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Harvard Business Services LLC Review
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Starts at $0 + state fees and only takes 5-10 minutes
About Harvard Business Services
Harvard Business Services opened in 1981, and they’ve formed 300,000+ businesses since then. The company is known for its reasonable pricing models for Delaware business services, but it’s important to point out that it doesn’t offer services in any other state.
Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages of Harvard Business Services:
✔ If you put a lot of weight on customer reviews, Harvard Business Services makes a strong case in that department. Much like ZenBusiness, they have thousands of reviews across the web, with high average scores.
✔ Each of their LLC formations includes a year of registered agent service. Furthermore, if you add additional years of registered agent service, it’s $50 annually, and that price is guaranteed not to increase over the life of your company.
✔ In a hurry? They can provide same-day formation with expedited service (for an extra $150).
✔ If you need service in Spanish, they offer bilingual customer support and even have a Spanish version of their full website.
Disadvantages of Harvard Business Services:
✖ They only form LLCs in Delaware. If you want to form anywhere other than Delaware, you’ll need to find an alternative LLC service, like ZenBusiness, where we’ll form your LLC for free (just pay your state’s required fee). That’s an $89+ savings.
Harvard Business Services LLC Packages
Harvard Business Services has three packages of LLC formation services to choose from: Green, Basic, and Standard.
Before we dive into their packages, we’d like to clarify their pricing a bit. Unlike their competitors, Harvard Business Services includes Delaware’s $90 state fee in their listed prices. With this in mind, the following price points are calculated to match the ones found in our other LLC service reviews so that you can easily compare them if you so choose.
Green = $89 + State Fee
➢ Preparation and Filing of Certificate of Formation: The Certificate of Formation is the form you fill out in order to officially create your new business with the state of Delaware. Harvard Business Services will complete this document for you and submit it to the state.
➢ Name Availability Check: They will search through Delaware’s official business database to ensure that your desired business name is still available and hasn’t already been claimed by another company.
➢ One Year of Registered Agent Service: A registered agent is a person or entity that receives important document deliveries from the state and process servers on your behalf, then forwards them to you. This is required of all Delaware LLCs. Harvard Business Services will provide registered agent service for one year, after which you can renew for $50/year. Of course, you’re under no obligation to renew this service.
➢ Ongoing Compliance Notifications: If you’re required to file annual reports, tax documents, or any other filings with the state of Delaware, Harvard Business Services will send you regular reminders of these deadlines.
➢ Digital Copy of Filed Documents
Basic = $139 + State Fee
Everything from the Green package, plus…
➢ Document Templates: You’ll receive templates to create your own LLC operating agreement, banking resolution form, digital membership certificates, and more.
➢ Hard Copy of Filed Documents with Priority Mail Service
Standard = $239 + State Fee
Everything from the Basic package, plus…
➢ LLC Kit and Seal: A binder with your company name embossed on it, plus a decorative seal customized for your LLC. It also includes some more document templates, a meeting minute book, a transfer ledger to track ownership changes, and more.
International Customers:
Harvard Business Services also offers international LLC services. The Green package is exactly the same as the domestic version, but the international Basic package (and therefore, the Standard package as well) includes things like apostille and notary services to maintain compliance outside the U.S.
Top LLC Service Alternative – ZenBusiness
Compare Packages
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Starter
Premium
Starter
Top Features
We do everything needed to file your application with the state and make your business official. Standard LLC Filing
We’ll file your paperwork quickly and accurately. If there are any errors with your filing, our team will do what’s needed to make it right. 100% Accuracy Guarantee
Keeps you compliant with all state-required annual report and amendment filings to maintain LLC protections and avoid fines. Worry-Free Compliance
This essential document is like the constitution for your business. Operating Agreement
Our fastest service puts you to the front of our line of filings. Our Fastest Filing Speed
Our team will secure your EIN from the IRS so you can open a business bank account, hire employees, and pay taxes. EIN
Includes over 25 templates for contracts, service agreements, waivers, and more. Business Documents
Get online with a website builder tool optimized for traffic and customers. Business Website Builder
Build and protect your brand by registering a private domain name that matches your business name. Domain Name with Privacy
Stay organized and give your business more credibility with a business email. Business Email Address
File in 2 to 3 weeks **
*SPECIAL OFFER – Get Starter for $0 plus state fees. Includes one optional free year of Worry-Free Compliance that renews at $199/yr.
**These filing times are averages and include our processing times and Secretary of State turnaround times which vary by state.
