Opening your own business is a big deal, and you should get all the help you can. Registered agents are people who handle the communication between your LLC and the state that you do business. Registered agents can be anyone, but in most cases, it's better to work with a well-known registered agent service. These services can improve your LLC and make it easier to focus on your business instead of dealing with the state.
We're going to take you through everything you need to know about registered agents in the state of Oregon. While registered agent laws are typically the same from state to state, there are small differences and slight variations to the common laws in some states. Oregon is one of these states.
Read on to learn more about registered agents in Oregon.
What is an Oregon Registered Agent?
A registered agent in Oregon is a person or entity with an address in Oregon who receives legal documents. In Oregon, registered agents are not optional and companies are required to have one by state law. Registered agents can be people within the company, friends, family, and even other businesses as long as the physical address is within Oregon; registered agents can't have PO boxes listed as addresses. While registered agents don't do anything for the LLC directly, they allow Oregon's state government to communicate with the company.
For the reasons mentioned above, registered agents have several responsibilities. They're not demanding responsibilities, but these responsibilities are something that every LLC owner should be aware of:
- Receive service of process documents on behalf of the LLC
- Handle and process lawsuits
- Manage liens and subpoenas
- File the Oregon annual report
- File the Oregon certification of good standing
Having a registered agent might seem like an unnecessary hassle, but it makes communication between your LLC and the state much more streamlined.
Can the Owner Be a Registered Agent?
In Oregon, the owner of an LLC can be the registered agent. As long as the owner has a physical address in Oregon, not a PO box, they can be listed as the registered agent. Moreover, family and friends of the owner can also be the registered agent as long as they have addresses in Oregon and are at least 18 years of age.
While it's tempting to take on the role of a registered agent as the owner of an LLC, it's not always the best move. Working with third-party registered agent services makes managing communication between your LLC and the state simpler.
Why Do Businesses Need a Registered Agent in Oregon?
In Oregon, LLCs are required to have a registered agent by law. That said, working with a registered agent is beneficial for more reasons than simply being required by law to have one. For example, working with a registered agent service gives LLC owners more time to focus on their business instead of paperwork and issues with the state.
We're going to take you through a handful of the benefits of working with a third-party registered agent service.
Privacy
In Oregon, working with a registered agent service can give you a layer of privacy. Registered agents need to list addresses and make them public information for the state. Therefore, if you're the owner of an LLC, you give up the privacy of keeping your business separate from your work life.
When you work with a third-party registered agent service, you gain privacy because you don't have to list your address. While this is also true if you use someone else within the company, or a friend or family member, that leaves them exposed to a lack of privacy. This is why it's often better to work with a third-party service instead.
Legal Process
The registered agent is responsible for managing the legal process if there is a lawsuit. This means that registered agents need to receive legal documents, liens, and subpoenas. When the owner of an LLC acts as their own registered agent, the risk of legal documents being served at the business becomes a possibility. This can expose the owner and company to the negative press that can impact the company.
However, if you use a registered agent service, all service of process goes through the agent instead of your business, and then it is forwarded to you discreetly.
Flexibility
Registered agents need to be available during business hours every day of the normal workweek, minus federal and some state holidays. This means that if you appoint yourself as the registered agent, you will need to be available for these days. Working with a third party gives you the flexibility to focus on your company instead of communicating with the state.
Compliance
As a point of contact for the LLC and state, a registered agent is responsible for communication with the state and sending in documents, like the annual report and taxes. When these files don't make it to the state on time, there is a penalty or late fee. If you're keeping up with both the demands of your company and the deadlines from the state, it's easy to get overwhelmed.
Working with a registered agent service can prevent this from happening. A service will handle all of the correspondence and compliance with the state, which helps you avoid late fees and gives you more time to focus on your business.
Data Storage
Every LLC needs to store data. The registered agent is someone who handles storage for state documents and documents for legal issues. If you're the owner and the registered agent, keeping these documents separate and properly organized is difficult. The good news is that most third-party registered agent services come with data storage options to make it easier.
