What is a Registered Agent?
A registered agent, sometimes referred to as a resident agent or an agent for service of process, is a person or company officially recognized by the state that resides within the state of incorporation and is designated by the corporation or LLC to accept service of process on behalf of the company. This may be an individual or another business entity that has a physical location in the state of formation.
A registered agent must be available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to receive documents. The law requires that you appoint a registered agent if your business is an LLC or corporation and include your registered agent’s information within the Articles of Organization or Articles of Incorporation.
If your LLC or corporation fails to appoint a registered agent, you could face default judgments (in the case of a lawsuit), fines, and penalties. You might also risk having your business suspended or terminated. Although a business owner or an employee may be allowed to be your registered agent, there are advantages to hiring a third party.
Please note that a Post Office Box (PO Box) or Private Mailbox (PMB) “mail service” is usually not sufficient to qualify as a registered agent. Many states provide very specific warnings on using such services and that failure to have a registered agent will be cause for dissolution (closure) of the business.
We work with a registered agent for all 50 states.