Alabama Registered Agent Service
Yes. Every Alabama LLC must continuously maintain a registered agent with a physical Alabama street address to accept service of process. Since 2021 the Certificate of Formation is filed directly with the Secretary of State (no longer through the county Probate Judge), and Alabama’s minimum Business Privilege Tax has been eliminated, so small entities under the statutory threshold no longer owe a payment.
Verified against the Alabama Secretary of State · Reviewed August 2026
- Appointed the same day
- Real Alabama street address
- Every US filing jurisdiction, one login
- Required?
- Yes, always
- Address rule
- Physical AL address
- Form to switch agents
- Change of Registered Agent or Registered Office by Entity
- Key deadline
- BPT return (Form PPT / CPT) · corporations also file an SOS annual reportSee all deadlines
Your Alabama year
Every recurring Alabama filing on a single line, with a two-week heads-up before each due date.
- January
- February
- March: Business Privilege Tax return (Form PPT) — pass-through entities due, around Mar 15
- April
- May
- June
- July
- August
- September
- October
- November
- December
One filing a year: Business Privilege Tax return (Form PPT) — pass-through entities, due around March 15, aligned with your federal income tax return date. Business Privilege Tax return (Form CPT) — corporations — C corporations file CPT rather than PPT, on the same date as their federal income tax return, with the same de minimis exemption. Secretary of State Annual Report — corporations — Filed separately with the Alabama Secretary of State since January 2024 — it no longer rides along with the privilege tax return. LLCs do not file it.
- Form
- Form PPT
- If late
- Interest and failure-to-file/pay penalties on any tax actually owed
Deadline rules from the Alabama Secretary of State · reviewed August 2026. We confirm every date when you file.
What does Alabama require of your registered agent?
The rule
Governing statute: Ala. Code § 10A-1-5.31
The registered office must be a physical street address in Alabama (identical to the agent’s business office); a PO box alone is not sufficient.
The agent must be available at that Alabama address during normal business hours to receive service of process and official notices.
If you have no agent
Failure to maintain a registered agent is grounds for administrative dissolution by the Secretary of State, plus loss of good standing and exposure to default judgments from missed lawsuits.
New to the role? What a registered agent actually receives — the role, explained in plain English.
Other states call the same role a registered agent, resident agent, statutory agent or agent for service of process. In Alabama the law says registered agent. Which term each state uses.
Operating beyond Alabama? Compare agent requirements state by state — the term, the address rule and the recurring filing all change at the state line.
What does Alabama ask you to file, and when?
| Obligation | Form | Due | Late penalty |
|---|---|---|---|
| LLC formation (Certificate of Formation) | Domestic LLC Certificate of Formation | At formation, filed directly with the Secretary of State | None |
| Business Privilege Tax return — pass-through entities (LLCs, LPs, S corporations) | Form PPT | Same date as the entity’s federal income tax return — but for tax years beginning after December 31, 2023 Alabama fully exempts taxpayers at or below the statutory de minimis threshold, and the Department of Revenue states they need not file a BPT return at all | Interest and failure-to-file/pay penalties on any tax actually owed |
| Business Privilege Tax return — C corporations and financial institutions | Form CPT | Same date as the entity’s federal income tax return, with the same de minimis exemption for tax years beginning after December 31, 2023 | Interest and failure-to-file/pay penalties on any tax actually owed |
| Secretary of State Annual Report (corporations) | Annual Report filed with the Secretary of State’s Business Services Division | Filed separately with the Secretary of State since January 1, 2024 — it no longer rides along with the Business Privilege Tax return. Domestic and foreign for-profit and professional corporations file it; LLCs do not | Loss of good standing |
| Change of registered agent | Change of Registered Agent or Registered Office by Entity | When the agent or office changes | None |
State fees change; we confirm current amounts with you before anything is filed.
Missed a filing? What happens to a Alabama LLC, and how to put it right — Alabama’s own status term, the filing that brings it back and the time limit.
What we file for you in Alabama
- Every filing in the table above, prepared and submitted on time
- Reminders ahead of each deadline, for every entity you hold
- State fees confirmed with you before anything is filed
Priced for your portfolio, not a rate card.
Every Alabama quote is built around your entities, your states and your filings — one entity or hundreds. Most quotes are same-day.
How do you appoint or change your registered agent in Alabama?
Procedure scope: Entity-initiated registered agent or registered office changes for an Alabama domestic LLC; the Secretary of State supplies an entity-level change form.
5 steps
to switch your registered agent in Alabama.
Step 1: Look up the entity's Alabama Entity ID and exact registered name; use a separate form for each entity ID.
Step 2: Type the form. Enter the current registered agent, registered office street address and mailing address so the state can match its existing record.
Step 3: Enter the new agent and any changed office addresses. The registered office must be an Alabama street address, not a PO box, and must match the agent's business street address.
Agent consent
Step 4: Have the new agent sign the consent to appointment and have a person authorized for the entity sign the entity certification.
Submit
Step 5: Mail two copies with the required payment and a self-addressed stamped envelope to Business Services at the address in the instructions. Complete the return-information sheet and retain the state's acknowledgement.
Alabama formChange of Registered Agent or Registered Office by Entity
Change fee · Set by the stateAny state fee for this change is confirmed with you before anything is filed.
We handle the whole swapThe form is headed 'by Entity' rather than LLC-only. Corporations and Alabama-registered foreign entities should use the entity's own Alabama ID and authorized signer; do not substitute the separate form for a current agent changing its own name or address.
