West Virginia requires every LLC and corporation to keep a registered agent with a West Virginia street address. You can be your own agent (LLC: an individual resident of West Virginia, a domestic corporation, another LLC, or a foreign..., full wording under the statute below). Changing your agent costs $15 for an LLC and $15 for a corporation. The Annual Report is due June 30 each year (or every two years after a biennial election). If you have no agent: Corporation: the Secretary of State may commence a proceeding to administratively dissolve a corporation if it does not notify the Secretary of State within 60 days that its registered agent or registered office has been changed, that its registered agent has resigned, or that its registered office has been discontinued; if the ground is not corrected within 60 days after service of the notice, the Secretary of State shall administratively dissolve the corporation. Reinstatement may be applied for within two years. LLC: the statute names no separate no-agent penalty; a late annual report carries a $50 administrative late fee and, after 30 days, the Tax Commissioner may suspend the business registration certificate.. Hiring an agent costs $125 to $249 a year at renewal on the providers' own sites, read 2026-09-08; first-year offers run lower.
This page is general information, not legal advice. State fees, forms and deadlines change. Every fact is quoted from the state filing office or statute with the date we read it. Confirm on the official page before you file. Terms of use.
How to change your registered agent in West Virginia
Three steps. Most owners finish online in under fifteen minutes.
- Choose the new agent. You can be your own agent (LLC: an individual resident of West Virginia, a domestic corporation, another LLC, or a foreign..., full wording under the statute below). Or hire a service from the price table below; they give you their West Virginia street address to put on the form.
- File online. Secretary of State page 'Agent Address and/or Officer Change' (fetched rendered 2026-09-15): 'Filing: $15.00' and 'You may also file these changes online at the West Virginia One Stop Business Portal'. The page lists no downloadable PDF; the page itself is the filing route. The old URL sos.wv.gov/business/Pages/AgentAddrOfficerChg.aspx is a real 404. Open onestop.wv.gov
- Or file the paper form. Agent Address and/or Officer Change (LLC and corporation; WV Code 31B-1-109 and 31D-5-502 'statement of change'), from the West Virginia Secretary of State, Business & Licensing Division. The mailing address is printed on the form. Open the West Virginia filing office Direct PDF
- Pay the fee. Changing your agent costs $15 for an LLC and $15 for a corporation. Keep the confirmation; the new agent is effective when the state records it.
What a registered agent costs in West Virginia
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 and what is included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwest Registered Agent | $125 | $125 | Same price every year, per its page
|
| Harbor Compliance | $99 | $149 | Renews at 149 per year after the first
|
| Bizeeaffiliate link | $149 | $149 | 149 per year standalone or on renewal; first year free only with a bizee formation
|
| ZenBusiness | $99 | $199 | Renews at 199 per year
|
| Registered Agents Inc | $200 | $200 | 200 a year, annual report filing included, per its page
|
| LegalZoom | $249 | $249 | Auto-renews; renewal rate subject to change, per its page
|
What switching to the cheapest renewal saves
| If you renew with | Renews at | Saved per year | Over 3 years | First year, after the $15 fee | Break-even |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LegalZoom | $249 | $124 | $372 | $109 | month 2 |
| Registered Agents Inc | $200 | $75 | $225 | $60 | month 3 |
| ZenBusiness | $199 | $74 | $222 | $59 | month 3 |
| Harbor Compliance | $149 | $24 | $72 | $9 | month 8 |
| Bizee | $149 | $24 | $72 | $9 | month 8 |
Compared with Northwest Registered Agent at $125 a year, prices read 2026-09-08. Switching costs the state change fee shown above, once.
Type your current renewal price to see the saving, what the state fee leaves the first year, and the break-even month.
Switch to Bizee, $149 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.
