Missouri Registered Agent (2024 LLC Guide)

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Choosing a Registered Agent for your Missouri LLC

Before filing your Articles of Organization to start a Missouri LLC, you need to select a Registered Agent for your Limited Liability Company.

What do Missouri Registered Agents do?

A Missouri Registered Agent is a person or business entity that agrees to accept legal documents on behalf of your LLC in case your Missouri business gets involved in a lawsuit.
Registered Agent
In most states, Registered Agents also serve as a general point of contact for receiving business and tax notices, payment reminders, and other documents.

Special offer: Hire Northwest to form your LLC ($39 + state fee), and you'll get a free year of Registered Agent service.

(Why is Northwest the best? Read our Northwest Registered Agent review)

Your Registered Agent must be available during normal business hours (9am – 5pm) in case Service of Process arrives. Service of Process for an LLC includes delivery of legal documents such as complaints, summons, and/or subpoenas.

Registered Agents must also have a physical address in Missouri. PO Boxes aren’t allowed.

The Missouri Secretary of State requires your Missouri Registered Agent to have a physical street address located in Missouri. This is to make sure someone is available in Missouri during normal business hours to accept legal mail and state notices.

Missouri Registered Agents also can’t use a Commercial Mail Receiving Agency (CMRA), or any other mailbox service.

Some examples of CMRAs include, but are not limited to:

  • Goin’ Postal
  • Mailbox Too
  • Pack N’ Ship
  • Postal Annex
  • Postal Express
  • PostNet
  • The Mail Center
  • The UPS Store
  • and any other mailbox rental facility

Who can be my Registered Agent in Missouri?

When forming an LLC in Missouri, you have 3 options for who can be your Registered Agent:

  • You can be your own Registered Agent.
  • A friend or family member can be your LLC’s Registered Agent.
  • You can hire a Missouri Registered Agent Service (also called a Commercial Registered Agent).

Important: If your Registered Agent is going to be an individual (you, a friend, or a family member), that individual needs to be an adult resident of Missouri.

How do I know which Registered Agent to choose?

If you have a street address in Missouri (such as a home or office), and are available during business hours, you can be your own Registered Agent.

If you don’t have a physical address in Missouri, you can use a friend or family member’s address. They’ll need to agree to be your Registered Agent, have a physical address in Missouri, and be available during business hours.

Keep in mind that your Registered Agent’s address will be listed in the documents that form your LLC as your Registered Office address. And these documents are public record.

If you don’t have a physical address in Missouri, and you don’t have a friend or family member’s address that you can use (or prefer not to), you can hire a Missouri Registered Agent Service.

Using a Registered Agent Service offers increased privacy in most states and is generally a more reliable setup.

Missouri Registered Agent Service

If you need to hire a Commercial Registered Agent in Missouri, we recommend Northwest Registered Agent ($125 per year).

Northwest Registered Agent review

Why we recommend Northwest Registered Agent

Northwest Registered Agent is our personal recommendation (and the Registered Agent Service we use ourselves) because they’ve been in business for over 20 years, have great customer service, and they let you use their business address in your entire LLC filing in order to keep your address off public record.

How to keep your address off public records:

Many filers in Missouri start businesses from their home. For this reason, it’s important to know that all addresses that are on your LLC’s Articles of Organization get listed on public record and may appear in google searches.

If you were thinking of using your home address, but would rather keep it off public records, you can hire a Registered Agent Service that will allow you to use their address throughout your Articles of Organization.

Northwest Registered Agent provides this unique service at no additional cost. They offer Registered Agent services for $125 per year and they’ll let you use their address throughout your Articles of Organization.

Any mail that is sent to your Missouri business will be scanned by them and uploaded to your online account.

Special discounted pricing for LLC University® readers

Northwest usually charges $100 + state fees to form an LLC. However, we’ve negotiated a discounted rate (60% off) for LLC University® readers.

Special offer: Hire Northwest to form your LLC ($39 + state fee), and you'll get a free year of Registered Agent service.

(Why is Northwest the best? Read our Northwest Registered Agent review)

Are there risks of being your own Registered Agent?

In short, there are risks. They are not likely to occur, but if they do, you could lose your liability protection.

For example, if the Missouri Secretary of State is unsuccessful in reaching your LLC’s Registered Agent, you may lose your good standing status, and the state has the authority to dissolve your LLC.

Additionally, if a process server is unsuccessful in reaching your Missouri Registered Agent about a lawsuit, the court case can proceed in your absence and you might not even know about it. Worse, the court could enter a default judgment against your LLC if you aren’t there to defend yourself.

A few reasons a process server might not be able to reach your LLC’s Registered Agent:

  • You, your friend, family member are not there during business hours
  • You/they are on vacation
  • You moved and forgot to file a Change of Registered Agent with the state

Hiring a Missouri Registered Agent Service is a more reliable setup and gives you the freedom to take vacations, and not worry about changing your Registered Agent address if you move.

Many Missouri Registered Agents will also help keep your LLC in compliance by sending you Annual Report reminders.

Once you pick your Missouri LLC’s Registered Agent, you can file your Missouri LLC Articles of Organization.

If you need to hire a Registered Agent Service, please do so before going to the next step. You’ll need their information to complete your Articles of Organization.

