Registered agent service in every state

What a registered agent does

A registered agent is the person or company a state recognises as the official contact for your business. When someone sues the company, the court papers go to the registered agent. When the state or the tax authority sends a notice, it goes there too. The agent's job is to receive these documents on time and pass them on to you.

Every US company must have one

An LLC or corporation must keep a registered agent in the state where it was formed, and in every other state where it registers to do business. The agent needs a physical street address in that state, not a PO box, and must be available there during normal business hours. That is why a founder who lives abroad cannot act as their own agent.

Why not use your own address

• You may not have one in the state. Most non-resident owners do not.
• The address becomes public. The registered agent's name and address appear in the state's business records. A professional agent keeps your home address out of them.
• Missed papers are costly. If a lawsuit is served at an address nobody checks, a court can enter a judgment against the company because it never responded.

What happens if the agent lapses

If a company has no registered agent on file, or the agent cannot be found, the state can stop treating it as being in good standing and may eventually dissolve it administratively. Reinstating a company costs time and fees, and the bank and payment accounts tied to it can be frozen meanwhile. Changing agents is a simple filing with the state, but do it before the old agent stops serving, never after.

A registered agent is not a mailing address

People often mix up three different things:

One company can use the same address for more than one of these, but they are different services. Check which ones you are actually paying for.

What to look for in an agent

• An address in the state of your LLC, and the ability to cover more states if you expand.
• Fast scanning and forwarding of what arrives, so a notice is not weeks old when you read it.
• Reminders for your annual report and other state deadlines.
• A clear renewal price, because first-year offers often change.

How it fits with the rest of your setup

Your registered agent is named on your formation filing, so it is chosen when you form the LLC. Annual reports confirm the agent's details each year, so the two work together. See annual reports for the dates.