What’s the Difference between Principal, Mailing, and Registered Agent Addresses for a Florida LLC?

In your personal life, your address is pretty straightforward – it’s where you live. However, when it comes to your Florida LLC’s address, things are a little more complicated. You might have already seen on your business’s formation documents that there are three types of addresses recognized by the state of Florida: that of your principal office, your mailing address, and your registered agent address. Let’s get into what those different addresses mean and which situations they should be used for now.

Principal Office

Your Florida LLC’s principal office is the address that serves as its primary place of business. It’s where the LLC’s owners, also known as the LLC’s members, meet to direct the company and make any major decisions or changes. Your principal address can refer to a home, office, or shop, but Florida law requires that it must be a street address, which means you can’t use a P.O. box for this purpose. The address that you use will be on the public record, which is sometimes problematic for LLC members operating out of their own homes. Members of home-based LLCs who wish to protect their privacy can use a “virtual mailbox address” obtained through services such as iPostal1.

Mailing Address

Your Florida LLC’s mailing address is exactly what it sounds like. It’s where the majority of your business’s daily, routine mail items and other packages will be delivered. Usually, this will be the same as the Florida LLC’s principal office. However, unlike your principal office address, it’s perfectly acceptable under state law to list a P.O. Box number. You should note, however, that services of process and other important legal documents won’t go to your mailing address. That’s what your Registered Agent Address is for.

Registered Agent Address

Your Florida LLC’s Registered Agent Address serves a slightly different function from your Principal Office or Mailing Address. Basically, a Florida LLC’s registered agent is an individual or business entity that receives services of process and other important legal documents on its behalf. The Registered Agent address is the home or office where the Registered Agent is the most readily available. Much like your Principal Office, Florida law won’t allow your LLC to use a P.O. Box for your Registered Agent address. Oftentimes, LLCs will elect one of their members to serve as their registered agent. However, this has its own risks that you should be aware of.

Are you ready to pull the trigger on the dream of launching your own business as an LLC? As a firm of entrepreneurs ourselves, we know how to get things started the right way the first time. For assistance and advice with forming an LLC, visit our service page or contact us by calling (727) 279-5037.

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