If you have ever formed an LLC or a corporation, you have been asked to name a Registered Agent. Most people pick fast, then never think about it again. The role is more important than it looks, and the choice has real consequences for privacy, reliability, and what happens when something goes wrong.
This guide covers what a Registered Agent actually does, what state law requires, whether you can serve as your own, and what to look for if you hire a service.
What a Registered Agent does
A Registered Agent is the official point of contact for an LLC or corporation. Every state requires that every business entity registered in that state designate someone (a person or a company) who has a physical street address in the state and is available during business hours to accept two specific kinds of mail:
- Service of Process. Legal notices that the business has been sued.
- Official state correspondence. Annual report reminders, franchise tax notices, state changes that affect the business.
That is it. The Registered Agent does not run the business, does not have any management authority, does not control any money. The role exists so that courts and states have a known, reliable way to deliver important paperwork.
Can you be your own Registered Agent?
In most states, yes. Some states require an attorney; most accept any adult resident with a physical street address in the state. If you operate your business from a residential or commercial address you own or lease, you can list yourself.
This is the cheapest option (free) but it has practical problems.
Your home address goes on the public record
The Registered Agent address is searchable on the Secretary of State website. If you list your home address, anyone who searches your LLC name can find where you live. For founders running businesses from home, this is the single biggest reason to use a service.
You have to be available during business hours
Service of Process must be accepted in person during normal business hours. If you travel, take a vacation, or step out for lunch when the process server arrives, you can miss service. Missing service is bad: the lawsuit proceeds without you, and you can get a default judgment.
You cannot move easily
If you change addresses, you have to file a change of Registered Agent with the state. Every state. Some states charge a fee for this. Multi-state operators with multiple foreign qualifications are filing this in every state where they operate.
You absorb the embarrassment
Some businesses get sued in public ways. If your home address is the address served, your family sees the process server at the door. A Registered Agent service intercepts this and notifies you discreetly.
What a Registered Agent service does
A professional Registered Agent service provides three things:
- A real street address in the state where your LLC is registered (or in every state where you have multiple registrations).
- Trained staff available during business hours, every business day, to accept Service of Process or state correspondence.
- Notification and digital delivery, so you see scanned versions of everything received, usually within hours.
The address keeps your home off the public record. The staff guarantees that Service of Process is accepted (you cannot accidentally miss it by being away). The digital delivery means you do not have to be physically located near the Registered Agent's office.
What to look for in a Registered Agent service
Same-day mail scanning
The best services scan every piece of mail same-day and upload to your account. Slower services scan weekly or monthly. For Service of Process, same-day matters: you may have a 30-day window to respond to a lawsuit, and the clock starts ticking from when the agent received it, not from when you find out.
Coverage in every state where you operate
If you have a home-state LLC and foreign qualifications in three other states, you need a Registered Agent in each. Some services charge $99 to $250 per state per year. Multi-state coverage adds up.
Privacy ethic
The Registered Agent is, by definition, the entity whose address goes on the public record instead of yours. Make sure the service does not share your contact information with marketers, and does not flip your physical address to your home address through any of their other services.
Audit trail
For compliance teams or accounting firms managing many entities, an audit trail of every piece of mail received, scanned, and acknowledged matters. Look for services that retain this.
Renewal pricing
Many services advertise a low first-year price, then renew at 2 to 3 times that. Read the fine print. The total cost over 3 years is what matters.
The takeaway
The Registered Agent is the boring infrastructure that most founders ignore until it matters. Hiring a service costs $50 to $200 per year and solves: privacy, availability, multi-state coordination, and the worst-case scenario of accidentally missing a lawsuit.
We include Registered Agent service $79 on Starter, included on Growth for the first year, then $99 per year per state for renewals. Same-day mail scanning to your Document Vault, audit trail on every action, and coverage in every state where you have an entity.