What Is Inc Authority?

Inc Authority is an online service offering LLC formation and business ownership assistance, including help with foundational paperwork and other legal requirements. Headquartered in Nevada, the company boasts over 30 years of experience serving small businesses and claims it has helped form over 250,000 LLCs and corporations every year. The company says it aims to make the business formation process less intimidating, confusing and expensive for entrepreneurs.

Pros

One of the major perks of Inc Authority is its free LLC or corporation formation services. Inc Authority will perform a business name check, prepare the filing forms, digitally store your documents and act as your registered agent for one year―all for free. Customers only pay the required secretary of state filing fees.

For returning customers, Inc Authority’s online client portal makes it relatively easy to check in on the status of various services and access resources. Customer support resources exist for all Inc Authority clients, whether the customer uses its free LLC/incorporation services or pays for additional services. The company also offers helpful information on the business formation process, legal issues relevant to small businesses and other aspects of business ownership on its blog.

Inc Authority offers a Client Portal with access to its paid services, which include accounting, business compliance, business credit, business funding, business plans, licensing, logos, payroll services, taxes, trademarks, trusts and websites.

Another benefit to customers is Inc Authority’s live customer support―available from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific time), and its partner offers with companies like PayPal and ADP.

Cons

One of the biggest drawbacks of Inc Authority is its lack of pricing transparency. There is no pricing listed on its website and it can take some effort to understand how much you’ll pay for the services you need. Additionally, some of Inc Authority’s bundled services might be relatively cheap (or free) for a customer to create on their own. 

 Customers would benefit from doing research on issues of LLC formation on their own to gain clarity about what actions are truly necessary for LLC formation, what actions are recommended by experts and then which of those are best delegated to professional assistance.

 Customers who want live customer support must call in during weekday business hours to order any products and services. Also, because there are no annual contracts, Inc Authority reserves the right to adjust monthly rates so long as it notifies customers.

How Inc Authority Works

Inc Authority offers bundles of business services, such as serving as the business’ registered agent, verifying business name availability, filing articles of formation/incorporation, preparing initial meeting minutes and resolutions and providing annual compliance notifications.

Customers can also get expedited filings and access to personalized business advice and a banking specialist for an additional cost.

9+ Services

Inc Authority’s goal is to provide the business planning essentials customers need to get their business off the ground, which include business formation, website design, trademark registration and business plan preparation, among others.

Name Availability Search

Before registering a business, you must confirm that the name is available. Inc Authority will perform a business name availability search for free as part of its business formation services. While this can be a helpful service, customers should know that doing a business name availability search is fairly simple and free through the applicable state’s secretary of state website.

Formation Service

Inc Authority touts its free business formation services for LLCs and corporations. Although Inc Authority doesn’t charge for the service it provides, customers pay the state’s applicable filing fees.

Registered Agent Services

Business formation documents require the name and address of a registered agent. The registered agent is the person authorized to receive notices and communications on behalf of the business.

Inc Authority offers registered agent services as part of its “free LLC services,” which include doing a name availability search and filing the business formation documents. After forming the business, Inc Authority will serve as the registered agent for one year. After that period, a customer will need to choose one of its Premium Service Bundles.

Online Document Access

Inc Authority offers a Client Portal that provides online document access. It also offers access to its paid services, which include accounting, business compliance, business credit, business funding, business plans, licensing, logos, payroll services, taxes, trademarks, trusts and websites.

Articles of Organization

With Inc Authority’s “free LLC services,” the company will file articles of organization or incorporation, depending on whether the business is formed as an LLC or corporation, with the applicable secretary of state. Customers pay the required secretary of state filing fees.

Website and Marketing Services

A user-friendly website and marketing are often critical to the success of a business, especially a new business. For an additional fee, customers can get a private consultation with a custom website designer, a premium custom website design, a professionally designed logo, 500 personalized business cards, access to a dedicated marketing specialist, SEO-optimized content for the website, comprehensive SEO services and a listing in relevant directories.

Business Plan Preparation

For an additional fee, customers can get professional help preparing their business plan. With this service, customers have access to a dedicated business plan advisor who guides the customer through the process of creating a business plan that meets bank and investor guidelines.

The business plan includes an executive summary, objectives, mission statement, demographics and marketing analysis and a full financial plan. Within the first three months of development, Inc Authority will make any adjustments or edits to the business plan at no additional cost.

Trademark Services

For some businesses, having a federally protected trademark is important to their business, and Inc Authority offers trademark services for an additional fee. With this program, Inc Authority helps customers register their trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) by completing the application on their behalf, providing status updates and lifetime access to Inc Authority’s Client Success Team.

Included with the trademark services are a comprehensive U.S. service of the USPTO’s records and state trademark databases to confirm that the trademark is available. Inc Authority also offers 24-hour expedited e-filing of the application, which is prepared by a trademark specialist. The service also includes the government filing fee for one class of goods or services and three years of trademark monitoring to notify customers of possible infringement of the trademark.