Ready to get your limited liability company started? With so many options on the market, you might be facing a hard time with this key decision. Hopefully, this SunDoc Filings LLC review can help you rule out or confirm one of your choices.
SunDoc Registered Agent in California
Back in 1999, this company opened its doors to the public and has remained open to date. It’s one of the few formation services that have been operating for more than two decades. It suffices to say that this is a show of how good their services are, having stayed afloat even with all the competition in the industry.
Not only does this company offer formation services, but it also has a section that caters to agent of service of process California services. You can thus kill two birds with one stone by choosing this giant.
What packages does SunDoc Filings California offer for LLC?
This company breaks down its packages into three levels based on the features in each tier. Given that there are some services that offer more comprehensive packages at more affordable prices, this company might not be offering the best value for your entity.
SunDoc Filings LLC Packages
SunDoc Pro package ($79 + State Fee)
The first level of the SunDoc Filings LLC Packages is the most basic, and the company handles the filing of your registration documents. All you need to do is fill the documents and present them to the agency which will then take care of the filing and processing on your behalf.
SunDoc Basic package ($99 + State Fee)
The basic level is the middle tier. Instead of drafting your own LLC California registration documents, you provide the company with the details you require, and they will draft the documents on your behalf before filing them with the state. Additionally, this package comes with the added benefit of a name check, enabling you to scroll through thousands of names and check if your proposed name is in use.
SunDoc Complete package ($279 + State Fee)
At the top of the helm is this package which provides you with everything in the preceding packages plus:
- An EIN. As much as you can always get this for free from the Federal Government, this agency will acquire one on your behalf, allowing you to avoid the hassle.
- A company kit and seal which includes a binder with your company name as well as a decorative seal that pertains to your business.
Advantages & Disadvantages
Advantages of SunDoc Filings:
- When it comes to speed when forming an LLC in California, not many companies can compare to this service. Most agencies rely on mailing their clients’ registration documents. SunDoc, on the other hand, is quite close to the secretary of state’s office. As such, the agents can head to the office and deliver the documents in person three times a day. They are able to offer 24-hour processing which competitors may have a hard time beating.
- Customer service is also quite exemplary, with thousands of reviews pointing to the same.
- Clients also get to enjoy a satisfaction guarantee such that they can get their money back if they are unhappy with the services offered. How many companies can offer this?
Disadvantages of SunDoc Filings:
- With other formation services, you barely need to fill anything in as the agents will take care of this for you. But in this case, you pay a hefty price only to end up filling the documents, and all the agents need to do is file the papers.
- Clients also don’t get California registered agent services for free with the formation package. Other services offer these as part of the bundle, giving you more value for your money.
2 Best SunDoc Filings Alternatives
When choosing a service, it’s important that you go with one that feels like it’s the best fit for your company. Having looked at the above features, you might want to compare SunDoc in CA with others or seek a suitable alternative. Let’s look at two options that may work for you:
ZenBusiness
This service is relatively newer, having started in 2015. Even so, it has grown at a fast pace and even overtaken some of its competitors. So far, the company has thousands of positive reviews. It prides itself in offering affordable services, with packages starting from as low as $39, exclusive of the state fees. Additionally, it has made a name for itself when it comes to customer service, by offering reliable and easily accessible services. The company has also dedicated a chunk of its revenue to help people in need by partnering with socially conscious organizations. When you start a business with them, they also offer you representation services for free during the first year of your partnership.
Generally, it’s a good option for people looking to spend less money and enjoy excellent customer services. On the downsides, its speed can do with some tweaking.
Northwest Registered Agent
If you are looking for a company that has been in operation for decades on end, this will be an interesting choice. It opened its doors back in 1998 and has since proven to be a professional service on which entrepreneurs can rely.
As is the case with most formation services in the market, you will get a free year of representation services once you purchase any of their packages. Moreover, their customer support is almost always on call, ready to take you through the formation processes and explain any areas that may not be clear to you. As our new business owner, such services are quite important. Privacy is another selling point with this company as it keeps its operations in house and even runs its own servers. Most clients appreciate this because it means that their information will not get into the wrong hands.
