Every US company needs a registered agent: a street address in its state that accepts lawsuits and official state notices on its behalf. It's included in every Registate formation package. It's a legal contact point, not the address you run your business from.
Why: A lawsuit against the company is served on its registered agent. That's why every state asks for one: a street address where legal papers can be handed over during business hours.
How it reaches you: Your agent accepts it for the company and we pass it on to you, so a deadline to respond isn't missed.
State law gives the agent a narrow job: be reachable at a street address in the state, accept legal and official papers for the company, and pass them on.
If someone sues your company, the papers are delivered to your agent. The agent has to be there during business hours, so legal papers always have somewhere to go, even when you're in another country.
Secretaries of State send official notices, like annual report and tax reminders, to the agent on file. The deadlines in them are the state's, and they apply whether or not you've read the letter.
Anyone can look this up.
The agent's name and address appear in your formation filing and in the state's business search. Using an agent keeps your own address out of that field.
Privacy for foundersWe pass agent mail on to you. Your panel's Documents area keeps your company's papers in one place, and new items are marked unread.
They're two different addresses with two different jobs. The agent address is a legal contact point. It isn't where your company operates, and it won't stand in for a business address.
Your registered agent is set up in the state we form your company in. Checkout currently offers these seven.
Not sure which state? Compare the states
States expect your company to have a registered agent at all times. Wyoming, for example, can dissolve a company that lets it lapse, so the agent renews with your package rather than on its own.
A registered agent comes with every formation package: Silver, Gold and Platinum.
Your agent stays in place while your formation package is active. The package renews every year, and the agent renews with it.
Annual reports and state taxes are the state's own charges, on its own dates. Wyoming's minimum is $60 a year and Delaware's LLC tax is $400.
Every package, extra and state fee side by side: See pricing
Also forming now? An EIN is separate from your agent. The IRS issues it for free, and we offer paid preparation support. About EIN support
Sources, checked Sept 2026: Delaware Code, Title 6 § 18-104 · Wyoming Secretary of State, registered agent FAQ. State fees from our pricing page. Each state sets its own rules and can change them.
What the agent does, what it costs to keep, and why it isn't your business address.
A person or company with a street address in your company's state who accepts service of process (lawsuit papers) and official state notices on the company's behalf, and passes them on. Every state requires US companies to keep one.
No. The agent address is a legal contact point, not where your company operates. Many banks and payment platforms, including Mercury and Stripe, don't accept a registered agent address as a business address. For that you need a business address, such as our lease-backed address or a virtual mailbox.
It's included in every Registate formation package. It renews with the package every year, so there's no separate agent renewal to track. The pricing page shows each package's price. State annual fees are separate and paid to the state.
We act as your registered agent in the state we form your company in. Checkout currently offers California, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, New York, Texas and Wyoming. If you register in a second state, that state needs its own agent.
We pass them on to you. Your panel's Documents area keeps your company's papers in one place and marks new items as unread. Legal papers can carry short response deadlines, so check it when we tell you something has arrived.
The agent's address is what appears in the registered agent field of your filing, so your home address doesn't have to. Other fields, depending on the state, can still be public. Our privacy page explains what shows up where.
