Never miss the notice that actually matters.
Every state requires your business to name a registered agent: the official address where lawsuits and state notices are delivered. Miss one and you can lose a case by default or fall out of good standing without knowing. We are your agent in all 51 jurisdictions, scanning Service of Process the same day it arrives and keeping your home address off the public record.
It is quiet, until the day it is not.
A registered agent sounds like a formality, and most of the time it is. Then a lawsuit is filed against your company, and the clock on your response starts the moment it is served on your agent, whether or not the notice ever reaches you. An agent who is unreachable, or who forwards mail a week late, can cost you a default judgment in a case you never knew about, or a lapse in good standing when a state notice goes unanswered. The value of a registered agent is not the address on file. It is that the important envelope reaches the right person the same day, every time, in every state you operate.
So what does the service actually put in place? Here is your agent on record.
A named agent on record, and a team behind it.
When you appoint us, your business names File.Business as its registered agent in each state you choose, and that appointment goes on the public record with the Secretary of State. What sits behind the name is the part that matters: a staffed address that accepts Service of Process during business hours, same-day scanning into a secure portal, alerts the moment something arrives, and reminders for the state filings that keep you in good standing. Your own address stays off the public record. It is a standing service, not a one-time filing, and we keep the appointment current in every state.
The name is the start. Here is everything it does for you.
One appointment, a lot of quiet protection.
A registered agent does more than sit at an address. Here is what the service actually does for your business, day to day.
Any Service of Process is scanned into your portal the same day it arrives, with an immediate alert.
Our address goes on the public record instead of yours, keeping your home off state and court databases.
We flag the annual report and state deadlines that keep your entity in good standing.
As you expand, we are your agent in all 51 jurisdictions, so multi-state coverage stays in one place.
Everything served or received is stored and searchable, so you can find any notice when you need it.
Because the notice reaches you the day it arrives, the clock on any response never runs without you.
Nearly every business needs one. Here is when it applies to you.
If you have an entity, you have to have an agent.
A registered agent is not optional. Every state requires one for each LLC and corporation registered there, and there are a few moments when getting yours right matters most. Here is the line.
You need us when
- You are forming an LLC or corporation and must name an agent to file.
- You want your home address off the public record.
- You are registered in more than one state and want one provider for all of them.
- You want lawsuits and state notices caught and scanned the same day.
Act quickly if
- Your current agent resigned. Replace them fast to avoid administrative dissolution, see RA resignation.
- You are expanding into a new state, which needs an agent there, see foreign qualification.
- You are switching from another agent. That is a change of agent filing.
- You have moved and your agent address is now out of date.
What we need from you is short: your entity name and the states you are registered in. We prepare the appointment, file it with each state so the public record shows us as your agent, and start the same-day scanning immediately. If you are switching from another provider, we handle the change so there is no gap in coverage.
Ready to appoint us? Here is how it runs.
Appointed once, then working every day.
Setup takes minutes. After that, the service runs quietly in the background and only reaches you when something needs your attention. Here is the loop.
Name your states
Tell us your entity and the states you are registered in. That is all we need to prepare the appointment.
We go on the record
We file the appointment with each state so the public record lists us as your agent, and your address stays private.
We receive and scan same day
Anything served or sent by the state is accepted, scanned into your portal the same day, and pushed to you with an alert.
We keep you in good standing
We flag your annual report and state deadlines, so the same service that catches lawsuits also keeps your compliance on track.
Any address can be an agent. Here is what changes when we are.
The notice reaches you, and so does the reminder.
Any company can put an address on your filing. The difference is what happens when the envelope actually arrives, and whether the deadlines that follow it are caught. That is what you are paying for.
Nothing sits unopened
- Service of Process is scanned and pushed to you the day it arrives.
- A staffed address accepts documents during business hours.
- Everything is stored in a searchable portal, not a pile of mail.
Private and in good standing
- Your address stays off the public record.
- We are your agent in all 51 jurisdictions as you expand.
- We flag the annual reports and deadlines that keep you compliant.
Flat annual pricing per state, shown up front. See what it costs →
Your agent is one part of staying compliant. Here is the road it sits on.
Your agent is the address the whole company runs through.
The agent that catches your legal mail also anchors your compliance, your expansion into new states, and the proof that you are current. It all lives on one platform, so staying in good standing is one motion, not many.
Form it, cover it, comply, and expand, all inside File.Business. One platform holds your agent and your record, so the notice that arrives and the deadline that follows are handled in the same place.
The questions owners ask about registered agents.
What is a registered agent, and do I really need one?
A registered agent is the person or company your business names to receive legal documents, such as a lawsuit, and official state mail on its behalf. Every state requires each LLC and corporation registered there to have one with a physical address in that state. It is not optional: without a valid agent on file, a state can find your entity out of compliance and even move to dissolve it. So yes, you need one, and it needs to be reliably reachable.
Can I be my own registered agent?
In most states you can, but there are real trade-offs. Your address becomes part of the public record, which is why many owners prefer not to use their home. You also have to be personally available at that address during business hours to accept documents, which is hard if you travel, work from multiple locations, or run the business alone. And if you are served with a lawsuit in front of a client, that is its own problem. A commercial agent removes those issues.
What is Service of Process, and why does same-day matter?
Service of Process is the formal delivery of legal documents, most importantly the papers that start a lawsuit against your company. What makes it urgent is that the deadline to respond usually starts when the documents are served on your agent, not when you personally read them. If your agent forwards mail slowly, days can quietly disappear from your response window. Scanning the same day it arrives, with an immediate alert, is what protects that window.
Will using your service keep my address private?
Yes, for the registered agent role. Our address goes on the public record as your agent instead of yours, which keeps your home or personal address out of the state and court databases that list agents. This is one of the most common reasons owners use a commercial agent. Note that other filings may still call for a business address, and we can advise on keeping your personal information minimized across the record, not just in the agent field.
Can you be my agent in more than one state?
Yes, and that is one of the main reasons to use a commercial provider. Each state you register in requires an agent located there, so as you expand you would otherwise need a different agent in every state. We serve as your agent in all 51 jurisdictions, which keeps your coverage, your alerts, and your documents in one place instead of scattered across providers. When you foreign qualify into a new state, we simply add it.
How do I switch from my current registered agent?
Switching is straightforward and does not disrupt your business. We prepare a change of agent filing for each state, submit it, and take over the role once it is recorded, so there is no gap in coverage. If your current agent has resigned, the situation is more time-sensitive, because a resignation starts a limited window to name a replacement before the state can act, and we move quickly to fill it. Either way, we handle the paperwork.
Does the agent handle my compliance deadlines too?
We do more than receive mail. Because we sit at the point where state notices arrive, we also track and flag the recurring filings that keep your entity in good standing, such as your annual report. The registered agent service catches the urgent items, and the deadline tracking prevents the slow-motion lapses that come from a missed routine filing. Together they cover both ends of what keeps a company compliant.