and Registered Agents Inc sell both on one account, though their address tiers do not cover every state either.
Can you get a free virtual address for an LLC?
Not one that handles your mail. Receiving, scanning and forwarding cost the provider money, so every mail tier on this page is paid. What you can get at no extra charge is an address for one specific field. Registered Agents Inc puts its address on your public filings with its $200/year agent service, and Northwest puts its own address in the principal office field as well as the agent field, where the state allows it. Neither of those is a mailbox for your everyday mail.
Be wary of anything advertised as a free business address with no catch. Ask who receives the mail, how you see it, and what happens to packages before you print it on anything.
What to look for when choosing
Address location. Confirm the provider has an address in the state and city you need before signing up.
Mail scanning limits. Some plans include unlimited scans. Others charge per scan or cap them per month or year. If you get more than a few pieces of mail a week, unlimited scanning avoids a slow trickle of overage fees.
Package handling. If you get packages from FedEx, UPS or Amazon, confirm the provider accepts non-USPS deliveries. PO boxes do not, and some plans do not.
Provider stability. If the provider stops handling your mail, every record that carries the address becomes unreliable until you change it. Pick an established provider over a new one with few reviews.
Bottom line
If you operate from one fixed location and do not mind that address being public, you do not need a virtual address. Your registered agent handles the legal mail and your own address handles the rest.
If you want a separate address for business mail, check your registered agent’s tier first: Northwest’s mail forwarding at $49/year or virtual office at $99/year covers most needs in one account. Go standalone only for a state your agent does not serve or a staffed office with reception.
Check the agent or office requirement before buying a mailbox.
A mailbox does not replace a required registered agent or registered office. New York makes an additional agent optional. Pennsylvania requires a registered office instead. Minnesota requires a registered office but makes the agent optional for LLCs formed there; out-of-state LLCs registering in Minnesota still need an agent. Northwest provides registered agent service in all 50 states at a flat $125/year, uses its address in the agent field; other filing fields may still disclose yours, and can add mail forwarding in the same account.
Get Northwest Registered Agent ↗Related guides
- Registered agent vs virtual address. What each one does, why a mailbox cannot be your agent, and which combination your LLC needs.
- What address do you use for your LLC bank account? The four addresses your LLC has, which one banks actually accept, and the CMRA trap that gets applications denied.
- How to avoid using your home address for your LLC. The address fields on your state filing, and how to change one that already shows your home.
Check if you need to register in other states
Answer 3 questions to find out if your LLC requires foreign qualification.
Sources, research & corrections
Sources: USPS CMRA regulations (39 CFR 111.3), USPS Form 1583 instructions, IRS Form 8822-B instructions, Northwest Registered Agent, Registered Agents Inc, iPostal1, Davinci Virtual, Bizee, and Alliance Virtual Offices published pricing. Verified 2026.