Tennessee Registered Agent Service
Yes. Tennessee requires every entity except a general partnership to maintain a registered agent and registered office in Tennessee at all times. The registered office must be a Tennessee street address — the Secretary of State’s own instructions state that a post office box is not acceptable for the registered agent or registered office address.
Verified against the Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations · Reviewed September 2026
- Appointed the same day
- Real Tennessee street address
- Every US filing jurisdiction, one login
- Required?
- Yes, except general partnerships
- Address rule
- Street address in TN, no PO box
- Form to switch agents
- SS-4534 — Statement of Change of Registered Agent/Office by Entity or Agent
- Key deadline
- First day of the fourth monthSee all deadlines
Your Tennessee year
Every recurring Tennessee filing on a single line, with a two-week heads-up before each due date.
- January
- February
- March
- April: Annual report (TNCaB) due, Apr 1
- May
- June
- July
- August
- September
- October
- November
- December
One filing a year: Annual report (TNCaB), due April 1.
- Form
- Annual Report, filed through the TNCaB portal
- If late
- Administrative dissolution and inactive status for entities that do not file on time
Deadline rules from the Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations · reviewed September 2026. We confirm every date when you file.
What does Tennessee require of your registered agent?
The rule
Governing statute: T.C.A. § 48-249-110 (Tennessee Revised Limited Liability Company Act — change of registered agent) and § 48-15-102 (Tennessee Business Corporation Act); annual report at T.C.A. § 48-249-1017 for LLCs and § 48-26-203 for corporations
The registered agent and registered office must be located in Tennessee, and the Secretary of State rejects a post office box for the registered agent or registered office address — the address is verified and the filing is refused if it cannot be recognized as valid. After a change, the registered office address and the agent’s business office address must be identical.
Tennessee frames the role as an entity that agrees to accept legal mail on the company’s behalf and must be reachable at the Tennessee registered office. Since 2026 the change form also requires the new registered agent’s business email address, so the state has a second channel on file.
If you have no agent
Being without a registered agent is one of the Secretary of State’s named grounds for administrative dissolution or revocation, right beside failing to file the annual report. Reinstating means an Application for Reinstatement (SS-9410) plus every late annual report.
New to the role? What a registered agent actually does — 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 Tennessee the law says registered agent. Which term each state uses.
Operating beyond Tennessee? Compare agent requirements state by state — the term, the address rule and the recurring filing all change at the state line.
What does Tennessee ask you to file, and when?
| Obligation | Form | Due | Late penalty |
|---|---|---|---|
| LLC formation (Articles of Organization) | Articles of Organization — Limited Liability Company (SS-4270) | At formation | N/A |
| Annual report | Annual Report, filed through the TNCaB portal | On or before the first day of the fourth month following the close of the fiscal year — April 1 for a December fiscal year end | Administrative dissolution and inactive status for entities that do not file on time |
| Change of registered agent (by entity) | Statement of Change of Registered Agent by Entity (SS-4534) | When the agent changes | - |
| Change of registered office (by the agent) | Statement of Change of Registered Office by Registered Agent (SS-4535) | When the agent’s own address changes | - |
| Resignation of registered agent | Statement of Resignation of Registered Agent (SS-4420) | Filed by the agent | You must appoint a replacement or risk dissolution |
State fees change; we confirm current amounts with you before anything is filed.
Missed a filing? What happens to a Tennessee LLC, and how to put it right — Tennessee’s own status term, the filing that brings it back and the time limit.
What we file for you in Tennessee
- 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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee?
Procedure scope: Domestic and registered foreign Tennessee LLCs; the Secretary of State also lists SS-4534 for domestic and foreign corporations.
5 steps
to switch your registered agent in Tennessee.
Step 1: Find the business's Tennessee control number and exact registered name and obtain the current registered-agent information from its state record.
Step 2: Arrange service with the replacement agent and confirm the Tennessee street address to be used as both its business office and the entity's registered office.
Step 3: Open the current SS-4534 from the Secretary of State's forms page. Identify that the change is being made by the entity and enter the current and replacement agent and office information.
Agent consent
Step 4: Have the authorized submitter sign and date the statement, provide the signer name and capacity, and complete the attestation that the two office addresses will be identical after the change.
Submit
Step 5: Submit the statement using the filing instructions supplied with the current form and retain the filing evidence; check the business record before treating the handoff as complete.
