How long does it take to change a registered agent in Kentucky?

The Kentucky Secretary of State says documents other than annual reports are usually processed the same day they are received, but it may take up to three business days. That applies to Form RAC (Statement of Change of Registered Agent and/or Registered Office Address), whether you file online or on paper, though mail adds transit time. The fee is $10. File before your current agent's service ends to avoid lapses: Kentucky requires continuous registered agent coverage, and any gap could mean missed service of process. File online at sos.ky.gov for the quickest route, or mail the form to the Division of Business Filings.

What is the cost to change a registered agent in Kentucky?

The filing fee to change your registered agent in Kentucky is $10, payable to the Kentucky Secretary of State. You file Form RAC (Statement of Change of Registered Agent and/or Registered Office Address), online through the Secretary of State's website or by mail. Checks for paper filings are payable to the Kentucky State Treasurer. This $10 fee is much lower than the initial LLC formation fee, making a registered agent update affordable for most business owners, and it applies each time you change agents. To proceed, visit the Kentucky Secretary of State website, complete Form RAC with your LLC's name and new agent details, and submit it with payment. The Secretary of State says documents other than annual reports are usually processed the same day they are received, but it may take up to three business days.

Can I be my own registered agent for my Kentucky LLC?

Yes, you can serve as your own registered agent for your Kentucky LLC if you live in Kentucky, have a Kentucky street address, and are available during standard business hours to accept legal documents. However, this decision carries practical implications. If you serve yourself, your street address goes on the public record as the registered office, never a P.O. box. You'll personally receive all lawsuits, subpoenas, and regulatory notices. Missing a single service deadline could result in a default judgment against your business. Many Kentucky LLC owners hire a professional registered agent service instead. A registered agent provides a dedicated Kentucky address, makes sure someone is available during business hours, and keeps your home address off the registered agent line of the public record. To change agents later, file Form RAC (Statement of Change of Registered Agent and/or Registered Office Address) with the Kentucky Secretary of State's Division of Business Filings; the fee is $10.

Will changing my registered agent affect my LLC's good standing?

No, changing your registered agent won't affect your LLC's good standing status in Kentucky. The Secretary of State's office doesn't penalize you for updating this information through the proper channels. However, **failing to keep a registered agent can lead to administrative dissolution**. The Secretary of State may dissolve an LLC that has been without a registered agent or office for 60 days or more, or that does not report a change or resignation of its agent within 60 days, after first mailing a notice that gives the LLC 60 days to fix the problem. To avoid this, file Form RAC (Statement of Change of Registered Agent and/or Registered Office Address) with the Kentucky Secretary of State when replacing your agent. The filing fee is $10, and the Secretary of State says most documents are processed the same day they are received, though it may take up to three business days. Submit the change before your current agent's service ends.

Can I file the registered agent change online or do I need to mail it?

Kentucky allows both online and paper filing for registered agent changes. Filing online through the Kentucky Secretary of State website (sos.ky.gov) avoids mail time, and no copies are required. You'll submit Form RAC (Statement of Change of Registered Agent and/or Registered Office Address) with the $10 filing fee. For paper filing, send the completed form, one exact copy, and a $10 check payable to the Kentucky State Treasurer to the Office of the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State says documents other than annual reports are usually processed the same day they are received, but it may take up to three business days. If your registered agent is resigning soon, filing online avoids mail time and gaps in representation that could result in missed legal notices.

How to Change Your Registered Agent in Kentucky

Complete guide to updating your LLC's registered agent with the Kentucky Secretary of State, including required forms, fees, and filing procedures.

By Edmond Hui · Last updated: October 2026

Affiliate disclosure: We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Get registered agent service from NorthwestRegistered agent service is $125/yr. The included first year applies only when you form a new LLC with them ($39 plus your state's filing fee), so it does not apply to an LLC you already have. Registered agent customers are enrolled by default in annual report filing at $100 plus state fees, charged automatically to your saved payment method and cancellable any time.

Not sure which service is right? Compare formation services →

Step diagram for changing an LLC's registered agent in Kentucky, showing the 6 filing steps required by the Kentucky Secretary of State. — The 6 steps to change your registered agent in Kentucky. Source: Kentucky Secretary of State.

