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Written by: Natalie Fell
Natalie is a business writer with experience in operations, HR, and training & development within the software, healthcare, and financial services sectors.
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 17, 2022
Updated on March 11, 2024
If you’re starting an LLC in West Virginia, 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 West Virginia? 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 West Virginia.
Best Value
Best Registered Agent Service
Best Turnaround Time
Best Legal Assistance
MyCorporation
Best for Speedy Processing
For entrepreneurs considering establishing a West Virginia LLC, ZenBusiness presents a range of plans tailored to the state’s business landscape. Their Starter plan, priced at $0 plus West Virginia state fees, provides a business name availability search specifically for West Virginia and comprehensive support for LLC formation in the state.
The Pro plan, coming in at $199 plus West Virginia state fees, includes all the offerings of the Starter plan, further adding an operating agreement template designed for West Virginia LLCs, an EIN, annual compliance service attuned to West Virginia regulations, and a rush filing service to expedite the process within the state.
For those desiring a more comprehensive package, the Premium Plan, priced at $349 plus West Virginia state fees, furnishes all Pro services, in addition to a business document template library, domain name registration, website setup, and email services, all tailored for West Virginia businesses.
ZenBusiness stands out as the top choice for West Virginia LLC filing due to its affordable foundational service, encompassing LLC formation and a 100% accuracy guarantee, all starting at just $0 plus West Virginia state fees.
Furthermore, ZenBusiness operates as a Public Benefit Corporation, which means, while they are a for-profit entity, they maintain a community-centric goal akin to a nonprofit.
In their endeavor to provide a holistic service to West Virginia LLCs, ZenBusiness offers an array of additional services. This spans from registered agent services designed for West Virginia’s regulatory environment to various business tools. While these can adjust the overall cost, the feedback ZenBusiness has received from its clientele historically speaks to their value and effectiveness.
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 offers a competitively priced plan at $39 plus West Virginia state fees. This package encompasses business formation in West Virginia, complimentary registered agent services valid for a year, a dedicated business address within the state, an operating agreement tailored to West Virginia’s regulations, along with several other beneficial inclusions.
This plan holds exceptional value for West Virginia entrepreneurs, especially considering that it includes pivotal services such as registered agent services and a West Virginia-specific operating agreement. These components are fundamental for the smooth operation of an LLC in the state.
However, a point to note for West Virginia LLC founders is that even if one opts out of the registered agent services, the full plan price remains unchanged and is charged in entirety.
A defining feature of Northwest Registered Agent, as indicated by their title, is their expertise in registered agent services. When serving West Virginia LLCs as a registered agent, they distinguish themselves through a more individualized customer support experience and prompt notifications for any correspondence.
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.
For those setting up a West Virginia LLC, Swyft Filings offers the Basic package at just the state fees. It covers name verification, articles of organization preparation, and state filing. Clients also get online document access and lifetime support.
Their Standard package, at $199 plus West Virginia state fees, builds on the basic offerings. It includes a custom operating agreement, a federal tax ID (EIN), and tools to set up your initial LLC meeting in West Virginia.
Swyft Filings’ Premium package, priced at $299 plus state fees, offers expedited filing and features like a business document library, compliance notifications, and a business website. The package also provides a digital LLC kit with a company “seal”, ownership transfer ledger, and personalized certificates.
Overall, Swyft Filings boasts stellar customer support and has received many positive reviews from West Virginia LLC owners.
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.
LegalZoom’s Basic plan for a West Virginia LLC is priced at state fees only. This plan offers a business name availability search within West Virginia and the business formation service, accompanied by full customer support. Extra perks include a digital welcome packet and a business website, ensuring West Virginia entrepreneurs have access to their formation documents online anytime.
For those seeking more, the Pro plan, priced at $249, not only encapsulates all features from the Basic plan but also adds an operating agreement, an EIN, a business license guide for West Virginia regulations, and initial consultations with specialists over the phone.
Stepping up to the Premium plan at $299 provides West Virginia LLC owners everything from the Pro plan plus unlimited 30-minute attorney consultations. Additionally, you’ll get the flexibility to make changes to your West Virginia LLC for up to 30 days and benefit from direct guidance from a seasoned business attorney.
What sets LegalZoom apart is their vast array of additional legal services and documents tailored to the unique needs of West Virginia LLCs.
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, priced at $99 plus West Virginia state fees, provides business formation services tailored for West Virginia, a name availability search within the state, and online storage for your documents.
Opting for their Standard plan at $124 (plus West Virginia state fees) annually adds the benefit of handling your West Virginia LLC’s annual report filing.
With the Deluxe plan at $224 (plus West Virginia state fees) annually, West Virginia LLCs get both the annual report filing and registered agent services.
Their top-tier, the Premium plan at $324 (plus West Virginia state fees) annually, introduces a service known as MaintainMyBiz to support businesses in West Virginia.
Note that MyCorporation marks up your state fees to make an additional profit, which is highly unusual in the industry.
In addition to these packages, MyCorporation offers a range of supplementary services for added fees. Some of these services, such as unemployment insurance and tax withholding registration, are unique offerings not commonly found with other business formation services.
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.
Filenow presents a Starter plan tailored for West Virginia LLCs at just $49. This package incorporates company compliance alerts specific to West Virginia’s regulations, a tax consultation suited for West Virginia LLCs, and assistance with opening a business bank account in West Virginia.
Their Premium plan, priced at $199 for businesses in West Virginia, extends the offerings of the Starter plan by including a free year of registered agent services in West Virginia, a customized operating agreement for West Virginia LLCs, an EIN, a banking resolution, a collection of business contract templates, and a promise of 24-hour processing.
One of Filenow’s standout features is its swift processing times tailored for West Virginia’s business environment. Additionally, their money-back guarantee and the exceptional value offered in the Premium plan position them as a competitive choice for West Virginia LLC formation.
Filenow’s Premium plan is an exceptional value based on what you get for the price. It’s less expensive than similar plans offered by competitors. They also offer fast turnaround times, and a money back guarantee.
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 a 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 and Trustpilot ratings and reviews. It’s wise to look at both positive and negative reviews to find out what people love about the service and about 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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