5 Reasons to use a PA registered agent
What does a Pennsylvania commercial registered office provider do?
Most days they don’t do much, but on the other days, what registered agents do is really important. A registered office provider is a company that your organization designates as the recipient of “service of process” to your company.
What is service of process? Basically, it is the delivery of legal documents to your company notifying it of legal action involving it. These documents could include legal complaints, subpoenas, summons, etc.
If there is legal action in PA involving your company, notice is supposed to be furnished by delivering court documents (called "process") to the person to be served. The documents are delivered to your PA registered office provider, who notifies you and sends them to you.
Is a PA registered agent the same thing as a registered office provider?
Kind of - it’s mainly a terminology difference. PA law doesn’t talk about “registered agents”, it talks about “commercial registered office providers”. But many people use the terms interchangeably, and in this article we do too.
Here’s the distinction for the uptight precise (ahem) among us: the Pennsylvania Department of State requires companies to have a “registered office address,” not a “registered agent” per se.
Companies often satisfy this requirement by hiring a 3rd party to serve as their “commercial registered office provider”, for reasons discussed further in this article.
Is a registered office provider only something for corporations?
No. You could have a Pennsylvania corporation registered agent, but also a PA LLC registered agent, as well as registered agent services for nonprofits, limited partnerships, and other organizations. Foreign and out-of-state entities that are registering to do business in Pennsylvania also use registered office providers.
Why would I want to use a PA registered agent?
#1 - Use a registered agent if you don’t have a PA address
Sorry, a P.O. Box is not enough! If your company does not have a physical street address in Pennsylvania to designate as its registered office, then you need a commercial registered office provider.
#2 - Use a registered agent to ensure that you actually receive important legal documents that have been served
Sometimes people use a friend or relative’s address for their registration, especially if the organization is new and doesn’t have a physical address in PA. Other times people list their home address as their registered office address, but later forget to update the address with the state after they’ve moved.
Both of these can be expensive mistakes. Anything that is being legally served to your registered office is probably important and time-sensitive. A professional registered agent will make sure that you get those documents in a timely fashion. Your eccentric Uncle Bob from Bumpville, Pennsylvania might not be so diligent (side note: Bumpville is a real place. Believe us, we were as surprised as you are.)
Bottom line - you can lose legal rights if you don’t get the paperwork that you were supposed to, when you were supposed to. You might want to hire a professional to be your PA commercial registered agent.
#3 - Use a registered agent for more privacy
Your registered office address on file with the state is part of public records. In fact, the PA Department of State’s Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations maintains a searchable public online database with the names and addresses of Pennsylvania companies (you can see it here).
Many people prefer privacy and don’t want to register their address in the PA Department of State’s online records. If you’re someone who doesn’t want your home or office address listed publicly for anyone who looks up your company to see, then you may want a registered agent service for your Pennsylvania registered office.
Other situations where the extra privacy of a registered agent can help include:
You’re leaving a job but you haven’t announced it yet. You don’t want your name and address associated with your new company before the timing is right.
You have an online business and work from home. You don’t want your home address associated with your company name. Maybe you run your business anonymously.
You are starting a charity and don’t want your address associated with it. This might be especially true of groups with lots of members.
You have a side business that might be viewed as “moonlighting”. You don’t want to call attention to your side hustle.
For these and other privacy-related reasons, many people prefer to use a Pennsylvania registered agent.
#4 Use a registered agent if you don’t want the sheriff walking into your business or home
It can be disruptive and embarrassing to you and your business if you are served with a lawsuit at your office in front of customers, employees, etc. It’s no fun when they show up at your house in front of your kids either. If you don’t want this to happen to you, you should consider using a registered office provider.
#5 Bonus Reason: make the registered agent get rid of the junk mail
Something that no one tells you about starting a company is that you get junk mail. A LOT of junk mail. Indulge a little - make your registered agent throw it away instead of you!
When do I sign-up for a registered office provider?
There are two options:
When you start your company (for example, at the time of your Pennsylvania LLC formation, incorporation, non-profit formation, etc.); or
When you want to change your registered address or office provider.
How do I find a registered office provider?
We’re glad you asked! You could scour the internet for your PA registered agent search or you could just use our affiliate, Clarion Service Company.
Clarion Service Company is a Pennsylvania registered agent service provider and is included on the PA Department of State’s list of approved commercial registered office providers.
About Clarion Service Company
Clarion Service Company is a Pennsylvania commercial registered office provider (a/k/a registered agent) that provides PA registered office services. We are based in West Chester, Pennsylvania and serve organizations in Chester County, PA and in other counties across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Want to learn more about Clarion Service Company? Visit our FAQ or click here to Get Started.