Registered Agent- What you Need to Know

Texas requires that every TX LLC have and continually maintain a Texas Registered Agent.  Without a proper Texas Registered Agent on file with the State of Texas, your Texas limited liability company will not be in compliance with the law and will be at risk for cancellation.

What is a TX Registered Agent?
Many new business owners do not even know what a Texas Registered Agent is.  The Texas Registered Agent is a person or entity who is the Texas limited liability company's statutory agent.  This means that it is the official agent who is authorized to accept legal papers, tax documents and official correspondence from Texas on behalf of the Texas LLC.

The State of Texas needs to be sure that there is some legal person or entity located within the state that can accept legal and other papers for the Texas limited liability company.  The name and address of the Texas Registered Agent is a matter of public record and so anyone can look up an LLC's Texas registered agent.

Who Can Be a Texas Registered Agent?
In Texas, the Texas LLC itself cannot be its own TX Registered Agent- so it must be another person or entity.  The Texas Registered Agent must be permanently and physically located in Texas. If you are a resident of Texas, you individually can serve as your LLC's Texas Registered Agent in Texas.  Some owners choose to serve as the TX Registered Agent of their LLC.  Others choose to hire a Texas registered agent service for one or some of the following reasons:

• Privacy.  Many business owners do not want their name and personal address to be a matter of public record. Please note that in Texas, you cannot escape total privacy because Texas requires that for member managed LLC, the initial member names and addresses must be disclosed in the public records.  If an LLC is manager managed, the initial manager names and addresses must be disclosed.

• No Physical Address in Texas. Many business owners do not have a permanent and physical address in Texas.  PO Boxes and pure mailing address services are not allowed to be registered offices for a TX registered agent.

• Changing Addresses.  If a business owner plans on moving or does not know if he/she will remain at an address for the indefinite future, he/she may prefer to use a Texas registered agent service for stability and to avoid the necessary filing requirements later when the address changes.

• Availability During Normal Business Hours.  The TX Registered Agent must be available or have someone available during normal business hours on the weekdays to accept paperwork that might be delivered to the Texas registered agent address.  If a business owner does not keep regular hours or will not be generally available during business hours at the registered agent address, he/she should use a Texas registered agent service.

• Choose to Have A Professional Registered Agent Handle the Obligation.   Many business owners realize that they have enough to worry about in getting their business started and profitable.  By retaining a TX registered agent service, there is one less obligation to worry about. 

A Texas Registered Agent's obligation is to be available to accept documents and papers on behalf of your business entity and to promptly forward such documents and papers to the principal office of the LLC or corporation.  A TX Registered Agent has no obligations to serve as an advisor and is not required to review any documents.  The Texas Registered Agent plays a required and statutorily appointed administration role for your business entity.

If you purchase Texas Registered Agent Services from TexasBusinessFormation.com, you can rest assured that you will have a professional registered agent for your LLC or corporation as we partner with an exclusive national registered agent services company to provide this important service. 

If you need standalone registered services, CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION: STATE OF TEXAS REGISTERED AGENT INFORMATION