California requires you to appoint and maintain an in-state registered agent
Known as the home of startups, California offers many opportunities for entrepreneurs. The fifth-largest economy in the world boasts a competitive business environment and successful businesses attract a significant amount of venture capital funding. Despite this, there are many federal, state, and local requirements for doing business in California.
Our California Registered Agent services are reliable, professional, and ensure that you won’t miss a critical filing and endanger your business’ good standing and its right to defend itself in court. You'll benefit from monitoring tools and services that ensure transparency into what’s going on with your business compliance so you’re always in control. With a professional Registered Agent, you can have the confidence of knowing that you’re aware of and on top of your compliance obligations.
CT Corporation representatives are easy to contact and handle requests efficiently, professionally and courteously. Ever since we incorporated, we’ve turned to CT Corporation for the corporate services we need in order to grow our business.
Cynthia Weaver Naughton, SandsPoint Capital Advisors LLC
What to look for when choosing a California registered agent
A registered agent should be reliable, accurate and consistent. They must always be available and physically present at the registered office during normal business hours. This ensures any hand-delivered legal documents get proper attention.
They must also know all business entity and compliance rules,have professionally trained staff with expert knowledge on how to properly handle and forward SOP papers,have state-of-the-art processes in place to deliver crucial documents to you and follow up with you regarding delivery.
It is also important to have a Registered Agent who has the coverage and expertise to support your business as it expands into other states where additional registration is often necessary.
The importance of having a California registered agent
Having a professional registered agent ensures that things such as personal emergencies, vacations, business trips, and meetings never leave your company without this physical presence. Keep in mind, a lawsuit can proceed against you, even if your registered agent is not available to receive service. You may lose the opportunity to defend yourself in court or incur extra legal fees.
In addition to the registered agent’s statutory responsibilities of receiving and forwarding documents, professional service companies often provide a full range of services for LLCs, corporations and other types of business entities to help them with their compliance needs. The right professional services company can help you stay in compliance and make sure all of your documents are handled correctly.
You can rely on CT Corporation to:
- Record your Registered Agent information with the state—essential to keep your business in good standing
- Receive state documents and legal notices, including Service of Process and wage garnishment notices, and promptly relay them to your designated contacts—so nothing gets overlooked
- Monitor laws and regulations—to make sure you aren’t caught off guard by changes
- Designate a specific team to serve as your go-to resource for answers to your questions—you won’t get the round around
- Customize your Registered Agent services if you wish to include alerts of upcoming deadlines and forwarding of business documents—so you’ll have less to manage
I strongly recommend CT Corporation as a reliable corporate compliance partner.
Walters-Morgan Construction, Inc.
Responsive, great, and knowledgeable customer service.
Children International
Safeguard your business with America's most reliable registered agent service
Registered Agent package options:
Products
Registered agent services
Easily appoint your registered agent online within 10 minutes
Order Online - $354*
Registered agent services - includes a registered agent location within the state to receive legal and critical business communications and a dedicated team to receive and route all service of process legal notifications
Online portal - compliance portal to keep your business compliant 24/7
Name availability check - verification and reservation of desired business name within the state
Not includedIncorporation services - completion and filing of all legal documents and Articles of Incorporation with the state
Not includedQualification services - preparation and filing of all qualification documents with the state
Not included
Registered agent and incorporation filing
Our incorporation experts are here to help you start your business with a solid and smart foundation
Order Online - $837 +state fees*
Registered agent services - includes a registered agent location within the state to receive legal and critical business communications and a dedicated team to receive and route all service of process legal notifications
Online portal - compliance portal to keep your business compliant 24/7
Name availability check - verification and reservation of desired business name within the state
Incorporation services - completion and filing of all legal documents and Articles of Incorporation with the state
Qualification services - preparation and filing of all qualification documents with the state
Not included
Registered agent and qualification filing
Legally register an existing business in another state
Order Online - $857 +state fees*
Registered agent services - includes a registered agent location within the state to receive legal and critical business communications and a dedicated team to receive and route all service of process legal notifications
Online portal - compliance portal to keep your business compliant 24/7
Name availability check - verification and reservation of desired business name within the state
Incorporation services - completion and filing of all legal documents and Articles of Incorporation with the state
Not includedQualification services - preparation and filing of all qualification documents with the state
Registered Agent FAQs for California
Why do I need a Registered Agent in Delaware?