It does have some drawbacks. For example, its cost is almost four or five times as much as you would pay for similar services. As much as you have the option to buy add-ons, these also come at a steep price, which can be disadvantageous to entrepreneurs working with a small budget.
These are but a few of the options you have to consider if you feel that you need more alternatives.
SunDoc Filings Customer Reviews
Customer reviews have come to be one of the greatest determinants when people are looking for services. A company may have affordable services and may offer features that other companies may not. However, if their customer reviews lie on the negative side, the company will lose out on potential clients.
SunDoc filings in California has done quite well in this regard and has a huge following on Trustpilot. With an average rating of 9.6 out of 10, this company seems to be doing quite well, from the thousands of reviews left on the site. Clients seem to praise the company based on service delivery which is much speedier compared to some of its competitors. Also, they are quite pleased with the simplicity of the procedures, such that they can go from point A to the end without requiring technical help in most instances.
[trustindex no-registration=trustpilot]
Is SunDoc Filings Right For You?
California SunDoc has several strong points that have led to its ability to remain at the top of the helm for decades. If you look at customer reviews, you will see that most clients have applauded its first service and excellent customer support. Even so, formation services do not have a one-size-fits-all ability. What works for one person may not work for you and it’s always best to gauge if companies’ features could be the right choice for you.
You can use this company if you:
- Want to get your entity formed within a short record period. You may have noticed that from the packages, the company does not concentrate on much other than formation services. As a result, it prides itself on delivering services within the shortest time possible, which is an advantage you might not enjoy with other companies.
- Want to enjoy excellent customer service. As much as the interface is intuitive and easy to understand even for beginners, you might find that you need some hand-holding at some point. The customer service team is quite capable, knowledgeable, and friendly, enabling you to get responses to your queries almost as soon as you make them.
You might need to consider an alternative to this company if you:
- Want to save money. While it’s not the most expensive service on the market, it’s not the cheapest either. You can get similar services for much more affordable prices. If you are on a budget, you might want to consider this.
- Want more features. A glance at the packages is enough for you to tell that you will not get an abundance of features if you go with this company. If you value more than the bare minimum, you might want to look elsewhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Please note that as much as this service is open pretty much every day, on public holidays, you might not access their services as fast as you may wish. A good example would be ideal like Martin Luther King Day. On such days, the 24-hour processing window might not be applicable.
You can visit their offices at any time from 8 in the morning to 5 in the evening from Monday to Friday. Alternatively, you can call them or send them an email.
Currently, SunDoc Filings does not offer any discounts or sales. Their formation packages in general do not seem to have any promo codes, coupons, or other discount options.
SunDoc Filings is a legitimate company established in 1999 in Sacramento, although they received their official accreditation with BBB in 2005. They hold high ratings among industry professionals and customers (particularly entrepreneurs working in CA) based on 2,700+ reviews and business rankings.
Based on the majority of customer reviews, one of the key benefits of SunDoc Filings seems to be their customer support system. And it’s not surprising: the company takes their customer care seriously, employing a team of specialists who can answer your questions every Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm PST. All representatives are well-versed in the legal subject of formation and, unlike third-party call center reps, the team is more than capable of helping you on the spot.
Compared to many primarily nationwide LLC providers, SunDoc Filings has plenty of room to grow. As of this moment, the company is quite frankly less financially viable for new startups outside of California, and a good number of similar service providers offer more features for the same money or less, even including a full year of registered agent service with your LLC formation package.
Their admittedly odd pricing is what kept SunDoc Filings from making the 7 Best LLC Registration Services list, giving way to LLC services with more substantial features at a fraction of the cost. Unfortunately, SunDoc cannot truly compare to some of the best LLC providers in the industry like ZenBusiness, Northwest Registered Agent, or IncFile.
