Michigan requires every LLC and corporation to keep a registered agent with a Michigan street address. You can be your own agent (For profit and professional service corporations and for LLCs, the resident agent may be an..., full wording in the be-your-own-agent guide). Changing your agent costs $5 for an LLC and $5 for a corporation. The Annual Report (Corporations, Professional Corporations, Nonprofit Corporations) / Annual Statement (LLCs, PLLCs) is due LLC/PLLC: February 15 each year after organization/qualification. Profit/Professional Corporations: May 15 each year after incorporation/qualification. Nonprofit Corporations: October 1 each year after incorporation/qualification. If you have no agent: LLC (MCL 450.4207(4), primary, cached this pass): 'If a limited liability company fails to appoint or maintain an agent for service of process, or the agent for service of process cannot be found or served through the exercise of reasonable diligence, service of process may be made by delivering or mailing by registered mail to the administrator a summons and copy of the complaint.' Separately, for all entity types, failing to file the annual report/statement (which carries the resident agent's name and address) results in dissolution, revocation, or loss of good-standing status after a two-year grace period (one year for foreign corporations), per the cached Annual Reports and Annual Statements page. Hiring an agent costs $125 to $249 a year at renewal on the providers' own sites, read 2026-09-28; first-year offers run lower.
How to change your registered agent in Michigan
- Choose the new agent. Name yourself if you meet the rule in the facts table, or hire a service from the price table below; they give you their Michigan street address to put on the form.
- File online. Domestic Profit and Professional Corporations filing-fees table lists Form 520, 'Certificate of Change of Registered Office/Resident Agent', fee $5.00, Submit Online = Yes; related forms on the same table: Form 521 'Resignation of Resident Agent' (No Fee, Yes online) and Form 522 'Certificate of Appointment of Resident Agent' ($5.00, Yes online). MiBusiness Registry Portal (MiBRP) is the online filing system per the previously-cached Annual Reports page. Open mibusinessregistry.lara.state.mi.us
- Or file the paper form. Certificate of Change of Registered Office/Resident Agent (Form 520), from the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Corporations, Securities & Commercial Licensing Bureau (CSCL). The mailing address is printed on the form. Open the Michigan filing office
- Pay the fee. Changing your agent costs $5 for an LLC and $5 for a corporation. Keep the confirmation; the new agent is effective when the state records it.
What a registered agent costs in Michigan
Yearly fee from each provider's own site on the date shown: what a new customer pays the first year, and what it renews at. Sorted by renewal price, because that is what you pay every year after. Links marked "affiliate link" pay us a commission; the other names link straight to the provider, listed on the same terms. Best is not always the one we earn from, and we say which is which.
| Provider | First year | Renews at | Terms, our dated note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwest Registered Agentaffiliate link | $125 | $125 | Same price every year, per its page; $100 a year per state for five or more states Read on the provider's site 2026-09-28 |
| Bizeeaffiliate link | $149 | $149 | 149 per year standalone or on renewal; first year free only with a Bizee formation Read on the provider's site 2026-09-28 |
| Harbor Complianceaffiliate link | $99 | $159 | Renews at 159 per year after the first; 3 years paid up front cost 297 Read on the provider's site 2026-09-28 |
| ZenBusiness | $99 | $199 | Renews at 199 per year Read on the provider's site 2026-09-28 |
| Registered Agents Inc | $200 | $200 | 200 a year, annual report filing included, per its page Read on the provider's site 2026-09-28 |
| LegalZoom | $249 | $249 | Auto-renews; renewal rate subject to change, per its page Read on the provider's site 2026-09-28 |
What switching to the cheapest renewal saves
| If you renew with | Renews at | Saved per year | Over 3 years | First year, after the $5 fee | Break-even |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LegalZoom | $249 | $124 | $372 | $119 | month 1 |
| Registered Agents Inc | $200 | $75 | $225 | $70 | month 1 |
| ZenBusiness | $199 | $74 | $222 | $69 | month 1 |
| Harbor Compliance | $159 | $34 | $102 | $29 | month 2 |
| Bizee | $149 | $24 | $72 | $19 | month 3 |
Compared with Northwest Registered Agent at $125 a year, prices read 2026-09-28. Switching costs the state change fee shown above, once.
Three-year totals and every price change we have seen: the cost page.
Type your current renewal price to see the saving, what the state fee leaves the first year, and the break-even month.
Switch to Northwest Registered Agent, $125 a year Affiliate link, same price as on their site.
Advertising disclosure. Some provider names on this page are links to that provider's site through an affiliate network. If you buy through one of those links we may earn a commission. The price you pay does not change. Links to providers we have no agreement with go straight to their site; every provider is ranked by the same rules. Disclosed under the US FTC Endorsement Guides and the Norwegian Marketing Control Act. A Northwest Registered Agent affiliate.
