A registered agent is the address your state and the courts use to reach your company. Brio gives you one in your formation state, scans whatever arrives the same business day, and warns you before your filings are due.
Available in all 50 states. Flat annual fee, and we handle the switch from your current agent.
The basics
A registered agent is a person or company with a physical street address in the state where your company is formed, available during normal business hours to accept documents in person. Lawsuits and subpoenas, state tax notices, franchise tax bills, and annual report reminders all arrive there. It is the one address the state assumes will always reach a human.
Every US state requires one. You name your agent on the formation paperwork, and the appointment has to stay current for the life of the company. With no agent on file, your company is not in good standing, and the state can eventually dissolve it. If you are forming an LLC with Brio, the agent goes on the same filing, so there is nothing extra to arrange.
One distinction worth getting right up front: a registered agent address is not a business mailing address. It is for legal notices and state mail, not for customers, suppliers, or your bank. If you need somewhere for everyday business post and account statements, that is a US mailing address, and it is a separate service.
What's included
Not a PO box, and not an address in your home country. States reject both. You get a physical address in your formation state, staffed during business hours, listed as your agent of record. If you later register in a second state, you need an agent there too, and we cover all 50. Our state guides show what each one expects.
When something arrives for your company, we scan it the same business day and email it to you. You read it wherever you are, not three weeks later when a forwarded envelope finally lands.
We tell you what arrived and what it is, and we prompt you ahead of your state's annual report or franchise tax. The rules differ more than founders expect: Delaware LLCs file no annual report but owe a flat $400 annual tax due June 1, Texas LLCs file a franchise tax report with the Comptroller by May 15, and California charges an $800 minimum franchise tax every year. When it is time to file, we can file it for you.
The agent address is published by the state. Ours is the one that shows up, which keeps your own address off that record where the state allows it. Some states still publish member, manager, or organizer details regardless, so this is not total anonymity. We will tell you what your state displays before you file.
If your agent resigns or the appointment expires, legal papers can be served without ever reaching you. That is how founders end up with a default judgment in a case they never saw. The state also marks the company as not in good standing and, after long enough, administratively dissolves it. Reinstatement is possible in most states, and it costs more than staying current.
Unhappy with your current provider, or hit with a renewal price you did not expect? Switching is a straightforward change-of-agent filing with the state. We prepare it, submit it, and take over from the date the state records the change. Processing time varies by state.
Tell us where the company is formed, or where you plan to form it. Still deciding? Our guide to choosing a state covers the trade-offs, and the ongoing costs vary a lot between them.
For a new company, the agent goes on your formation filing. For an existing one, we prepare and submit the change-of-agent filing with the state and coordinate the handover. You do not deal with the state directly.
Anything served on your company or sent by the state comes to our address. We scan it the same business day, email it to you, and add a short note on what it is and whether it needs an answer.
Your appointment renews on a flat annual fee, so it never quietly lapses. We prompt you ahead of your state's deadlines, and the tax deadline calendar lays out what is coming for your entity type.
In most states, yes, if you have a physical street address in that state and you are there during business hours. That rules out most non-residents. An address in your home country does not qualify, a PO box is not accepted, and in most states neither is a virtual mailbox.Plenty of US founders use a service anyway, for two reasons: the address becomes public record, and someone has to be present to accept a process server on a random Tuesday morning.
No, and mixing them up causes real problems. The registered agent address exists for legal notices and state correspondence. It is not for customers, suppliers, marketplaces, or bank statements, and mail like that sent there may be refused or returned.If you need an address for everyday business mail, that is a separate service.
Two things, and both get expensive. First, legal papers can be served on your company without reaching you, and a court can enter a default judgment in a case you never knew existed. Second, the state marks the company as not in good standing.Losing good standing can block bank applications, marketplace verifications, financing, and the certificates buyers ask for, and it ends in administrative dissolution if left long enough.
Yes. You do not have to wait for a renewal date. It is a change-of-agent filing with the state: we prepare it, submit it, and take over once the state records the change. Timing depends on the state's processing queue.Whatever unused time you have left with your old provider is between you and them, so check their refund policy before you cancel.
No. The agent receives documents and keeps your appointment current. Filing is separate work, and it is not only federal: states levy their own income and franchise taxes on top of anything owed to the IRS, and a few charge a flat annual amount whether you traded or not.We remind you what is coming and we can file on your behalf. For what applies to your specific company, take the free consultation rather than guessing.
The agent requirement is identical. The compliance around it is not. A foreign-owned single-member LLC files Form 5472 attached to a pro-forma Form 1120 every year, even with zero revenue, and the penalty for missing it starts at $25,000. Multi-member LLCs file Form 1065 with a Schedule K-1 per member, plus withholding on foreign partners' effectively connected income on Forms 8804 and 8805.S-Corporation election is only available to US citizens and residents. Your registered agent does none of this for you, so plan for it separately.
Flat annual fee, same-day scanning, and reminders before your deadlines. If you are forming a new LLC at the same time, that is $1 plus the state fee, and the agent appointment goes on the same filing. Already have a company elsewhere? We handle the switch.
