What Is a Registered Agent? – LLC Registered Agent

While registering for a Limited Liability Company with the US government, it is mandatory for every business to work closely with a registered agent. This individual can either represent a government body or can be hired from the legal LLC corporations. Here you will get to know what is a registered agent? and how to choose a registered agent for your LLC.

This individual will become your first point of contact whenever you need help with the entire LLC registration and formation process. He will represent your LLC design in front of various government bodies and carry on with different legal and judicial procedures. Choosing an LLC registered agent is essential, especially when you are planning to file for the LLC Operating Agreement and the Articles of Formation with the Secretary of State.

What Is a Registered Agent?

To concise the definition, a registered agent is a third-party individual who will represent your business and will receive the government correspondences, compliance reports and documents, and the service of process agreement at the time of forming the LLC with a particular US state government.

What Is a Service of Process?

Service of Process can be considered as a notifying document where one party prepares a formal notice to inform another part or corporation about a pending lawsuit that has been filed recently.

What Does the Job of a Registered Agent Entail?

A registered agent’s job isn’t limited only to the receiving of certain documents and then handing them over to the LLC members for further actions. Rather, the primary job of the individual entails him to manage everything related to the business’s operations, be it informing the members about newly filed or pending lawsuits to preparing the annual reports, making reminders, and so on.

At the time of LLC formation and registration, an agent is required to handle all the legal works, starting from obtaining the Name Registration certificate to the submission of files for the Articles of Formation certificate. It is also the registered agent’s duty to obtain the EIN number on your behalf.

Once the LLC is formed, the agent will be entitled on receiving and processing several essential documents, like:

• Tax forms, files, and reports
• Any kind of legal documents, including license renewal statements, subpoenas, and so on
• Any kind of official government-issued correspondence
• Legal summons for pending lawsuits filed by another party

Why Should I Use an LLC Registered Agent?

It is mandatory for every LLC business to appoint a registered agent, be it a third-party individual or yourself, or a member of your company. Without the registered agent services, you wouldn’t be able to carry on with the legal procedures, filing of documents, and other such functions relatable with the LLC business registration and operation.

Can I Be My Own LLC Registered Agent?

If you are not willing to choose a registered state agent from another LLC agent corporation, you will have two options:

• Appointing yourself as the registered acting agent
• Nominating a member of the LLC to take on the role of the agent

No matter which steps you are choosing, there are certain prerequisites that you need to fulfill to step in the shoes of an LLC state registered agent.

1. The nominated person must be 18 years or above.
2. The person should have a legal, physical address in the state where the LLC will be operating.
3. The person must be available during normal working hours in a physical state.

Note: Anyone who fulfills the above-mentioned requirements can be a registered agent for their LLC. However, a registered agent is responsible for handling all the legal documents including filing and LLC formation certificates. So, it is recommended to hire an experienced professional than handling it all by yourself. Northwest Registered Agent is one such LLC formation service that has expertise in Registered Agent service.

Advantages of Having a Registered Agent

Compliance with the law

One of the major purposes of assigning a professional registered agent to your LLC business entity is to have a hundred percent compliance with the changing state laws. The agent will notify you about the recent changes in the state laws, set reminders for the annual report filings, process the license renewal and member transference documents, deal with a registered office address change, and so on. This way, you can avoid any delay or misinterpretation of the legal terms and hence, avoid lawsuits, or worse, losing the entire LLC business.

Peaceful operations

With a registered agent for service doing all the tax-related and legal works, you will be able to focus on your part of the job, i.e., supervising the LLC operations, working on designing annual reports, notices, business expansion plans, and others. A professional LLC resident agent will help you:

• Maintain a balance between different parts of the LLC
• Offer solutions to any tax and law-related problems
• Preserve the legal notices and financial documents for future referrals

Highly flexible

Since an LLC agent should always be present to receive the Service of Process service and the government correspondences, it can become a little bit difficult for you to manage your job as an LLC member and an agent at the same time. This is why hiring a third-party registered LLC agent will provide you more flexibility in the proper operations of the businesses.

• The third-party registered agent service will be able to present physically to receive the legal and government documents and keep track of reminders.
• The resident agent service will help you in conducting with more people as customers of your business in the physical location. 
• You can even establish a foreign business entity in more than one state with the help of a registered agent.

Disadvantages of a Registered Agent

• You need to be available in person during normal business hours in anticipation of receiving a legal document.
• You will have to have an existing physical address in the state of the business.
• For changing the LLC location, you need to first obtain permission from the government.