Tennessee formSS-4534 — Statement of Change of Registered Agent/Office by Entity or Agent
Change fee · Set by the stateAny state fee for this change is confirmed with you before anything is filed.
We handle the whole swapThe Secretary of State lists SS-4534 under domestic and foreign LLCs and corporations, but the governing statutory authority differs by entity and by the LLC act applicable to the company. SS-4535 concerns a registered agent changing its office address and is not the replacement-agent filing described here.
Switching providers? How to change your registered agent in Tennessee — the filing route, consent and entity-specific instructions, with official sources.
Can you be your own registered agent in Tennessee?
Yes. Tennessee lets an individual or an organization serve, provided there is a real Tennessee street address for the registered office and someone there to take legal mail. A post office box will not pass — the Division verifies the address and rejects filings it cannot recognize. And because Tennessee’s annual report is pegged to the first day of the fourth month after your fiscal year end rather than a fixed statewide date, owners on a non-calendar fiscal year routinely diary the wrong day and get administratively dissolved for it. The full guide: Can you be your own registered agent?
Should you be your own registered agent?
Three honest questions about Tennessee. If you don’t need us, we’ll say so.
- Address privacyNow
- Reaching you with legal papers
- 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 Tennessee's public record.
Should you even hire a registered agent?
If you live in Tennessee, 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 Tennessee | Be your own agent | LLCity |
|---|---|---|
| Street address in TN, no PO box | Your home or office, on public record | Our Tennessee address, your privacy kept |
| You must be reliably reachable to accept and forward service of process | 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 Tennessee choose LLCity?
Your Tennessee registered agent
Same-day appointment, mail scanned on arrival, and compliance reminders before every deadline.
- Real Tennessee 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 Tennessee’s deadlines in your calendar
Set your formation date and download reminders for every recurring Tennessee filing — or have us email them.
Annual report (TNCaB)
Next due: April 1, 2027 · repeats yearly · Due the first day of the fourth month after your fiscal year closes — April 1 for a December fiscal year end; shift it if your fiscal year differs
Dates sourced from the Tennessee filing office and carrying the month we last checked them. Schedules change — we confirm everything before anything is filed.
Is that letter really from Tennessee?
Private companies mail official-looking offers to file your recurring report or sell you a certificate. Here is what Tennessee has said about them, and where to file directly.
Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations2026-01-12
“All business owners should be wary of any correspondence that attempts to look like it is from the State of Tennessee”
Also published
File or order directly from Tennessee:
How to tell a lookalike from a real state notice, and what to do with one
Questions about registered agent service in Tennessee
Do I need a registered agent in Tennessee?
Yes. Tennessee requires all entities except general partnerships to maintain a registered agent and registered office in the state at all times. The registered office has to be a Tennessee street address — the Secretary of State’s instructions say plainly that a post office box is not acceptable, and filings with unverifiable addresses are rejected.
Can I be my own registered agent in Tennessee?
Yes, if you have a genuine Tennessee street address and can receive legal mail there during the working day. The catch is that a PO box will be refused outright, your address goes on the public record, and you personally carry the risk on a deadline that moves with your fiscal year rather than sitting on a fixed date.
When is the Tennessee annual report due?
On or before the first day of the fourth month following the close of your fiscal year — April 1 if your fiscal year ends December 31, under T.C.A. § 48-249-1017 for LLCs and § 48-26-203 for corporations. You must have a TNCaB account to file it. Entities that miss it can be administratively dissolved and placed in inactive status.
What happens if my Tennessee LLC has no registered agent?
The Secretary of State lists being without a registered agent as a ground for administrative dissolution or revocation, alongside a missed annual report. Beyond the status hit, you lose your reliable channel for lawsuits, which is how default judgments arrive. Reinstatement takes an Application for Reinstatement (SS-9410) plus every outstanding annual report.
How do I change my registered agent in Tennessee?
Domestic and registered foreign Tennessee LLCs; the Secretary of State also lists SS-4534 for domestic and foreign corporations. Use Tennessee's SS-4534 to replace the registered agent or change the registered office. Identify the business record and the old and new agent information, and certify that the resulting registered office is the agent's business office. The Secretary of State lists SS-4534 under domestic and foreign LLCs and corporations, but the governing statutory authority differs by entity and by the LLC act applicable to the company. SS-4535 concerns a registered agent changing its office address and is not the replacement-agent filing described here.
Figures verified against the Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations (sos.tn.gov/businesses) · Last updated September 2026
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