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Privacy. We all want it. Except my dad. He used to answer the door in his tighty whiteys.
But for the rest of us, we typically want to know how to avoid using home address for LLC because we value privacy. We don’t want our address splashed on the internet.
Trusted companies like iPostal1 let you set up a virtual address. Then you use that address for your LLC with a service such as ZenBusiness.
There are other ways to avoid using your home address for your LLC, which I’ll explain below.
Look, there are over 33.2 million1 small businesses in the U.S. If all those entrepreneurs figured this out, you can, too!
Table of Contents
How To Avoid Using Home Address For LLC
You’re probably thinking, “I’m working from home, but I don't want to use my home address for my business.”
You can avoid using your home address for your LLC by using a virtual business address instead, with a digital mailbox such as iPostal1.
A virtual business address is just what it sounds like – an address you use for official purposes (but that doesn’t correspond to where you actually run your business).
Sometimes, a virtual address will be a physical location (like an office building) in your city where you’ll receive mail.
You can also set up a “software-based” virtual address. This means your business exists on the internet, and you use a P.O. box to receive physical mail. In either case, you’ll use the virtual address instead of your home address when registering for an LLC.
Be aware that you typically need a real address to register your LLC, NOT a P.O. box. You can only use a P.O. Box to pick up your mail.
For example, iPostal1 has over 3,000 locations in real office buildings with professional staff.
iPostal1 not only gives you an address that you list on your LLC paperwork, but they receive your mail and packages. You can either pick up your mail from the building or have them forward it to your home address – keeping it private from others.
My good friend uses iPostal1 and says it’s been reliable and trustworthy, so she’s stayed with them for years.
She posts on social media and doesn’t want zillions of people knowing her home address AND knowing when she’s traveling away from home. Because she knows how to make money as a travel photographer.
Now, what if you don’t have a business to register yet? Then I’ll help you create one!
Check out this article on how to make money online for beginners. You could start your own venture or look for an online business for sale.
Should I Use My Home Address For My LLC?
In my opinion, no.
Did you know that if you send email newsletters or email offers to your customers that you MUST include a valid address for your business at the bottom of every email?
If you don’t, you’ll be failing to comply with the US CAN-Spam Act.
Maybe you don’t care if all your customers, fans, followers, vendors, and nosey people know where you live. In that case, you can certainly use your home address for your LLC.
Otherwise, it could be worth it to get a virtual address with iPostal1 that you can use instead.
Look, you’re creating an LLC for a reason: to separate your business from your private life.
That’s also why it’s better to use the best business credit cards for business purchases and use your personal credit cards for personal purchases. And use the best banks for small businesses instead of using your personal bank account.
Setting your home address as your business address can cause serious headaches.
What sort of headaches am I talking about?
Consider these potential issues:
- Your home address can be made available to the public. That means marketers, vendors, customers, spammers, and stalkers know where you live. Dangerous? Maybe. Annoying? For sure.
- You’re mixing personal with business. This can lead to major issues. The whole point of an LLC is to protect your personal funds. In legal jargon, mixing personal assets and business assets is called “piercing the corporate veil.” This can put your personal assets at risk in business-related lawsuits. That’s the exact catastrophe that you’re creating an LLC to avoid!
- Zoning restrictions could make it illegal to have a business at your home address. Break these rules, and you could be slapped with a fine.
- Your business will seem less professional. People trust businesses that seem legit. A company based in a residential neighborhood may seem sketchy to some people – which will ultimately hurt your business.
So, if you’re thinking, “I don't want to use my home address for my business,” your instincts are right!
Pros and Cons of Using Home Address For LLC
Using your home address for your LLC usually isn’t the best idea, but it’s often possible. And it even has a few benefits.
Let’s break down the pros and cons. (After that, we can dive into how to avoid using home address for LLC.)
Pros
- It’s free and easy. Instead of having to set up a virtual business address, you can just use the home address.
- You’ll maximize convenience. If your mail comes to your home, you won’t have to go get it from some other location or have it forwarded. And in the busy life of an entrepreneur, saving time is always appreciated!
- You’ll satisfy any “physical address” requirements. Some states insist that your business have a physical address – and your home will count.
Cons
- You’ll forfeit your privacy. Imagine having a pushy salesperson or angry customer knocking on your door. Or just having your home address be a public record that anyone can look up might freak you out.
