Incfile Review

What Is Incfile?

Incfile is a registered agent and business formation company based out of Houston, Texas. Founded in 2004, the company offers a large selection of formation, filing, and business compliance services. 

Incfile prides itself in using technology to streamline the business formation process and offers the following core services:

• A registered agent service for businesses in all 50 states
• An easy-to-use business formation service for LLCs in all 50 states
• Bookkeeping and accounting services
• Compliance services, including the filing of annual reports

How Does Incfile Work?

Using Incfile’s incorporation service is a quick and easy process that will take you less than 15 minutes to complete.

1. Visit the Inclife website and click on “Start My Business”. Once you provide the type of business you would like to form and select your state, you will be offered three packages to choose from. Inclife will auto-fill the state filing fee based on your state.

2. You will then be asked to provide some basic personal information, such as your name, email, mobile phone, and mailing address.

3. Next, you will be given an option to expedite your filing time. In the example below, you can see that you can speed up the filing process from 3 weeks to 2 business days for an additional $50.

4. From there, you would need to provide the relevant company information, such as its name, address, corporate stock information, and more.

5. You will then be asked to list the members/owners of the company, provide shareholder details, and, finally, the details of the registered agent.

6. Finally, you will need to register your Employer Identification Number (EIN), open a bank account with Bank of America, and provide your billing information.

7. You are done! The Incfile will now submit your business formation request on your behalf. 

During the registration process, expect to see a few offers to sign up for additional services, such as tax consultation or business licenses and permits search. Also, do not worry about submitting your sensitive information through Incfile - the website is incredibly secure and is covered by Authorize.net and Norton Web Security.

Incfile Main Services and Features

Incfile provides business formation services, as well as a rich suite of related compliance, filing, and legal services. With Incfile, you also receive access to a convenient online dashboard, where you can track the due dates and statuses of important forms and submissions.

Business Formation Service

The main service offered by Incfile is LLC business formation. This means that if you wish to file your LLC, Incfile can do this for you, entirely online. You will need to answer a series of simple questions about your future business, including your business’ name, address, and members. Incfile will then make sure to file the paperwork on your behalf by the next business day.

Registered Agent Service

All corporations and LLCs must designate a registered agent to act as a company’s point of contact to handle official legal notices. You can act as your own registered agent, or you can use a dedicated professional service from Infile. With its Silver, Gold, and Platinum packages, the company offers a free registered agent service for a year. 

If you choose to take advantage of this service, the Incfile registered agent will receive business mail on your behalf and forward it to you. They will also update you on any documents you’ve received, and any relevant information will be immediately available through Inclife’s digital dashboard.

Annual Reports

Most businesses are required to submit annual reports with their Secretary of State offices. Typically, such reports contain basic information about the LLC, such as the names of the company’s managers and its address. To minimize the filing hassle and avoid penalties, you can take advantage of Incfile’s annual report filing service. After you submit all the relevant information, Incfile will send your report to all the relevant authorities. They will also provide you with an update once your report has been received and reviewed.

Accounting, Bookkeeping, and Business Taxes

Incfile also provides business accounting and bookkeeping services. The company claims to offer several packages to choose from, though the prices are not readily available on their website. However, the website does state that all the packages include unlimited tax consultations with experts, quarterly bookkeeping, and the filing of at least one tax return.

Convenient Online Dashboard

All Incfile customers have access to an online dashboard that conveniently summarizes all the information related to key deadlines and order statuses. It also contains all previously drafted and submitted documents.

Incfile Pricing

Inclife offers several pricing plans based on the level of service that you need. It even includes a free plan - probably the lowest-cost business formation service available on the market today. Keep in mind, however, that with each plan, you will still be responsible for paying your state’s filing fee.

Additional Incfile Costs

In addition to the payment associated with your package, you would still have to pay the state filing fee when forming your business. The exact amount varies from state to state and can be anywhere from $40 to $500.

If you file your business yourself, you can complete the task through the state website within several minutes. However, Incfile advertises a six-week turnaround time and charges extra $50 if you want the filing done within five business days.

Finally, when going through the checkout process, you will see additional offers to upgrade your package at a discount. For example, for an extra $29 per month, you will be able to receive a business address and virtual mail service instead of using your own personal email for business correspondence.

Incfile Ease of Use

Inclief has a solid, user-friendly interface, and most customers find it very easy to use. Filing your business takes a few steps and requires only very basic information. One great feature of Incfile is that it will auto-populate the filing fees based on your state, so you won’t receive an unpleasant surprise when checking out.

In addition to your package, you can also order one-off services, such as a license search or a name change. These services are similarly straightforward and come with handy, easy-to-read guides.

Incfile Customer Service

One major drawback of Incfile is its average customer service. The company states that they offer phone support from 9am to 6pm CST, Monday through Friday. However, many customers report that they aren’t sure how to contact Incfile representatives during weekend hours.

It is worth noting that Inclife has recently implemented some changes to improve the overall customer support experience. For example, they mention that they’ve doubled the customer service staff and added an interactive help service along with a live chat option. So, if you have questions like “how to cancel Incfile subscription,” you can enjoy their new, faster customer support.

Incfile User Reviews

Independent user review websites like Trustpilot and Shoppers Approved give Incfile nearly 5 / 5 ratings; it seems like the major selling point for Incfile is how fast and easy the company can make the business formation process.

However, other review websites aren’t as unanimously positive. For example, the company’s average Yelp rating is a disappointing 2 / 5. Many negative Incfile reviews highlight severely-delayed filings, filing mistakes, or additional services being misrepresented. However, the most common complaint tends to focus on customer service in general. Many unhappy customers report not being able to reach an actual person to help them out with their problems. We can only hope that Incliffe’s recent improvements to customer support will slowly but surely shift the user sentiment into a more positive direction.

Incfile Alternatives 

While there are other business formation services to choose from, Incfile is definitely the most affordable one among all. Starting at $0 plus state filing fee, Incfile is well ahead of its more expensive competitors like LegalNature ($39 + state fees) or LegalZoom ($79 + state fees).

While LegalZoom is a real industry giant, it surprisingly includes far less features within more affordable packages as compared to Incfile. For example, Incfile offers a free year of registered agent services, whereas LegalZoom charges $159 for that. Similarly, LegalNature charges $125 for a year of registered agent services right off the bat. LegalNature also offers a number of additional services and customizable legal documents - something that you might benefit from, but would have to pay extra for.

In the end, there is no right or wrong answer when choosing your business formation service provider. You need to think about what you need help with and what your budget is, and make your selection accordingly.

Bottom Line

If you want to simplify your life by working with an affordable business formation service, Incfile might be the right option for you. As seen in this Incfile review, the website offers a variety of business formation-related services at budget-friendly rates. However, expect that filing your business with Incfile can take several weeks, - something that can be completed within minutes if you choose to do this by yourself.