For some people, this is a concern others don’t care. This puts your home address on public record and anyone who wants to officially contact your business (typically with tons of junk mail) will find your home address. If you list yourself as your business's registered agent, you’ll probably be listing your home address as the business’ point of contact. Also, all your important documents will be kept in one place and you don’t have to bother keeping track of notices. If you hire a registered agent service your registered agent should have a system in place to track and notify you when annual reports are due to keep your business in compliance with the state, so you don’t have to worry about it. For some business owners, it’s well worth the fee to not have to track the official notices and annual report due dates with the state. Registered agent services typically cost somewhere between $100 and $300 per year. That said, there are some specific reasons why some business owners do opt to hire registered agent services you’ll find those reasons listed below: No desire for extra paperwork The majority of small businesses (10 employees or less) do not hire registered agents. Reasons why businesses hire registered agent services The theory behind the requirements of the listed registered agent is to ensure your business maintains a reliable way to be contacted. The registered agent is your business’ point of contact with the state and for service of process. This also eliminates the possibility of big corporations hiding behind thousands of employees. This requirement gives the court an easy way to notify you. The registered agent must have a physical address within that state and be available during business hours so someone suing you can easily find you. A lawsuit against your business cannot move forward in court without your business being properly notified first. The registered agent requirement came about as an aspect of due process. Which really begs the question, why hire a registered agent at all? Why do states require business entities to have registered agents? You can appoint yourself, or in many states, you can appoint your business to be its own registered agent. A registered agent is simply a person or entity appointed to accept service of process and official mail on your business's behalf. But this doesn’t mean you need to hire a registered agent service. No matter where you’re starting your business, if you’re forming an LLC or corporation, you’re required to have a registered agent and a registered office.