How to File

1
Obtain Consent from New Registered Agent
Before filing any paperwork, make sure your new registered agent agrees to serve and has a Kentucky street address. The new agent signs a written consent to serve on the change form.
2
Complete Form RAC
Fill out Form RAC (Statement of Change of Registered Agent and/or Registered Office Address) with your LLC's exact name as on file, the current registered agent and office, and the new agent and Kentucky street address. A member or manager signs it.
3
Submit Filing to Kentucky Secretary of State
File with the Kentucky Secretary of State at https://www.sos.ky.gov. You can file online, or mail the paper form with one exact copy to the Division of Business Filings.
4
Pay Required Filing Fee
Pay the $10 filing fee for changing your registered agent. Online filings accept credit cards, while mail submissions require a check payable to the Kentucky State Treasurer.
5
Notify Your Previous Registered Agent
Inform your former registered agent in writing that their services are no longer needed and provide the effective date of the change. This ensures a smooth transition and prevents confusion.
6
Update Your Business Records
Update your internal LLC records, operating agreement if necessary, and notify banks, creditors, and other business contacts of your new registered agent information.

Need the Kentucky Secretary of State?

Go directly to the Kentucky Secretary of State website.

File with the Kentucky Secretary of State →

When Should You Change Your Registered Agent?

Your current registered agent is moving out of Kentucky or closing their business
You want to switch from being your own registered agent to a professional service
Your registered agent isn't reliably available during business hours to receive legal documents
You're unhappy with your current registered agent's service quality or responsiveness

Hiring a service is optional. You can name yourself or another individual with a street address in Kentucky, and the FAQ below gives Kentucky's own rule.

Registered agent services for Kentucky LLCs, by renewal price

Affiliate disclosure: Northwest Registered Agent, Bizee, ZenBusiness and LegalZoom pay us a commission if you sign up through our link, at no extra cost to you. We list only the registered agent services we have an affiliate relationship with, so this is not a survey of the whole market.

This table is not scored. The four are listed cheapest annual renewal first, and the rows below it say which one fits which situation. The scored ranking, and the formula behind it, is on the formation services review, which orders them on three-year cost, BBB rating and Trustpilot score.

Service	With formation, year 1	Annual renewal	BBB	Trustpilot	Privacy
Northwest Registered Agent	Included with $39 formation	$125/yr	A	4.1/5 (297)	Says it does not sell your information; runs its own servers
Bizee	Free year one (some visitors are being shown shorter free periods, so confirm at checkout)	$149/yr	C (unaccredited)	4.8/5 (26,100+)	No data-sharing commitment
ZenBusiness	$99, not included in any plan	$199/yr	A	4.8/5 (32,500+)	Partial
LegalZoom	Not included, $249 extra	$249/yr	A+	4.6/5 (32,900+)	Partial

Note: Bizee holds a C rating from the BBB and is not accredited. BBB's profile carries a live alert describing a pattern of complaints about unexpected charges, difficulty canceling and filing delays, and Bizee has posted a response to it. We flag this so you can make an informed choice.

Prices are each provider's standard published rates; year-one pricing applies when you form your LLC through the same service. BBB and Trustpilot figures as recorded September 15, 2026, not re-checked since, and both sources update continuously. These are the dates the figures were last written to our dataset, which is the most we can show: they are not verification dates. See how we evaluate these companies in our full formation services review →

This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. It reports what each state publishes about filing deadlines, fees, and the consequences of missing them, with the sources this page cites. It cannot tell you what your own company owes: the date turns on when and where you formed, states change these rules between our reviews, and in several states an entity-level tax falls due in a year when no report does. Confirm your own dates with the filing office named on this page before you rely on one here, because missing a deadline can cost the company its good standing or, in many states, its existence.

Read this guide for another state:

