Business ownership is anything but easy, and if dealing with an unpredictable global economy, intense competition, and disruptive technologies wasn’t challenging enough, entrepreneurs have to contend with an increasingly overbearing regulatory regime. Spread across a dozen different Federal, state, and local agencies, compliance requirements alone eat up a significant chunk of a small business’ resources.
According to recent studies, small business owners spend as much as $12,000 a year on an average in direct and indirect regulatory costs. This is in addition to the 40-plus hours on average that small businesses spend on dealing with federal compliance requirements, and a similar number of additional hours in complying with various state and local laws, regulations, filings, and requirements.
The sheer scale of this regulatory excess today, along with the red-tape, bureaucratic web, and penalties that come with non-compliance, have given rise to a number of professionals whose work is only to facilitate this process. Registered agents are one such professionals, who essentially act as conduits between a business entity, government agencies, and third parties, adding plenty of value in the process.
What Is A Registered Agent?
A registered agent, also referred to as a statutory agent, is often a person or entity that is designated to receive legal documents, government correspondence, and other compliance requirements on behalf of a company.
All new business entities, whether an LLC, or any other structure are now required by law in most states to list a registered agent. A registered agent essentially receives these important documents, before quickly relaying the information to the concerned business entity in a timely manner. So, whether you run a blog, or a rental home business, a registered business entity, requires a registered agent.
The rules pertaining to who can be a registered agent differs from state to state, but in most cases an individual who performs this role is required to be a natural resident of the state in question. For states that allow entities to act as registered agents, they are required to have a business office within the state, apart from being authorized to do business.
Some states also allow a business entity to act as its own registered agent, provided at least one of its officers is a resident of the state. That being said, however, it is best to delegate a third-party agent, given the seriousness of this task, and the fines, penalties, and other major implications for negligence.
Why Is A Registered Agent Important?
Apart from being mandated by the law in several states, having a registered agent stands to add a lot of value to businesses, as they navigate an increasingly complex legal landscape.
To start with, when a registered agent is delegated, all essential documents, including lawsuits filed, government documents, and more are delivered to the address of the agent, instead of the business’ main office. This helps preserve privacy, with no one getting access to sensitive information apart from the delegated personnel.
Secondly, having critical documents received by registered agents ensures that they are handled with care, and on-time in a professional manner. It becomes the agent’s responsibility to receive and convey important information, reducing the risks that come with misplaced and mishandled documents.
For example, suppose a customer has decided to sue your business, but you weren’t notified on-time. So, as a result, you now risk a court issuing a judgment against your company, even before you’ve had the opportunity to defend yourself. This perfectly illustrates the need for a qualified registered agent.
Lastly, having an independent third party in charge of receiving crucial correspondence, before relaying it to a designated officer or corporate secretary within a company, is just good business practice. It ticks most of the boxes pertaining to internal controls and corporate governance, eliminating a wide variety of different risks.
Choosing The Right Registered Agent
Even though businesses are mandated by law to engage the services of a registered agent, the value these professionals deliver often pays for itself in the long-run.
Selecting the right registered agent services to represent your business can make the process of navigating this regulatory and bureaucratic web just a little bit easier, and with annual costs ranging from between just $100 to $300, they are often well worth the price.
However, price is far from the only factor to consider when choosing a registered agent, and in this next section, we cover a few others that are just as worthy of consideration.
1. Experience & Expertise
With few, if any, barriers standing in the way of individuals and entities trying to become registered agents, the field is now increasingly crowded. While this provides businesses with a wide range of options, it also makes it easy to choose the wrong service provider that can derail important processes, costing your business dearly.
As such, it’s best to stick with registered agents with an extensive track record, at least a few years of experience, and expertise in their respective fields.
2. Reliability & Responsiveness
This goes without saying, but there are few traits that are as crucial as being reliable and responsive, when it comes to selecting a registered agent.
In order to best serve the needs of a business, a registered agent should have proper systems in place to handle legal documents safely and promptly.
In addition, they should be responsive to queries, and provide regular updates on any correspondence received from government agencies, or third parties.
3. Flexibility
A key reason why individuals thrive in this business, much more than large professional services companies, is because of their ability to offer customized services, perfectly tailored to suit the requirements of each individual business.
During the usual course of business, a registered agent might be required to go beyond the call of duty, such as working beyond normal hours, providing additional services, etc. The accommodation of such requests is what separates the best from the rest.
Final Words
To summarize, registered agents provide a crucial service for businesses of all sizes, providing at least a semblance of certainty when it comes to critical correspondence from government agencies and third-parties.
By choosing the right service provider, a business stands to gain substantial value in the long-run, and can avoid a number of unnecessary pitfalls that come with mishandling correspondence.
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