The registered agent is responsible for receiving important legal and tax documents on behalf of the business. Service of Process (sometimes called notice of litigation), which is the document that initiates a lawsuit, is served to the registered agent for a business. Proper handling of and timely response to this document are vital, as not doing so can result in significant adverse consequences to the business. Additionally, the registered agent often receives mail and tax documents from the state and government on behalf of business. Timely handling of these documents is also important as states typical impose deadlines for annual report and franchise tax payments.