During your organization’s foundation, you needed to appoint a registered agent. This individual or agency has a massive responsibility, and they often appear as the face of your organization to entities or individuals who reach out to your organization’s headquarters.
Have you recently found yourself regretting that decision? Has your appointed agent become unavailable to fulfill the obligations required of them? Are you wondering if it’s possible to change your registered agent without shaking up your organization? Get the answers to all your questions below.
When Can You Change Your Registered Agent?
Your organization has the right to change your appointed registered agent at any time. That doesn’t mean the process is as simple as speaking it into existence, though. You’ll need to go through a distinct process to make it happen, which varies from state to state (more on that below).
Is There a Case Where It is Not Possible to Change Your Registered Agent?
While you have the right to appoint and change your registered agent as the organization owner, there are a few situations where it might not be possible to do right away. For instance, if you entered into a contractual agreement with a registered agent service for a specific period of time, then you might have to wait until the contract is fulfilled before you can change your agent.
Does it Cost Money to Change the Registered Agent?
Another common question that most organizations have is – will it cost money to change my registered agent on file? In short, yes, it will likely cost you some money to change your registered agent. That’s because some states request that you pay a small filing and processing fee when you register a new agent. Typically this fee is between $10 and 75$.
Can I Use Different Registered Agent Services in Different States?
Does your organization operate in multiple states? If so, you know it might be impossible for an individual to act as your registered agent unless they have valid addresses in all the states where you operate. You will probably need to hire multiple individuals. If you opt to hire an agency, then you still might need to hire multiple different registered agent services because not all of these services operate in all 50 states.
When Should I Change My Registered Agent?
Are you currently considering changing your registered agent? If so, then you have your reasons, but you might not be fully convinced that it's time to change agents. Below, we’ll go over some of the top reasons why organizations decided to change registered agents:
You’re Expanding to Another State
When you expand your organization’s operations to another state, you’ll have to remain compliant with a whole new set of rules and regulations. You’ll also need to handle communications from a completely new state government, too. With that in mind, it might make sense to change your registered agent. You might opt to hire someone who has multi-state experience. Keep in mind that you could also opt to hire multiple registered agents, a registered agent service, or even several registered agent services to ensure that all your bases are covered.
You’re Unhappy With Your Current Registered Agent
Another reason why you might be considering changing your registered agent is when you’re unhappy with their performance. If your agent isn’t representing your organization like you want to be represented or if they’ve failed to be in office when you needed them to be, then it might be time to cut ties and move forward with a more reliable registered agent.
Your Registered Agent Can’t Fulfill their Obligations
Even if you’re happy with your registered agent, they might not be able to fulfill their obligations any longer. They may have decided to go with a different career path, or they may have new life situations that have come up and interfere with their ability to work for you.
When your registered agent can’t fulfill their obligations any longer, it’s time to find a new one as soon as you can.
Do I Need to Notify my Current Registered Agent After Removing Him/Her?
Yes. It makes sense to notify your current registered agent about the changes to your organization. You’ll need to ensure that they understand that they will no longer be acting as your registered agent. If your registered agent is a paid employee, then you'll also need to give them ample notice and comply with any state laws regarding letting your registered agent go.
Conclusion
When you appoint a registered agent, you’re placing a lot of responsibility and trust in that person (or agency). If you later decide that you’d prefer to change a registered agent, then the good news is that it’s a fairly easy process to go through. So long as you ensure you’ve done everything correctly, you’ll be able to move forward with a new registered agent ASAP.