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Written by: Carolyn Young
Carolyn Young is a business writer who focuses on entrepreneurial concepts and the business formation. She has over 25 years of experience in business roles, and has authored several entrepreneurship textbooks.
Edited by: David Lepeska
David has been writing and learning about business, finance and globalization for a quarter-century, starting with a small New York consulting firm in the 1990s.
Published on August 16, 2022
Updated on April 9, 2024
If you’re starting an LLC in Iowa, the business entity formation process is one of the first and most important hurdles. This step can be terribly complex and time-consuming, which is why many entrepreneurs turn to professional formation services.
But which are the best LLC formation services in Iowa? This article takes a closer look, stepping into an entrepreneur’s shoes, to help you choose the service that puts you on the road to success.
Here we summarize our top picks of business formation services in Iowa.
Best Overall
Best Registered Agent Service
Best Turnaround Time
Best for Small Budget
Best Variety of Legal Services
Best Support for Small Business Owners
ZenBusiness offers various plans for prospective business owners in Iowa.
The Starter plan is $0 plus state fees, covering business name availability search and formation with full support.
The Pro plan, at $199 plus state fees, not only provides a solution for those in Iowa state but also encompasses the Starter plan services, an operating agreement template, an EIN, annual compliance service, and rush filing.
Their Premium plan at $349 plus state fees ensures all-inclusive services whether you’re starting a business in Iowa state or elsewhere, offering all Pro services, a business document template library, domain name, website, and email.
ZenBusiness is our winner as the best overall LLC filing company due to its low-cost base service, catering to states like Iowa state and ensuring LLC filing with a 100% accuracy guarantee starting at $0 plus state fees. Notably, ZenBusiness is a Public Benefit Corporation, which means it’s a for-profit company with a community goal similar to a nonprofit, a model that resonates with many in Iowa state and beyond.
In addition to LLC formation, they provide various add-on services, from registered agents to business tools, although these can raise costs.
ZenBusiness offers valuable services for budding entrepreneurs. While registered agent services are an add-on, their excellent customer support, user-friendly site, and positive reviews make them a top choice.
Northwest’s plan, at $39 plus Iowa filing fees, includes business formation, free registered agent services for a year, a business address, an Iowa LLC operating agreement, and a few extras.
This plan is an excellent value since registered agent services and an operating agreement, which are very important, are included.
But if you do not choose the registered agent services, you’re still charged the full plan price.
Northwest Registered Agent, as the name implies, is best known for registered agent services. As registered agent service providers, they offer more personalized customer support and fast correspondence notification.
We recommend Northwest Registered Agent because of their transparent pricing, outstanding customer service, and a commitment to maintaining your privacy. They pride themselves on personalizing their approach to meeting your registered agent needs, which are their specialty.
Swyft Filings is renowned for its tiered services, each designed to cater to the diverse needs of businesses, be it in Iowa state or elsewhere in the country.
For just the state fees, businesses in Iowa state can avail themselves of Swyft Filings’ Basic package. This ensures the verification of your company name, preparing the Certificate of Organization, and taking care of the document filing with the state. Those in Iowa state will also benefit from online access to their documents and the guarantee of lifetime customer support.
If you’re an entrepreneur in Iowa state looking for a more comprehensive package, the Standard package is available at $199 plus state fees. It envelops all the offerings of the Basic package but supplements them with a custom operating agreement, a federal tax ID or EIN, custom banking resolution services, and custom organizational minutes. This latter feature is particularly crucial for businesses in Iowa state, helping streamline the setup of the inaugural LLC meeting.
For businesses in Iowa state seeking a top-tier solution, Swyft Filings’ Premium package should be on the radar. It encompasses everything from the Standard package and pairs it with expedited filing. In addition, businesses will also benefit from a business document library, compliance notifications, a business domain name, and a website. The cherry on top is the digital LLC kit, boasting a digital company “seal”, a ledger adept at tracking ownership transfers, and tailor-made ownership certificates. This comprehensive package is priced at $299 plus the requisite state filing fees.
Regardless of whether you’re based in Iowa state or elsewhere, Swyft Filings stands out with its exceptional customer support, further solidified by a strong track record in customer reviews.
Swyft Filings offers fast processing but doesn’t include registered agent services in their packages, making additions somewhat costly. However, they provide good value overall and strong customer support.
The free Silver package includes the preparation and filing of the articles of organization, unlimited name searches, business tax consultation, business banking account offer, and lifetime compliance alerts, with free registered agent services for a year. Lifetime company alerts mean that Bizee will remind you of any reporting due dates based on your state’s requirements. You’ll also get access to a personalized online dashboard and unlimited phone and email support.
