Finding a reliable partner to help you when forming an LLC is not easy. Today, we look at one of the most popular options and whether it might be the right choice for you.
IncFile Registered Agent in Califonia
Since its formation, IncFile LLC California has helped more than hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs actualize their dreams. Its popularity owes to its affordability and speed, helping it trump most of its competitors. Plus, it has received thousands of positive reviews, pointing to its excellent services.
What packages does IncFile California offer?
The company has three packages, one which costs nothing, save for the state fees. All the packages come with free compliance services for a year.
IncFile Silver offers:
- Prepping and filing of registration documents
- Name search
- Compliance services for free. Once this period lapses, customers pay an annual fee Registered Agent service $119.
- Tech support via email and phone to help guide you through the processes
- Tracking of orders to help you stay up to date with when your filing will be processed
- A free tax consultation with a professional to help you understand what will apply to your business
- Email notifications to help you know when deadlines are close
- Access to your documents on an online portal
For all these, you will pay $0, exclusive of the state fees, making this one of the cheapest options in the industry.
IncFile Gold offers
- Everything included in the silver package
- An EIN
- A customized operating agreement to help you lay down the law for your entity
- Expedited shipping to help you get your documents within 1-3 days of approval
- A banking resolution which enables you to open an account for your entity and protect your corporate veil
- A formation kit which has a ledger and an organizer
- A tax election option if you choose to go another route instead of the default option
For these added services, you pay $149, exclusive of the state fees.
IncFile Premium offers
- Priority processing to help you cut your waiting time by days or even weeks. Your order will be given priority compared to orders in other tiers
- Access to legal contract forms to help you create one suited to your entity needs
- A business website and domain name
- You will pay $299 for this plan, which does not cover the state fee.
For more information about each of these IncFile California LLC plans, you can refer to this form.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Affordability – with its first package costing nothing ($0), it’s hard to beat this price. Given that it comes encompassed with compliance services, tech support and online document access, this free package appeals to most people on a budget. Plus, if you do not need add-ons, it makes the most sense.
Experience: IncFile LLC in California has been around for more than 16 years, adding to its ability to provide what its clients need the most. It has helped more than 250,000 businesses get off the ground and is still keeping at it.
Compliance – you will need a point of contact to help you stay on top of your filings and receive documentation from the state. You can choose to do this yourself or can have someone else do it. In most cases, people go with pro services but these tend to cost a pretty dime. With this company, you can bypass this cost by taking advantage of their free first year of services. It helps most people, given that starting a business comes with so many costs and a little help in this sector does not hurt. After you are on your feet, you can start paying the annual fee, enabling you to get your reminders on time and remain in good terms with the authorities.
Alerts – how great would it be to have your alerts sent to you in a timely way? With the compliance services, you get reminders on all upcoming deadlines. That means you can focus on the business and leave this side of things to the professionals.
Customer support – the many reviews left on this platform have mainly been positive.With more than 15,000 people having a kind word about this service, you can look forward to a good experience.
Cons
Response speed their response speed has considerably improved but it pales compared to some of their competitors
Upsells when you choose the free package, you can expect the site to keep suggesting add-ons to increase the amount payable in the end. It can get annoying.
Should You Start an LLC With IncFile?
You must choose IncFile in California if you:
Have a limited budget
Not many companies will help you get on your feet without charging you for it. However, this service has a free package which allows you to get your business formed without parting with extra cash.
Want an IncFile legal address
For each package, you get free representation for a year, enabling you to keep your actual address private. Plus, you also get the convenience of having the company receive and forward your legal documents.
Do not choose IncFile in California or find an alternative to it if you:
Need extensive help or fairly complicated situation
For IncFile vs ZenBusiness, the latter has a shorter response time and is available by phone, email and chat. Thus, if you want a steady back and forth between you and the customer support team, it would be a better choice.
Need fully-featured LLC service
As for IncFile vs Northwest, the latter has way more offerings. Plus, its registration process is quite simple and free of the frills that are characteristic of most agencies. Without upsells and special offers or attempts to get your personal details using third parties, it would be the clear winner.
Need a reputable company
When it comes down to IncFile vs LegalZoom, the latter wins in terms of years of experience. It has been around since 1999 and thus beats IncFile by 5 years. Additionally, while both services offer formation and compliance services, LegalZoom goes the extra mile to offer legal services, which some people may need at the point of formation.
Conclusion
Should you go with IncFile? Many people choose it for its affordability. After all, where else will you get a company willing to start your business for free and throw in compliance services at no added cost? And even with this low cost, you can still expect to receive high quality services. However, if you need specialized help, you might be better off going with an alternative where you can get more attention. But for basic formation services, this company would definitely be a good choice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Regarding services, they both offer registration and compliance services. However, someone who needs a lot of handholding regarding legal matters may want to go with the latter option. It not only helps with IP filings but also drafts a wide range of legal forms for its customers. Plus, it enables them to get regular access to legal help.
For pricing, IncFile would be the better option, given that it offers a free package and has competitively priced its other tiers. It also excels in processing speeds, whereas its counterpart takes about 7-35 days to process registration documents. Plus, reaching customer support is a breeze given the wide array of communication modes
So, is either one better than the other? Well, here is the best way to approach this.
If you are starting a new business and need basic help with the processes, IncFile would be the better option. However, if you will need legal help and need to draft a wide range of legal forms, the latter would be the preferred choice.
Sometime back, people had to pay for all service levels under this company. In the past decade, there has been a restructuring of the service level fees, enabling people to pay nothing when using the first tier. So yes, you can get free services from this company. All you will have to do is pay the state fees, and the customer service team will take care of the rest. Even though the services are free, they are by no means of less quality than what you will find in other companies. The only shortcoming would be the basic nature of the offerings, but that is expected of any first level tier.
Please note that the second and third tiers require you to part with a sum of money to access the services.
The set fee is not standard as it depends on what services you would like to access. For example, people who want the most basic of services often go for the first tier. This costs nothing, and all you have to pay is the state fee to process the documents. However, if you would like to access more than basic services, there is a fee for this. The second tier will set you back $149. It works for people who would like added services such as help with drafting the operating principles. Under this selection, you can also request the company to change your default tax status by filling in some forms which they will then send to the authorities. At the helm of the levels, there is one tier that allows you to have your documents processed in record time. People using this tier do not have to wait long before they can see the results of the hard work. However, unless you are in a hurry to get your documents ready, it will not be necessary to pay for this. But if you want the added benefits of speed and a website, this will be an ideal option