Are you unsatisfied with your Pennsylvania registered agent? Or perhaps you’re currently serving as your own registered agent, but would rather hire a professional registered agent service instead?
The state of Pennsylvania makes it rather easy to change your registered agent, but there are some details involved in the process that are worth reviewing.
In this guide, we’ll discuss all the relevant details of changing a registered agent in Pennsylvania.
Rocket Tip: If you would prefer to have a professional service deal with the paperwork and take over registered agent duties, hire a Pennsylvania registered agent service. It’s just a small annual fee.
What Is a Pennsylvania Registered Agent?
Why is a registered agent required for every limited liability company (LLC) or corporation? It all comes down to the fact that the state needs to be able to contact an official representative of your business if they need to deliver important documents to you, especially service of process.
Without a registered agent, you could remain unaware of a lawsuit against your business progressing through the court system.
Who Can Be a Pennsylvania Registered Agent?
If you’re looking to change your company’s registered agent, it’s a good idea to know who is eligible to serve as one.
When it comes to designating a registered agent in the state of Pennsylvania, you have two major options: you may designate a qualifying individual who resides within the state and has a Pennsylvania street address or you may hire the services of a commercial registered agent.
Although Pennsylvania business entities are not permitted to act as their own registered agents, an individual affiliated with the company or a friend or family member may.
Should you choose to hire the services of a commercial registered agent, you may choose to consult this list of top registered agent services which we have compiled based on price and overall value. For more information on who may serve as a registered agent in Pennsylvania, consult our full guide to Pennsylvania registered agents.
How to Change Your Registered Agent in Pennsylvania
If you would like to change your registered agent for any reason, the process is simple.
The simplest and most affordable way to change your registered agent in the state of Pennsylvania is to submit an Amendment. For LLCs, you’ll want to complete the Certificate of Amendment for LLCs. For corporations, you’ll need to fill out the Articles of Amendment for Domestic Corporations. To change the listed registered agent on either form you’ll be required to list the following details:
- The name of the corporation or LLC
- The name and address of the new individual registered agent OR the name of the new commercial agent
- The date of the company’s formation
- A signature from an authorized person
The document may be filed either by mail, fax, in-person, or online using Pennsylvania’s business document filing service.
It should be noted that while it is possible to change your registered agent by re-filing your initial entity formation documents, doing so will incur a considerably larger processing fee.
Change of Registered Agent Fee: $70
Should You Hire a Professional Pennsylvania Registered Agent Service?
Hiring a registered agent service like Northwest Registered Agent has some distinct advantages. First and foremost, compared to serving as your own agent, professional registered agent services allow you to keep your personal address private. They’re also much less expensive than hiring a lawyer or accountant to provide registered agent service.
An often-overlooked benefit is how easy it is to expand your Pennsylvania business into other states if you choose a professional registered agent. They typically have offices in all 50 states, so if you begin transacting business in an additional state, your same registered agent service can handle that for you.
If you’re interested in hiring a professional registered agent service, take a look at our guide to the top service providers.
Conclusion
The process for changing a registered agent in Pennsylvania isn’t a complicated one, but it’s certainly advisable to know exactly what you want to do ahead of time. If you know what you want going in, you’ll find that the process is really quite painless.
We hope this article answered your questions about changing your Pennsylvania registered agent!