Money, sales tax and addresses · A term for founders abroad
What is a virtual mailbox?
CMRA. A real US street address from a commercial mail receiving agency that receives, scans and forwards a company's post; not a registered agent.
Checked against the IRS's instructions and the states' own rules. Reviewed by Saais Patel, compliance reviewer.
Term 103 of 105 in the glossary, filed under V.Mercury: FAQ
Virtual mailbox, for a founder abroad.
A commercial mail receiving agency, or CMRA, gives a company a real US street address for post, scans what arrives, and forwards or shreds it on request, usually for $10 to $30 a month. Opening one requires USPS Form 1583.
It's useful for PayPal's US business account, invoices and supplier forms. It's separate from the registered agent, which receives legal papers, Relay won't accept it as an owner's address, Mercury refuses PO and UPS Store boxes as the business address, and it should never be given as where the owner lives.
Sources: Mercury: FAQ.
Read next · guide · 3 minA US address and phone number for a foreign-owned company: who actually needs themWhat founders ask next.
- Does my US LLC need a virtual mailbox?
- Not for the state, the IRS or Mercury. PayPal's US business account and some clients' supplier systems want a US mailing address, and a mailbox covers that. The address guide lists who asks.
- Can I use a virtual mailbox as my home address?
- No. Identity checks compare your address with your documents, and saying you live in the US when you don't is how accounts get closed.
03 · See also
- The company itselfRegistered agentThe person or company with a street address in the state who receives legal papers and state notices for a company during business hours.Read the term
- Money, sales tax and addressesUSPS Form 1583The Postal Service form that authorises a mail receiving agency to accept post for a person or company, with identity checked by the agency or a notary.Read the term
- Money, sales tax and addressesNexusThe link with a state that obliges a seller to collect its sales tax, created by a presence there or by sales above the state's threshold.Read the term
- Money, sales tax and addressesEconomic nexusSales into a state above its threshold, usually $100,000 a year, which makes a seller elsewhere collect that state's sales tax with no presence there.Read the term
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