In-Depth Review of Harvard Business Services
Overall Pricing and Value
Compared to other incorporation services, Harvard Business Services has competitive price points, especially when you consider that all of its packages include registered agent service for a year.
Compared to the $89 Green package, their $139 Basic package and $239 Standard plan don’t add a ton of value. Overall, Harvard Business Services has solid pricing, although there are services like ZenBusiness that will form your LLC for free (+ state fee).
Track Record
Harvard Business Services was established in 1981 and has since formed more than 300,000 Delaware businesses. For the first 10 years, the founder and his wife ran the business out of their home before expanding their company to an actual office.
Harvard Business Services now serves businesses based in nearly a dozen countries. Their founding CEO is still leading the company and even has his email address listed on the website.
They have thousands of positive reviews online across a handful of sites and few negative reviews. While Harvard Business Services can’t quite compete with the 11,000+ reviews ZenBusiness has online, it does still receive solid average ratings.
Customer Support
Harvard Business Services offers phone, email, chat, and Skype support. We reached out via all except Skype and were impressed by their customer service and response times.
Our chat question was answered almost immediately. The representative offered to call and talk us through the process, but we declined, wanting to call in on our own. Similarly, our email was answered by midday the following day.
The direct extensions of their staff are listed on the website, but we just called the main number to make a selection. Our call was answered in less than two minutes, and we were greeted by a courteous agent who answered and even expanded upon our question.
However, Harvard Business Services has short hours of availability that could pose problems for some entrepreneurs. Harvard Business Services reps are only available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET on Fridays.
Ease of Placing an Order
You want to start a business, but you have no idea where to begin. You don’t know how much goes into forming and running a business behind the scenes, and you shouldn’t lose sleep over figuring it out. The point of using an incorporation service is to save time and make the formation process simple.
Overall, the ordering process with Harvard Business Services is straightforward. We were able to complete the process of forming a company in less than 10 minutes.
After selecting a package, you put in your personal and business information. Before reaching the end of the order form, you’ll receive an upsell to include a federal tax ID number (also known as an employer identification number or EIN) for $65. If you want to save some hassle, adding an EIN isn’t a bad idea, although you can acquire one from the IRS for free if you’re willing to do the legwork yourself.
Overall Turnaround Time
Harvard Business Services includes the total turnaround time for each of its packages, which is 3-5 business days (4-6 business days for the hard copy included in the Basic package). They guarantee same-day electronic filing of all documents as long as everything is in order. For an additional $150 fee, they also offer expedited same-day formations if filed by 1 p.m. ET or by the next business day if filed later in the day.
Is Harvard Business Services Right for You?
Harvard Business Services is one of the most popular LLC service options for formations in Delaware. Their speedy filing times and affordable service packages make them worthy of consideration. Of course, no one solution will fit every business type, so let’s finish by discussing scenarios where you may or may not want to use their services.
✔ When to Form an LLC with Harvard Business Services:
If you’re forming an LLC in Delaware, they’re a solid option. Also, if you place a high value on customer feedback, Harvard Business Services has mostly positive reviews.
✖ When NOT to Form an LLC with Harvard Business Services:
If you want to form in any state other than Delaware, you’ll need to find someone else. Additionally, even though their prices are reasonable, you can still save quite a bit of money on basic LLC formation with another service. For example, ZenBusiness will form your LLC for free (+ state fee).
Start your LLC with ZenBusiness
Pricing starts at just $0 + state fee
Frequently Asked Questions About Harvard Business Services
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Harvard Business Services has formed more than 300,000 business entities since it opened for business back in 1981. They have a good reputation for customer feedback, as the majority of their thousands of reviews are positive. Their clients frequently mention how pleased they are with the speed of their services, as well as the assistance provided by their customer support team.
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Both in our own experience and as it pertains to their general reputation, Harvard Business Services has solid customer service, although it has limited hours of availability. You can only contact them from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET on Fridays.
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Unfortunately, we are not aware of any discount codes for Harvard Business Services. They have reasonable pricing to begin with, but it’s still disappointing that there aren’t any ways to knock their rates down a bit.
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As long as you request your refund within 30 days, they will provide it less a 5% service fee with no questions asked. This refund policy isn’t bad, but it pales in comparison to ZenBusiness’ satisfaction guarantee which provides a full refund of our service fees at any time within 60 days of purchase.
