Offboarding a Registered Agent Client
How to cleanly end Launch's Registered Agent service for a client. This matters: an entity without a registered agent in WA falls out of compliance, and if we walk away improperly, we can leave the client exposed.
There are three offboarding paths. Each starts differently, but they all end the same way: Launch is no longer on file with WA SOS, the client has had a clean handoff, and our compliance reminders are off.
Path 1: Voluntary cancellation by the client
The client emails us (or fills out the cancellation form) saying they're moving to a different RA or dissolving the entity.
Day 0 — confirm receipt + send cancellation packet
Within 1 business day:
- Reply confirming we got the request and the date their RA service will end
- Send the Cancellation Confirmation email (Gmail template: "RA · Cancellation Confirmation")
- Include:
- The effective end date (default: 30 days from request, but we'll honor sooner if they need it for a Statement of Change)
- A copy of their full RA file (filed SOS docs, any forwarded mail records, the original consent letter)
- Clear language that they are responsible for filing the Statement of Change to put a new RA on record before the effective end date, OR that they should let us file it ($30 state fee + service time, billed at cost)
- Names of reputable Washington RA services if they want a recommendation: Northwest Registered Agent, Cogency Global, ZenBusiness (we don't take referral fees)
Day 1-5 — if they want us to file the Statement of Change
- Get them to sign the Resignation as RA letter (template in Legal Drive (opens in a new tab))
- They give us the new RA's name and Washington address
- We file the Statement of Change of Registered Agent in CCFS, putting the new RA on record
- $30 state filing fee, charged through at cost
Day 5-15 — if they want to file it themselves
- Send them a one-page Self-File Instructions doc (Drive, "RA Cancellation / Self-File Instructions")
- The instructions cover: log in to CCFS → find their entity → Amendments → Statement of Change → enter new RA → submit
- We follow up at day 7 to confirm they filed; if not, gentle nudge
Day 30 — closeout
- Confirm WA SOS no longer shows Launch as RA (search CCFS)
- Cancel the Stripe subscription (no prorated refund — annual flat fee, but we'll refund unused months on request as a goodwill gesture)
- Update Supabase:
registered_agent_status = "cancelled",ra_end_date = <date> - Remove the recurring compliance reminders from the calendar
- Archive the client's Drive folder
- Send the Final Goodbye email (Gmail template: "RA · Goodbye"): a thank-you, a copy of their full file as an archive, an invitation to come back for any future service
Path 2: Non-payment lapse
The client's annual renewal invoice (sent 30 days before the renewal date) goes unpaid past the renewal date.
Day +1 (1 day past renewal due) — friendly nudge
- Send the Renewal Past Due email (Gmail template: "RA · Renewal Past Due — Day 1")
- "Hey, the renewal invoice didn't go through — payment issue, or are you wrapping up the entity?"
- Confirm RA service is paused until payment is received
Day +15 — formal warning
- Send the 30-Day Resignation Notice email (Gmail template: "RA · Renewal Past Due — Day 15")
- "If we don't hear back by [date 30 days from now], we'll file a Statement of Resignation with WA SOS and you'll be without an RA, which puts your entity out of compliance and at risk of administrative dissolution."
- Spell out the consequences clearly so this isn't ambiguous
Day +45 — Launch resigns as RA
If still no response:
- File a Statement of Resignation of Registered Agent with WA SOS (CCFS → entity → Resignation)
- $30 state fee — we eat this cost in non-payment cases (the alternative is staying their RA without compensation, which is worse)
- Send the Final Notice email (Gmail template: "RA · Final Notice — Resigned"): confirms we've resigned, explains they're now without an RA, and that they have 60 days to appoint a new one before WA SOS can administratively dissolve the entity
- Update Supabase:
registered_agent_status = "lapsed_resigned",ra_end_date = <date> - Cancel Stripe subscription
- Archive Drive folder
Path 3: Launch-initiated resignation
Rare, but happens. Reasons:
- Client doing something illegal or unethical that we want no part of
- Client has been abusive or threatening
- We're winding down RA services as a business line (not happening, but conceivable)
Day 0 — internal decision + Monica approval
- Document the reason in the client's Supabase record
- Get explicit Monica sign-off on resigning Launch as RA — this is never a unilateral decision
Day 1 — formal notice
- Send the Launch-Initiated Resignation email (Gmail template: "RA · Launch-Initiated Resignation")
- 30 days' notice
- Includes: reason (in measured language; we're not picking a fight), effective end date, what they need to do (file a Statement of Change to a new RA before the effective date, or risk administrative dissolution)
- Offer the same closeout artifacts (full file, recommendations, self-file instructions)
Day 30 — Launch files Statement of Resignation
Whether or not they filed a Statement of Change first:
- File the Statement of Resignation in CCFS
- $30 state fee at our cost
- Send the Resignation Filed email confirming our role with the entity has ended
- Update Supabase, cancel Stripe, archive Drive folder
What every offboarding ends with
| WA SOS | Launch no longer listed as RA (either via Statement of Change to a new RA, or our Statement of Resignation) |
| Stripe | Subscription cancelled |
| Supabase | Status updated (cancelled, lapsed_resigned, or launch_resigned) with end date |
| Compliance calendar | All recurring reminders removed |
| Drive folder | Archived (kept for 7 years per retention policy, then deleted) |
| Client | Has a final copy of their full RA file, knows their options, has at least one recommendation for a replacement RA |
What we DO NOT do during offboarding
- We do not delete the client's record — we archive
- We do not destroy the filing history — even after they leave, we may need to produce it for audits or legal requests
- We do not return any of the annual fee for past months — flat annual rate, no proration owed
- We do not contact their new RA on their behalf (unless they explicitly ask us to coordinate the handoff)
- We do not "ghost" them — silence is never the offboarding path. If we're upset with them, we send a measured Launch-initiated resignation. If they ghost us, we still send the 30-day formal warning.
State of Resignation form
The Statement of Resignation form is a CCFS filing at WA SOS. It requires:
- Entity name + UBI
- Date of resignation
- Reason (optional but recommended: "Service contract not renewed" or "Voluntary resignation")
- Signature of the RA (Launch officer)
Once filed, WA SOS notifies the entity directly that their RA has resigned and they have 60 days to appoint a new one.
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v1 draft. Verify the cancellation path on Stripe (subscription cancel vs subscription pause) and the exact Gmail template names against current setup. Last updated 2026-05-27.