Can I Be The Registered Agent?

Appointing yourself registered agent for your company sounds similar information technology might be the simplest solution, only in fact, information technology'south not advisable.

While it'due south tempting to act equally your ain registered agent for LLC or corporation issues, information technology's by and large not a good idea.

6 Reasons You Shouldn't Be Your Own Registered Agent

What Is a Registered Agent?

A registered agent is a person or agency your visitor appoints to receive official notices on your LLC's or corporation's behalf. This includes service of process, correspondence with the state, and notifications about state and federal taxes.

The agent for service of process can be anyone — the business owner, an employee, or an exterior person or service hired to fulfill the role.

Registered agents are particularly important for companies that are non based in a country where they are doing business (for example, you're located in New York only also sell things or provide services in New Bailiwick of jersey). There must a mode to contact the company for legal purposes, and a designated registered agent is the style to practice so.

Many companies hire a registered amanuensis service, a company that is fix to accept notices and service of procedure for other businesses. These firms have thorough procedures in place so that they can rails anything they receive on your behalf and ensure information technology comes to your attending quickly.

Information technology might seem as if it would exist less expensive and simpler simply to exist your own registered agent, but there are several reasons why this is not skilful business practice.

1. The amanuensis needs to have a physical address.

A corporation or LLC registered agent must have a physical address within the state where the company is doing business organisation, and a post role box does not suffice. A private mail or mailbox also does not fulfill the requirement.

In that location has to be a brick and mortar place where someone tin can become to deliver service of process or deliver mail. If yous're doing business exterior your home state, you lot may non take a physical location in that state.

two. You may not want to employ your home accost.

If you plan on being your own registered agent, you may end upwards having to utilise your home accost (particularly if you have a domicile-based or web-based concern), which will make the accost public. This raises privacy concerns and also means the address will exist available to marketers and may increase the corporeality of junk mail service yous receive at your dwelling.

Additionally, it could mean a process server or angry litigant could come to your dwelling house to serve y'all with notice of a lawsuit, something you lot may non want to bargain with at home.

three. Address change notices must be fabricated promptly.

I matter to consider as you wonder, "Can I be my own registered amanuensis?" is that if you're planning on moving or relocating your business location, y'all would demand to notify the state of each address change, which can be time-consuming. You volition likely also demand to pay a fee for each notification of an address change.

When you add up those fees and consider the fourth dimension involved in treatment address changes with the state, information technology is simpler and maybe less expensive to hire a registered amanuensis service.

4. Agents are required to continue regular business hours.

Registered agents need to accept regular business hours to accept service of process. This tin can be difficult for minor business owners who ofttimes cannot stay in an office all twenty-four hour period and who cannot beget to hire full-fourth dimension employees to work out of a specific location.

5. You lot must take an agent in every state.

You demand to designate a registered agent in every state your company does business organisation in. It would exist plush to maintain a brick and mortar location for your company in each state.

If you hire a registered amanuensis service, you can easily maintain an agent in every state without hiring employees or maintaining a concrete location in each state where you are conducting business.

half-dozen. You never want to miss an important notice.

Paying a small fee each year for registered agent services and then that you have an agent for service of process and other notices can be well worth the time you will save in trying to keep runway of official notices yourself and making sure you lot're sorting and reading your mail.

This type of service ensures you won't miss or forget about an important notice, which could be hugely expensive for your company if you don't reply to pending litigation or if you fail to pay taxes by their deadlines.