Actually, they don’t even have to look it up if you plan to send emails to your customers. US law requires you to list your business address at the bottom of commercial emails.
The best business ideas for women often have you as the face of your company. And now strangers will have your home address, too. Not ideal.
Or, if you become popular with podcast hosting, you might not want the world to know exactly where you live.
Or if you’re posting your location on social media because you know how to make money on Facebook, or you’re going live on Instagram, etc., millions of people will know you’re NOT HOME. And they’ll know your address. And they’ll steal your shoes. All your shoes!
- Your personal assets could be at risk. Whenever you mix your personal and business affairs, there’s a chance you could pierce the legal “corporate veil” that an LLC is meant to create. This means lawsuits could target your home and other personal assets, as well as your dog. (Not your dog. Probably. Unless you employ your dog as a dog model/influencer, in which case, it gets confusing.)
- Your business can look amateurish. Imagine dealing with a company that lists its address as “Sunnydale Estates, apartment 37B.” That doesn’t exactly scream “serious enterprise.”
What Is a Virtual Address For LLC / Virtual Business Address For LLC / Virtual Office Address For LLC?
A virtual business address is an address that you can use to register your business, even if you’re actually operating your business from your home.
In other words, a virtual business address is the answer to the “how to avoid using home address for LLC” question.
There are 2 types of virtual addresses that you can use for your LLC:
- A software-based virtual address. With this model, you’ll run your business remotely. Then, you’ll use a P.O. box to receive your business-related mail.
- A location-based virtual address with iPostal1. This system gives you a real location that will act as your business’s official address. The virtual address provider will probably give you an address in a building that already has lots of companies (which makes your business seem more legit). Your business’s mail will then go to this address.
Either of these options can help if you’re thinking, “I don't want to use my home address for my business.”
And here's a short video to explain how a virtual address with iPostal1 works:
How To Get Virtual Address For LLC
There’s a simple answer to the question of “how to avoid using home address for LLC?” You have to get a virtual address.
Luckily, it’s easy.
Here’s how to get a virtual address for your LLC, whether it’s a business to start with 10k or how to make money as an independent artist:
- Choose a virtual business address provider. Companies like iPostal1 will help you set up your virtual office for a fee.
- Select an address. The provider should walk you through this process.
- File Form 1583 with 2 forms of identification. This is required by the U.S. Postal Service. The forms will have to be notarized. Some companies like iPostal1 will connect you with a virtual notary, so you won’t even have to leave your couch to get your virtual address set up!
- Update your address with vendors, clients, and anyone else you’re doing business with. You need to make sure everyone is sending your mail to your new official address.
- Create your LLC using your new virtual address. Or, if you already have an LLC, update your legal documents so that your new virtual address is listed. If you need help creating an LLC, I’d suggest using ZenBusiness. Read more about the best LLC service.
Looking for more ways to improve your online business? Check out my article on how to double 10k quickly.
Pros and Cons of Using Virtual Address For LLC
How to avoid using home address for LLC? Use a virtual address! That’s what I recommend whenever someone tells me, “I don't want to use my home address for my business.”
But while using a virtual address makes a lot of sense, it’s not a perfect solution. Here are the pros and cons to consider.
Pros
- You’ll avoid privacy issues. Since your home address won’t be associated with your business, you don’t have to worry about customers, salespeople, stalkers, and potential scammers knowing where you live.
When you use email marketing software, it even requires you to enter your business address. That’s because US law requires you to reveal your address when emailing people from your business. So, it’s better to have a legal virtual address instead of using your home address.
- You’ll stay on the right side of zoning laws. Your municipal government might not allow businesses in your neighborhood. With a virtual address, you’ll avoid legal headaches and fines.
- Your business will look more professional. Virtual business addresses are often placed in city centers – just where customers expect “legit companies” to be located.
Cons
- Providers charge for virtual addresses. You can expect to spend around $15 per month. And if you skip a month or end the service, you’ll lose the virtual address – which means you’ll have to update your business address on all your legal documents yet again.
- Getting your mail could become more of an ordeal. You’ll probably have to go to a physical location (so no more running out to the mailbox in your pajamas!) And if you opt to have them forward your business mail to your home mailbox, you’re looking at more fees.
