Every formal business in the state of Massachusetts requires a Massachusetts registered agent, also known as a resident agent. A registered agent receives any official documents from the State of Massachusetts, as well as any service of process that may be served on a firm in a lawsuit.
In this Massachusetts Registered Agent tutorial, we’ll go over what a registered agent is, what they perform, and how to choose one.
What Is a Registered Agent in Massachusetts?
A Massachusetts registered agent is a person or corporate organization that serves as your company’s point of contact for:
All correspondence with the State of Massachusetts, such as the Massachusetts Annual Report and certificate of good standing, is received.
In Massachusetts, every formal company, such as an LLC or corporation, is required by law to have a registered agent.
In Massachusetts, may I act as my own registered agent?
Yes, any owner or employee of a company may serve as its registered agent in Massachusetts if they are above the age of 18 and have a Massachusetts street address.
You might also designate a member of your LLC or a friend you trust, as long as they match these standards as well.
Why Do Companies Use a Registered Agent Service in Massachusetts?
Many firms opt to employ a registered agent service when forming an LLC for the following reasons:
Compliance
A registered agent service keeps a compliance calendar and will notify you when yearly reports or other files are due, as well as assist you in submitting them.
This helps you avoid penalties and maintains your firm in good standing, both of which are necessary to preserve your limited liability protection.
If you do not reply immediately to serving of process, legal complexities, costs, or other concerns may develop. A registered agent will scan your papers, upload them to the internet, and tell you when they are ready.
Privacy
If you operate from home or a private office as your own registered agent, your address will be publicly available on the Massachusetts Business Entity Search.
If your privacy is important to you, a registered agent service will use their own address instead of yours.
Discretion
Receiving service of process for a lawsuit at your place of business may be a delicate circumstance to have in front of your staff and customers.
To circumvent this problem, a registered agent will accept service of process and other papers at their office and deliver them to you discreetly online.
Flexibility
If you are your own registered agent, you must be accessible every working day of the year during regular business hours.
Registered agent services have real offices and people to cover certain hours, allowing them to be accessible during those times.
Hiring a registered agent service enables you to be more flexible with your working hours and locations. So go ahead and take a vacation, work from home or the office, or travel the globe knowing they’ll be there to collect your documents.
Online Data Storage
A competent registered agent service will scan your papers as soon as they arrive, maintaining a digital record of all your company documents and any service of process on a user-friendly dashboard.
If you employed an LLC creation service, you would most likely also use them as a registered agent. This implies a copy of your formation paperwork will be accessible online as well.
Having all of this information, which is accessible as PDFs, is really useful when you need to do things for your company, such as create a business bank account, apply for a business credit card, apply for small business loans, and many other things that need a copy of your paperwork.
National Reach
If you want to grow your company into other states, such as by employing an out-of-state employee or establishing a new sales office, you must have a registered agent for your foreign LLC or other corporation.
The majority of registered agent services are available in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Simply pay a little fee for the new state in which you operate, and they will transmit all of your paperwork to the same web dashboard.
What Is the Cost of a Registered Agent?
A registered agent service normally costs between $50 and $300 each year. When you consider how much time it will save you, this is a little amount to pay.
In Massachusetts, How Do I Choose A Registered Agent?
When you finish your LLC’s Certificate of Organization in Massachusetts, you must choose your registered agent. The Certificate of Formation is the primary document used to incorporate an LLC in Massachusetts.
Online Registration of a Registered Agent
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts allows you to incorporate an LLC online ($500 registration fee needed). Section 5 will ask you to name a registered agent.
Choosing a Registered Agent by Mail, Fax, or Personal Visit
Download the Certificate of Organization ($500 filing fee necessary), fill out the appropriate information, and send a physical copy to the Secretary of the Commonwealth to create your LLC by mail. In the middle of page 1, you’ll be prompted to supply information about your registered agent.
How Do I Change My Massachusetts Registered Agent?
Simply fill out a Statement of Change of Registered Agent/Registered Office form and submit it to the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to change your Massachusetts registered agent. If you file online, there is no filing cost; however, the state imposes a $25 fee for paper or faxed files.
Massachusetts offers many Statement of Change forms for various corporate structures:
Limited Partnership Corporation LLC (LP)
Your statement of change form may be submitted online, via mail, in person, or by fax.
Online
Secretary of the Commonwealth, One Ashburton Place, Room 1717, Boston, MA 02108-1512.
Fax:\s(617) 624-3891 (Faxed submissions must contain a fax voucher cover page.)
Appointment Consent
Your new registered agent must also agree to their appointment. This may be accomplished by signing the Statement of Change form.