Professional registered agent service is a necessity for any business operating in multiple states. The best services keep your personal information private and make sure all legal papers get to you quickly.
You can designate an individual within your company to be your RA, but a leading service will do it for you. They’ll forward any mail, scan and upload documents to an online portal, and notify you of upcoming compliance filing deadlines.
Scalability
A professional registered agent service can help you manage your company’s compliance. They can handle information shielding, provide business entity maintenance reminders, and focus on helping you grow your company. This will allow you to focus on your daily operations.
You can also hire a registered agent service like Universal Registered Agent, which has offices in every state and allows national businesses to use one agent everywhere they do business. This can save you money.
Another option is to appoint your lawyer, friend, or local business as your registered agent. But this poses a problem at scale, because you would need to have someone available in every state you do business in. This is why a professional service is the best choice.
Convenience
Using one registered agent, or statutory agent, for multiple states makes business compliance easier. It eliminates the need to juggle paperwork coming in from different locations, which can create errors. A good registered agent service will scan and upload documents to your online account, so you can access them in a centralized dashboard.
The best services will also provide a level of privacy for business owners, keeping legal papers away from employees and customers. The best-registered agents will also have a track record of helping other business owners with compliance issues, providing trusted experience and peace of mind.
Lastly, it’s important to look for a service with low, competitive prices. Many business owners have found that advertised prices appear cheap at checkout, but are then hit with annual rates and hidden document delivery fees. A great example of this is Harbor Compliance, which offers low, competitive prices and high-end customer support. They are the perfect choice for businesses looking to scale and save money on multi state registered agent services.
Privacy
If you’re looking for a registered agent service with premium privacy protection measures, look no further than LegalZoom. They offer all of the standard features that you’d expect from a top-tier registered agent, and they also provide identity theft insurance up to $1 million at no additional cost to their customers.
Their sign-up process is simple, and they allow you to purchase registered agent services in multiple states at the same time. Their pricing is also competitive, and they include the first year of registered agent services free.
Some other providers, such as IncFile and Swyft Filings, charge more than Northwest but provide less in terms of service. For example, IncFile only offers a bare minimum of registered agent services and charges $119 per year (plus state fees) for this. This is a lot more than what you’ll pay with my favorite registered agent service provider, which provides far more value for the price. It’s even the only registered agent service that provides compliance alerts for no extra charge.
Availability
Using your lawyer, friend or local business as your registered agent can be problematic if you expand into multiple states. Since the laws of most states require that a business have a registered agent in every state in which it does business, this becomes an issue at scale. It is a good idea to choose a registered agent service that has dedicated agents in all 50 states, and that also offers discounts to businesses operating in multiple states. A service like Northwest Registered Agent also allows you to access all your paperwork in a single online dashboard.
Another good registered agent service to consider is CorpNet. This service has an excellent customer rating and a satisfaction guarantee. They also offer a mail forwarding service that is useful for small digital start-ups that do not have physical offices. They can forward all your legal correspondence and business mail to you for a small fee. This can be a great convenience for busy business owners.