West Virginia at a glance
Fees, forms and deadlines
| Item | West Virginia |
|---|---|
| Filing office | West Virginia Secretary of State, Business & Licensing Division sos.wv.gov/businessSource: sos.wv.gov/agent-address-andor-officer-change, read 2026-09-15 |
| Registered agent statute (LLC) | W. Va. Code § 31B-1-108(b)Source: code.wvlegislature.gov/31B-1-108/, read 2026-09-15 |
| Registered agent statute (corporation) | W. Va. Code § 31D-5-501Source: code.wvlegislature.gov/31B-1-108/, read 2026-09-15 |
| Change of agent form | Agent Address and/or Officer Change (LLC and corporation; WV Code 31B-1-109 and 31D-5-502 'statement of change') (online filing available)Source: sos.wv.gov/agent-address-andor-officer-change, read 2026-09-15 |
| Change of agent fee, LLC | $15Source: sos.wv.gov/agent-address-andor-officer-change, read 2026-09-15 |
| Change of agent fee, corporation | $15Source: sos.wv.gov/agent-address-andor-officer-change, read 2026-09-15 |
| Annual Report due | June 30 each year (or every two years after a biennial election) (Each domestic and foreign corporation, limited partnership, limited liability company, and foreign limited liability company shall file with the Secretary of State the annual or biennial report and pay the annual or biennial report fee on or before 11:59 PM on June 30 of each year or every two years if an election for biennial reporting under subdivision (d)(3) of this section is properly made.)Source: code.wvlegislature.gov/59-1-2a/, read 2026-09-15 |
| Annual report fee, LLC | $25Source: code.wvlegislature.gov/59-1-2a/, read 2026-09-15 |
| Annual report fee, corporation | $25Source: code.wvlegislature.gov/59-1-2a/, read 2026-09-15 |
| Late fee | $50Source: code.wvlegislature.gov/59-1-2a/, read 2026-09-15 |
| No agent on file | Corporation: the Secretary of State may commence a proceeding to administratively dissolve a corporation if it does not notify the Secretary of State within 60 days that its registered agent or registered office has been changed, that its registered agent has resigned, or that its registered office has been discontinued; if the ground is not corrected within 60 days after service of the notice, the Secretary of State shall administratively dissolve the corporation. Reinstatement may be applied for within two years. LLC: the statute names no separate no-agent penalty; a late annual report carries a $50 administrative late fee and, after 30 days, the Tax Commissioner may suspend the business registration certificate. W. Va. Code § 31D-14-1420(a)(2) and § 31D-14-1421(b) (corporation); § 59-1-2a(h) (late fees, all entity types)Source: code.wvlegislature.gov/31D-14-1420/, read 2026-09-15 |
| Be your own agent | You can be your own agent (LLC: an individual resident of West Virginia, a domestic corporation, another LLC, or a foreign..., full wording under the statute below)Source: code.wvlegislature.gov/31D-5-501/, read 2026-09-15 |
What the statute says
An agent shall be an individual resident of this state, a domestic corporation, another limited liability company, or a foreign corporation or foreign company authorized to do business in this state.
W. Va. Code § 31B-1-108(b), read 2026-09-15
A registered agent is the person or company the state and the courts send legal papers to. The agent must have a street address in West Virginia, not a PO box, and be available during business hours. You can be your own agent (LLC: an individual resident of West Virginia, a domestic corporation, another LLC, or a foreign..., full wording under the statute below).
Annual report and what happens without an agent
The Annual Report is due June 30 each year (or every two years after a biennial election). Fee: $25 for an LLC, $25 for a corporation. Late fee: $50.
Without an agent on file: Corporation: the Secretary of State may commence a proceeding to administratively dissolve a corporation if it does not notify the Secretary of State within 60 days that its registered agent or registered office has been changed, that its registered agent has resigned, or that its registered office has been discontinued; if the ground is not corrected within 60 days after service of the notice, the Secretary of State shall administratively dissolve the corporation. Reinstatement may be applied for within two years. LLC: the statute names no separate no-agent penalty; a late annual report carries a $50 administrative late fee and, after 30 days, the Tax Commissioner may suspend the business registration certificate. (W. Va. Code § 31D-14-1420(a)(2) and § 31D-14-1421(b) (corporation); § 59-1-2a(h) (late fees, all entity types)). In practice that means missed lawsuits and a company that can lose its good standing.
Sources and dates
- https://sos.wv.gov/agent-address-andor-officer-change, read 2026-09-15
- https://code.wvlegislature.gov/31B-1-108/, read 2026-09-15
- https://code.wvlegislature.gov/59-1-2a/, read 2026-09-15
- https://code.wvlegislature.gov/31D-14-1420/, read 2026-09-15
- https://code.wvlegislature.gov/31D-5-501/, read 2026-09-15
- https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/registered-agent, read 2026-09-08
- https://www.registeredagentsinc.com/registered-agent/, read 2026-09-11
- https://www.harborcompliance.com/registered-agent-service, read 2026-09-08
- https://bizee.com/business-management/registered-agent, read 2026-09-08
- https://www.zenbusiness.com/registered-agent-service/, read 2026-09-08
- https://www.legalzoom.com/business/business-operations/registered-agent-overview.html, read 2026-09-08
This page is general information, not legal advice. State fees, forms and deadlines change. Every fact is quoted from the state filing office or statute with the date we read it. Confirm on the official page before you file.
Other states
Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington Wisconsin Wyoming
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.