What is the Best Registered Agent Service?

Rather than being your own registered agent, it is better to hire a third-party LLC agent service. They are professionals and take no time to handle all your paperwork and business laws associated with your business and LLC. We have picked the top three most popular and best LLC services for you.

How to Choose a Registered Agent

The hiring process of the registered agent will depend on the state where you want to establish the LLC. For example, in California, you can choose the agent after submitting the application for the Articles of Organizations to the California State of Secretary. But in Connecticut, the choice of the registered agent should be made prior to the submission of the Articles of Organization. There are some of the points you need to check while choosing a registered agent,

• Registered Agents are responsible for filing all kinds of documents of the organization. Your company must trust the registered agent you are hiring as they will handle all your company-related documents and sensitive information. Be it an LLC or a corporation; it is required to have an efficient registered agent who can represent your organization.
• You can also be your own registered agent by law, but it won’t be a wise decision to handle everything, including important documents, by yourself. Hiring a registered agent will always be a smart choice. Be it is formation or dissolution, having a professional who understands the law and other regulations.
• Another important factor is to check the privacy policy of the registered agents you are hiring. It is mandatory to examine how their privacy policies work and whether the information you are sharing is safe with the company or not. If you are searching on the web, you will probably get thousands of registered agents. But you must choose the one that is suitable for your organization.
• If you are hiring an LLC and corporation formation service, then you must know that trust is the key factor here. Many can have a fancy web portal or say big words, but it is up to you who to trust. All the private information, law, tax related documents will be shared with them. So, be careful while choosing a registered agent for your LLC or corporation in the US.
• We have shared a list of the best LLC services here. You can check and compare their service of process and the dishes they offer on their menu. Their privacy policies, refund, pricing, options, service of process, other formation services – compare everything to know which is best for you.

How to Change Registered Agent for LLC

Yes, it is possible to change your registered agent for the LLC in the meantime. For this, you need to submit an application with the Secretary of State along with a nominal fee that varies from one state to the other. Also, you need to submit a form signed by your new agent.

How to Become a Registered Agent

To become a registered agent, one should meet the state requirements. These includes that the person should be 18 or above years of age, should be a resident of the state within which the business operates and must sign the Consent form.

Becoming a registered agent may seem intimidating for beginners. However, the process is not as complicated as it may appear. In this editorial, we’ll follow some tips on how to become a registered agent, making your entry barrier-free.

Firstly, to become a registered agent, one should have a permanent physical address in the state of registration. As a registered agent would serve legal and official documents, it should always be available during office hours. Thus, using a PO Box is unfortunately not acceptable.

After having a permanent physical address, one has to meet the state requirements to become a registered agent. In most states, you have to be 18 years or older and not been convicted of any felony. Before proceeding with the application process, it is important to check the eligibility requirements for your particular state.

To become a registered agent, it is mandatory to submit the Articles of Organization Form (or similar document, which can vary to state). The form acts as an agreement and outlines the basic company details and operation information. Often, registered agents will set up a company, to give added protection such as a Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) in all states or equivalents, which if formed legally and in accordance with all rules/regulations, affords the agent an attractive layer of protection.

Once the application is accepted, consider using a registered agent platform. A registered agent platform digitally manages all legal and official documents related tasks. Since being a registered agent means, you have to continuously managing the delivery of legal documents, the software can increase efficiency by optimizing the time required for this stage.

Another crucial aspect of becoming a registered agent is regularly checking your accounts to follow up on new legal documents that come through the pipeline. This includes ensuring all received documents are linkable to specific cases. As crucial professional assignments are delivered and every requirement is sure to arrive as neatly as possible ensuring that all who used your service leave satisfied.

Finally, always set realistic and achievable deadlines for a registered agent. Clients will require 100% task dedication and allocate specific timetable slots based firmly around official deadlines.

Thus, to become a registered agent, steady dedication and proper investing may all be required. However, armed with some education and manageable steps to consider, anyone can take their initial steps into the procedure without feeling stressed or intimidated. Becoming a registered agent is an important learning and calling where one can realise success delivering satisfying respects unto your clients, contributing to secure the lives for those within the community through a great competitive filter.

FAQ

In Conclusion

A Registered Agent is the most important person for an LLC. They are responsible for handling all your documents, filing, and other legal activities. It is mandatory to have a registered agent. In some cases, you can be your own registered agent. But, it is recommended that you get a professional person instead of doing things by yourself. Get the best Registered Agent available in the market according to your business needs.