Switching the registered agent on a Tennessee LLC is a single state filing — not a re-formation. Here is the form, the fee, the timing, and the handful of details founders trip over.
Tennessee requires every LLC to maintain a registered agent on file with the Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business Services. The agent is the address where lawsuits and official Tennessee state mail are delivered. When you change the person or company in that role, the state has to be told within a short window — typically the same year of the change, and in many cases within 30 days.
The handful of common reasons we see founders change Tennessee registered agents:
Tennessee's annual report fee is calculated by member count: $300 minimum for six or fewer members, plus $50 for each additional member, capped at $3,000. The annual report is due on the first day of the fourth month after fiscal year end (April 1 for calendar-year filers). Tennessee also levies a 6.5% franchise and excise tax on LLCs taxed as corporations.
Confirm the replacement before you remove the current one. The new agent must be a Tennessee resident over 18 with a physical Tennessee address, or a business entity authorized to transact business in Tennessee. If you are using a commercial service, sign up before you file the change so the address you list is real on day one.
Tennessee requires the incoming registered agent to consent to the appointment. Most online change forms include a consent line the new agent signs (or e-signs). Commercial registered agent services handle this automatically.
Tennessee's change-of-agent filing is usually called a Statement of Change of Registered Agent or a Change of Registered Agent and/or Office. Submit it through the Tennessee Division of Business Services portal at sos.tn.gov. You list the LLC's name and Tennessee file number, the prior agent and address, the new agent and address, and an effective date.
Tennessee typically charges between $10 and $50 to process the change. Online filings are usually paid by credit card on submission. Confirmation arrives by email within a few business days; many states accept the change instantly online.
If you are leaving a paid commercial agent, send written notice to cancel the renewal. Most services do not refund the unused portion of an annual fee — but they will stop billing in the next cycle. Save the cancellation confirmation with your LLC records.
Online filings with the Tennessee Division of Business Services are typically processed within 1–5 business days, sometimes the same day. Mail-in filings take longer — plan on 2–4 weeks. Once accepted, the change is reflected in the public Tennessee business record and any service of process or state mail goes to the new address from that point forward.
If service of process arrives at the old agent during the gap between filing and acceptance, the old agent is still legally responsible for forwarding it. That is one reason to time the change with at least a brief overlap rather than terminating the prior agent the day before you file.
If you formed your Tennessee LLC with us, our Nashville office is already on file as the registered agent for the first year — no change needed. After that, renewal is $119/year, opt-in. If you formed elsewhere and want to switch to us, we file the Tennessee change-of-agent form for you and serve as the agent of record from acceptance forward; the state filing fee is paid directly to Tennessee.
Either way, the change is straightforward — verify with the Tennessee Division of Business Services for the current fee and exact form name, then file. Our role is to make sure nothing falls through the gap.
Reservation takes three minutes. A formation specialist in Nashville handles the rest.