By default in New York, the Secretary of State serves as the statutory agent for serving of process (registered agent). You have the option of appointing your own registered agent for your New York LLC.
In this 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 New York?
In the case of a lawsuit, the registered agent’s responsibility is to receive service of process. In New York, the Secretary of State automatically serves as the registered agent. You may also choose your own registered agent.
Yes, any owner or employee of a company may serve as its registered agent in New York if they are above the age of 18 and have a New York 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 New York?
Many firms opt to employ a registered agent service when forming an LLC for the following reasons:
Reduced Publication Costs
In New York, newly created LLCs are required to post a notice of creation in local newspapers. If the primary address is in New York City, publication might cost roughly $1,500 or more.
A registered agent service situated outside of the city enables an LLC to utilize the registered agent’s address as the primary address, lowering the cost of publishing significantly.
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 registered agent, your address will be publicly available on the New York Corporation and Business Entity Database.
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 New York, How Do I Choose a Registered Agent?
In New York, by default, the Secretary of State serves as the statutory agent for service of process (another term for registered agent) for all New York LLCs.
You may, however, designate a registered agent for your New York LLC. When you fill out the Articles of Organization form for your LLC, you will be offered this choice.
Online Registration of a Registered Agent
The New York Department of State website allows you to create your LLC online ($200 filing fee needed). You may pick a registered agent on this form if you want to.
In New York, How Do I Choose a Registered Agent?
In New York, by default, the Secretary of State serves as the statutory agent for service of process (another term for registered agent) for all New York LLCs.
You may, however, designate a registered agent for your New York LLC. When you fill out the Articles of Organization form for your LLC, you will be offered this choice.
Online Registration of a Registered Agent
The New York Department of State website allows you to create your LLC online ($200 filing fee needed). You may pick a registered agent on this form if you want to.