Working with a third-party registered agent service isn't free but the process becomes more manageable when you choose to work with one. Therefore, we always recommend working with third-party services.
What To Look for When Choosing an Oregon Registered Agent
If you're looking for a registered agent in Oregon, there are a few things you need to look for. You need to choose the candidate carefully and make sure they're up for the task of being the LLC's point of contact for the state. For this reason, we recommend working with established registered agent companies.
Professional Service
First and foremost, you should work with a registered agent from a professional registered agent service. Working with a professional service makes it easier to focus on your LLC because you don't have to concern yourself with state deadlines and laws unique to Oregon. Instead, the company handles all of that for you.
While it costs extra money, the money you save on late fees and filing almost makes up for it. Plus, it's worth the peace of mind.
Cost
Registered agent services cost between $50 and $500 annually. While there is a big variation in cost, it mostly depends on what additional services you need.
Some examples of additional services you can purchase include tax filing, annual report filing, accounting assistance, cloud data storage, and more. When using these services, the cost will be higher, so make sure you compare packages between companies until you find one that fits both your needs and budget.
National Reputation
When looking for a registered agent service, you should only work with companies that have a great reputation. While there are hundreds of registered agent services, they're not the same regarding quality. So, make sure you look at a company's reviews and reach. If a registered agent service is only available in Oregon, that's a red flag because it's unable to have success elsewhere.
That said, working with a national company also comes with unique benefits that local services can't provide. For example, if you want to shift your business' headquarters to another state, a national company can make that transition much easier because it can be handled internally.
Data Management
Registered agent services can help you with your data management needs. While these services can't store all of the data for your company, they can store relevant information for the state. The information they store can include tax documents, legal process documents, paperwork for liens, and annual reports.
Depending on your needs, you should work with a registered agent service that provides great data storage. The best companies will provide you with cloud storage and make accessing your files hassle-free.
Software Options
Some registered agent services offer software options that can benefit your LLC. While the types of software options vary depending on the service, there are a handful of common software options you'll find on the market. These options include cloud storage, faster data retrieval, digital archives, automatic filing for annual reports and taxes, and more.
A good registered agent service offers extra software options. While these options don't make sense for every company, it's better to have the option than to not have it.
There are many things that registered agent services can do for your LLC. That said, the best registered agent services can make managing your communication with the state a breeze.
How Much Do Oregon Registered Agents Cost?
Registered agents in Oregon can cost anywhere between $0 and $500. When it comes to registered agent pricing, it depends on who you work with and what services you plan on using with that service. That said, you, a friend, colleague, or someone else you know can all technically act as the registered agent for free. Therefore, it depends on which route you take.
Still, it's almost always better to hire a reputable registered agent service. These services can provide you with filing, data storage, and other quality features for your LLC. Most basic packages for registered agents cost around $50 annually, and some of the more advanced packages can reach up to $500 for things like accounting services.
Regardless of your budget, there are affordable registered agent options in Oregon.
What's the Best Registered Agent Service in Oregon?
The best registered agent service in Oregon is
ZenBusiness. While there are tons of registered agent companies in Oregon, ZenBusiness offers everything you need in a registered agent service. In fact, ZenBusiness is one of the most well-known and affordable options across the entire country.
ZenBusiness offers its services in package deals. These packages come with different options like tax filing, accounting, advanced data storage, cloud access, and more. While each package varies in price, ZenBusiness's starter plan is affordable and discounted for the first year you work with the company. Therefore, ZenBusiness is a risk-free option, and you can customize the service to fit your needs.
ZenBusiness might be one of the newer registered agent companies, but that doesn't make it a bad one. It's one of the few companies that maintains reviews averaging above 4 stars, so we're not the only fans of the service.
If you need a reputable registered agent for your business in Oregon look no further than ZenBusiness. For more on ZenBusiness and other registered agent services, read our
detailed guide.