Switching providers? How to change your registered agent in Alabama — the filing route, consent and entity-specific instructions, with official sources.
Can you be your own registered agent in Alabama?
Yes, if you have a physical Alabama street address and are available there during business hours. Your address becomes public record and you must be present to be served. Whether you still owe a Business Privilege Tax return depends on where you fall against the statutory de minimis threshold — many small LLCs are now exempt from both the tax and the return, and Alabama corporations separately owe the Secretary of State’s annual report. We confirm which side of each line you are on before anything is filed. The full guide: Can you be your own registered agent?
Should you be your own registered agent?
Three honest questions about Alabama. If you don’t need us, we’ll say so.
- Address privacyNow
- Business-hours presence
- Other states
Is it fine if your home or office address goes on the public record?
As your own registered agent, the street address you list is the one that appears on Alabama's public record.
Should you even hire a registered agent?
If you live in Alabama, keep regular hours at a fixed address, and run one entity, you may not need us, and we will tell you so. A service earns its keep when you value privacy, travel, run more than one entity, or operate across state lines.
| What the job involves in Alabama | Be your own agent | LLCity |
|---|---|---|
| Physical AL address | Your home or office, on public record | Our Alabama address, your privacy kept |
| You must be available at the Alabama address during business hours to receive service | On you, every business day | Always staffed, scanned the day it arrives |
| Multi-state coverage | One state only | All 50 plus DC and Puerto Rico, one login |
| Deadline tracking | On you | Reminders before every deadline |
| Served in front of clients | Possible | Never, it comes to us |
Why do businesses in Alabama choose LLCity?
Your Alabama registered agent
Same-day appointment, mail scanned on arrival, and compliance reminders before every deadline.
- Real Alabama street address (no PO box)
- Every notice scanned the day it arrives
- One dashboard for every state you operate in
One login
Every entity and every state in a single dashboard.
Every deadline tracked
Yours fall when your states say they fall. We watch all of them.
Every entity
Add states and entities without adding vendors.
Managing agents for more than three entities?
One agent, one login, and every state deadline tracked for every entity you own.
Put Alabama’s deadlines in your calendar
Set your formation date and download reminders for every recurring Alabama filing — or have us email them.
Business Privilege Tax return (Form PPT) — pass-through entities
Next due: March 15, 2027 · repeats yearly · Due on the same date as your federal income tax return — but Alabama fully exempts taxpayers at or below the statutory de minimis threshold for tax years beginning after December 31, 2023, so many small LLCs owe no return at all. We confirm which side of the line you are on before anything is filed
Business Privilege Tax return (Form CPT) — corporations
C corporations file CPT rather than PPT, on the same date as their federal income tax return, with the same de minimis exemption
Secretary of State Annual Report — corporations
Filed separately with the Alabama Secretary of State since January 2024 — it no longer rides along with the privilege tax return. LLCs do not file it
Alabama does not ask the same thing of every entity, so each line above says which entity it belongs to. Not sure which is yours? Call 212-202-5750 and we will confirm it before anything is filed.
Dates sourced from the Alabama filing office and carrying the month we last checked them. Schedules change — we confirm everything before anything is filed.
Is that letter really from Alabama?
Private companies mail official-looking offers to file your recurring report or sell you a certificate. Here is what Alabama has said about them, and where to file directly.
Alabama Secretary of State2019-12-19
Secretary Merrill Warns of Misleading Letter Being Circulated Through Business Community
“This group is not associated with the state.”
Also published
- Secretary Merrill Warns of Misleading Letter Being Circulated Through Business Community(Alabama Secretary of State (same release on SOS newsroom))
- Alabama Securities Commission and Secretary of State Warning Businesses of Fraudulent Mailer(Alabama Secretary of State and Alabama Securities Commission)
File or order directly from Alabama:
How to tell a lookalike from a real state notice, and what to do with one
Questions about registered agent service in Alabama
Do I need a registered agent in Alabama?
Yes. Every Alabama LLC must continuously maintain a registered agent with a physical Alabama street address to accept service of process under Ala. Code § 10A-1-5.31. Since 2021 the Certificate of Formation is filed directly with the Secretary of State rather than through the county Probate Judge.
Can I be my own registered agent in Alabama?
Yes, if you have a physical Alabama street address and are available there during business hours. Keep in mind your address becomes public record and you must be present to be served. On the tax side, many small LLCs are now exempt from the Business Privilege Tax and its return for tax years beginning after December 31, 2023, while Alabama corporations separately file an annual report with the Secretary of State.
What happens if my Alabama LLC has no registered agent?
Failure to maintain a registered agent is grounds for administrative dissolution by the Secretary of State. You also lose good standing and face exposure to default judgments from missed lawsuits.
How do I change my registered agent in Alabama?
Entity-initiated registered agent or registered office changes for an Alabama domestic LLC; the Secretary of State supplies an entity-level change form. Type Alabama's entity change form, identify the current agent and office, and enter only the replacement information. A new registered agent signs the consent box on the filing before submission. The form is headed 'by Entity' rather than LLC-only. Corporations and Alabama-registered foreign entities should use the entity's own Alabama ID and authorized signer; do not substitute the separate form for a current agent changing its own name or address.
How much does an Alabama registered agent cost?
Pricing is custom to your portfolio of entities and states, and most quotes are same-day. Call 212-202-5750 or start a filing and we’ll price exactly what you need. State filing fees are set by the state and confirmed with you before anything is filed.
Figures verified against the Alabama Secretary of State (www.sos.alabama.gov) · Last updated August 2026
Appoint LLCity as your Alabama registered agent
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