Virtual Address for LLC in 2024 - MarketWatch (2024)

Going virtual? Our comprehensive guide details what a virtual business address is and how to obtain one.

Updated:Jan 18, 2024

Authored By: Joseph Kellman, J.D.

Reviewed By: Miranda Riva, J.D.

If you’re starting an LLC, you’ll need to have a mailing address to file your business’s formation paperwork (e.g., articles of organization) and receive important mail (e.g., legal documents, tax forms, etc.).

If you’re choosing an official mailing address for your LLC and don’t have a commercial office space, you can opt for either a PO box or simply use a home address. However, some states may not let you use a PO box for your official business address and you may not want to release your home address to the public. Plus, depending on where you live, there may also be a zoning restriction prohibiting you from using your home as your LLC’s official place of business. Entrepreneurs can solve this issue by using a virtual address for LLC.

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What is a Virtual Business Address?

A virtual business address is a real street address that your business can use as its virtual mailbox. This can be especially helpful for small business owners that don’t have a commercial office space. Not only will the virtual address service receive all your business mail and packages on your behalf, but it’ll also protect your privacy.

Using a virtual business address can give your business a more professional image to its customers and clients. Most virtual business addresses are located at a mail center in well-known commercial areas. So customers will see your business address as a prestigious office building downtown even if you just have a small online business startup.

This also will help protect the privacy of your home-based business. If you don’t use a virtual business address service, you would have to use your home address when filing a new business with the state. That means your private information would become public record. With a virtual business address, your personal address can remain completely confidential even if you have a home business.

How to Get a Virtual Business Address for your LLC in 5 Easy Steps

Getting a virtual business mailing address is fairly simple. Follow this step-by-step guide to ensure you don’t forget anything.

Step 1: Choose a Virtual Address Service

There are a number of services you can choose from to get this started. Just do a quick Google search to find service providers in the area you want your business to be located in to begin the process. Each address provider will have different pricing depending on how much mail your business receives, so you can choose a package that fits your business needs.

For example, some services can provide mail forwarding services which will send any mail received on your behalf directly to you. Others may only provide you with notifications that mail has been received.

You may also want to get a business phone number using this service. This will help you avoid giving out your personal phone number to conduct business. Instead, you choose a phone number that will redirect any calls made to it to your preferred phone.

Step 2: Choose an Address

Once you’ve decided on the service you want, you’ll get to choose the virtual address you want for your LLC. In most cases, you’ll want an address that is nearby so you can easily pick up any mail sent there. You can also get mailbox service at multiple different addresses to create a broader market presence.

Step 3: File Form 1583

If you choose a virtual business address in the U.S., you’ll have to file Form 1583 with the United States Postal Service. This form authorizes the service provider you’ve chosen to receive mail on your behalf by ensuring a responsible party is linked to the mailbox. To successfully submit this form you’ll need to provide two forms of identification.

Step 4: Redirect Mail

If you’ve already been using a different address for your business, you’ll want to redirect all of the mail going there to your LLC virtual mailbox.

You can do this by filing a “Change of Address” form with your local post office, or you can do it online through the USPS website. You may also want to alert business contacts that may be sending you important postal mail in the meantime.

Step 5: Update Official Business Documents

In most states, you’re allowed to use your virtual office address as your official legal address. The only time you’ll run into a problem is if your state requires a physical street address and you chose a PO box to be your virtual office address. However, most service providers will allow you to choose whether your virtual address is a physical location or merely a PO box.

If you do decide to use a virtual address as your official LLC address, you’ll need to update your business entity documents with the appropriate state office — usually the secretary of state. This can be done by submitting an amendment form on your secretary of state’s website.

Pros and Cons of Using a Virtual Business Address for your LLC

Pros

Keeps your home address private

A professional address gives your business credibility

More cost effective than leasing commercial office space

Mail forwarding services available

Cons

Cost associated with setup

Potential mail handling fees

The disadvantagesof using a virtual business address are the costs associated with it. Still, keep in mind that it’s far less costly to use a virtual address than to lease a commercial office space. There’s no drawback in terms of how long it takes to receive your mail since most virtual address providers arrange mail forwarding service when you sign up, although some carriers charge extra for forwarded mail.

There are many advantages to using a virtual business address rather than using your own address. Most importantly — a virtual address allows you to keep your home address private. Without one, you’d put your residential address on the LLC’s articles of organization which become public record and then anyone can find out where you live. You’d also have to use your home address when sending and receiving any business mail and packages. This means clients, customers and suppliers will know where you live. Using a virtual address will avoid any privacy concerns.

The second biggest advantage to using a virtual address is that it can give your business credibility in the eyes of the customer. For example, say your company wants to include a business address on marketing materials such as your website, business cards, or official letterhead. Rather than using your home address, you can use a virtual address located in a reputable office building to create a more professional appearance.

Frequently Asked Questions: Virtual Address for LLC

Although some states may allow you to use a PO box address as the official legal address on your articles of organization, others will not. Some states require businesses to have a physical street address in the state, which does not include a PO box address.