Frequently Asked Questions

: The Kentucky Secretary of State says documents other than annual reports are usually processed the same day they are received, but it may take up to three business days. That applies to Form RAC (Statement of Change of Registered Agent and/or Registered Office Address), whether you file online or on paper, though mail adds transit time. The fee is $10. File before your current agent's service ends to avoid lapses: Kentucky requires continuous registered agent coverage, and any gap could mean missed service of process. File online at sos.ky.gov for the quickest route, or mail the form to the Division of Business Filings.
: The filing fee to change your registered agent in Kentucky is $10, payable to the Kentucky Secretary of State. You file Form RAC (Statement of Change of Registered Agent and/or Registered Office Address), online through the Secretary of State's website or by mail. Checks for paper filings are payable to the Kentucky State Treasurer. This $10 fee is much lower than the initial LLC formation fee, making a registered agent update affordable for most business owners, and it applies each time you change agents. To proceed, visit the Kentucky Secretary of State website, complete Form RAC with your LLC's name and new agent details, and submit it with payment. The Secretary of State says documents other than annual reports are usually processed the same day they are received, but it may take up to three business days.
: Yes, you can serve as your own registered agent for your Kentucky LLC if you live in Kentucky, have a Kentucky street address, and are available during standard business hours to accept legal documents. However, this decision carries practical implications. If you serve yourself, your street address goes on the public record as the registered office, never a P.O. box. You'll personally receive all lawsuits, subpoenas, and regulatory notices. Missing a single service deadline could result in a default judgment against your business. Many Kentucky LLC owners hire a professional registered agent service instead. A registered agent provides a dedicated Kentucky address, makes sure someone is available during business hours, and keeps your home address off the registered agent line of the public record. To change agents later, file Form RAC (Statement of Change of Registered Agent and/or Registered Office Address) with the Kentucky Secretary of State's Division of Business Filings; the fee is $10.
: No, changing your registered agent won't affect your LLC's good standing status in Kentucky. The Secretary of State's office doesn't penalize you for updating this information through the proper channels. However, **failing to keep a registered agent can lead to administrative dissolution**. The Secretary of State may dissolve an LLC that has been without a registered agent or office for 60 days or more, or that does not report a change or resignation of its agent within 60 days, after first mailing a notice that gives the LLC 60 days to fix the problem. To avoid this, file Form RAC (Statement of Change of Registered Agent and/or Registered Office Address) with the Kentucky Secretary of State when replacing your agent. The filing fee is $10, and the Secretary of State says most documents are processed the same day they are received, though it may take up to three business days. Submit the change before your current agent's service ends.
: Kentucky allows both online and paper filing for registered agent changes. Filing online through the Kentucky Secretary of State website (sos.ky.gov) avoids mail time, and no copies are required. You'll submit Form RAC (Statement of Change of Registered Agent and/or Registered Office Address) with the $10 filing fee. For paper filing, send the completed form, one exact copy, and a $10 check payable to the Kentucky State Treasurer to the Office of the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State says documents other than annual reports are usually processed the same day they are received, but it may take up to three business days. If your registered agent is resigning soon, filing online avoids mail time and gaps in representation that could result in missed legal notices.

Sources

9 documents

Each entry below is a document recorded in our verified Kentucky sources, and each entry says what the document is. Some statutory text is read from an accurate mirror rather than from the state's own host, and those say so. Where we hold the citation but no stable public link, the citation is printed on its own rather than pointed at a guessed address.

Kentucky statute: KRS chapter 14A (business entity filings, registered agents)
Kentucky statute: KRS 14A.7-010 (administrative dissolution grounds)
Kentucky Secretary of State: Form RAC, Statement of Change of Registered Agent and/or Registered Office Address
sos.ky.gov/bus/business-filings/OnlineServices/Pages/default.aspxKentucky Secretary of State: business entity filings
apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=47075Kentucky statute: Annual Report
onestop.ky.gov/manage/Pages/annualreports.aspxKentucky Secretary of State: file the Annual Report
apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=57941Kentucky statute: Limited Liability Entity Tax
revenue.ky.gov/Forms/Form%20725%20Instructions.pdfKentucky agency guidance: Limited Liability Entity Tax
revenue.ky.gov/Business/Corporation-Income-and-Limited-Liability-Entity-Tax/Pages/default.aspxKentucky Department of Revenue: file the Limited Liability Entity Tax

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Edmond Hui · Founder, MyStateLLC

Edmond Hui is a software engineer and serial entrepreneur based in New York who has founded multiple online businesses across e-commerce, media, and information publishing. Before transitioning into tech, he spent years as a commercial real estate professional closing deals totaling over 100,000 square feet, giving him firsthand experience with business formation and entity structuring. He built MyStateLLC to provide the free, state-specific LLC guidance he wished existed when forming his own companies.

How we check facts

How to File

Obtain Consent from New Registered Agent

Complete Form RAC

Submit Filing to Kentucky Secretary of State

Pay Required Filing Fee

Notify Your Previous Registered Agent

Update Your Business Records