About 50 percent of small business owners in the United States operate home-based businesses. These businesses come in every shape and size – from a one-person app development company with remote workers and no physical office to landscape designing companies working out of their garages. However, when starting your business from home, one of the first steps is to register for a Limited Liability Company (LLC).
During registration, you are required to provide a registered agent address. While many small businesses use their home address as their business address, it comes with a number of disadvantages. It exposes your house to lots of spam, prying eyes, hackers, or even worse. This is where a virtual address comes into play. In this post, we share more information about how to use the virtual address for LLC registration.
What Is A Virtual Address?
This is a physical address you get to register that allows you to receive postal mail and packages without being physically there to receive them. Paper mail and other packages arrive at that chosen address, and from there, they are uploaded into your virtual mailbox after scanning. This makes it easy for you to access your package online. While a virtual address is a bit similar to an e-mail in a way, it gives you the benefit of having your packages stored to be accessed later, shipped to your physical location, or even shredded if you need to get rid of it.
How To Create A Virtual Address for Your LLC?
The process for creating a virtual mailbox for LLC for your business is quite straightforward, though you need to first figure out the type of virtual address you want to open, the preferred location of the address, and the importance of your anonymity. Here are the steps to create a virtual address:
Step 1: Find a service provider like Post Scan Mail to claim your virtual address
Step 2: Select a real street address and pick a plan that matches your needs. Contact the provider to ensure you can use the address to register your LLC.
Step 3: Sign up and fill out the 1583 Form that allows a 3rd party to receive your mail.
Step 4: Notarize the form and two forms of ID and send them to PostScan Mail.
Step 5: Change your address with USPS and let your customers know about your new address
Step 6: Start getting mail at your new address
There is always more legitimacy and confidence built into physical street addresses as opposed to a PO box for LLC. If you are going to create an address for the purpose of LLC, it will be a good idea to opt for a street address, especially if you are going with a virtual service provider like PostScan Mail. You will want to consider the importance and value of anonymity, where the ability to separate your personal life from business is possible, and all this starts with a virtual address.
Summary
When starting a new business, you need a lot of money to get it off the ground, so you need to save wherever possible. Fortunately, a virtual office for LLC gives your business a professional look without having to break the bank to pay for an office space. This may be the right option for a business owner that is just starting out as it gives your business the basic things it needs to grow and thrive. Using a virtual address for your new business also gives you the flexibility you need to run your business in your preferred location.
