Registered Agent Services
What is a Registered Agent (Resident Agent)?
A Registered Agent, sometimes called a resident agent, a statutory agent or a Commercial Registered Office Provider, is an agent that is designated by a company to receive legal documents, such as service of process, when the company becomes a party to, or is otherwise involved in, a lawsuit or other legal matter.
The Registered Agent for a business may be an individual or a third party, such as the company’s lawyer or a service company (such as Filings Made Easy, through its affiliate, Corporate Filing Solutions, LLC). Generally speaking, each company needs to continuously maintain a Registered Agent in the state in which the company is incorporated or formed, and in each additional state in which the company operates.
The purpose of a Registered Agent is to provide a physical legal address within that state where individuals are available during normal business hours to receive legal documents. The Registered Agent receives these documents on behalf of the company and then is required to promptly provide them to the company. In addition to documents relating to litigation, the Registered Agent also receives documents relating to tax and annual franchise or other annual corporate filings.
Do you need a Registered Agent for your company?
Yes. Every legal entity is required to have a Registered Agent in the state of its incorporation or formation and in each other state in which the company operates. Failure to maintain a Registered Agent can lead to consequences such as default judgments in litigation, the company not being in “good standing” with the state and the company not being recognized as a legal entity.
Should your company utilize a commercial Registered Agent?
Yes, Filings Made Easy thinks so. Here is why:
- Confidentiality. A commercial Registered Agent will handle litigation filings in a confidential and professional manner. If legal documents are delivered to a company’s normal place of business, employees may learn of this before even the CEO, which could lead to rumors and other unintended consequences.
- Expertise. Employees of a company may not understand the importance of certain legal documents. A commercial Registered Agent provides important legal documents directly to the company’s CEO or other senior officer who has been designated to receive correspondence from the Registered Agent. This ensures that important documents are immediately attended to, and not misplaced or misunderstood.
- Flexibility. A commercial Registered Agent provides a company with the flexibility to change its address without the burden of notifying the Secretary of State. This avoids the unfortunate consequences that could arise if a business owner forgets to change its address with the Secretary of State, such as a default judgment in a law suit involving the company.
- Availability. A commercial Registered Agent is always available during normal business hours. This availability provides the business owner with the ability to travel and to staff his offices as needed, without worrying about having someone available at all times in those offices. This avoids the unfortunate consequences that could arise if legal documents are served when the offices are unattended.
- Monitoring. A commercial Registered Agent keeps track of filing requirements of their clients’ businesses. This service allows these clients to focus on their businesses, rather than the hassle of monitoring filing requirements and deadlines. This can also potentially save businesses thousands of dollars in penalties for late filings.
- Responsiveness. Some commercial Registered Agents (such as Filings Made Easy) provide real-time notice of litigation, and forward all official documents directly to the companies they represent (often by email, fax and/or nationally recognized overnight courier service).
- Value. The cost per year of a commercial Registered Agent is nominal, relative to the risks that a company may face if a default judgment is entered against a company.
To learn more about our Registered Agent services (or Commercial Registered Office Provider services in Pennsylvania), or to place an order, please call us at (888) 237-3410 or email us at CustomerService@FilingsMadeEasy.com.
Registered Agent Services – $125.00 per year.
If you wish to change from your current Registered Agent to Filings Made Easy/Corporate Filing Solutions, LLC will pay any fees charged by the Secretary of State to complete the change.