What exactly is a ''registered agent'' in the state of Texas?
A company in Texas is a legal entity in itself. It must bear legal consequences as and when necessary after its setup. The business owner must choose a Texas registered agent for their Texas business registration in order to assure legal monitoring of the business.
The agent here acts as the company’s legal delegate or representative who, on behalf of the business, agrees to receive legal notices. In other words, they act as a conduit between the law and the company. Having a professional agency handle this aspect of your business could be a smart move. It will save you the risk of putting your own address on public records.
The agent makes it easier for you to clearly demarcate your personal holdings from business assets as well as your private details and business-related particulars. To elaborate further, whenever someone tries to find whom they could contact for any legal matter regarding the company, they will be led to the registered agent.
How to choose a registered agent and what they need to do
The person chosen to be a registered agent in Texas must have a local address in Texas. This is critical because the address will be included not only in the official public documents of Texas but Additionally, this location will operate as the destination for the mailing of any formal legal documents or notices that are related to your business.
There are, however, some other rules and regulations to safeguard the public interest. The following criteria should be met by the appointed person:
- If it’s an organization, it should not be your own.
- It must not be a Texas government agency.
- Anyone who is not the Secretary of State of Texas.
Other than that, there are no limitations. You can appoint any friend, or even a family member, for that matter, as your legal point of contact. However, it is not advisable to do so since their address would become something of public knowledge, which could be dangerous or turn into an unfavorable situation. Thus, it is recommended that you hire a Texas-registered agent service in Austin, Texas to take care of the matter.
Texas-registered agency services
- Get legal mail: Many top-notch agencies offer to provide you with a suitable email address for virtual notices.
- Mail scanning and forwarding:Most services will scan your email from time to time and forward messages that are relevant and require your attention.
- Phone services: Registered agent servicesmight also offer a virtual phone system service. The plus point of the service is that the phone can be used flexibly with any gadget that is convenient for you! And, of course, this would mean flexibility in location too.
- Important legal notifications: Filing tax reports and fulfilling other legal formalities are of paramount importance to any business, whether big or small. A professional agency sends reminders to you on time to ensure you do not miss out on any of them.
- Business address: What could be better? Whether you are hiring aregistered agent for an LLC or a corporation, this service could be a lifesaver. The business address could be favorably used by every business member to safeguard their privacy.
- Effortless business filing: Getting a registered business name in Texas canbe a laborious task. You would want to spend the time planning your business strategy rather than getting into pesky formalities. This is where the Texas registered agency could come in handy. The top agencies offer business filing services, which make the process seamless.
- And much more! The registered agent service provides a plethora of indispensable services, ranging from a virtual account for storing highly confidential or essential documents to timely automatic reminders of service renewal.
Why choose to hire a Texas Registered Agent?
- Privacy: One cannot help but reiterate this vital aspect of hiring a professional service. Maintaining privacy is one of the biggest concerns of business people when data breaches are a major threat in an era of technology. The insulation that a registered agent service in Texas would provide to your business would save you from thousands of invisible threats. This is arguably the biggest advantage of the services.
- Safety from legal troubles: Controlling the number of legal notices the business receives is not in the hands of the agency. However, you can at least be notified before it gets too late. An efficient agency would quickly scan your emails, most probably on the same day of receiving them. And all the relevant mail will be forwarded to you on the same day! Thus, you can take timely action to save your time and money.
- Save time: Even a small business can receive a plethora of emails every day. If you do not have a professional doing the work for you, the responsibility will fall on your shoulders or another member. Scanning could even take a whole day. Thus, isn’t it better to hire a Texas-registered agent service to do the task for you, among other services?
- Other Perks: A virtual phone service and an online account are great add-ons. They are, anyhow, profoundly essential for any business. You can even get your Texas business registration done in no time!
How to Evaluate Who Will Be the Best Agent for You
The following checklist should be considered while making your selection for the appropriate agency to handle your registration:
- Make sure that they take their work seriously. The way they sell their services should reflect their sincerity as well as their commitment.
- Be cautious of those giving their services for free. It could very well be too good to be true.
- Do not hire any third-party services. You would have to pay a higher cost as they appoint local registration agencies to do your work.
- Make sure you check out the reviews. Be wary of fake ones. They are easy to make out once you look closely.
- Choose an agency that offers multiple additional services.
Frequently Asked Questions
In the following situations, you would need your registration agent:
- While filing the Certificate of Formation
- When you are filing registrations that are out of state,
- During any legal proceedings regarding your non-traceability
- When you operate your business at your residential address and do not want it to be public.
It is important to note that in the absence of the agent, your organization would lose its legal status. To put it more straightforwardly, your company will be shut down and no longer operational.
The simple answer is to preserve the interests of the general public. There might be times when a citizen would want to file a legal complaint against your business for any reason. In such a situation, the state would like to send you a legal letter to notify you about the same. Being legally traceable is crucial in this regard. Every company that does business in the state of Texas is required to have a system in place for receiving legal notices.
The state of Texas directs the registered agent to follow the following rules and regulations:
- The agent should provide an address in Texas. They must be available at the physical address.
- They must also stay at the address registered with the post office during the specified business working hours of operation to collect mail.
- The agent should receive and review mail as well as legal letters on behalf of the company, be it any entity.
- Scan through the received emails or mail and later send any crucial legal or business-related documents that are important to the organization for which they have been hired as an agent.
Yes, you may switch the agent at any stage. The process is as follows:
- After you select the person or the agency of your choice, you are required to go online to the website of the Texas Secretary of State and fill out a form to make the necessary changes to your registered agent and office.
- Pay an amount of $15 to Tx SoS via check.
- Send the form and check to Tx SoS. The address: PO Box, TX
In a nutshell, having a registered business name in Texas requires a Texas-registered agent. For your sake, it is preferable to appoint a professional agency to handle the task. You save time and money, as well as keep your privacy safe in the process. Moreover, you will have one fewer thing to deal with. You would only save yourself from regret later on! And you can always change your agent if you have a change of mind. Most agencies even offer a trial period of a month.
Whether you are looking for a TX registered agent for an LLC or a big corporation, just go for it!