Mississippi Registered Agent
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What Is a Mississippi Registered Agent?
A registered agent acts as a point of contact between the state of Mississippi and a business. They receive all legal communication, including service of process, on the business’s behalf. It’s up to the registered agent to ensure that the business is notified of such communication. Registered agents are also called resident agents and statutory agents. In Mississippi, businesses are required by law to have one. Having a registered agent makes it easy for the state to contact a business as there is no confusion about who to reach out to. Registered agents are elected upon the formation of a business.What Are the Requirements to Be a Registered Agent in Mississippi?
Almost anyone can be a registered agent in Mississippi. The requirements are only that one must be 18 or older, maintain a physical address within the state, and keep regular business hours. Therefore, you, a family member or friend, a business partner, or an employee could act as the registered agent for your company. Despite this, many businesses prefer to hire registered agent services. We’ll explain why in our next section.Why Businesses Need a Mississippi Registered Agent
As we mentioned, businesses are required by law to have a registered agent. However, registered agents are worth having for many other reasons. Let’s talk about the many ways registered agents can help businesses as well as why it can often be preferable to hire one instead of act as one yourself.
Compliance
Businesses must comply with the regulations of the state of Mississippi in order to remain in good standing. This means businesses have to file annual reports on time and, in the case of a lawsuit, respond to service of process by the given deadline. If a business fails to do these things, there are consequences. Businesses can lose their good standing with the state, which may mean losing limited liability protection. In the worst-case scenario, a business could be banned from operating in Mississippi. As far as lawsuits and court summons go, late responses can garner fines. Trying to ignore a court case won’t help a business win it, either. Registered agents help businesses remain compliant by keeping calendars of important dates. Agents send businesses reminders of due dates so that they can file annual reports and any other important documents on time.Privacy
A registered agent’s address is public record and easily found on the Mississippi Business Search. For this reason, many business owners who do not want their personal addresses public decide to hire a registered agent. If you want to be your own registered agent, then another option would be to use your business’s address if you have a building. However, this isn’t without flaws. First of all, any legal mail you receive will be mixed in with all of the other mail sent to your business’s location. Second, depending on who handles the mail, there may be a possibility of important letters being misplaced. Finally, you probably will not want to receive service of process at your business’s location. It would be a bit embarrassing to have clients and employees witness service of process. Not only that, but employees may start to question if their jobs are secure, which is bad for morale. If you hire a registered agent service, important mail will immediately be sorted, scanned, and uploaded to an online server for you to view. Service of process will take place at the registered agent’s location, away from the eyes of workers and clients. As you can see, there are certainly some benefits to hiring a registered agent.Online-Only Business
The internet’s influence seems to grow bigger and bigger as time passes, and it is largely becoming a necessity. In 2018, 85% of households reported having an active internet subscription. The internet has made it possible for businesses to succeed without a single storefront. Both goods and services can be sold entirely online. If your business is online-only, then you may want to consider hiring a registered agent. This is because you would not have a physical business location to use as an address to be a registered agent. Unless you’re okay with using your own personal address, then hiring a registered agent service is likely your best option.Irregular Business Hours
One of the few requirements to be a registered agent is to keep normal business hours. However, not everyone is able to work nine to five. Not only that, but as a business owner, you may find yourself needing to take trips or visit other company locations. You won’t be able to keep regular hours at a designated address. A hired registered agent service, however, will always have someone available to receive communication from the state. Hiring a registered agent can give you the freedom to work irregular hours as well as travel without the worry that important documents are being left unattended.Organization
Part of a registered agent’s job is to organize important documents and dates. They must scan and upload files to digital servers, and it’s even better if they can organize these files so that they can be found quickly and easily. Similarly, keeping track of due dates and creating a schedule for reminders is a necessary part of the job. Though just about anyone could do this type of clerical work, it’s certainly going to save you time if you hire someone else to do it for you.Locations in Different States
If your business will operate in more than one state, then you will need to have a registered agent for each state. Hiring a registered agent service with locations in many different states is usually your best choice as it keeps things streamlined.What To Look for When Choosing a Mississippi Registered Agent
If you’ve decided that hiring a registered agent service is the best option for your company, then you’ll have plenty of options. In fact, it may be difficult to choose between them. We think you should consider three factors when shopping for registered agents: price, services provided, and time saved.