A professional registered agent company is an excellent choice for your Texas business. They will manage important legal documents and government correspondence on your behalf.
They also notify you of upcoming compliance form filing deadlines and provide a convenient online account for your business. Their prices are competitive with other top Texas registered agents LLCs.
Getting Started
If you have a friend or family member who lives in Texas, is available during business hours, and doesn’t mind having their address made public, they can act as your LLC’s Texas Registered Agent. They simply need to submit Form 401-A with the state and pay a $15 fee.
All entities doing business in Texas must continuously maintain a registered agent. Failure to do so may result in the state dissolving your business.
Instead of having a friend or family member serve as your registered agent, consider using a professional registered agent service. These services are more convenient, affordable and will help ensure you stay in compliance with state law. They can also handle other important responsibilities such as mail forwarding and notifying you of upcoming compliance deadlines. This makes them an invaluable asset to your business. In addition to this, they provide privacy which is important for all businesses.
Service of Process
The state of Texas requires all businesses, including LLCs, to appoint and continually maintain a Registered Agent. A registered agent is an individual or third-party company that has a physical address in the state of Texas. They are the person or entity that is legally responsible for receiving service of process (lawsuits, liens, subpoenas) and compliance documents from regulatory agencies.
If you appoint yourself as the registered agent for your own business, it means that you have to be available at that address during business hours. Otherwise, you could miss important documents like annual report filing reminders or upcoming compliance form deadlines.
Using a premium registered agent service like Incfile can make it much easier to keep up with your state requirements. They offer all of the necessary services that a registered agent needs, but they also provide additional benefits like mail forwarding and scanned document access online. They also provide a high level of privacy and customer support that makes them an excellent choice for many businesses.
Annual Report Filing
You must submit an annual report with the Texas Secretary of State in order to keep your business in good standing. If you don’t submit the reports on time, your company may be subject to penalties and fees. Your registered agent can help you file the reports and keep track of your compliance deadlines.
An individual can serve as a Texas registered agent, but they must be a resident of the state and consent to act on behalf of your entity. A service of process can also be your registered agent as long as they have a physical address in the state and are available during normal business hours to receive legal documents or government correspondence on behalf of your entity.
A reputable Texas registered agent services can provide you with a street address in the state, mail forwarding, document scanning, and compliance form filing notifications. One example is Northwest Registered Agent, which you can hire to form your LLC ($39 + state fee) and then use for a year free of charge.
Document Scanning
A quality registered agent will scan important documents into an online portal, so you can access them whenever you need them. Many of these services will also forward legal mail to you, making it easy for you to stay in compliance.
If you choose to act as your own Texas registered agent, you will need to maintain regular business hours at your home address and keep it open so that anyone can sign for any service of process or compliance forms that may arrive. This can be limiting, especially if you are out of the office often.
Another option is to use a professional Texas registered agent like Harbor Compliance or Northwest Registered Agent. These companies charge a reasonable fee and can help you form your LLC online. They also provide a lot of valuable information and compliance reminders for your business, and their customer service is excellent. They will even help you keep your residential address off of state documents and avoid towers of junk mail.
