How to Find the Best Registered (Resident) Agent in Michigan

You are required to appoint a registered agent so that there is a single point of contact between a business and the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs.

The registered agent you appoint will be responsible for accepting legal notices and important documents that include:

• Articles of Organization – the formation documents for an LLC in Michigan
• Articles of Incorporation – corporations file upon formation
• Annual statement fee – due on February 15
• Certificate of Good Standing – required by banks to open business bank accounts
• Michigan business tax – due on or by the 15th day of the first month following every quarter

Other business structures include:

• Sole proprietorships
• Partnerships
• Nonprofit

Article IV on form 700 will ask you to provide resident agent information.

• Resident agent name
• Street address of the resident agent
• The mailing address of the agent if different than the street address

Filing your LLC Articles of Organization in Michigan costs $50.

LARA does offer expedited business filing services for an additional fee.

• 24-hour – $50
• Same day – $100
• 2-hour – $500
• 1 hour – $1,000

The resignation of resident agent form will ask you for specific information.

• Effective date
• Contact info for the return of the notice
• Resident agent name
• Company name
• Statement of resignation
• Date
• Signature

• A resident agent helps keep you in good standing with Michigan

The annual statement is due in February every year, but due dates tend to surprise everyone.

You can lose good standing and liability protection in Michigan if you’re late submitting the yearly fee.

Commercial registered agent services set up hand reminders so that you don’t miss due dates and maintain asset protection.

• It addresses any privacy concerns

Small business owners often work from a home address or private offices. If they appoint themselves, the personal address becomes public record.

You can list an outside-appointed resident agent’s address on business filings to keep yours out of the Michigan Business Entity Search.

The public can search the LARA database using the following:

• You’re securing discretion

The job of a process server in Michigan is to serve legal notices such as subpoenas. A process server nor a law firm has to warn you before they arrive at your office.

You appoint an outside resident agent to ensure customers and employees don’t see your business being served.

• You have control of your work schedule

Michigan state law mandates that resident agents be available during regular business hours to accept official correspondence from LARA and other state-ran agencies.

If you appoint yourself, you must be at your office during those hours.

By hiring a professional registered agent, you have someone that’s physically at their office so that you don’t have to be physically at yours.

• You gain 24/7 access to the Michigan Certificate of Good Standing

Banks and financial institutions will require you to show proof that you’re in good standing with Michigan before allowing you to open new business accounts.

Professional registered agent services provide a dashboard that gives you continuous access to the Certificate of Good Standing and other formation documents to make business convenient.

• Foreign LLC formation is uncomplicated

When you expand your LLC into a different state, you must appoint a registered agent before the formation process.

An already-appointed registered agent can begin the process immediately, which keeps forming a foreign LLC simple.