Key takeaways:
- A registered agent receives official notices and legal documentation on a company’s behalf.
- All states require a registered agent for each business entity, except general partnerships and sole proprietorships.
- You can change your registered agent anytime, but maintaining one is an ongoing requirement.
A registered agent is an individual or company that receives service of process, legal documents and official notices on your business’s behalf. When registering a business entity, you’ll be required to appoint a registered agent who has a physical address in the state of registration.
Not just anyone can fill this role, though. There are certain rules you need to follow when choosing one.
Who needs a registered agent?
Businesses that are registered with the state need to appoint a registered agent, also called a statutory agent or resident agent in some states.
The following types of businesses need to appoint one:
- Corporations
- Limited liability companies
- Limited liability limited partnerships (not recognized in every state).
If you have one of these business types, you’ll be asked to name your registered agent during incorporation or business registration. There’s typically a spot to designate your registered agent on your articles of incorporation or articles of organization.
General partnerships and sole proprietorships don’t need to designate one because these business types are not registered with the state.
Why do you need a registered agent?
The purpose of appointing a registered agent is to ensure there’s a reliable way for the public, courts and government to contact your company. Once the state has your registered agent information, it’s a matter of public record. Anyone searching through a business entity database can find out who serves this role for your company.
More specifically, here are three main reasons why registered agents are important:
- Receive legal process: People with legitimate legal complaints against a business have an address to send service of process.
- Government can contact you: The government knows how to contact a business that’s delinquent on taxes or noncompliant with other laws.
- Stay in compliance: Official papers notifying you of any action you need to take go to one address.
Some businesses hire a legal service or an attorney to serve as registered agent. Your registered agent will receive legal, tax and other official mail for you, forward the documents to your business address and notify you of any deadlines or actions that you need to take.
Registered agent requirements
In general, registered agents must meet the following requirements:
- Age: If you use an individual, they must be at least 18 years old.
- Residency: If you use an individual, they must be a resident of the state of registration. If the registered agent is a company, it can be a domestic or foreign entity, as long as it’s authorized to do business in the state.
- Physical address: Must have a physical address in the state of registration. This location is usually called the “registered office.” P.O. boxes don’t count, so you can’t use a UPS Store, for example.
- Availability: Must be available to receive mail and sign official documents during normal business hours, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Different states have slightly different regulations. For example, in Virginia, only licensed attorneys or officers or members of the business can serve as registered agents. In some states, the registered agent must submit a consent form indicating that they’ve agreed to be your company’s registered agent.
Keep in mind that if you’re registered to do business in multiple states, each state will require you to name a registered agent who has a physical address in that state. Your state’s business filing agency will be able to tell you more about state-specific requirements.
Who can serve as your appointed agent?
Every state gives you the choice to appoint yourself, someone else within the company or a third party, as long as the appointed agent meets the requirements mentioned above (plus any additional state-specific requirements).
The only caveat — you can’t name your business as its own registered agent. There needs to be a separate, responsible party, whether that’s an individual or an outside agency.
Any of the following can serve:
- Yourself
- A business partner, officer, manager or member of the business
- A business lawyer
- A company that provides this specific service, such as LegalZoom or Rocket Lawyer.
The quickest, least expensive way to secure a registered agent is often to appoint yourself or another person in the company. But business owners may find this to be time-consuming or inconvenient over time and appoint a lawyer or service instead. Ultimately, the state doesn’t care so much about who you choose, as long as they’re doing what’s required of them.
Using a legal service as your registered agent
Many legal service websites offer registered agent services for a fee. There are multiple benefits to using one of these services, as opposed to appointing yourself or someone else within the company.
» MORE: Best online legal services
These are the benefits of using a legal service:
Inexpensive
Online legal services companies typically charge between $100 and $250 per year to serve as a business’s registered agent. Many companies also offer promotions and discounts for the first year. For example, ZenBusiness offers 50% off registered agent services for your first year, costing you $99 and Bizee has free registered agent services for the first year and will bill $119 annually thereafter. You can find even less expensive services, but legal services platforms also provide other types of legal assistance like business setup and maintenance.
As your registered agent, they will accept all legal and official correspondence on your company’s behalf, forward you the documents and give you timely notifications about pending deadlines or actions that you need to take.
Saves time
One in five small-business owners report working more than 50 hours per week, according to a 2025 survey by Adobe . If you’re spending time sorting through official mail, that adds to an already busy lifestyle.
By using a service, you’re free to go on vacation or take time off without worrying you’re missing important mail. You also save time going through junk mail. Since a registered agent’s address is a matter of public record, you will receive a lot of junk mail if you appoint yourself.
Privacy
Having a registered agent means that their address is public record, not your own. This protects your business to some extent from spammers. In addition, when you have an appointed agent, you can avoid potentially embarrassing moments in front of customers. Imagine being served with a lawsuit while you’re helping a customer. A service will send you important documents via email and postal mail.
Organization
If you have a fast-growing business, it can be tough to keep all your important paperwork and deadlines straight. Having a registered agent is one way to ensure that nothing gets lost in the shuffle. In addition to accepting official correspondence, online legal services can create a compliance calendar noting important government deadlines.
How to change your registered agent
No matter who you select, you’ll need to keep the information up to date. Having a registered agent is an ongoing requirement, meaning that you need one as long as your business is operating.
If you change your registered agent or their contact information changes, you’ll need to inform your state’s business filing agency. In most states, there is a change form that you can download and fill out online.
Some states allow electronic filing, while others require that you mail in the form. The fee for changing your appointed agent is usually pretty low, $25 to $50 in most states.
It’s easy to forget about updating your registered agent, but make sure you fill out the necessary papers. The fines for a lapse can be hefty. And if you go too long without an appointed agent, the state can revoke your certificate of good standing or even dissolve your company.
A version of this article was first published on Fundera, a subsidiary of NerdWallet
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- 1. Adobe Acrobat. 2025 Work-Life Balance Report of Soloprenuers and Small Business Owners. Accessed Mar 30, 2026.
