Registered Agent Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Why do I need a registered agent?
Why do I need a registered agent? The following is the same answer to all these questions… What do registered agents do? Why should I hire a professional registered agent instead of just using my business address? What is the purpose of a registered agent?
Every state requires an entity or business to have a registered agent. The purpose of a registered agent is to have a LOCAL address on record with the state. Let’s be honest here. The biggest reason they require this is to close some loopholes in the way our law works. If you sue someone, you or your attorney creates the paperwork, and goes down to the courthouse. Then you can hire the sheriff or a process server to serve the people you are suing with a copy of what you just filed at the courthouse. That is where the term: “service of process” comes from. This is basically a fancy term for “you are getting sued.” You can also elect to send the people you are suing a certified letter, which is usually about $30 cheaper than hiring the sheriff or process server. BUT…..you can’t continue with your lawsuit until you have some kind of verification that the party you are suing knows they are getting sued. So if you send a certified letter and the party you are suing sees it, they can very easily decide to not accept it from the postmaster. It will get sent back to you, and then you are back to square one. That is why most people hire a process server. If you had an old address or a false address on record with the state, the sheriff would have a hard time tracking you down, and thus you would be able to avoid some law suits, for the time being. If you do this though, your Idaho corporation or Idaho LLC will start to get administratively dissolved with the state, and then the suing party would go after the business entity owner, personally, but this is a very long, drawn out process, and it would be much simpler to just make each business entity keep an actual address, where service of process can be delivered. Sooo…lawmakers realized that they needed some rule to keep you from hiding from the law.
As your Idaho registered agent, we must be open during normal business hours for a process server to walk into our office and hand us a notification. We see the process servers almost every day. Upon receipt of a notification, we scan the notice into your online account. Our system emails all your emails you have given us asking you to log into your account and look at your notice. We then track and make sure someone is looking at the law suits.
We have efficiently and effectively handled some of the biggest law suits in the State of Idaho over the years. We handle each case with privacy, and professionalism. We understand the importance of you quickly gaining access to a law suit, and keeping this information from the general knowledge of your staff. The only people in your organization that should know about your company being sued are the important people that can actually do something about it. We keep it that way.
What happens if I don’t have a registered agent, or my registered agent is deemed not present anymore? Your business entity will be administratively dissolved by the Secretary of State for Idaho. This takes a few months, but if it goes through you will face some fees, and most importantly you will lose your liability protection that your entity shields you personally from.
What happens after the first year of registered agent service is up?
Idaho Registered Agent will remind you when your annual report is due by email, and send you an invoice for the next year. You can submit payment by check or credit card in your online account. Our year of service is exactly one year from the day you sign up for service. If you’re going to use someone else, just send us proof that we are not your agent anymore. There’s no cancellation fee if you fill out the proper paperwork with the state to switch registered agents, or dissolve your entity.
What if I have a registered agent now and want to change to you?
If you’re filling out your annual report, you can just fill in our name as your registered agent and our address
All Day $49 Idaho Registered Agent
1900 Northwest Blvd., Suite 106A
Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814
Please fax, email or mail the report to us so we can sign it, and we will file it with the State. If you’re not doing an annual report right now, the Change of Agent form is pre-signed and ready for you immediately after you sign up in your online account.
Can I pay other than by credit card?
We can email, mail, or fax you an invoice to pay by check. If you’re having us incorporate a business or personal entity for you, we need to receive payment before we file, because we have the state fees deducted out of our state account instantly, and the state does not give refunds.
Is the annual registered agent fee, a year from time of service, or calendar year?
It is one year from the time you hire us. Your annual report will be due one year from the time your paperwork is filed, so you can get everything taken care of at one time.
What happens to my personal information I provide you?
Your contact information is not used for us to fill out forms with the state. It is just for our information if WE need to contact you. Since that is our primary job, it is very important to keep us updated of any changes. We do not sell your information. Our database is encrypted. The only time you have to offer your social security number is for preparation of federal tax identification numbers for your business. We do not save your social security number.