How to Find the Best Registered Agent in Tennessee

You must appoint a registered agent in Tennessee because the Secretary of State needs to know that someone is physically available to accept legal notices and important documents that include:

• Articles of Organization – the Tennessee LLC formation documents
• Articles of Incorporation – the formation documents for a corporation
• Annual report fee – due the 1st day of the 4th month following the fiscal year
• Certificate of Good Standing – the document required to open business bank accounts
• Annual franchise tax – due by April 15

You can appoint anyone as a registered agent as long as they meet the registered agent requirements, including:

• Yourself
• Friend
• LLC member

A commercial registered agent service in Tennessee will cost a business between $50 and $500 a year.

Section 4 of form SS-4270 will ask you to produce certain information.

• Registered agent name
• Registered agent address

The statement of resignation of registered agent form will ask for the following information:

• Business name
• Statement of resignation
• A statement verifying a copy has been sent to the company
• Date
• Signature

• You maintain good standing with Tennessee

To maintain asset protection, a business must remain in good standing with the Tennesse Secretary of State.

Failing to pay the annual fee and other dues can result in losing good standing and liability protection.

A commercial registered agent can help you keep track of due dates using a current compliance calendar and help you submit the correct paperwork and fees.

• You have the power to keep personal addresses private

A Tennessee business owner may work from a home address or a private office.

If they’ve appointed themselves as the registered agent, that personal address is at risk of becoming public record and searchable using the Tennessee Business Search.

When you appoint an outside registered agent, you can keep your personal address out of the Tennessee Secretary of State database and list the service’s registered office address instead.

• You provide yourself with peace of mind

A process server in Tennessee can come to your business office without notifying you first to serve legal documents, such as subpoenas.

An appointed registered agent service will accept sensitive documents away from your business so that you maintain a good reputation.

• You’re meeting availability requirements

According to Tennessee state law, a registered agent must be physically available during regular business hours to accept official correspondence from the Secretary of State, law firms, and the Tennessee Department of Revenue.

If you’ve elected to serve as your own registered agent, you must be available during those normal business hours.

Professional registered agent services have staff available Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm, so you don’t have to be.

• You have 24-hour-a-day access to the Certificate of Good Standing

Financial institutions in Tennessee will require a business owner to provide proof of good standing in Tennessee before allowing them to open a new business bank account or apply for business loans.

Most commercial registered agent service provides convenient access to the Certificate of Good Standing and other formation documents that make doing business convenient.

• The foreign LLC formation process is more accessible

When you expand an LLC into a different state, you will be required to appoint a registered agent before you file formation documents.

A business that’s already appointed an outside registered agent can begin the foreign LLC formation in other states immediately.