Can I use a PO box for business mail but another address for registration?

Depends on your state. Some require a physical address for the registered agent, not a PO box. You can use a registered agent service if you don't want your home address public.

I looked into this last year. In my state, the registration address has to be a physical street address, but you can list a PO box as a separate mailing address. Check your secretary of state's website, they usually spell it out.

What tundrabyte said. Also, if you use your home address for registration, it might become public record. That's the opposite of what you want. A registered agent service is cheap and keeps your home off the filings.

Are you a sole proprietor or an LLC? For a sole prop, you might not even have a formal registration, so the PO box could be fine for most things. For an LLC, the articles of organization usually need a physical address.

Good point about the business structure. I assumed LLC. If it's just a DBA, rules vary by county too.

I've been using a PO box for all my business mail for years, but my LLC registration lists my accountant's office as the registered agent address. Works fine. Never had an issue with customers or sippliers.

One thing to watch out for: some payment processors and banks won't accept a PO box as your business address. They want a physical location. So you might end up needing to give your home address anyway for those.

Yeah, thats a hassle. I tried to open a business bank account with a PO box and they rejected it. Had to use my home address. But for the state registration, I used a registered agent.

So basically, you can use a PO box for mail, but the registration address needs to be a physical one. Whether that's your home or a service is up to you. Just be aware of the privacy trade-off.