Businesses like Limited Liability Companies (LLCs), corporations, and other formal business entities are required by law to name a registered agent who is designated to receive legal communications and other critical documents sent to the business. However, maybe you travel a lot, don’t maintain normal business hours, or lack a business street address. In any of these cases and more, you’ll need to find an experienced, trustworthy registered agent company that can satisfy these legal requirements, and naming a friend or employee simply won’t do.
What Does a Registered Agent Do?
A registered agent, also known as a statutory agent or agent of process, must be at least 18 years old, have a street address in the state in which you do business, and be physically present at that address during regular business hours. That’s where Nevada registered agent services can prove beneficial, because while it may be tempting to name yourself, your spouse, or an employee, he or she must be present at the business address during normal business hours every day. That can be challenging for a small business, particularly if the owner travels frequently, works only part time, telecommutes, or frequently attends off-site meetings.
Registered agents perform a variety of functions, such as receiving tax and legal documents, service of process forms, subpoenas, regulatory correspondence, lawsuits, and any federal or state paperwork sent to your company. Since the registered agent’s name and address are publicly listed as the point of contact for your business, you won’t miss any notices that have strict deadlines and carry major legal or financial consequences if missed. Because of these potential consequences, it’s important to select an agent with a proven track record of responsibility and trust so that information is passed along to a representative of your business in a timely manner.
What Are the Advantages of Using Registered Agent Services?
You get what you pay for, right? While some small business owners choose to act as their own agent or name a relative, friend, or employee, saving a few dollars by going the less expensive route isn’t always the best option. Some of the many benefits of a registered agent include privacy in not using your own address (this is particularly important for home-based businesses), consistency in the case of address, name, or title change, and the confidence that comes from knowing this important job will be done right every time. Let’s take a closer look at some of these and other benefits of a registered agent.
Helps Avoid Non-Compliance Issues
Compliance requirements can be a real headache, consuming both time and labor and requiring the completion of long, confusing forms that take information from a variety of sources, so many small business owners prefer to steer clear of this. When you hire a registered agent, you can feel confident the agent is intimately familiar with all state and federal regulations and deadlines that will affect your business. The agent will act as your compliance partner to keep you up to date and avoid unnecessary penalties. You wouldn’t want unfamiliarity with a certain regulation or a missed deadline to put you in bad standing with the state, so the agent’s expertise in these areas will prove invaluable to maintaining your good business reputation with all relevant authorities.
Ensures Privacy
In the same way that you don’t willingly give out your home address to just anyone, one of the benefits of a registered agent is to help ensure your privacy. Listing yourself as an agent means you’ll probably need to use your home address as your business, which means your home is on the public record and accessible to just about anyone who wants to reach you, including direct marketers like those pesky junk mailers. Using a registered agent allows you to use their address instead of your own, so you’ll enjoy that extra layer of privacy. This is particularly valuable for those who work from home.
You Don’t Need to Have a Business Street Address
Lacking a physical location can be a big problem that many small or online-only companies encounter with the state government. You cannot use a post office or private mailbox as your only business address. Barring listing your own home, hiring a registered agent gives you the freedom to use that as your business address, so all official correspondence from the state or federal government as well as service of process will come to you via that address.
Another benefit of a registered agent is that in the event you’re ever served with a lawsuit, you can avoid having customers and employees witness it, since a service of process is often delivered by local law enforcement. Just a guess, but you probably don’t want police officers showing up in front of people important to the success of your business to let them know you’re being sued!
You Can Do Business in Multiple States
The benefits of a registered agent don’t stop there. Every state in the country in which you do business requires you to have an agent in that state, so if you plan on doing business in more than one state it won’t work to name yourself, a friend, or an employee, unless they’re physically located there and maintain an address. Hiring a registered agent in any state where you plan to do business, including Nevada, will open new doors and allow you to operate your business freely.
You Can Move to New Locations Without Filing Change of Address Forms
When you’re busy running a business, it’s easy to forget about the little things, such as remembering to update state authorities with the current information when you change your address. If you even think you might be changing your legal name or address at some point in the future, it makes sense to have a registered agent service to facilitate these changes and move around with ease.
Instead of changing your address each time you move, which includes a formal state filing and sometimes a fee being paid to the state, hire an agent and use their business address as your own. That way you’ll never have to worry about updating all the relevant parties, some of whom could have a very adverse effect on your business should you forget to do so. You can also use Forward Nevada for trustworthy mail forwarding so you’ll never miss a beat, whether you only move once or are frequently on the move. You need only notify us of this change and we’ll take care of it so you can rest easy knowing we’re on top of it for you, wherever you are.
What Happens If Your Business Doesn’t Have a Registered Agent?
As we’ve discussed here, there are many consequences of not having a registered agent. First and foremost, it’s required by law. Whether you choose to name yourself or an employee as the agent is up to you, but you cannot do business in Nevada or any other state as an LLC, corporation, or other formal business entity without one. Because the benefits of a registered agent are so numerous, it’s a wise move to consider. After all, you don’t want to take a chance of jeopardizing your good business standing or suffering major legal or financial consequences by not having the right one.
The Leading Registered Agent Services in Las Vegas
Not all registered agent companies are the same and you’ll find the quality of service differs greatly. You want a company with a long history and solid reputation of serving all different types of businesses. Forward Nevada is the premier mail forwarding and registered agent service in Nevada and we’re here to help. Our husband-and-wife team has been in business since 2004 with a well-earned reputation for value, responsiveness, and service to our clients. Try us and you’ll see what our experience and reputation can do to help your business succeed.