The Gold package includes all the services included in the Silver package, plus an operating agreement template, banking resolution, an EIN tax number, and the filing of IRS Form 2553, which allows LLCs to reap the tax benefits of an S Corporation. It costs $199.
The Platinum package, at $299, includes everything in the Gold package with the advantage of free expedited filing, as well as a domain name and business email. You’ll also receive access to business contract templates, which can be extremely helpful for new business owners. There are over 25 different contracts, all created and reviewed by attorneys.
Bizee provides substantial value, especially with their Silver package that costs only state fees and includes a year of registered agent service. For first-time entrepreneurs looking to save, Bizee stands out in the competition.
LegalZoom’s Basic plan costs Iowa filing fees only and includes a business name availability search through your state and the business formation service, with full customer support. It also offers a few extras, including a digital welcome packet and a business website. You’ll also have access to your formation documents online at any time.
The Pro plan, at $249, includes all the services included in the Basic plan, but with the addition of an Iowa LLC operating agreement, an EIN, a business license guide, and initial phone consultations with specialists.
The Premium plan, at $299, includes everything in the Pro plan with the advantage of unlimited 30-minute attorney consultations and changes to your LLC for 30 days, plus hands-on guidance from a business attorney.
LegalZoom’s differentiator is the extensive additional legal services and documents they offer.
LegalZoom’s services are easy to use and they offer great customer experience. They offer a wider variety of legal services and have been in business for more than 20 years. Overall, they’re a great one-stop shop for all of your business formation and legal needs.
MyCorporation’s Basic plan, at $99 plus state fees, includes business formation in Iowa, a name availability search, and online document storage.
Their Standard plan, at $124 (plus state fees) annually, has the added benefit of annual report filing for your LLC.
The Deluxe plan, at $224 (plus state fees) annually, includes the annual report filing plus registered agent services.
Finally, their Premium plan, at $324 (plus state fees) annually, includes a service called MaintainMyBiz.
Note that MyCorporation marks up your state fees to make an additional profit, which is highly unusual in the industry.
MyCorporation offers quite a few additional services for added fees. These include some services that other business formation services do not offer, such as unemployment insurance and tax withholding registration.
We put MyCorporation on the list because of the extensive list of services they offer, although we are not a fan of the marked-up state fees that are not disclosed. They have, however, been in business for a long time and have a good Trustpilot rating.
A business formation service handles the business formation process for you, making it nearly seamless while offering additional services that can make life easier for a new business owner. Whether you’re forming a limited liability company (LLC) or a corporation, a business formation service takes care of all the red tape, freeing you up to focus on growing your business.
With so many business formation services to choose from, it can be difficult to decide which is best for you. There are four essential elements that can help you make your decision.
Each service offers various products and services, and their plans are all designed differently. You may need some services but not others, so you need to choose the service that offers everything you need. For example, only some of the providers offer annual report filing.
If it’s important to you to get that task off your plate, you’ll want a service that offers that feature. Another feature you might need is a digital dashboard where you can always access your business formation documents.
You’ll want to choose a service that has everything you need to make starting and running your business as easy as possible.
Of course, you’ll want to get the best value for your money!
Compare the cost of each service for everything you need. The price can really add up when you start adding extras, so be careful not to go too far. You also want to get good value and great customer service, so if you’re considering the cheapest service, check the reviews to see how people feel about it.
Business formation turnaround times vary with each service, so if you’re in a hurry to get your business up and running, you’ll want to look for the quickest service. You don’t want your order to sit in an office for too long before your paperwork gets filed with the state. Some services differentiate themselves with fast turnaround times, so if they also offer good value, that might be your best choice.
One good way to learn about the quality of anything you’re buying is to listen to what people are saying about it. When we review services we look at Better Business Bureau ratings and reviews, as well as TrustPilot reviews. It’s wise to look at both positive and negative reviews to find out what people love about the service and about the issues customers have encountered.
Remember that fake reviews are common, so you’ll have to take some of the reviews with a grain of salt.
As an entrepreneurial advisory site, we take our responsibilities seriously. We understand that countless entrepreneurs, and potential entrepreneurs, rely on our judgments and insights, particularly when it comes to creating their business.
As a result, our writers do their utmost to gain a comprehensive understanding of the services offered and the actual customer experience. In nearly every case, we:
Thanks to this full immersion in the actual customer experience, our reviewers are able to provide the most complete and insightful analysis of various LLC formation services.
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