In Missouri, when you decide to start a business, one of the most important decisions you will make is what kind of business structure to use. If you choose an LLC, or any type of corporation (including a C or S-corp), the types of paperwork that you’ll be required to send and receive will heavily depend on the chosen structure of the business.
As your company gets up and running, your needs for sustaining the business and keeping it competitive may change. That could include a change of address, organizational titles, such as members or chief officers, or additional paperwork. Starting a business can be chaotic — but that’s exactly why you need a Missouri registered agent on your side.
Here are a few reasons why having a registered agent will help keep your business stable and successful.
Registered Agents Are Legally Required
In Missouri, every formal business structure (excluding sole proprietorships and partnerships) is legally required to have a registered agent for the company. So, if your business is an LLC or corporation, there’s no getting around it.
However, you can choose the “how” and the “who” part of setting it up. While you are free to choose a person or entity to be the registered agent for your company, you also would need to put a lot of thought into who you choose. Registered agents can hold a great deal of responsibility for a company and there are definite reasons why they are legally required when you formalize your business structure.
Responsibilities of A Registered Agent
On the surface, a registered agent’s responsibilities might seem simple. After all, their main job is to be the designated recipient of any legal paperwork pertaining to the company. However, being a registered agent involves more than being a glorified mailbox.
Legal and official documents tend to be time sensitive. If these documents are not addressed in a timely manner, it could spell big trouble for a business. Some examples of the type of paperwork that a registered agent could receive include:
- Legal Notices
- Registration Paperwork
- Lawsuits
- Subpoenas
- Tax Information and Forms
Therefore, when choosing a registered agent, it’s essential that you choose wisely. In many ways, the person or entity that you choose will hold a lot of responsibility for your company’s well-being.
Who Should You Choose As A Missouri Registered Agent
Understanding the gravity of a registered agent’s responsibilities might give you a sense of who you might choose to hold that position. However, there are certain requirements that a person has to meet to become a registered agent. These include:
- Being of legal adult age (at least 18 years old)
- Has reasonable availability during a standard business day
- Has a viable physical address in the state of Missouri
It is possible to elect yourself as a registered agent, but you can only do so if you’ve formed an LLC and are the sole member of the company. However, it can be difficult to run business operations and oversee a massive amount of paperwork at the same time. Instead of worrying about choosing who would best carry those responsibilities, many business owners opt to use a registered agent service.
Why Choose A Registered Agent Service?
Registered agent services are wholly dedicated to being official recipients of a business. These services are built around that premise. Starting a business can entail endless responsibilities at the operation end and that’s not even counting the aspects of legal paperwork.
Some of the benefits of using a Missouri registered agent include:
- Legal Compliance
- Organization
- Accuracy
- Increased Productivity
- Lower Business Costs
A registered agent service helps keep paperwork organized and compliant with adhering to official deadlines. That also helps ensure that accurate paperwork is filed. When you don’t have to worry about official and legal documents, that also gives you more time to focus on running your company. This could also boost productivity and help companies save money, because you won’t have to pay penalties for late paperwork.
Of course, you could choose anyone that meets the legal requirements to become a registered agent for your company. However, you may also be taking an unnecessary risk that you could avoid by using a registered agent service. anytrans crack arcgis crack cytomic the glue crack any video converter crack