In the United States, business law dictates that a registered agent, also known as a resident agent or statutory agent, might be required for certain businesses. A registered agent is a legal or individual person that is designated to receive service of process when a business entity is a party in legal action. Registered agent is responsible to be in contact with Secretary of State or other official government departments on behalf of the INC or LLC when it is needed. In addition, it sends/receives official and legal documents (tax forms, etc.) on behalf of your LLC or Corporation.
What does a Registered Agent do?
The state where your business is registered naturally wants to know that it has a contact person for the company during business hours; accordingly, PO boxes are not suitable addresses for registered agents. A registered agent approves tax and legal documents on behalf of your business, making sure the company does not miss significant information regarding tax charges, lawsuits, or resolutions involving your business; a registered agent may or may not have a role in the processing of the business itself.
In addition to reminding the essential documents, having a registered agent provides that it is less likely that you will have to accept potentially disgraceful legitimate and tax documents in front of customers. Another benefit is that, as your registered agent address will stay the same, you can readily modify your business place without having to file more paperwork to vary your address with the state for every move.
The typical range of services offered by a registered agent also include:
– Receiving Service of Process (SOP) documents for legal actions
– Providing compliance calendars for filing information (annual reports and tax returns)
– Scanning, storing and sending legal documents via email
– Mailing documents in need of a signature
A registered agent may or may not have a role in the company itself.
Do I need a Registered Agent?
Well, if you are about to set up a business, you should. Because registered agents are quite essential for the smooth operation of the business.
Nonetheless, you especially have to have a registered agent if you are a Non-US resident. The state where your business is registered requires to have a contact individual for your business during business hours. If you do not have a physical location in that state, the necessity is particularly immediate that you have a registered agent to accept documents on your behalf.
If you are a US resident, you can be your own registered agent as long as you know what to do. However, you must be available during all regular business hours. Acting as your own registered agent and using your home address as that of your registered agent may not be a good choice because your address will be publicly listed for anyone to see. In this case, hiring a professional registered agent service helps to protect your privacy.
If you do not comply with the registered agent requirements, this might lead to a number of severe penalties, including legally cancelling the legal validity of your business.
Our company provides a Registered Agent service including state and federal notifications. You can choose one of our services to start your business in the US, and you can contact us for further information and questions.
If you have any further questions, we are always at your service, please contact us.
