I'm forming a single-member LLC in my state and the form wants a physical business address. I work from my apartment, but I'm not sure if I can just use that. I don't want my home address on public records. What actually qualifies as a physical address? Do UPS stores or coworking spaces work?
LLC Formation
What counts as a physical business address when forming an LLC?
From what I understand, a physical address means a real street address where you can receive mail and service of process. A PO box won't cut it. The UPS Store thing is tricky because some jurisdictions treat it as a commercial mailbox, not a physical location. I'd check your Secretary of State's specific rules.
I used a coworking space for my first LLC. They gave me a memmbership agreement with a street address and I attached that to the filing. It worked. But you have to make sure they'll forward legal mail and let you list them as your registered agent if you're not using a separate registered agent service.
Wait, are you talking about the business address or the registered agent address? Those are sometimes two different fields on the form. In my state the registered agent needs a physical in-state address, but the principal office can be wherever you actually operate. Might be worth reading the instructions line by line.
Yeah, I see both fields. The registered agent one says physical adddress required. The principal office just says address. I'm mostly worried about the registered agent part since I don't want my apartment listed publicly.
You You can hire a registered agent service. They give you their street address to use for that field. Costs maybe $50 to $150 a year. That solves the privacy issue without using a fake address.
Rustybolt is right. And to be clear, a physical address doesn't have to be somewhere you own or even spend time. It just has to be a legitimate location where official documents can be delivered during business hours. Some people use their accountant's office if they have one.
One thing I'd watch out for: if you use a virtual office and the state decides it's not a real physiical address later, they can reject your filing or flag it. I've seen threads where people got mail returned and it caused problems. Just make sure the service is actually set up to receive mail and sign for it.
And if you're in a state that requires the registered agent to sign a consent form, the coworking place or service has to be willing to do that. Not all of them do.