Michigan at a glance
Fees, forms and deadlines
| Item | Michigan |
|---|---|
| Filing office | Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Corporations, Securities & Commercial Licensing Bureau (CSCL) michigan.gov/lara/bureau-list/cscl/corps/corporations/filing/resident-Source: michigan.gov/lara/bureau-list/cscl/corps/corporations/filing/resident-, read 2026-09-08 |
| Registered agent statute (LLC) | MCL 450.4207Source: legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL, read 2026-09-29 |
| Registered agent statute (corporation) | MCL 450.1241Source: legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL, read 2026-10-21 |
| Change of agent form | Certificate of Change of Registered Office/Resident Agent (Form 520) (online filing available)Source: michigan.gov/lara/bureau-list/cscl/corps/filing-fees/domestic-profit-p, read 2026-09-15 |
| Change of agent fee, LLC | $5Source: michigan.gov/lara/bureau-list/cscl/corps/filing-fees/domestic-profit-p, read 2026-09-15 |
| Change of agent fee, corporation | $5Source: michigan.gov/lara/bureau-list/cscl/corps/filing-fees/domestic-profit-p, read 2026-09-15 |
| Annual report due | LLC/PLLC: February 15 each year after organization/qualification. Profit/Professional Corporations: May 15 each year after incorporation/qualification. Nonprofit Corporations: October 1 each year after incorporation/qualification. (If the limited liability company is formed/qualified after September 30, it is not required to file an annual statement on February 15 of the year immediately succeeding its formation.)Source: michigan.gov/lara/bureau-list/cscl/corps/michigan-business-roadmap/ann, read 2026-09-08 |
| Annual report fee, LLC | $25Source: michigan.gov/lara/bureau-list/cscl/corps/michigan-business-roadmap/ann, read 2026-09-08 |
| Annual report fee, corporation | $25Source: michigan.gov/lara/bureau-list/cscl/corps/michigan-business-roadmap/ann, read 2026-09-08 |
| Late fee | $50Source: michigan.gov/lara/bureau-list/cscl/corps/michigan-business-roadmap/ann, read 2026-09-08 |
| No agent on file | LLC (MCL 450.4207(4), primary, cached this pass): 'If a limited liability company fails to appoint or maintain an agent for service of process, or the agent for service of process cannot be found or served through the exercise of reasonable diligence, service of process may be made by delivering or mailing by registered mail to the administrator a summons and copy of the complaint.' Separately, for all entity types, failing to file the annual report/statement (which carries the resident agent's name and address) results in dissolution, revocation, or loss of good-standing status after a two-year grace period (one year for foreign corporations), per the cached Annual Reports and Annual Statements page. MCL 450.4207(4) (LLC Act, service on the administrator when no agent can be found/served); annual-report-failure consequence citation not pinpointed beyond the LARA plain-language pageSource: legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL, read 2026-09-08 |
| Be your own agent | You can be your own agent (For profit and professional service corporations and for LLCs, the resident agent may be an..., full wording in the be-your-own-agent guide)Source: legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL, read 2026-09-08 |
What the statute says
A resident agent may be an individual resident of this state; a domestic corporation or limited liability company; or a foreign corporation or limited liability company authorized to transact business in this state.
MCL 450.1241, read 2026-10-21
The resident agent may be either an individual resident in this state whose business office or residence is identical with the registered office or any of the following having a business office identical with the registered office.
MCL 450.4207, read 2026-09-29
A registered agent is the person or company the state and the courts send legal papers to. In Michigan the statute calls this role the resident agent; it is the same thing as a registered agent. The agent must have a street address in Michigan, not a PO box, and be available during business hours.
Annual report and what happens without an agent
The Annual Report (Corporations, Professional Corporations, Nonprofit Corporations) / Annual Statement (LLCs, PLLCs) is due LLC/PLLC: February 15 each year after organization/qualification. Profit/Professional Corporations: May 15 each year after incorporation/qualification. Nonprofit Corporations: October 1 each year after incorporation/qualification. Fee: $25 for an LLC, $25 for a corporation. Late fee: $50.
Without an agent on file: LLC (MCL 450.4207(4), primary, cached this pass): 'If a limited liability company fails to appoint or maintain an agent for service of process, or the agent for service of process cannot be found or served through the exercise of reasonable diligence, service of process may be made by delivering or mailing by registered mail to the administrator a summons and copy of the complaint.' Separately, for all entity types, failing to file the annual report/statement (which carries the resident agent's name and address) results in dissolution, revocation, or loss of good-standing status after a two-year grace period (one year for foreign corporations), per the cached Annual Reports and Annual Statements page (MCL 450.4207(4) (LLC Act, service on the administrator when no agent can be found/served); annual-report-failure consequence citation not pinpointed beyond the LARA plain-language page).
Sources and dates
- https://www.michigan.gov/lara/bureau-list/cscl/corps/corporations/filing/resident-agent-and-registered-office, read 2026-09-08
- https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-450-4207, read 2026-09-29
- https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-450-1241, read 2026-10-21
- https://www.michigan.gov/lara/bureau-list/cscl/corps/filing-fees/domestic-profit-professional, read 2026-09-15
- https://www.michigan.gov/lara/bureau-list/cscl/corps/michigan-business-roadmap/annual-reports-and-annual-statements, read 2026-09-08
- https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/registered-agent, read 2026-09-28
- https://www.registeredagentsinc.com/registered-agent/, read 2026-09-28
- https://www.harborcompliance.com/registered-agent-service, read 2026-09-28
- https://bizee.com/business-management/registered-agent, read 2026-09-28
- https://www.zenbusiness.com/registered-agent-service/, read 2026-09-28
- https://www.legalzoom.com/business/business-operations/registered-agent-overview.html, read 2026-09-28
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