Your LLC needs a registered agent from the start. Every U.S. state requires one to form a business.
A registered agent service manages legal documents, notices, and tax letters for your company. Choosing the wrong one can lead to missed deadlines or to your home address being placed on the public record. Companies like MyCorporation offer registered agent services for small businesses.
This post shares 7 tips for choosing the right registered agent. You’ll find out what to check, what to ask, and how to compare long-term costs.
A registered agent gets legal documents for your LLC at a real address during business hours. For example, if you need someone to accept court papers or state notices if they arrive. That person or company is your registered agent.
A registered agent service is a company that does this job for many LLCs and corporations in different states. The agent accepts legal documents at a designated street address, ensuring important papers don’t get lost or sent to the wrong place.
Each state has its own rules for registered agents. Some call this role a statutory agent or resident agent, but the job is the same. Check your Secretary of State’s website for details before you file. A registered agent helps protect your privacy, prevents missed court papers, and keeps your business address steady for listings and online searches.
Most LLCs, corporations, and nonprofits need a registered agent in every state where they do business. You must list this information in your articles of organization. Since rules differ by state, check the requirements for each place you operate.
Common moments when you must pick a registered agent service:
A professional registered agent service is helpful if you travel, work unusual hours, or don’t have a steady office. It keeps your legal mail separate from customer mail, so you don’t miss annual report reminders or state deadlines that could affect your business standing.
Each state has basic rules for registered agents. As the owner, you need to review the details, as requirements can vary by location.
Main legal points your agent must meet:
Many states use the terms registered agent, statutory agent, or resident agent. All refer to statutory representation for your LLC. Missed documents can result in a default judgment. You could also miss annual report filings or lose good standing with the Secretary of State.
Check your state’s website or ask a professional to confirm the legal requirements.
A registered agent service handles your mail, helps you meet deadlines, protects your privacy, and offers online tools for your business.
Core services and digital features:
Privacy and professionalism are important for home-based LLC owners. The agent’s address appears on public records instead of your home, so customers won’t show up at your door.
These 7 tips help you compare registered agent services based on features, privacy, and long-term costs. Each one gives you something to check before you sign up, so you don’t miss legal mail and can protect your LLC.
State rules vary on registered agent requirements. Confirm that any provider meets the address, hours, and age rules for each state where you operate.
Checks to verify with the provider:
Ask the provider about coverage before filing in another state. Check the registered office address on your order form or service agreement, and make sure it complies with your state’s requirements. If you’re starting your first LLC, double-check these details before sending in your formation documents.
Decide if you need coverage in just one state or in several. If you plan to grow into more states later, this will affect your choice.
National coverage lets you use the same provider in all 50 states. You get one bill and a single dashboard for all your legal documents. For example, an online store adding warehouses in Texas and Florida would benefit from this setup.
Check the provider’s business hours and ask about their holiday schedule. Find out how they handle after-hours deliveries or urgent court papers. If you travel often or have seasonal work, it’s helpful if the provider answers calls during regular U.S. business hours.
Court deadlines and tax letters often have strict response times. If mail is forwarded slowly, your LLC could face issues such as pending lawsuits.
With same-day document delivery, the provider scans your documents and uploads them to your online account that day. You’ll get email alerts for new legal or state letters. Check what ‘same day’ means in the provider’s terms, since some scan right away but mail paper copies later.
Try sending a test piece of non-urgent mail to check their speed. Ask for support to show you a real example timeline. Keep proof of document delivery in case you need it for court. Getting legal documents on time is important.
Choose a provider with years of experience handling legal documents and annual report reminders. General business services aren’t the same as registered agent experience.
Use independent reviews and Secretary of State complaint records. Ask local accountants or a law firm for professional referrals. Harbor Compliance and similar professional agents track uptime and delivery rates. Review how support answers detailed questions on compliance reminder tools, digital storage, and multi-state coverage.
Read the service agreement to see if it includes any liability limits. Check the refund policy to see what happens if the provider misses a state notice or court document. This helps protect your business from unexpected service gaps.
If you run your LLC from home, you probably want to keep your home address private. The registered agent’s address will show up on state records instead of yours.
This protects you from unwanted visits, junk mail, and data brokers. Choose a provider with secure portals, document scanning, login protections, and limited staff access to your legal documents. Ask where your documents are stored, how long they’re kept, and how the provider manages identity checks and access logs.
If you run an online clothing brand with warehouses in Texas, Florida, and New York, you’ll need registered agent coverage in each state. Using a single provider for all states gives you a single online account, shared compliance tools, and a single invoice, instead of dealing with three different vendors.
Ask if the provider supports foreign qualification filings and annual report date tracking for each state. State rules vary on these requirements. Multi-year discounts may apply for multiple entities across states.
Look out for extra fees that come with multi-state service, such as portal upgrades or rush-forwarding charges. These can raise your renewal price over time. Check the total cost before you commit to operating in more than one state.
Check the renewal price for years two and three, not just the first-year discount. Many services increase their annual fee after the first 12 months.
Typical add-on fees to watch:
Make a simple 3-year cost comparison for two or three providers. Use your expected number of states, entities, and mail volume. Check how to cancel, how refunds work, and if there are state fees to switch providers. Knowing the real costs upfront helps you save money.
Asking a few key questions helps you compare services and avoid surprises. You’ll get the information you need before signing up.
Ask about daily operations, such as how quickly staff scan legal documents into your online account and what business hours they accept deliveries. For technology, check if the provider offers same-day scanning, mobile access, search tools, and the ability to export all your records for backup.
Questions to ask each provider:
You can switch registered agents if you’re not happy with the support or value they provide. The exact process depends on your state, but the general steps are similar in most places.
Start by picking a new service. Make sure you know their coverage and renewal price before canceling your old one. Gather your entity names, state file numbers, and current service address details. Being prepared helps you avoid gaps during the switch.
Most states use a Change of Agent or Change of Registered Office form. The owner of the new service can submit it. Verify the exact form name and state fees on your Secretary of State website. Avoid gaps between the end of the old service and the start of the new one. Keep both active during the change period. Confirm when the state updates the records for your registered agent.
After you switch, log in to your new service’s online account. Check that your entity records match your filings. Upload your old business documents and keep proof of the change for future audits or loan applications.
A professional registered agent service gives you privacy, handles your legal mail reliably, and sends reminders for annual reports and state deadlines.
The agent’s address is listed publicly, not yours. If you work from home, this keeps your personal life separate from your business. Your address stays off public directories and away from data brokers. Customers and process servers go to the agent’s location, not your home.
The service handles legal documents, scans them, sends you alerts, and keeps your records organized online. This lets you focus on your products, clients, and team rather than checking your mailbox. Managing your business becomes a simple dashboard task rather than a series of manual steps.
Missing a legal or state notice can lead to a default judgment or loss of good standing. A professional service lowers this risk by delivering documents the same day and sending reminder alerts. You still need to read and respond to your mail; the agent just makes sure you get it on time.
Pick a registered agent service that protects your privacy, delivers documents quickly, supports growth in multiple states, and keeps long-term costs predictable.
Go over the 7 selection points before you decide. Make sure the service fits your state’s legal requirements. Check their coverage, business hours, document delivery speed, and reputation. Ask about privacy and security. If you plan to grow, compare multi-state options. Add up renewal prices and extra fees for three years.
MyCorporation offers professional registered agent services and business formation assistance.
Create a short checklist from this post and check each item on the provider’s website and with the support team. Read the service agreement before you sign. Don’t risk missing legal documents or putting your home address on public record. Your LLC needs a registered agent who supports your business long term.
