Whether you’re starting a new LLC or updating the registered agent for your existing business, it’s important to choose the best Georgia registered agent for your needs.

This article will help you to choose the registered agent that best fits your business, go over the basic functions of registered agents, and answer common questions about registered agents.

If you haven’t yet formed your LLC, you can get one year of registered agent services for free if you form your LLC with Northwest Registered Agent ($29 + state fees). (This is a great deal!).

Best Georgia Registered Agent Service

When choosing a registered agent service, you want someone who understands the importance of staying compliant and being diligent about legal processes and paperwork. That’s why Northwest Registered Agent is our #1 registered agent service choice for Georgia businesses.

We recommend Northwest Registered Agent, which offers everything that you need to form your LLC along with Registered Agent services. The company boasts over 20 years of operations helping small businesses start or grow.

Northwest has a 100% Error-Free Guarantee with outstanding customer support, exceptional services, and high prices to match. If data privacy and access to customer support are top on your list, the extra costs of working with Northwest Registered Agent may be well worth it for you and your business.

What Does a Georgia Registered Agent Do?

A registered agent does a few things for a company. Their main task is to be present when or if the company needs to receive tax or legal paperwork. These would be documents that can’t be sent to a mailbox or delivered to a front desk; rather, documents that must be handed directly to the person who represents the company.

A simple example would be a service of process, which is the delivery of legal documents in a lawsuit. These service documents must be delivered directly to the company’s representative – the registered agent – to ensure they are received.

This may seem like a small task, but the caveat that makes this a critical position is that the registered agent is required to be at the documented location to receive these papers during all “regular business hours.” This is the main reason that most people choose to use a registered agent service rather than operating as their own agent.

Other forms that your registered agent may receive on your behalf are:

• Tax forms
• Legal documents
• Official government correspondence
• Service of process

Another function of a registered agent is to file official documents with the state in which the LLC or corporation is established. In most states, businesses are required to file an annual report once per year to keep the business in “good standing” with the state.

Can I Be My Own Registered Agent in Georgia?

The short answer is yes, you can be your own registered agent.

Whether or not that’s the best plan for you or your company is another question entirely. If you are looking to spend the absolute, bare minimum amount of money on your business, then being your own registered agent may not be a terrible choice. Still, even in that scenario, we don’t recommend it.

Benefits of Using a Registered Agent Service

There are only a few realistic options when it comes to whom you file as your registered agent:

• Yourself
• An attorney
• A registered agent service

As mentioned above, being your own agent has pitfalls and isn’t recommended. What’s more, an attorney in this position would be quite expensive and is generally only a viable option if you had them form your business for you.

So, that leaves you with the option of using a service. Here are the biggest benefits of using a professional registered agent service:

Privacy

When you form an LLC or corporation, your formation data goes into a state database which is open and searchable to the public. The information in this database can include:

• Business name
• Formation date
• Registered agent name
• Registered agent address

While you can’t stop the state from publishing this information, you can retain the privacy of your name and your address by using a registered agent service. Since this information is public, marketing companies use these databases to gather information to market their products and services to business owners. Your mailbox will thank you for keeping your business address private.

Another major privacy benefit is having legal documents delivered to your agent and not you personally. If, for some reason, someone brings a lawsuit against your company, would you rather have your agent call you with these documents or have them served to you in front of your customers, clients, or employees?

Easy Compliance

Along with privacy, another of the main benefits of using a registered agent service is that they will help to keep your business in “good standing” with the state.

Some states require LLCs and corporations to file annual reports or other timely documents. While these generally aren’t difficult tasks, they are often easily forgotten or lost in the day-to-day work that your business hands you.

Your registered agent will send you reminders that this work needs to be completed, and some will even provide you with the proper documents to make your work even easier.

How Do I Elect a Registered Agent in Georgia?

Georgia requires all LLCs to have a registered agent who serves as the official point of contact for a business. The registered agent must be located within Georgia and able to accept official notices (e.g., tax notifications, legal papers, etc.). They should be generally available during business hours, able to receive official notifications, and willing to accept service of process.

You can elect your registered agent when submitting your Georgia LLC official formation documents. Uniquely, Georgia has separate forms for LLC Articles of Organization and other official information, including the chosen registered agent. If you choose to file with an LLC formation service, they’ll attend to this detail for you.

Once you choose a registered agent, you can officially elect them by:

1. Filing online with the Georgia Secretary of State’s Corporations Division Online System. Prompts will take you through the entire LLC filing process, including submitting Articles of Organization and selecting a registered agent. You’ll be asked for the registered agent’s name and contact information. To complete the paperwork, you will need to pay the Georgia LLC filing fee, which is $100.
2. Filing the Articles of Organization (Form CD 030) and the LLC-specific Transmittal Information Form (Form CD 231) by mail or in person. You’ll be asked for the registered agent’s name, physical address, and email address in Section 4 of the Transmittal Information Form. The fee for filing by mail is $100 plus a $10 processing fee.

Both forms should be mailed to the Office of Secretary of State – Corporations Division (see address below).

How Do I Change My LLC’s Registered Agent in Georgia?

Should you decide to change your LLC’s registered agent, you can notify the state in a few different ways.

• File an Annual Registration
  LLCs in Georgia must file an annual registration by April 1 of each year, which can be done online with the Secretary of State. Should you change the registered agent during this time of year, the change can simply be recorded on the annual registration. There is a $50 annual fee, which remains the same regardless of whether the LLC has any changes to report.

An annual registration can be submitted by mail, but you must first search for your business and download the appropriate Annual Registration Form. The form and payment can then be submitted to the Secretary of State – Corporations Division by mail, along with the $50 fee plus $10 for processing.

• Amend an Annual Registration
  Should the registered agent change at any other time of year, you can report the change via an amended annual registration. This, too, can be filed online with the Secretary of State. The online filing fee is $20.

An amended annual registration also can be submitted by mailing Form CD 920 (for LLCs) to the Secretary of State – Corporations Division. The fee is $20 plus $10 for processing.

If you choose to use or switch to a registered agent service, they should complete and file the changes for you. For more information about our recommended Registered Agent service for your LLC, check out our Northwest Registered Agent review.

Georgia Secretary of State Contact Information

Mailing Address/Physical Address

Georgia Secretary of State
Corporations Division
2 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr.
Suite 313, Floyd West Tower
Atlanta, GA 30334 -1530

Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:00 am – 5:30 pm

Phone: (404) 656-2817

Email: soscontact@sos.ga.gov