All LLCs, S-Corporations, and C-Corporations must appoint a Registered Agent, also known as a Resident Agent or Statutory Agent.
How do I appoint CT Corporation as my Registered Agent?
You can easily appoint CT Corporation as your Registered Agent. The checkout process takes less than 10 minutes and you will immediately receive the agent address. Our compliance specialists are also available on the phone to answer your questions and assist with your registered agent needs.
What happens to my business if I don't have a Registered Agent in Delaware?
Because a Registered Agent is required by law, failing to have one can cost your company its good standing in that state. This means you could lose the ability to secure loans and initiate lawsuits in your state of business. It might even endanger your limited liability protection.
What exactly will my Registered Agent do for my business?
Your Registered Agent receives essential state mailings (annual reports, tax forms, etc.) and legal mandates (like lawsuits), promptly relaying them to the correct individuals within your business. Beyond alerting you to deadlines and court proceedings, our Registered Agents can also manage other documents for you at an incremental cost.
Why does Delaware require companies to have a Registered Agent?
Almost every state requires you to designate a Registered Agent to serve as an official contact for your business. State agencies and courts send your company important compliance information and official correspondence through your Registered Agent. For most businesses, this correspondence consists of annual report and tax filing correspondence. Your Registered Agentis also responsible for receiving Service of Process and legal mandates for your company and promptly relaying them to the correct individuals within your business.
If I don't have a Registered Agent, can I still be sued in Delaware?
Not having a registered agent to accept service of process does not mean that the business cannot be sued. What it does mean is that the court can obtain jurisdiction in another manner, but the business may not have timely notice of the lawsuit and will not be able to mount a defense.
Can you serve as your own registered agent in Delaware?
Although individuals can serve as a registered agent in some states, there are significant responsibilities. Failure to perform the duties of a Registered Agent successfully can have serious adverse consequences for the business. For example, the improper handling of a service of process may eventually result in a default judgment.
What is wage garnishment?
If you have employees, this is the type of Service of Process you’re most likely to receive. Federal law allows federal agencies to garnish the wages of individuals, for child support, tax liens, student loans, and consumer debt. Employers can be penalized for failing to comply with wage garnishment orders. For this reason, it’s very important to ensure you have a professional registered agent handling your Service of Process. 7% of US employees have their wages garnished, and if you receive a garnishment and fail to take action in time, your business can be liable for the amount your employees owe.
What is Service of Process?
Service of Process is time-sensitive legal paperwork that gives your company official notice of a lawsuit. When an individual is sued it is easy to figure out who to give the legal papers to— that individual. But what about when it is a business entity such as a corporation, LLC, or LP? You cannot just go into a business and leave the papers with anyone who might work for the company. Service of Process can only be served on someone the rules and statutes say can be served. And, in general, that is only a responsible person who is likely to make sure those documents end up in the hands of someone who can file a timely legal response for the defendant.
In addition to receiving service of process in connection with a lawsuit against the business directly, the registered agent receives other mission-critical documents, such as:
- notice of garnishment proceedings against an employee
- litigation documents once the lawsuit is underway, including motions or requests to produce documents
- legal notices
- government correspondence, such as notices of annual report deadlines and tax notification other compliance-related documents
Although these documents might be very different, they all have one common element. Each one contains vital, time-sensitive information.
Business compliance requires global expertise. Expect more.
Trust CT Corporation to navigate compliance anywhere you do business.
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*State fees are mandatory fees imposed by the state. Price includes online discount automaticallyapplied at checkout. Discount is for new customers only.
