A Delaware registered agent is an essential part of your business's legal standing. It handles tasks that are easily overlooked, and if neglected, could cost your business fines or even dissolution.
You can act as your own registered agent, but it's not recommended unless you meet the requirements of being available during normal business hours and have a physical address in Delaware. You can also use a service that meets these requirements and offers compliance deadline filing alerts.
Maintaining a Registered Office
State law requires that a company -- or its designated agent, in this case -- be present at a Delaware location that is open during normal business hours to receive service of process and other legal documentation. The Registered Agent can be an individual resident in Delaware or a company that is authorized to transact business within the state.
Using a commercial registered agent service can help you to avoid missing a critical filing and endangering your company's good standing in the state of Delaware. These services also offer monitoring tools to keep you informed of compliance issues and reminders so that you can stay on top of your compliance obligations.
Another advantage of a commercial service is privacy. Having your own personal home address listed as the Registered Agent on public record can put you at risk of unwanted legal junk mail. A professional service will protect your privacy by keeping the document deliveries private, and they'll scan and upload them to an online account so that you can access them at any time.
Notifying the State of Changes
Hiring a Delaware registered agent is essential for business compliance in the state. Regardless of how you run your business, the state requires that your company have a physical address in Delaware where it can receive legal notices (service of process and correspondence from the Division of Corporations) and where the company can be easily found by searching public records.
If you decide to change your registered office, you must file a Change of Registered Agent form with the Delaware Division of Corporations. The filing fee is $50.
There are several options for Delaware registered agents, including local, full-service providers like Northwest Registered Agent and LegalZoom and virtual services like ZenBusiness and IncFile. The best choice depends on your needs and budget. For example, LegalZoom offers a registered agent service for $249 per year, and they also offer LLC formation services. However, their customer service by phone or email isn’t as good as that of Northwest Registered Agent.
Keeping Track of Deadlines
If you have an LLC in Delaware, it’s important to keep track of all the deadlines. A registered agent can help. It acts as the company’s gatekeeper, ensuring that the business receives important legal notifications and compliance deadline filing reminders.
A registered agent can be an individual who resides in the state of Delaware or a business that is authorized to do so. The agent’s name and address must be published in public records.
If you want to change your registered agent in Delaware, you can do so by submitting two forms. The process is easy and inexpensive. A good example of a high-quality registered agent is Harbor Compliance, which offers a variety of great services and has a competitive fee. Their customer service is also highly rated. If you want a cheaper option, consider ZenBusiness, which is one of the best Delaware registered agent services for startups and entrepreneurs on a budget. Their starter plan is cheap and includes a year of service.
Monitoring Compliance
Having a professional registered agent service provider to act on your behalf helps you focus more of your time and money on growing your business. Your professional Registered Agent can help you stay in compliance with state and federal requirements by alerting you of important deadlines such as filing your annual report or paying your franchise tax.
One thing that sets MyCompanyWorks apart from other premium Delaware registered agents is they scan and upload every piece of mail they receive on your behalf into your online account so you can keep track of it. Additionally, they will accept service of process on your behalf and forward mail from the state. They also send you alerts to upcoming compliance filings that are required by the state of Delaware for your business to remain in good standing. This is something that the cheaper services like LegalZoom do not offer.
Sign in to leave a comment.