What kind of support should I expect for the yearly fee?

Depends on the company. Some barely do the legal minimum: receive service of process and scan it to you. Others bundle in annual report reminders, mail forwarding, and a dashboard. Read the fine print on what counts as 'support' vs. billable extra.

The yearly fee is mostly for the registered agent's legal requirement. Any 'support' is usually just a call center reading a script. If you want real help, you pay extra or hire a CPA.

I use a cheap one. They forward mail as a PDF and send a reminder before the annual report. That's it. For questions, I come here, though.

That's what I'm afraid of. The sales page made it sound like they'd hold my hand through compliance. I'll ask for a sample of their client portal before signing.

Make sure you know if mail forwarding is included or extra. Some agents charge per piece. I got a $20 'handling fee' for a single letter once. Switched after that.

Support quality varies wildly. I've had agents answer within an hour with actual useful info, and others that took a week to say 'consult an attorney.' The fee doesn't always correlate with srevice.

If you want privacy, the agent's address is what you're paying for. Don't expect them to be your business advisor. Keep expectations low and you'll be fine.

Also check if they charge extra for certified mail or if they'll act as a forwarding address for bank statements. Small things add up.