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Friday, July 11th
Rocket Lawyer, founded in 2008, aims to democratize access to justice through digital tools. With nearly 30 million users, the platform allows you to create and sign legal documents, seek affordable attorney advice, and confidently incorporate your business. If you need to get in touch with Rocket Lawyer, they offer online chat, email, and phone support Monday through Friday, 6 am to 6 pm PT.
Register your LLC, corporation, or nonprofit
Rocket Lawyer offers the typical range of services to cover all your basic business formation needs, including registering LLCs, C-Corps, S-Corps, and nonprofits. You can also get a registered agent, generate a business name, and handle EIN registration and compliance management. They help with additional filings like annual reports, Articles of Amendment, and Articles of Dissolution, as well as registering trademarks and filing DBAs (Doing Business As).
Get help with taxes
For tax services, Rocket Lawyer's Rocket Tax supports all types of businesses in all 50 states. Whether you have a side gig, a single-member LLC, or you have multiple employees working for your corporation, you'll be matched with a tax professional who understands your specific needs. You start by answering a few questions, uploading your documents, and then your tax pro takes care of everything - no software to fiddle with on your end. You can review the final cost before committing, and your tax pro is available via chat to answer any questions. Rocket Lawyer also offers tax strategy sessions to help you maximize deductions and plan for future savings.
Rocket Legal+ plan costs $239.98
Rocket Lawyer offers two plans: Rocket Legal and Rocket Legal+. With Rocket Legal+, you'll pay $19.99 per month, billed annually at $239.98, and you'll also enjoy a one-week free trial. This plan includes significant discounts on services, such as obtaining an EIN for $59.99 instead of Rocket's full price of $119.99, and registered agent services for $124.99 compared to $249.99. Additionally, you can opt for express filing at $215, which covers $130 in Wisconsin government fees (using that state as an example) and an $85 rush filing fee, while standard filing only requires the $130 state fee. With Plus, you'll also get 50% off Rocket Lawyer's regular professional service prices.
Rocket Legal plan is just for show
On the other hand, Rocket Legal costs $39.99 per month, billed monthly, and comes with a one-week free trial. However, it lacks the extra perks and savings of Rocket Legal+. Given this substantial price difference, you might wonder why Rocket Legal is so much more expensive when it offers fewer benefits. It seems to us that Rocket Legal is primarily there to make Rocket Legal+ look like a better deal, even though the prices for Rocket Legal+ are still higher than average when compared to competitors. This strategy allows Rocket to proclaim "half off” all over the website - but they don't make it clear that that's based on a price they set, not what their competitors charge.
Free trial will be useless for most purposes
Since not many of the other business startup services in our review offer free trials, it's worth taking a look at what Rocket's includes. Unfortunately, it's not much. All you can really do is test out their digital document interface and electronic signature feature. We don't think this is worth handing over your credit card information for.
Rocket Lawyer has issues with communication and billing practices
Despite an "A+” from the Better Business Bureau, we have some reservations about Rocket Lawyer. From a survey of the complaints filed against them, there are ongoing issues with poor communication, billing problems, and a lack of transparency. One customer shared their ordeal with Rocket Tax, where their tax return took nearly a year to complete due to sporadic communication from their tax professional. This cost the client quite a lot in penalties. Another long-term user reported being charged $39.99 monthly for 10 years without receiving any notification from Rocket Lawyer. Despite being assured by Rocket Lawyer that their plan would be downgraded to a free version, the customer kept being charged. While the company occasionally refunds customers who notice and complain, they don't seem to be taking steps to prevent this scam-like behavior in the first place. Dozens of complaints like these raise questions about Rocket Lawyer's transparency and ethical practices.
Look elsewhere
We advise trying one of the other services in our review rather than Rocket Lawyer for starting your small business. They offer "free" services, but you have to provide your credit card information. Considering their ongoing problems with billing and cancellation, they've shown they can't handle this responsibly. We recommend looking into other companies that are more open about their costs and provide superior service.
Starting a business is an exciting venture - but making it safely through all the legal and bureaucratic hoops can be a real headache. New entrepreneurs might feel overwhelmed by the labyrinth of legal requirements, paperwork, and ongoing compliance.
But don't give up before you get started. This is where Business Startup Services step in, offering a lifeline to help you through the initial setup and maintenance of your business structure. Whether you're a budding entrepreneur with a fresh idea or a seasoned professional looking to scale up a side hustle, these services are designed to take care of the tricky stuff, so you can focus more on what only you can do - running your business.
Business Startup Services handle all the nitty-gritty requirements that might otherwise overwhelm you. On your behalf, they can file the necessary documents to establish your business legally, keep your company in good standing with state and federal regulations, secure your business name, register for tax purposes, and even manage yearly filings and official correspondence through registered agent services.
However, not all Business Startup Services are the same, and you should know what each one specializes in before you make your decision. Some services offer a broad range of legal support beyond just setting up shop, including trademark registration and personalized legal advice. Others focus more on affordability and essential startup services, making them ideal for entrepreneurs who are just beginning and watching their budget carefully. Then there are those that prioritize privacy and personalized customer support, shielding your personal information from public records and offering you more direct assistance.
When shopping for a Business Startup Service online, consider the following:
At Top Consumer Reviews, we've done the legwork and analyzed the different Business Startup Services available, helping you compare and contrast them with ease. Whether you need comprehensive legal support or just the basics, we hope this information helps you find the perfect service for your new business.
Select any 2 Business Startup Services to compare them head to head