Does A Registered Agent Receive Mail

What Is a Registered Agent?

A registered agent is an individual or business entity that accepts tax and legal documents on behalf of your business. A registered agent is as well known as a resident amanuensis or statutory amanuensis .

Most states require y'all to take an LLC registered agent when y'all form an LLC. The agent can be a professional service, yourself, or a colleague given they encounter the state's criteria.

Registered agent servicesoffer a number of benefits. To explore your options, check out our Best Registered Agent Services review.

To learn the guidelines in your land, choose your state from the dropdown below.

What is an LLC Registered Agent?
Tin can I Exist My Own Registered Agent?
Should I Utilize a Registered Agent Service?
What is the Best Registered Agent Service?
How Do I Change My LLC Registered Agent?
Frequently Asked Questions

Last Updated: 2022-04-28

Registered Agent Definition

A registered agent is an individual or entity that has been appointed by an LLC or Corporation to receive service of process, regime correspondence, and compliance documents on behalf of the concern.

Well-nigh states require y'all to designate a registered agent for your LLC, partnership, or corporation when forming your business organization. After choosing your concern structure, you will be expected to add a registered amanuensis function when you lot file your Manufactures of Organization with the Secretary of Country or other official regime agency.

Service of Process Definition

Service of process is the activeness of informing an private or entity that there'due south a awaiting lawsuit against him or her, or in this example, against one's company. Registered agents accept service of process.

What is the Purpose of a Registered Amanuensis?

Besides receiving official mail on behalf of your concern, the master purpose of a registered agent is to help your business maintain effective corporate compliance past informing y'all of legal notices or sending almanac written report filing reminders. Substantially, a registered agent is a gatekeeper for business entities, and so you tin can have appropriate action and resolve potential issues in a timely style.

Whether you run a small business or large corporation, you can expect your designated registered agent to receive the following on your LLC's behalf after business formation:

Tax forms
Legal documents
Official government correspondence (ie. almanac study)
Summons (Service of Process) - Notice of a lawsuit

Tin I be my ain Registered Agent?

Aye, you tin be your ain registered agent for your business (e.g., Single-Fellow member LLC). You could likewise choose to designate an officer or member of your business organisation, or fifty-fifty a friend you trust, as long as the person being elected meets the following registered agent requirements:

is 18 years or older
has a physical address in the state where the business is formed
is available (in person) during normal business hours

Another pick would be to hire a professional person registered agent service.

Should I utilise a Registered Amanuensis Service?

Designating someone else to serve every bit a registered amanuensis for your LLC or corporation has its benefits. In this department, nosotros encompass the major advantages of using an affordable, national, third-party registered amanuensis service officer—like ZenBusiness or Incfile—such equally:

Compliance with the Law
Peace of Mind
Flexibility
Privacy

Visit our Should I Use a Registered Agent Service guide for help with making the right selection for your business concern.

What is a Registered Agent Service?

Registered agent services are business organisation entities that accept tax and legal documents on behalf of LLCs and corporations for a fee.

Compliance with the Law

Registered agents help businesses stay upwards-to-date on state requirements by sending regular reminders, and sometimes filings things like annual report filings and other official authorities notifications.

Registered agent services will also keep copies of your corporate documents. In case of theft, natural disaster, or other unexpected losses, you will have a backup of all your important business concern and legal documents.

Peace of Listen

Registered agents give you peace of mind so you can focus your time, energy, and attention on running your small business. Here's what a professional, third-party registered agent service can exercise to ease your stress:

Brand growing your business the number one priority. Important taxation and legal documents for your LLC volition be automatically received and stored for safekeeping.
Assistance maintain your work-life balance. Business and personal postal service are kept split, preventing your work from overtaking your dwelling life.
Offer personal guidance. You lot take boosted support if your business runs into a trouble or if any questions arise.

Flexibility

If yous choose to act as your own registered agent, you volition need to exist available to receive official regime correspondence and service of procedure notices during standard business hours at the physical address you provide.

Designated registered agents give you the flexibility to focus on your business instead of keeping track of deadlines and being bachelor during business hours.

With a registered amanuensis service, you can:

Maintain flexible business organization hours. A registered agent must exist available from viii-5 every weekday. Past designating a tertiary-party registered agent service, you can cull your own work hours.
Form an LLC in another country. Registered agents must accept legal residence in the state where the business is formed. Hiring a national registered agent service will let you class an LLC in any of the 50 states.
Form an LLC in multiple states. If you set up your business to take a physical location in multiple states, you will demand to have an appointed registered amanuensis for each state.

Privacy

We all value our privacy. Your registered amanuensis service's physical address will be listed on the public tape— not your personal or company location. This is particularly important to consider if your business concern operates out of your home. An LLC registered agent service volition maintain your privacy by:

Preventing you from beingness served with a lawsuit in person. You don't want to receive a summons in front of your family, employees, or worse, your customers.
Having their physical address public instead of yours. As a result, you're less probable to receive unsolicited mail.

What is the Best Registered Agent Service?

Hiring a professional, third-political party registered agent service has several advantages, but yous may be asking yourself,"How do I choose a registered agent?" In add-on to having a legitimate office in the land of your LLC, we encourage you to find and cull a national registered agent service with the following features:

Compliance management: reminders for filing an annual report and other important deadlines for business organisation entities.
Document management: local scanning of all official legal documents so you can access them from your online business account.
Availability: a reliable client service team who can answer any questions by telephone or online that you may accept regarding your business concern.
Thorough coverage: the power to provide registered agent services in all 50 states.

