Nonprofit organisations in Ohio will almost certainly need to designate and have a registered agent.
A registered agent receives any official documents from the State of Ohio, as well as any service of process filed on a firm in a lawsuit.
A statutory agent is a professional who will represent your organisation to the Ohio Secretary of State while you run your company. Statutory agents are sometimes known as registered agents, resident agents, or service of process agents in certain states.
Typically, your statutory agent will receive mail on your behalf, such as compliance information and tax notices. Statutory agents are also in charge of receiving process paperwork. This simply implies that your statutory agent will receive court summons and paperwork on your nonprofit’s behalf if it is sued.
The following are the prerequisites for statutory agents in most states:
As long as they match the conditions outlined above, any anyone may act as your nonprofit’s statutory agent. You may serve as your nonprofit’s statutory agent, or you can choose a member of your board of directors or a trustworthy friend.
If you choose to serve as your organization’s statutory agent, you must recognise the significance of the role. If you miss a filing date or misplace a document, your nonprofit’s compliance status may be jeopardised, and the Secretary of State may revoke your nonprofit’s corporate registration.
Many organisations and other companies engage a professional registered agent service to guarantee that their company is always in compliance.
Before you engage an Ohio registered agent service, think about the benefits and drawbacks of this technique.
There are various reasons why you should consider employing a registered agent service for your nonprofit organisation. This strategy, in particular, can:
The sole downside of using a registered agent service is that it is expensive, while you may serve as your own registered agent for free.
While employing a professional registered agent service is a good idea for many reasons, in other cases it is required. If you answered “yes” to any of the following questions, your organisation should use a registered agent service.
When you submit your Ohio nonprofit’s Articles of Incorporation, you must name a statutory agent. In Ohio, the fundamental nonprofit creation document is the Articles of Incorporation.
You may register your nonprofit’s Articles of Incorporation and pay the $99 filing fee online at the Ohio Secretary of State’s website. You may choose your nonprofit’s statutory agent when you complete the Articles of Incorporation online. Your statutory agent must also sign their permission to appointment online.
To create your Ohio nonprofit by mail, download Form 532B – Articles of Incorporation, fill it out entirely, and send it to the Ohio Secretary of State along with the $99 filing fee. On the Original Appointment of Statutory Agent page, you will provide your statutory agent’s name and contact information. To confirm their employment, your statutory agent must also sign the Articles of Incorporation.
Simply fill out Form 521 – Statutory Agent Update and send it to the Ohio Secretary of State together with the $25 filing fee to legally alter your Ohio nonprofit’s statutory agent. Ensure that your nonprofit’s new registered agent provides written or electronic permission.
When you work at a charity, you have more essential things to worry about than monitoring the mail, submitting legal paperwork, and remembering compliance deadlines. A statutory agent can help you with that. When you engage a professional registered agent service, you can put these responsibilities in their skilled hands and completely concentrate on what is most important to your firm.