Virtual business addresses, on the other hand, are tied to a physical location. This means you can use your new virtual office address as your LLC’s official business address in all 50 states, so long as the virtual address you chose is not a PO box.

Yes, you can use your residential address for your business, but it’s not recommended because it may make your business seem less credible and can raise some privacy concerns.

First, customers may not see your business as credible if it’s located in a rural or residential area rather than a more commercial area. A virtual mailbox will usually be located in a well-known commercial area such as a business park or an office building which gives your business a more professional look.

Second, in almost all states your official business address will be on public record. This means if you used your personal address to form your business, everyone will have access to that information. Unless you have another address dedicated to your business, you’ll be giving out your home address to customers, clients and even suppliers if your business requires it.

Before you can change the business address for your limited liability company, you’ll need to notify a few governing agencies.

First, you must update your business formation documents (e.g., articles of organization) through your state’s business organization office (usually the secretary of state). This is usually done by filing an amendment form and paying the required filing fee. Check your state’s website for more information on how to get this done.

You’ll also need to notify the IRS of your new address for tax purposes and so they know where to send important mail addressed to you. You can do this by filing Form 8822-B.

Depending on the circ*mstances surrounding your company, you may also have to update service providers or partners you use to conduct business. . For example, you may need to notify any lending agencies, insurance agencies, product suppliers or licensing agencies that your business is associated with.

Yes, the IRS does accept virtual office addresses. This means you can use your virtual office address to receive important correspondence from the IRS and obtain an EIN. You can also use this address when filing tax forms or any other LLC formation and maintenance documents.

A registered agent service is the primary contact between your business and the secretary of state. They are the person or business entity appointed to receive important correspondence from the state on your behalf. A registered agent generally will not receive regular business mail for you, only official mail such as service of process or certain tax forms from the state.

A virtual address service is generally less restricted than a registered agent service. A virtual address is tied to a physical location that you can use as your company’s official address even though you aren’t actually located there. Unlike a registered agent service, a virtual address will accept any kind of mail on your behalf. You can also use the virtual address for normal business operations such as marketing, receiving customer mail, receiving checks or invoices, filing taxes, opening business bank accounts, and more.

Think of it like this: a registered agent service is who receives some mail; while a virtual address is where all mail is received.

Best LLC Formation Companies

Are you thinking of using an LLC formation service to start your business? See how the top LLC formation services compare in price, quality and service offerings. As always, we encourage you to do your own independent research to determine which provider is best for your needs.

Features
Cost	$0+	$0+	$0+	$49+	$39+
Customer Service
Operating Agreement
Registered Agent Service
EIN
License Reports
Compliance
Expert Help
Tax Advisory
Tax Preparation
Guarantee of Acceptance
	Start Now	Start Now	Start Now	Start Now	Start Now

Service not offered.
Service included in basic package.
Service free for one year.
Service available for additional fee.

Note that formation companies may offer promotional deals or additional free services.

Methodology

Consumers rely on us to provide objective and accurate information, so, our credentialed team of legal experts created a comprehensive rating system to formulate our rankings of online legal services. To create our list of best LLC services, we gathered information on all providers on a variety of ranking factors and gave ratings from 0.0 to 5.0, with 5.0 being the best, for experiences in the following areas:

Features. We look at what essential features the company offers for starting an LLC. We consider essential features to be a registered agent service, operating agreement template, EIN application, license help, expert advice, tax advisory services, compliance help and guarantee of acceptance.
Value for money. Did we feel like we were getting a deal, getting short-changed or getting what we paid for? We rated the value of every formation company’s basic, middle and premium formation packages.
Customer service. Was our customer service experience good, fair or poor? We reviewed each company’s customer service offerings over email, phone and chat, depending on timeliness and accuracy of responses.
Usability. We looked at whether we could navigate the website successfully and where the roadblocks, if any, came up. Did we have trouble adding features or signing into our account? We compared our experiences before and after account setup.
Customer satisfaction. We looked at customer reviews across reputable review sites and rated our own satisfaction with the process.

The result gave us an overall rating for each provider.

Legal Disclaimer: This article contains general legal information, but does not constitute professional legal advice for your particular situation and should not be interpreted as creating an attorney-client relationship. If you have legal questions, you should seek the advice of an attorney licensed in your jurisdiction.

Authored by: Joseph Kellman, J.D. Joe earned his Juris Doctorate from the Charleston School of Law. Before transitioning to legal content creation, he worked at a complex civil litigation firm handling class-action, trust litigation and legal malpractice. In his spare time, you can find Joe rooting for the New York Knicks or the Virginia Tech Hokies.

Reviewed by: Laura Jackson, Esq. Laura graduated from Emory University School of Law with her Juris Doctorate and is an active member of the Georgia Bar Association. After several years of appellate advocacy and regulatory experience, Laura turned to full-time freelance legal writing. She currently writes for law firms, websites, and other publications on a range of issues.