Missouri Registered Agent FAQs

How much is a Registered Agent in Missouri?

Most Missouri Registered Agent Services cost between $100 and $300 per year.

If you’re looking to save money and have an address in the state where you can be available during regular office hours, you can be your LLC’s Registered Agent. (This can be a home address or a business address).

If you don’t have an address in the state or don’t want your address to be on public records, we recommend hiring Northwest Registered Agent ($125) as your Registered Agent Service.

They have exceptional customer service and will let you use their address to keep yours off of public records.

Does an LLC need to file an Annual Report in Missouri?

No, Missouri LLCs don’t need to file Annual Reports or pay an Annual Fee to keep their LLC in good standing.

How much does it cost to maintain an LLC in Missouri?

LLC CostThe cost of maintaining Missouri Limited Liability Companies varies. This is because it depends on your unique business needs.

While there is no Annual Report fee for Missouri LLCs, there may be other annual renewal fees, like for a business license or permit. These vary based on your industry and where your LLC is located. You can check with your municipality to see if there are any annual renewal fees at the local level.

If you hire a Registered Agent Service, you’ll have an annual fee to pay each year. Registered Agent Services are usually $100-$300 per year.

The amount you pay in business taxes will also vary. We recommend hiring an accountant who is familiar with business accounting in Missouri.

How do I register as a Registered Agent in Missouri?

You actually don’t need to register with the Missouri Secretary of State or any other government agency to be a Missouri Registered Agent.

To become the Registered Agent for a new LLC, all you need to do is designate yourself as such in your Articles of Organization. To do this, just enter your name and Missouri street address in the fields requesting your Registered Agent’s name and Registered Office address.

How do I remove a Registered Agent from my LLC in Missouri?

You can remove your Missouri Registered Agent at any time by filing a Statement of Change of Registered Agent or Registered Office.

However, the Secretary of State requires all LLCs to keep a Registered Agent on file. That’s why you must name a new Registered Agent on your Statement of Change when you remove the previous agent.

It costs $10 to file this form with the Missouri Secretary of State.

If you hire Northwest as your Registered Agent Service, they will file the Statement of Change for you and pay the filing fee.

Can a family member be a Registered Agent in Missouri?

Yes, a family member can be your Registered Agent in Missouri, if they meet the legal requirements.

To be your Registered Agent, your family member must have a physical address in Missouri. (PO Boxes aren’t allowed). And they must be available at that address during normal business hours.

How do I resign as a Registered Agent in Missouri?

If you want to resign from serving as the Registered Agent for an LLC, you’ll need to file a Statement of Resignation of Registered Agent of Limited Liability Company.

It costs $10 to file this form with the Secretary of State.

You are also required to provide written notice of your resignation to the LLC you are resigning from. You must include a copy of that written notice with your Statement of Resignation filing.

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Matt Horwitz
Matt Horwitz
Matt Horwitz has been the leading expert on LLC education for the past decade. He founded LLC University in 2010 after realizing people needed simple and actionable instructions to start an LLC that other companies weren't offering. He's cited by Entrepreneur Magazine, Yahoo Finance, and the US Chamber of Commerce, and was featured by CNBC and InventRight.
 
Matt holds a Bachelor's Degree in business from Drexel University with a concentration in business law. He performs extensive research and analysis to convert state laws into simple instructions anyone can follow to form their LLC - all for free! Read more about Matt Horwitz and LLC University.

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8 comments on “Missouri Registered Agent”

Disclaimer: Nothing on this page shall be interpreted as legal or tax advice. Rules and regulations vary by location. They also change over time and are specific to your situation. Furthermore, this comment section is provided so people can share their thoughts and experience. Please consult a licensed professional if you have legal or tax questions.

  1. If we choose to use an individual as our Registered Agent when forming the LLC, can we then change to a Commercial Registered Agent in the future?

    • Hi Julie, great question. Yes, you can. An LLC Registered Agent is never “set in stone”. It can be changed at any time you’d like. You can choose an individual first and then switch to a Commercial Registered Agent. Or you start with a Commercial Registered Agent and switch to an individual at any time. The change of Registered Agent in Missouri can be filed online or by mail. The filing fee is just $10. Hope that helps!

  2. Can I lose my home if someone puts my address as an LLC? Are there any tax problems if try to sell my house?

    • Hi Martin, no, you cannot lose your home if someone uses it as the Missouri LLC’s Registered Agent address. You own the home. The LLC does not. No, there will be no tax problems if you sell your home. When you sell your home, you’ll just want to let the person know that the address can no longer be used, you’ll need to send them written notice, and you’ll need to resign as Registered Agent by sending a “Statement of Resignation of Registered Agent of Limited Liability Company” (Form LLC 6) to the Missouri Corporations Division. Hope that helps.

  3. Can my LLC be the registered agent for another LLC or does it have to be an individual?

    • Hi Jenni, in most states yes, however, in Missouri, as per Section 347.030, Registered Agents can only be Corporations or individuals. Hope that helps.

  4. If I want to become my own registered agent, do I have to submit an application to do so first before I submit my articles? Thanks!

    • Hey Max, nope, you can simply list yourself as the Registered Agent in the Missouri Articles of Organization. That’s all it takes ;) Hope that helps!

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