Harbor Compliance Review: 2024 Edition

Navigating government licensing and compliance requirements is one of the more challenging aspects of running a business. Luckily, some services offer to simplify and handle this process on your behalf - Harbor Compliance is one of them.

As one of the leading compliance solutions providers, the company’s objective is to equip business entities with the formation package they need to go about their day-to-day operations with all their bases covered.

Although Harbor Compliance services aren’t the most affordable you’ll find on the market, its government licensing specialists are fast, even when handling complex matters.

Harbor Compliance Overview 

The Harbor Compliance website can get a little overwhelming, but that’s only because the company’s selection of services is so vast. This is a one-stop shop for all your compliance requirements, whether you’re running a business or a nonprofit.

Aside from business licensing and nonprofit formation services, the company ensures fundraising compliance while providing annual reports and registered agent services. Perhaps more importantly, Harbor Compliance’s services are fast.

For instance, when you decide to set up a nonprofit and seek 501(c)(3) approval, you’ll be contacted by the company's specialist within one business day of signing up for a formation package. As such, anyone on the hunt for quick compliance solutions will be satisfied.

Our review goes into more detail about these and other key components of the company’s offering to help you decide whether this is the right option for outsourcing your compliance tasks. Ultimately, it can save you and your employees valuable hours and help you avoid costly mistakes.

Harbor Compliance Plans and Features

Unlike some other LLC formation companies, Harbor Compliance saves you the trouble of drafting compliance documentation on your own. As part of the LLC formation process, the company pairs you with a registered agent who gathers your details and then prepares and sends all the paperwork.

A range of packages is designed to help businesses and nonprofits maintain compliance with federal, state, and local licensing requirements.

Annual Reporting

Annual reports are a mandatory but time-consuming part of running a business. This is a compliance requirement that requires both expertise and attention throughout the year. By outsourcing this task, you’re effectively freeing up your employees and allowing them to focus on contributing through their expertise.

The Harbor Compliance managed annual report service provides timely and accurate automated report filings, thanks to its due-date tracking software. Harbor Compliance charges between $100 and $175 per state for this service.

Forming a Nonprofit

Forming a nonprofit is one way to accomplish a noble goal, but it’s also not easy to do so yourself. Filing for all of the mandatory compliance can be a stressful process. Still, the worst drawback is that all these documents can take away your focus from what is essential - the much-needed change your nonprofit was created to bring about.

Harbor Compliance can help you stay on track by providing you with an online formation service, with guarantees on the approval of your 501(c)(3) application. With a 100% successful track record, you can rest assured that the application is in good hands with Harbor Compliance. 

First, it matches you with one of its nonprofit compliance specialists. These are seasoned experts with more than 15 years of experience, who not only prepare and file government applications on your behalf, but also guide you through the entire process.

The price for this service starts at $1,799 plus filing fees, which might seem costly. However, the price covers a full-service compliance package, including articles of incorporation, bylaws, and a federal employer identification number. For an additional cost, you can also use Harbor Compliance to ensure all fundraising is done by the book.

Business Licensing

One of the most time-consuming tasks for any business is meeting all the licensing requirements. Depending on your industry, there might be just a few licenses you need to obtain and renew. Still, continued compliance can be tricky to maintain for big corporations with many special projects or departments.

Placing the paper-chasing part of the job in someone else’s hands is an ideal solution. Not only doies Harbor Compliance cover the preparation and filing of the paperwork for you, but you can also rely on them to monitor your licenses and renew them promptly.

At the same time, it can communicate with government agencies on your behalf, while keeping you informed about all its activities through its client software.

The pricing starts at $500 plus state fees, which vary greatly. The expedited option will set you back $700, and the urgent option $900.

Harbor Compliance Registered Agent Services

All businesses must have a registered agent. This person is tasked with receiving your legal correspondence from the state and federal governments and relaying it to you. It goes without saying that this is a crucial role.

When choosing a person or service to fill this role, businesses look for reliability, efficiency, and speed. Additionally, the ideal service is one that’s available nationwide and tailored to multi-state organizations.

That’s exactly what the Harbor Compliance registered agent service does: It receives all your time-sensitive legal documents and promptly forwards them to you through its excellent proprietary software. You’ll get immediate online access to a local registered agent address and same-day delivery of your documents.

Harbor Compliance offers the professional registered agent service at $89 to $99 per state for an entire year, which is less than what many competitors charge.

Harbor Compliance Customer Service

Harbor Compliance’s personalized customer service has a good reputation. The company tailors its approach to individual businesses, ensuring an excellent user experience - a sentiment echoed by online user testimonials.

Based on customer ratings on Google, Harbor Compliance currently holds a score of 4.3 out of 5. It is accredited by the Better Business Bureau and has an A+ BBB rating. With more than 35,000 reviews that largely recommend it, Harbor Compliance appears to be doing something right.

The customer support team is available via email, fax, a web form, and even snail mail. You can also contact Harbor Compliance by phone (1-888-995-5895).

Ease of Use

So, how difficult is it to get started with Harbor Compliance? All you have to do is fill in the application form or give the company a call; its team will guide you through every step of the compliance process.

The software is easy to use, making onboarding a very simple and efficient process once you decide you are okay with the pricing.

Extra Services and Features

One of the most tempting value propositions for companies struggling with corporate compliance is Harbor Compliance’s proprietary software. It’s the perfect solution for entities that already know the ropes of ensuring compliance but are looking for an easier and faster way to get things done. It can be divided into a few easy-to-understand categories.

Entity Manager

The Entity Manager is linked to the secretary of state databases. It’s one of Harbor Compliance’s advanced features that provides complete visibility of your business entity and its compliance status. It automates compliance tracking and is accessible through the registered agent service or the Harbor Compliance Suite.

License Manager

Keeping your licenses up-to-date isn’t always easy, even if you don’t have many of them to keep track of. The License Manager hosts a nationwide database of requirements, allowing you to monitor the status of your licenses and renew them when necessary.

Tax Manager

Paying your taxes is essential. That’s why the Tax Manager service helps you maintain registrations with all applicable revenue departments to ensure your taxes are in order.

Records Manager

Records Manager is the feature every disorganized businessperson will appreciate; as its name suggests, it allows storing all kinds of records, from leadership to board meetings.  

Summary

If you’re looking to outsource the maintenance of your business compliance, Harbor Compliance offers some of the leading solutions in the industry. While a bit on the pricey side when it comes to some features, it provides exceptional services across the board.

Most importantly, it delivers quick results and protects your business from potential compliance errors and costly fines.