Is ZenBusiness Worth the Money?

If you’re starting a business and forming a limited liability company (LLC) or a corporation, all the tasks you have to complete can be overwhelming. Fortunately, there are services that can help to make your life easier, handling many of those tasks for you.

ZenBusiness is one of the top options, and of course their services come with a price. So is it worth the money to hire ZenBusiness to save you time and ensure that everything is handled correctly?

Here, we’ll explore what ZenBusiness can do for you and how much it costs so that you can make that decision for yourself.

ZenBusiness Plans and Pricing

ZenBusiness offers three business formation plans that all include a business name availability search, and the state filing of your business formation documents, as well as a 100% accuracy guarantee.

Their Starter plan costs nothing, although you will pay the state filing fee, which you have to pay even if you file the documents yourself.  It also comes with their worry-free compliance service for one year. 

Their Pro plan includes the worry-free compliance service and an operating agreement, as well as an Employer Identification Number (EIN) application, and rush filing of your formation documents. This plan is $199 annually, which is a good price point compared to the competition. 

Their Premium plan costs $349 annually and includes everything in the Pro plan plus access to an extensive business document template library, a business website builder, and a domain name and business email address.

Business Formation

Forming your business entity, whether its an LLC or corporation, involves filling out documents and filing them with your state. It can be a hassle to do this yourself, but ZenBusiness will handle this for you. You can get this service for free with the Starter plan, which is a great deal. 

Registered Agent Services

All states require that you appoint a registered agent for your LLC or corporation, which is a person or company authorized to accept official correspondence, such as state correspondence, on behalf of your business. 

You can elect to be your own registered agent, but that comes with a requirement to be available at your registered address during business hours. This can be quite restrictive for a business owner, particularly when you’re just starting out. 

Instead, you can hire ZenBusiness as your registered agent for $199 per year, freeing you to be away from the office when necessary.  ZenBusiness will receive your correspondence, notify you, and make the documents available to you on an online dashboard. 

ZenBusiness charges a little more than some competitors for this service, but you can count on them to be reliable and provide good customer service.

Operating Agreement

An operating agreement, while not required in most states, is a critical document to have if you form an LLC. The operating agreement defines the LLC’s ownership percentages, voting rights of members, how profits are distributed, how disputes are resolved, and much more.

ZenBusiness provides a customizable operating agreement template with their Pro and Premium plans. You can add it to the Starter plan for $99.  

If you have an attorney draw up an operating agreement for you, you’ll pay hundreds or even over a thousand dollars in fees, so ZenBusiness can save you quite a bit of money with their template. 

EIN Application

An EIN is required if your business will have employees, or if you form an LLC with more than one member, or you form a corporation. An EIN is a tax identification number for your business. ZenBusiness will apply for your EIN with the IRS and provide you with the number as soon as it’s obtained. 

This service is included in the Pro and Premium plans, or you can add it to the Starter plan for $99.

Annual Reports and Compliance

ZenBusiness’ worry-free compliance service handles your business entity’s annual report filings, which most states require. They will also file two amendments to your formation documents per year if necessary. 

This service ensures that your LLC or corporation is in compliance with state requirements. The service is included in all plans, though with the Starter plan, it’s included for one year and then billed at $199 annually. 

Business Document Templates

In the course of doing business, you may need all sorts of documents including employment offer letters, confidentiality agreements, consulting agreements, non-compete agreements, and more.

ZenBusiness offers a business document template library, which is included in their Premium plan, or can be purchased with the other plans for $99. 

Having such documents provided by an attorney can add up to thousands of dollars, so the ZenBusiness library is clearly a good deal. 

Business Licenses and Permits

Your business may need any number of licenses and permits at the federal, state, and local levels. Researching the requirements for your business can take hours, but ZenBusiness will do the research for you and provide a report of the requirements for your business based on your business type and location. They will also provide instructions on how to obtain the required licenses and permits.

This service can be purchased for $99. 

In Closing

ZenBusiness offers a host of services that can make your life as a new business owner easier. Their business formation plans offer good value, as do the additional services they offer. Your best bet is to choose the services that you need, add up the costs, and see if the time and attorney cost savings are worth it to you.

Keep in mind that by using the ZenBusiness services, you can feel confident that everything will be done correctly and that you’ll always receive exceptional customer support.