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Of course. Many entrepreneurs do form their own LLCs and if this is something you’d like to look into, check out our step-by-step guide. On the other side of the coin, some people choose to hire a lawyer to form an LLC, but this route is usually much more expensive than using an online LLC service.
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It’s normal to be uncertain about which online LLC formation service is the right choice for your unique business. After all, there are a ton of options out there, and each of them has its own set of advantages and disadvantages.
We invite you to check out some of our comparison guides, which take a head-to-head view of the competition between Harvard Business Services and its top competitors:
Harvard Business Services vs ZenBusiness: While Harvard Business Services charges at least $89 for Delaware-only LLC formation service, ZenBusiness will form your LLC in any state for free (just pay your state’s fee). In addition, ZenBusiness has 15812 mostly positive reviews on Trustpilot, while Harvard Business Services has around 3,000.
In addition, the ZenBusiness satisfaction guarantee is a nice advantage. If you’re not 100% satisfied with your purchase, we’ll refund the fees you paid us (except for any fees paid to government entities) for up to 60 days, with no questions asked! Harvard Business Services only gives you 30 days and charges a service fee for refunds.
Harvard Business Services vs Incfile: Like ZenBusiness, Incfile offers an LLC formation package for free in all 50 states, as long as you pay your own state fee. Harvard Business Services charges $89 for a Delaware LLC.
While both of these companies have good customer reviews, Incfile has more of them. Overall, the advantage for Harvard Business Services in this competition is in the area of turnaround times because they can form Delaware businesses faster than Incfile.
Harvard Business Services vs LegalZoom: LegalZoom has a free package for LLC formations, but it includes little when it comes to features. LegalZoom also has more experience than Harvard Business Services, with more than 2 million LLCs and corporations formed.
Harvard Business Services and LegalZoom have similar customer feedback reputations, as both companies have thousands of positive reviews and only a small handful of negative feedback. At the end of the day, the most convincing reason to use LegalZoom over Harvard Business Services for a Delaware LLC formation is if you prioritize experience.
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In most situations, this is not a necessary step. The only times that we recommend reserving a name in advance are if you’re not yet ready to form your business but want to ensure that the name you want will be available when you do enter the LLC formation process or if you’re forming a business in a state like Alabama that requires an advance reservation. Otherwise, you can safely skip this step.
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You sure can. In fact, there are almost zero restrictions on who can form an LLC in this country. You don’t need to live here, you don’t need to be a resident, and you don’t even need to have a physical presence in the United States.
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To connect with Harvard Business Services via phone, you can call 1-800-345-CORP, and their general information contact email address is info@delawareinc.com. You can also contact them via Skype or live chat.
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We don’t feel like Harvard Business Services gets pushy at all when it comes to the category of upsells, especially compared to LegalZoom.
Once you select your formation package, they don’t try to convince you to upgrade to a higher tier of service or to add unnecessary bonus features. In general, we don’t have any issue with the way Harvard Business Services presents their products and services.
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Harvard Business Services has some of the fastest turnaround times in the entire industry when it comes to processing times in Delaware.
It would be tough to top their 1-3 day turnaround time for Delaware formations, and keep in mind that Harvard Business Services offers same-day formations (for an extra $150). By contrast, Incfile takes five weeks to form a Delaware LLC or three days if you expedite your order.
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Harvard Business Services provides quite a few additional services for their Delaware clients, including registered agent service, Certificates of Good Standing, EIN acquisition, certified copies, apostille, mail forwarding, foreign qualifications, operating agreements, amendments, business licensing, and dissolutions.
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Our answer to this question varies a bit depending on your priorities as an entrepreneur. If you have the extra money available, we love the convenience of having your LLC formation documents and your EIN confirmation in the same place. If that’s not worth the extra $65 to you, you might as well just get your own EIN from the IRS for free.
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The biggest advantage for Harvard Business Services is its fast Delaware LLC formations. Harvard Business Services has turnaround times in this state that beat some competitors by weeks.
As for disadvantages, their Delaware-only focus is obviously a major issue if you’re trying to form or maintain a business elsewhere. For instance, if you expanded your business beyond Delaware, Harvard Business Services wouldn’t provide registered agent services for your additional locations.
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Yes. Harvard Business Services charges $50 per year for Delaware registered agent service. However, keep in mind that if your business expands beyond Delaware, you’ll need to find a different registered agent for your locations in other states. They also offer assistance with your Delaware annual report and franchise tax.
Disclaimer: The content on this page is for information purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, or accounting advice. If you have specific questions about any of these topics, seek the counsel of a licensed professional.
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