State laws require that corporations and Limited
Liability Companies (LLCs) maintain a registered agent in the state
where your business entity is formed.
The registered agent's name and office address are
included in the articles of incorporation or organization to give public
notice of where to send important documents to your company.
The registered agent is primarily responsible for
receiving service of process (the paperwork that begins a lawsuit) on
behalf of the corporation or LLC. Also franchise tax forms and annual
report forms may be sent to the registered agent.
Because the registered agent accepts service of process,
the registered agent must be located at a physical address, therefore
post office boxes are not allowed.
Anyone that consents can act as the registered agent for
your corporation or LLC provided they are located at a street address in
the state of formation.
If you form your corporation or LLC in the state where
your business is located, an officer, director or employee of a
corporation or member, manager or employee of an LLC could act as your
registered agent.
Often, professional registered agents are used to ensure
that this important service is performed correctly.
Typically, professional registered agents perform
services such as:
-
Forwarding any official documents or tax notices
from the Secretary of State to your business
-
Accepting any legal service of process documents and
forwarding them to your company
-
Continual support in answering basic questions
and/or filing documents for your corporation or LLC
This article is provided courtesy of Business Filings Incorporated (www.bizfilings.com).
This information should not be construed as legal advice,
or as a substitute for consulting with an attorney, CPA (or their equivalent
outside the U.S.), or other appropriate small business trusted advisor. Small
Biz Tech Talk strongly recommends that you seek proper professional guidance
before establishing any type of new business entity and simply provides this
information, and a link to Business Filings Incorporated, for your convenience
and as part of a content sharing syndication agreement.
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