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At Inveduco, we believe that most people should diversify their sources of income. If you are interested in starting a side hustle or perhaps a full-time business, you will need to decide what legal structure to use for your business. Many business owners like Limited Liability Companies (LLC) due to the fact that they can protect your personal assets in the event of a lawsuit. They are also easy and inexpensive to set up. However, it is sometimes necessary to register your LLC anonymously.
Disclaimer: we are not lawyers and this article does not contain legal advice. It is for general information purposes only. Every state has different regulations when it comes to registering an LLC and laws change over time. Please consult an attorney in your state to discuss your specific situation.
Inveduco LLC strives to provide accurate and unbiased information. We will never write articles paid for by advertisers. To support our research, some of the links on this page may pay us a commission at no extra cost to you.
Why Register an Anonymous LLC?
Some entrepreneurs don’t mind publicly associating their name and home address with their small business. Others have a need to register an LLC anonymously. Reasons for this include:
- Privacy concerns
- Safety (do your customers need to know where you live?)
- Limiting unsolicited junk mail
- Prevent their employer from finding out about their side hustle
In order to register an LLC, most states require you to specify the name and address of your registered agent. This person (usually one of the LLC members) will be responsible for receiving correspondence from the Secretary of State as well as legal papers in the event of a lawsuit. Most states offer a free database to lookup the name of the registered agent for any given company. If you happen to be your company’s registered agent, then your name will likely be publicly associated with your LLC.
Third Party Registered Agents
Some states allow you to use a third party individual to act as your registered agent and this person does not always need to be a member of the LLC. In fact, a number of states even allow business entities to serve as registered agents. A number of companies offer registered agent services for a monthly or annual fee. Using a third party agent will help preserve your privacy as long as you don’t disclose your name in other publicly-available documents or websites.
Anonymous LLCs through third-party registered agents do NOT prevent:
- Lawsuits (if your company is served, your registered agent will forward you any paperwork pertaining to the lawsuit)
- Criminal investigations if your company engages in any questionable/illegal activities
- Taxation
Keep in mind that there are additional considerations when it comes to using a third-party registered agent. If you are interested in registering an anonymous LLC, you should consult with an attorney to find out if it would be advisable (and legal in your state) to use a third-party registered agent. Once you have determined that this is the right choice for your company, you can easily find hundreds of registered agents through a simple Google search. Their prices will range from less than a hundred dollars per year to hundreds of dollars or more, depending on the specific services you need.
Last Updated: December 26, 2017
