Taylor Legal Blog

Using Third-Party Locations for Principal Office. What Are My Choices? [VIDEO]

Posted by Katherine L. Taylor, Attorney and CPA, Chief Problem SolverJan 29, 20250 Comments

{4 minutes to read}  In previous videos, I discussed possible addresses or locations when deciding what address the business' principal office will be when registering your business. What I stated relating to the principal office location is that if you have a brick-and-mortar location, a retail location, headquarters offices where customers come, then that typically will be your principal office. I also said that if you're a business owner, primarily working remotely, and you're running the back office part of your business from your home, then your home would be the principal office for your business. 

However, many people don't want to use their home address for quite understandable reasons. The main reason is that the address of the principal office of the business is typically not only just public information but also readily available to the public on a public-facing website. So, if you don't want to use your home address as a principal office location, and you don't have another brick-and-mortar location where your company sells products, houses employees, etc., what address can you use for the principal office of your business?

Most states require a street address. Thus, you cannot use a US Postal Service PO box. Also, you can't use a UPS Store box address in Maryland. Even though the UPS store states on its website that you get a street address, it's a street address with a box number attached to it. In Maryland, it's not permissible to use it as a principal office location because the State Department of Assessments and Taxation knows you're not doing business at that location. All you're doing is getting your mail there.

There are other options, such as a business suite's location. A business suites location is like a co-working space where people can rent physical or conference rooms as needed. They might have a receptionist and other office-type services, such as renting, leasing, or using conference room space at that address.

If that's the address where you meet clients, let's say, even in a temporary conference room, you get your mail in general. Maybe there's a receptionist that answers calls. That address will usually be acceptable for your principal office address.

Another type of service out there that has become very popular over the last couple of years is called a virtual mailbox. It's a little confusing, but usually these are companies that have set up operations in several locations. These places say you can get a street address, but that's pretty much all they do. They accept mail for your business, and sometimes will go further than a PO box and open the mail for you, scan it, and send it to you. There will be ways in which you, as the user of that service, can access your mail. 

In general, what I suggest is that you go to your state website to see if there is a list of acceptable versus unacceptable locations.