This is one of the aspects in which the company has considerable advantages. Their refund policy promises a 100% satisfaction guarantee without making you jump through any overly complicated legal hoops. If their services leave you unsatisfied, you can reach out to SunDoc Filings to resolve the problem. They can actually fix the problem free of charge, provide a refund, or give you a discount on future orders.
The answer largely depends on your location. If your family members and friends plan to form an LLC in California, then SunDoc Filings is a worthy option for sure. In general, though, this option is much less affordable despite their excellent customer feedback.
So while SunDoc Filings is worth a recommendation for California entity registration, in other cases it would be best to look elsewhere. Some exemplary alternatives include ZenBusiness or Northwest Registered Agent who add a full year of registered agent service to their LLC formation packages, whereas SunDoc Filings only offers this service separately.
Of course. In fact, many entrepreneurs often choose the DIY route to form their new LLCs either to save money or simply have full control of the process. If you’re interested in forming an LLC on your own, be aware that this is fairly time-consuming, albeit far more affordable than hiring a lawyer which is even more costly than hiring an online LLC service. And if you’re completely new to this process, keep in mind that each state has its own formation requirements and filing fees.
Business name reservations is not a mandatory requirement except in the state of Alabama that obligates all entrepreneurs to reserve their name before filing for entity registration.
Reserving an LLC name has its perks such as preventing other entrepreneurs from taking your preferred name before you go through with the company formation.
The reservation fee varies depending on the state of formation, and overall this step could prove to be a rather needless expense. So while you can reserve a name before hiring SunDoc Filings, it’s not at all mandatory.
An LLC formation can be done by almost any individual, even if you are not a citizen or currently live outside of the United States. This is actually one of the main points of attraction of the LLC business model. So you can form, own, and run an LLC even if you are not physically present in the country.
SunDoc Filings provides both services, though you will have to contact the company to specify the publication fee since it’s calculated based on the state and county of formation. At the time of writing, only Arizona, Nebraska and New York state have LLC publication requirements.
As for Alabama name reservation, be prepared to pay the state fee of $39 plus SunDoc’s agency service fee of $28. Alabama is the only state that makes this step mandatory, so you won’t be able to just skip it.
You can call SunDoc Filings at 888-595-2747 during standard business hours or contact them via email ([email protected] or [email protected] for feedback).
Their sales team and customer service reps can be contacted individually. All their emails can be found on the contact us page on their website.
Sharing customer information with third parties is a fairly common practice among LLC formation services. This is mainly done through additional features and free extras that companies tend to outsource, such as opening bank accounts or hosting websites. SunDoc Filings prefer to keep all their services in-house, so your personal data will be safe regardless of your formation package.
Unlike a great number of formation services such as LegalZoom’s LLC service, SunDoc Filings keep the upselling to a minimum. They do offer a comparative table with upgrade options on the initial formation package order page, but after that, you won’t encounter any offers for plan upgrades or other upsells.
SunDoc Filings is similar to its competitors in this respect as they establish turnaround times based on the processing speeds of each state. This means that the formation process may take between a couple of days and a few weeks.
On a plus side, you can speed up the review process by purchasing their expedite option. Entrepreneurs based in California will also be able to file the formation documents within 24 hours thanks to SunDoc’s Sacramento location allowing them to deliver paperwork in person several times a day.
Apart from offering LLC formations and general entity registrations, SunDoc Filings provides other business services such as filing annual reports, drafting operating agreements, issuing “doing business as” (DBA) names, conducting mergers and conversions, acquiring EIN, making amendments and overseeing dissolutions.
Their registered agent service can only be purchased separately but they do offer it on an annual basis. They also can help you with newspaper publication, apostille certification, and advanced name reservations.
It’s perfectly possible to obtain an EIN on your own by applying for one with the IRS. But it would generally be more convenient to have all your paperwork done in one go, so if you can afford to purchase relevant formation services such as EIN acquisition in one place, it can save you a lot of hassle.