- You’ll need to send notarized forms to the U.S. Postal Service. File this in the “not a big deal, but definitely annoying” category.
In the end, you’ll need to decide if it’s worth about $15 dollars a month with iPostal1 for your privacy, and to protect your personal assets because you’re properly keeping your business completely separate from your personal finances.
Common Questions About How To Avoid Using Home Address For LLC
Alternatives To Using Home Address For LLC?
Here’s how to avoid using home address for LLC: Use a virtual business address instead. Digital mailboxes like iPostal1 will give you a virtual address for a monthly fee. Then, you can use this address to register your LLC through ZenBusiness.
Oftentimes affiliate marketing businesses are run out of the owner’s home. In this case, it’s best to use a virtual business address on your LLC registration instead.
For the best affiliate programs, check out my
- Temu affiliate program review
- Zara affiliate program review
- Louis Vuitton affiliate program
- LEGO affiliate program review
- Revolve affiliate program review
- Samsung affiliate program review
- Sephora affiliate program review
- Chewy affiliate program review
- Farfetch affiliate program review
Business Address For LLC?
You’ll need to list a physical address to create an LLC. If you’re working out of your home, you could use your home address – but this creates privacy and liability-related risks. So instead you can use a virtual business address from iPostal1.
It’s affordable and matches up with low-cost business ideas with high profit and for resellers who know What Flips.
Can You Use Registered Agent Address as Business Address?
Yes, some registered agents will let you use their address as your official business address. This is a great option for anyone thinking, “I don't want to use my home address for my business.”
How To Keep LLC Ownership Private?
If you want to keep your ownership LLC private, you could set up a holding company or use a nominee manager. That way, your name won’t be directly linked with the company. You can also use iPostal1 to get a virtual address so your home address stays private.
Keeping LLC ownership private becomes more important when it’s a side hustle that your full-time job wouldn’t appreciate. Or, if you start making good money proving you know:
- How to make 50k a month
- How to make 30k a month
- How to make 20k a month
- How to make 20000 dollars a week
- Jobs that pay 1 million dollars a month
- Jobs that pay over 1 million a year
Can You Use UPS Mailbox For LLC?
You can use a UPS mailbox to receive mail for your business, but you’ll still need a “registered agent” for your LLC that has a physical address. iPostal1 gives you a virtual address. You pick up your mail from one of their 3,000 locations, or they can privately forward it to your home address. To create an LLC, use ZenBusiness.
It’s a good idea to keep your home address private if you’re running a sensitive business like how to make money OnlyFans as a couple, or how to make money OnlyFans as a guy, or even how to make money as an attractive female, or how to make money as an attractive male.
No one needs crazy fans coming to their house to do crazy things like sniffing your hair through a crazy straw.
Can I Run an LLC Out of My Home?
You can run an LLC out of your home, but there are downsides to listing your home address.
For example, you’ll lose your privacy, and people looking for your business could show up at your home. That’s why you should consider using a virtual address with iPostal1
as your business address. And ZenBusiness makes it fast and easy to create an LLC.
Nowadays, in the digital age of cyberspace, on the information superhighway, you can run any online business from your home. So yes, you should have an LLC if your business is how to make money on OnlyFans (especially then!) or if it’s how you earn 20 dollars per referral with referral bonus apps.
Can You Use a PO Box For an LLC?
You can use a P.O. box to receive your business-related mail, but it will NOT count as a legit physical address for your LLC. To keep your privacy, use iPostal1. They have over 3,000 locations that are similar to a PO Box but with a real address that you can put on your LLC paperwork with ZenBusiness.
Virtual Address For LLC / Can I Use a Virtual Address For LLC?
Yes, you can use a virtual address for an LLC. In fact, that’s the ideal solution for anyone asking the “how to avoid using home address for LLC” question. Check out iPostal1 to use a virtual address for LLC. Then, you can use that address when you use ZenBusiness to create your LLC.
Many of the most profitable online businesses are set up as LLCs using a virtual address.
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Unrelated:
- How to create an LLC for your dog because he’s a petfluencer – such a good boy petfluencer pup (Although you could promote his favorite toys and treats with the Chewy affiliate program).
Sources:
1 – https://www.uschamber.com/small-business/state-of-small-business-now
