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A registered agent service sells you one thing: a reliable address and a person at it. Your LLC has to name an agent in each state where it is formed or registered, and the agent has to receive legal papers during business hours. If you cannot do that yourself, a service does it for you. This page explains what you get and what to check. We do not rate or recommend any provider, and we show no prices because they change.
What does the agent receive?
The agent is where a court, a state agency or a person suing your company sends papers. Florida describes the agent's job as forwarding process to the company's latest address. Delaware's rule has the agent forward process and the annual tax statement. See our Florida and Delaware agent pages for the sources.
A good service scans and sends what arrives. Ask how quickly, and by what route.
When is a service worth paying for?
A service often makes sense in these cases:
- You live outside the state. Most states want an agent with a street address in the state. An out-of-state owner cannot be at that address.
- You travel or work from home. A process server may come during business hours. Missing papers can lead to a default judgment, so an address that is staffed matters.
- You want your home address off the record. The agent's name and address are public in most states. A service puts its own address there instead.
- You run companies in several states. One service can act in the states it covers, which keeps the paperwork in one place.
You can skip a service when you live in the state, you are at a street address there in business hours and you are comfortable with the address being public. See how to be your own registered agent.
What do the states say about commercial agents?
Some states regulate agents that serve many companies. In Wyoming, agents for more than 10 entities must register as commercial registered agents. Delaware treats an agent for more than 50 entities as a commercial registered agent. These facts come from the state pages we link, which list the statute for each. Rules for your state are on its agent page: use the registered agent overview to find it.
What should you check before you sign?
- A real street address in your state. A mailbox or answering service is not accepted in some states. Texas says the registered office cannot be only a mailbox service or a telephone answering service.
- Forwarding. How papers reach you and how fast.
- Renewal. What the second year costs, in writing.
- Leaving. How you change agents, and who files the change form. Many states charge a small fee for it.
- Who the agent is. The agent must have agreed to serve. Texas requires the person named to have consented.
- No pressure bundles. A formation filing, an EIN and an agent are separate things. You can buy them separately.
What happens if the agent stops serving?
The agent can resign by filing with the state. Then your LLC needs a new agent, and states give a short window to name one. Missing it can lead to penalties or dissolution, depending on the state. Our state agent pages explain each case.
Find your state's rules
Each state agent page shows the law, the change form and the fee, with the official source. Start from the registered agent requirements page, or look up a company's current agent with our registered agent lookup guide. Forming a new LLC? Use the start form.