Wisconsin Registered Agent
What is a Wisconsin registered agent?
A Wisconsin registered agent is someone a business authorizes to receive a service of process, notice, or demand on behalf of the company. Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations 180.0501(1m) and 183.0115 require corporations and LLCs operating in the state to designate a registered agent. Appointing a registered agent contributes toward your good standing with the state and guarantees that you never miss a key document or official notice. This guide explains what a Wisconsin registered agent does and can help you pick the right one for your business.
What Does a Wisconsin Registered Agent Do?
Your Wisconsin registered agent accepts sensitive mail and service of process for your business and makes sure that you receive it. They must maintain a physical presence at an actual location with a street address—not a P.O. Box or mailbox service—during standard business hours in order to receive documents or process on behalf of your business. Once received, Wisconsin law says they must forward those documents to you at the address you most recently provided.
Do I need a Wisconsin Registered Agent?
Probably. Wisconsin law says foreign and domestic corporations, nonstock corporations, limited liability companies, and limited liability partnerships must maintain a registered agent for their duration. Nonprofits may choose to appoint a registered agent. Cooperatives must have either a registered office address or a registered agent in the state.
Can I Be My Own Registered Agent in Wisconsin?
Yes, you can be your own registered agent in Wisconsin. You must live in the state and list your business address as the registered office address. You’ll receive mail and be expected to accept service of process at the registered office address, so it can’t be a P.O. Box, mailbox service, or telephone answering service, and you’ll need to be physically present there during standard business hours.
Is it risky to be my own registered agent?
That depends. Wisconsin’s Department of Financial Institutions records and publicly reports the name and address of a business’s registered agent on their Wisconsin Corporate Records Search. If you’re not comfortable having your name and business address broadcast, especially if you run your business out of your home, you may want to choose a commercial registered agent to protect your privacy. You’ll also want to consider whether you want to be available during all standard business hours. Service of process can only be received by your registered agent. If you’re out on vacation when attempts to serve process fail, you might miss required court appearances and wind up facing a default judgment against your business.
Who can be appointed as a registered agent in Wisconsin?
The requirements to be a registered agent depend on whether you’re appointing a person or a business.
If you’re appointing a person, your registered agent must live in Wisconsin and list their business office address as the registered office address—the physical address at which they’ll be present during business hours to receive mail and service of process.
You can also choose to appoint another business as your registered agent. This can be a domestic or foreign corporation of any type, a limited liability company, a limited partnership, or a limited liability partnership as long as their business office address is the same as the registered office address for your business. If it’s an out-of-state, or foreign, entity it must also be authorized to operate in Wisconsin. A commercial registered agent service is an example of a business you might employ to fulfill this crucial role.
What Can Registered Agents Inc Do for Me?
Registered Agents Inc provides peace of mind with top-shelf registered agent and other business services to keep you in good standing.
Local offices across the country
We keep an actual brick-and-mortar office in every state we offer services. When you’re ready to expand your business, we’ve got your back.
Secure online account with instant access
Our clients receive immediate access to their secure accounts where you can view and manage your uploaded documents. Your account also puts our digital library of resources and forms at your fingertips.
Business formation services
Registered Agents Inc offers a suite of entity management products to help you stand up your business. We can file your corporation and LLC formation documents, and provide business presence services like domain registration, website hosting, business email addresses, and business phone service.
Filing and compliance
Annual report filing is included with our registered agent service. All you pay is the state fee. Need to amend your articles of incorporation, or file your Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) report? We can do that too.
Actual humans you can talk to
When you call our number or respond to an email, there’s a real, live person on the other end. Our team of experts knows their way around Wisconsin business regulations, and we take pride in our superior customer service.
If you want to offer registered agent services to your clients, check out our Wholesale Program for more details.
How Do I Appoint a Registered Agent?
New corporations and LLCs must declare a registered agent on their articles of incorporation or organization. If you don’t appoint an agent, your articles may not be accepted for filing.
Limited liability partnerships require filing a Statement of Partnership Authority naming the street address of its registered office and the name and email address of its registered agent at that office.
Nonprofits that choose to designate a registered agent must file a Statement of Appointment, available on the Department of Financial Institutions’ website. A cooperative choosing to do so can include a registered agent on their articles of incorporation.
How do I change my registered agent in Wisconsin?
You can change your registered agent in multiple ways depending on your type of business:
- All business entities can file a Statement of Change to the Department of Financial Institutions
- All domestic business entities can update their registered agent on their annual report
- A domestic corporation can amend or restate its articles of incorporation
- A foreign corporation must amend its certificate of authority
- A cooperative must amend its articles of incorporation
How much does it cost to change my registered agent in Wisconsin?
The cost to change your registered agent varies depending on the method. If you file online through Wisconsin’s One Stop Business Portal, you’ll pay the following:
- Statement of Change: $10
- Domestic annual report: $25
- Foreign annual report: $65
- Domestic entities amending or restating articles of incorporation: $40
- Foreign entities amending certificate of authority: $40
The fee varies for a cooperative to file an amendment to their articles of incorporation. The amendment is free if the only change is the name of the registered agent. It costs $10, plus $1.25 for each $1,000 of newly-authorized stock, if the registered agent’s address changes.
Are there other ways to file?
Yes. Download the PDF forms from Wisconsin’s Business Entity Forms website and email them with your receipt of payment to [email protected]. For a $15 surcharge you can mail your filings to:
State of WI-Dept. of Financial Institutions
Box 93348
Milwaukee, WI 53293-0348
Frequently Asked Questions
What is service of process?
Service of process is the legal term for the procedures someone must follow in order to notify another person that they are taking legal action involving them. For example, if someone’s suing you, they must follow specific steps to tell you. We call those steps “service of process.”
How do I find a local registered agent in Wisconsin?
You can find a registered agent serving Wisconsin by searching the Wisconsin Corporate Records Search for “registered agent.” This produces a list of businesses whose names match your search terms.
To search instead for the registered agent for a specific company, search for the company’s name. DFI maintains records of the name and business address for their registered agent as long as the entity was required to file with them.
Do I need to file with the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions?
Only the following business types must file with the DFI:
- Business Corporations
- Nonstock (Not-for Profit) Corporations
- Cooperatives
- Limited Partnerships
- Limited Liability Companies
- Limited Liability Partnerships
- General Partnership (optional registration)
- Common Law Trusts
- Foreign (out-of-state) entities of the same types, licensed to transact business in Wisconsin
- Unincorporated Cooperative Associations
- Veterans organizations
- Certain types of religious corporations
How much does a Wisconsin registered agent cost?
A Wisconsin registered agent service will run you an average of $49 to $300 annually, and many use trials, introductory prices, and other gimmicks to get you in the door. With Registered Agents Inc, what you see is what you get. It’s just $200 a year for our premier service, and that includes filing your annual report.
What is a Beneficial Ownership Information report?
The Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) report identifies the people who directly or indirectly own or control a company. Qualifying businesses must submit this report just once to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) on the following schedule:
| Date Company Created or Registered: | Date BOI Report Due |
| Before 1 January, 2024 | No later than 1 January, 2025 |
| During 2024 | Within 90 calendar days of creation |
| After 1 January, 2025 | Within 30 calendar days of creation |
There are serious financial repercussions for failure to file, including civil and criminal penalties. Registered Agents Inc can help you determine your filing requirement and even file it for you.