Northwest Registered Agent

Northwest is the all-time registered agent service based on overall quality and transparent pricing. Northwest offers a seamless user experience and best-in-manufacture customer service and privacy protection.

When you choose Northwest as your registered agent service, y'all'll get an online business relationship to admission essential documents, mail forwarding, and business address services.

Northwest's virtual mailbox service will browse your mail and forward it to you electronically. This ways that you lot tin keep track of your postal service no matter where you are in the world.

LLC Formation + Registered Agent Service for 1yr

(Registered Agent: $125 after 1st Year)

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Learn About Registered Agents in Your State

How Practice I Modify the Registered Agent for My LLC?

To change your registered agent, only file the correct paperwork with the Secretarial assistant of State; in that location may be a nominal filing fee depending on the state in which you lot behave business.

When changing the registered agent, make sure to submit your new registered agent's signed consent class if applicative. This step may vary past state.

For more information on how to change the registered agent for your LLC, you can visit our country-specific registered amanuensis guides.

How much does information technology price to change my registered agent?

Changing the registered amanuensis for your visitor can cost from $0 to $50 per land depending on the number of states y'all're registered to do business with your LLC.

Registered Agent LLC FAQ

Do I need a registered agent?

Yep. Every U.Due south. state requires all corporations, express liability companies (LLCs), and partnerships to have a registered agent. A registered agent may exist chosen different names in dissimilar states, such equally a resident agent, a statutory agent, or an agent for service of procedure.

What does a registered agent practice?

Registered agents keep your business compliant by maintaining up-to-date paperwork. They besides are in charge of accepting official correspondence on behalf of your business concern, such as paperwork from the state and federal government, revenue enhancement forms, and legal notices.

Learn more about what registered agents do.

Can the owner of an LLC be the registered agent?

Yes, the registered agent of an LLC can be its owner, every bit long as the conditions of age and residency are met according to state guidelines. Some small-scale business owners choose to practice this instead of hiring a 3rd party or appointing someone else to the role.

This position does come with actress responsibilities and potential inconveniences, notwithstanding, so many business organisation owners decide it's better for them to cull another person or a professional person service to human activity as their registered amanuensis. Y'all should counterbalance the pros and cons of each pick and make up one's mind which is best for you and your business.

Who can be a registered agent?

Registered agent requirements can vary a bit from state to state, but they mostly let for both individuals and business entities to serve equally a company's registered agent.

Individuals must be at least 18 years one-time and business entities must exist registered to operate in the state. Both must have a physical office location and be present during regular business hours.

Although you can be your own registered amanuensis, nosotros recommend you consider hiring an experienced and reliable registered amanuensis service to handle this portion of your business organization needs.

How much does a registered agent cost?

The cost of a registered agent varies, but it can be anywhere from free (if yous act as your company's registered agent) to a few hundred dollars a year for some third-party services.

Hiring a registered agent service could salve you fourth dimension and money in the long run.

Is a registered agent the same as the owner?

No, a registered agent is not considered an owner, its responsibility is to keep certain paperwork upwardly to engagement and accepts official correspondence on behalf of the company. However, the private owner of a business organization may also act every bit the company'southward registered amanuensis.

Why do I need a registered agent?

Most states require you to designate a registered agent if you ain a business. However, fifty-fifty if information technology isn't required, we strongly recommend appointing a registered agent to accept service of process, gain peace of mind, and maintain your privacy.

Are registered agents liable?

A registered agent could potentially be liable for amercement in the result they neglect to meet their legal responsibilities as a registered agent, such as not informing a visitor it was existence sued.

Tin can I change my registered amanuensis?

Yes. You tin change your registered agent past filing the necessary paperwork with the appropriate state agency. Unlike states have different processes and forms so read our free guides for details about your state.

What is a statutory agent?

A statutory agent is another proper name for a registered agent, a service of procedure agent, or a resident agent.

What is a resident agent?

A resident agent is some other proper name for a registered agent, a service of process agent, or a statutory agent.

What is a service of process amanuensis?

A service of process agent is another name for a registered amanuensis, a resident amanuensis, or a statutory agent.

What is a commercial registered agent?

A commercial registered agent is a person or entity that has registered with the state by filing a commercial registered agent listing statement with the Secretary of State in accordance with the Model Registered Amanuensis Act (MoRAA) or similar state law.

What does "service of process" mean?

Service of process ways receiving legal documents, such equally a summons. A summons is an society to announced earlier a estimate due to a pending lawsuit.

What is the difference between a commercial registered amanuensis and a noncommercial registered agent?

Near states crave LLC owners to provide their LLC's registered agent's name and address when forming your LLC. In some states, y'all will be asked whether you are electing a commercial or noncommercial registered agent. Some states refer to professional person registered agents as commercial agents, which requires these agents to be specially listed with their state, and individual agents every bit noncommercial.

Are registered agents and virtual offices the same?

No, registered agents and virtual offices are not the same types of service. Registered agent services receive important legal services on behalf of your business where virtual offices, business concern addresses, and mailboxes offer everything from temporary concrete function infinite to an address you lot can use for normal mail of your business.

Are there any costless registered agent services?

No, there are no gratis registered agent services, notwithstanding, there are services that offering up to a free twelvemonth of registered agent service when you grade your business organisation with them.

You lot can serve as your own registered amanuensis for free. However, this comes with the expectation that y'all will exist available to receive service of process at all normal business organisation hours.

Can my hubby or married woman be my registered agent?

Yeah, your husband or wife can be your registered agent, as long as they qualify to be a registered agent in your state, and are available to receive service of procedure at all normal business concern hours.