Registered Agent is a person or company designated to receive legal and tax documents on behalf of a business in its state of formation.
A registered agent is the official point of contact a US corporation or LLC must designate in each state where it is formed or registered to do business. The agent has a physical street address in the state, is available during normal business hours, and accepts service of process, tax notices, and other formal correspondence on the entity's behalf, then forwards them to the company.
Every state requires a registered agent, and failure to maintain one is grounds for administrative dissolution of the entity. The agent can be an officer, director, or shareholder of the company who lives in the state, or a professional registered agent service such as CT Corporation, CSC, or Northwest Registered Agent.
Most owners use a paid service to keep their home address off the public record and to ensure no service of process is missed during travel.
Registered agents are central to Delaware's appeal as a formation state. Tens of thousands of companies that do not actually operate in Delaware maintain only a registered agent address there. Each state publishes the agent name and address on its corporate registry, where anyone can search for it.
Founders meet the registered agent concept the moment they incorporate in Delaware, Wyoming, or another state. They must select an agent before the certificate of incorporation can be filed and pay an annual fee, typically 50 to 300 USD. Companies expanding into a new US state must register as a foreign entity there and appoint a registered agent in that state too.
Lawsuits against the company are formally served at the registered agent's address, so missing communications can result in default judgments.
See what a company actually costs in year one, and how the jurisdictions compare on tax, capital and timeline.
