Glossary

Registered agent

The person or company designated to receive legal and state notices on behalf of a business entity.

Every state requires a registered agent with a physical street address in that state, available during business hours. In most states an owner may serve as their own agent at no cost, provided the address is in-state and can appear on the public record — which is the reason many owners pay for the service instead. Forming in a state you do not live in makes a paid agent unavoidable there, because you have no in-state address of your own, and that recurring fee is a large part of what an out-of-state structure actually costs.

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