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A Registered Agent is responsible for receiving legal mail on behalf of an LLC.
An LLC Member is an owner of an LLC.
Sometimes the same person can serve both roles, but:
- a Registered Agent isn’t automatically an LLC Member, and
- an LLC Member isn’t automatically a Registered Agent.
What is a Member for an LLC?
Simply put, an LLC Member is an owner of an LLC.
What does a Member do?
What an LLC Member does depends on the LLC management structure.
In a Member-managed LLC, the LLC Members are in charge of:
- Running the day-to-day business
- Making decisions for the company
- Signing contracts and agreements
- Managing employees
- Handling finances
- etc.
- Running the day-to-day business
- Making decisions for the company
- Signing contracts and agreements
- Managing employees
- Handling finances
- etc.
In a Manager-managed LLC, the LLC Members act in a more passive/investor role. And then they choose LLC Manager(s) to take care of the following:
Pro Tip: It’s important to know that LLC Members retain the ultimate power and authority over the LLC. And they can change or remove a Manager or Registered Agent at any time.
Who can be an LLC Member?
An LLC Member can be:
- A person (like you or me)
- Another company (like an LLC or Corporation)
- A non-US citizen or non-US resident (there are no citizenship or residency requirements for forming an LLC)
- A Trust (like a Revocable Trust or Irrevocable Trust)
To learn more, please see Who can be LLC Members?
Is the Member of an LLC the Owner?
Yes, “Member” is the official term for an owner of an LLC.
What is a Registered Agent for an LLC?
A Registered Agent is a person or company who agrees to accept legal mail on behalf of your LLC.
Registered Agents are sometimes chosen by the LLC Members, but in a Manager-managed LLC, they may be chosen by the Managers.
What does a Registered Agent do?
A Registered Agent’s key responsibility is to accept Service of Process on behalf of your LLC.
Service of Process arrives if your LLC is involved in a legal matter.
For example, if your LLC is sued, a Summons and Complaint is served upon the Registered Agent.
Then the Registered Agent notifies the LLC owners so they can take the appropriate actions.
Registered Agents must:
- Be available during normal business hours
- Have a street address in the state where your LLC is formed
- PO Boxes aren’t allowed
In summary, Registered Agents are required in nearly every state. And they are an important part of how our courts and legal system work.
Who can be a Registered Agent for an LLC?
You have 3 options for who can be your LLC Registered Agent:
- You can be your own Registered Agent.
- A friend or family member can be your Registered Agent.
- You can hire a Registered Agent Service.
Is the Registered Agent of an LLC the Owner?
No, the Registered Agent isn’t the same thing as the LLC owner.
Can someone be both a Registered Agent and an LLC Member?
Yes, an LLC owner can choose to be the Registered Agent for their LLC.
And in this case, they are both the LLC owner and the Registered Agent. But they didn’t become one of them by virtue of being the other.
So what’s the difference between a Registered Agent and an LLC Member?
Simply put, an LLC Member is an owner of the LLC.
And a Registered Agent is a person or a company who is responsible for receiving Service of Process on behalf of the LLC.
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.
