If you’re forming a limited liability company or corporation in the state of Indiana, you’ll need to designate a registered agent.
A registered agent is the individual or business entity that receives legal documents from the state, and then forwards them to your business address. But why is this a requirement, and who should you designate as your registered agent in Indiana?
In this guide, we will break down all the details you need to know about Indiana registered agents.
Guru Tip: ZenBusiness includes a year of free registered agent service when you use its service to incorporate online. See our comparison reviews to the two industry giants, LegalZoom and Incfile.
What is an Indiana Registered Agent?
One of the most common questions we receive from entrepreneurs in Indiana is why a registered agent is required to form an LLC or corporation. While it might seem like an unnecessary middle-man type of role, the registered agent fills a vital role.
The registered agent’s job is to provide a reliable way for the state to contact an official representative of your business at any time, which is especially important if your business is ever sued. If you didn’t have a registered agent, a lawsuit could progress through the courts without you even knowing about it, which is obviously far from ideal.
While Indiana does not provide a recommended list of registered agent services, we reviewed the top options and compiled a list of the best Indiana registered agent services based on price and overall value.Who Can Be an Indiana Registered Agent?
In Indiana, registered agents may be either a business entity that’s authorized to conduct business in the state or a legal adult resident of Indiana. While a business entity may never serve as its own registered agent, an individual affiliated with the LLC or corporation may. In all cases, Indiana registered agents must have physical street addresses. P.O. boxes are not acceptable unless accompanied by a Rural Route number. Additionally, individual registered agents in Indiana must now have an email address at which they are willing to receive electronic service of process
Aside from the legal requirements, an important aspect to discuss is who should be your registered agent. You have the right to declare yourself as your own registered agent, which has its pros and cons.
On the positive side, you can save some money by not paying anyone to serve as your agent, but you’ll also likely need to make your home address a matter of public record, which is not ideal. Additionally, you’ll need to be physically present at your business during all standard operating hours (9-5, M-F).
Some entrepreneurs like to have a friend or family member serve as their registered agent, but if that person doesn’t have experience in this position, they might not know what is expected of them. In addition, designating your lawyer or accountant as a registered agent can work, but these options are usually quite expensive.
Our preference is to hire a professional registered agent service, which provides a combination of convenience, affordability, and peace of mind that is unrivaled by any of these other options.
How Do Indiana Residents Get Served?
The most important part of a registered agent’s role is being served a summons.
In Indiana, in order for a summons to be processed a plaintiff must first file a complaint or equivalent pleading, justifying their claims and making a demand for reparations. The plaintiff must deliver as many copies as necessary to the clerk (one for every defendant) and pay any necessary fees dictated by the court. Next, the clerk will examine, date, and sign, the documents before affixing his seal to the summons.
If these steps are all taken correctly, the state of Indiana will then serve a summons to the defendant’s registered agent.
How to Designate an Indiana Registered Agent
The answer to this question depends on what type of business you’re starting, but with either a corporation or an LLC, you’ll need to designate your registered agent when you form your company.
When forming an LLC, you’ll be given the opportunity to designate your registered agent in article II of the articles of organization (state form 49459). Alternatively, when forming a corporation in Indiana, you’ll need to designate your registered agent in article II of the articles of incorporation (state form 4159).
Neither form requires the signature of the registered agent, but by submitting the form the signator certifies that the registered agent has consented to the appointment.
How Can I Change My Indiana Registered Agent?
If you would like to change your registered agent for any reason, the process is pretty simple.
All that’s required is the completion and submission of the Statement of Change of Registered agent document (state form 56367). The document can be either submitted online through the State of Indiana’s digital filing platform or by completing and printing this PDF file and mailing it to the Business Services Division of the Indiana Secretary of State.
The form is brief and straightforward. Conveniently, it also has no fee; those wishing to change their registered agent in the state of Indiana may do so free of cost.
How Does an Indiana Registered Agent Resign?
Sometimes, a registered agent may have to resign from their position.
In Indiana, registered agents wishing to resign will need to complete the Statement of Resignation of Registered Agent 26285 which can be filed out online here or completed as a PDF form at this link and mailed to the Business Services Division of the Indiana Secretary of State. In either case, there is no filing fee; registered agents may resign at no cost.
Why Should You Hire a Professional Indiana Registered Agent Service?
Hiring a professional registered agent is basically the best of both worlds between serving as your own agent, and designating a lawyer or accountant.
Privacy
The biggest benefit in our opinion is the privacy protection this allows, as you will be able to keep your personal address private. There’s also a major advantage compared to having an attorney or accountant serve as your agent, namely the fact that registered agent services are almost always much cheaper.
Professional Service
Another reason we like this option is that these companies specialize in providing quality registered agent service. They know exactly what’s expected of them, and there are rarely any issues to speak of.
Nationwide
The other major benefit of hiring a registered agent service is that most of them operate in all 50 states, so that if you ever want to expand your business into another state, you won’t need to hire an additional registered agent. Your same registered agent will be able to provide the coverage you need in your new state, while still providing the same service in Indiana. If you hired a lawyer or accountant, they would only be able to help you expand to a new state if they have another physical office in that state.
You Stay Compliant
Finally, most professional registered agents operating in Indiana offer some sort of compliance calendar. With this service, your registered agent helps you keep track of due dates for ongoing LLC maintenance requirements like annual reports, which is a valuable bonus.
The top registered agent service providers include some other appealing attributes, including access to their extensive customer support networks. Some of them include a full year of registered agent service with any business formation package, which can be a real money-saver. Another welcome attribute is that some registered agent services provide volume discounts if you require service in multiple states, or if you prepay for multiple years.
What Is the Penalty for Not Designating a Registered Agent in Indiana?
You need to have a registered agent to form your limited liability company or corporation in Indiana in the first place, but if you let your registered agent service lapse, there could be some serious consequences.
Failure to maintain a registered agent could lead to your business losing its good standing with the state of Indiana, and the state also has the right to officially dissolve your LLC if they choose to.
Another issue would be the difficulty of being served if your business is sued. If the state cannot get ahold of your registered agent, a court may decide to go ahead with the lawsuit without your knowledge, which could even lead to a judgment against you. This can happen not just if you fail to designate a registered agent, but also if your agent is not present during business hours to accept the document delivery.
Conclusion
As you can see, the task of designating a registered agent for your Indiana business isn’t quite as easy as just writing down your own name.
There are significant downsides to just about every option in our opinion, but we recommend hiring a professional registered agent service because that option has the fewest disadvantages. They charge affordable rates, and you never have to worry about losing your good standing, having your LLC or corporation dissolved, or having a lawsuit proceed in your absence.
If you have any further questions, you can contact the Indiana Secretary of State:
Indiana Secretary of State
Business Services Division
302 W. Washington Street, Room E018
Indianapolis, IN 46204
(317) 232-6576