How the figures on this site are sourced, checked and kept current, how we measure our own accuracy, and how the site makes money.
We check every fee, deadline, form name, processing time and penalty against an official source. For each state that means the Secretary of State's fee schedules, forms and filing pages, the state tax agency for tax detail, and the state LLC statute for anything about when you must register, what happens if you do not, and what a registered agent must do. Partner prices come from each provider's own pricing page.
For every figure we keep a record of where it came from: the page or statute, the words on it that support the figure, and the date we read it. Each state page lists its main sources and shows the date its data was last reviewed. The cross-state figures built from the same records, with how each one is counted, are in LLC compliance by the numbers.
We prefer the document a filer actually uses. A fee is taken from the state's form or fee schedule rather than an FAQ or a news page, because summary pages are often the last thing an agency updates. Legal rules are checked against the statute text published by the state legislature, not against a summary of it.
When two official sources disagree, we say so and explain which one a filer is likely to meet, rather than picking one quietly. When we cannot confirm a detail, we leave it out or say plainly that it is not confirmed. A stated gap is more use to you than a confident number nobody checked.
We do not publish a statement about what a provider offers unless it is confirmed on that provider's own site.
We test the site against official sources the way an outsider would, using samples of states chosen by a fixed rule rather than by us. The reviewers build their answers from agency, legislature and provider sites without seeing our pages, and we compare afterwards.
No sample proves a site has no errors. It tells you how often you should expect to find one. We repeat the test on a different set of states and pages.
State rules change on set dates, and agencies move their websites. We track announced law and fee changes and update the affected pages once they take effect, not before. Every link to a state agency is opened again each quarter, and when a state replaces its online filing system we re-check every figure that depends on it, not just the link. Any figure not re-checked within twelve months is read again even if nothing suggests it has changed.
If you find a figure that no longer matches the state's current page, tell us through the contact page and we will check it.
Where a page recommends a registered agent, the default recommendation is Northwest Registered Agent. The reasons are stated on the pages themselves: flat annual pricing with no first-year-then-jump structure, registered agent service in all 50 states, and address use where state rules allow. Our comparisons explain the costs and tradeoffs for the situation on the page. They do not cover every provider available.
This site earns affiliate commissions. When you follow a link to a partner and buy a service, we may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. The price you pay is the same whether you use our link or go direct. Our partners include Northwest Registered Agent, Registered Agents Inc, Harbor Compliance, ZenBusiness and Bizee through the Awin network; LegalZoom, Alliance Virtual Offices and ERGO NEXT Insurance through Impact; Tailor Brands through its own affiliate program; Firstbase through PartnerStack; Davinci Virtual through Refersion; and iPostal1 and CorpNet directly.
Links to these partners are affiliate links. Affiliate relationships help fund the site and influence which services we cover. They do not change the state figures, which come only from official sources. A recommendation is not a guarantee of service quality. Check the provider's current terms before buying.
When a figure is found to be wrong, we correct it, record what changed and why, and update the review date on the page. If you spot an error, the fastest way to get it fixed is the contact page.
This site provides general information based on publicly available state requirements. It is not legal or tax advice, and it is not a substitute for advice from a licensed professional in your state. Verify with the relevant Secretary of State or tax agency before you file.