After filing the paperwork for your new business, you'll have to wait for the state to process your application. How long it takes, depends on your entity type as well as the state where you chose to form your business.

Learn how long it takes state to process a new business entity application. We’ve displayed some common entity and filing times by state, so you can know each state’s filing times.

Before you can form a new entity, you must come up with a name.

You then need to register the name with the office of the Secretary of State in the state where you want to form your business. But before you do that, a business name search is required as part of the filing process in most states. Each state has its unique requirements for naming and forming a company.

Knowing whether or not the name you’d like to use is available, will save you time. If the name you’d like to use is clear, then you’re good the go with forming your new business in that state.

Often times, the name you would like to use for your new business has already been taken in the state you’d like to form your new entity; therefore, having an alternate name gets you internally prepared for the what if meaning: if the name is you would like to use not available.

We’ve provided a free lookup tool to help you with determining where to form your new company.

There are initial filing fees and renewal fees which can very based on the business type and your state. But since a DBA isn't a formal business structure, there are usually no ongoing annual fees or filing requirements.

You can search for DBA requirements in your state or check with the state agency where you registered your entity. Once you determine where, you may be able to register your DBA online. You'll be required to provide the name of your Business and the fictitious name you want to use. Restrictions often prohibit the use of a DBA that's the same or similar to a DBA that's already registered.

Yes. If you want to use more than one DBA, you'll need to file a separate registration for each name.

No, you don't need an EIN for a DBA. Whether you're required to have one depends on how your business is organized.

In most states and counties, you need to renew your DBA every 5-10 years. DBAs never expire in a few states like Indiana, Iowa, and New York.

No, A DBA doesn't give a liability protection to a business. You need to form an LLC, corporation, or nonprofit to have liability protection.

You'll need to go through the normal process of registering your business with the state. This includes a name search to make sure no other business has the same name, since having a DBA doesn't guarantee that your DBA name will be available for your business entity.

We’ve provided a free lookup tool to help you with determining where to form your new company.

We require 5 to 7 business days to process all orders. If you require rush services please email or call our support department for rush pricing and availability.

A trademark protects logos, names, slogans, and words to ensure the exclusive rights (on similar goods or services that would cause confusion) of usage to the owner of the mark.

You may use the ™ symbol next to your trademark right away. You may use the ® next to your trademark only after it has been legally registered through the United State Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO), the entire trademark registration takes approx. 8 - 14 months, and a Statement of Use is filed (for marks not currently in use) and a Registration Certificate is issued.

No. The fees listed on our website are the total costs required for getting your trademark filed.

Which is our service fee + government fee

Yes. Once we have completed all necessary steps (review, format, transmit and submit to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office) we will an email to you the application for you to review, if everything looks good you must sign the application.

The USPTO (United States Patent & Trademark Office), charges a per class fee of $350, in most situations only one (1) class is required, however, additional classes may be purchased at your request.

No. An applicant’s citizenship must be included in the record, but it need not be US citizenship. If an applicant/corporation is not the citizen of any country, then a statement to that effect is sufficient. If an applicant has dual citizenship, then applicant must choose which citizenship will be printed in the Official Certificate of Registration.

No. However certain countries do recognize a U.S. Registration as a basis for registering the mark in that country. Many countries maintain a register of trademarks. Each country’s laws about registration should be consulted.

The average trademark registration examination process takes 8 - 12 months, however, it can possibly take anywhere from 1 year to several years for the process to be completed. This depends on the basis for filing and any issues that arise in the examination process.

US trademarks can last forever as long as the trademark is being used in commerce and defended against infringement. However, for a trademark registration to remain valid, a Statement of Use must be filed: (1) between the fifth and sixth year following registration and (2) within the year before the end of every ten-year period after the date of registration.

The USPTO (United States Patent & Trademark Office) will not register a trademark that is similar to a mark that is already registered. This means that conducting a trademark name search is essential prior to filing and is recommended by most legal representatives. We offer a free do-it-yourself trademark search or you can hire us to conduct trademark research for you by ordering our comprehensive Trademark Search.

Yes. A registered mark can be transferred or sold. There is a fee from the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO).

You're required to have a registered agent in most states. Having one ensures your legal notices are in good hands and helps you avoid penalties.

A registered agent is an adult or authorized business that's around during normal business hours to accept mail or hand-delivered court documents on your behalf. They must have a physical address—not a PO Box—in the same state where your business was formed or have foreign qualification.

Yes. Depending on your state, If you want to make us your new registered agent, you'll just need to pay a fee, and file paperwork first.

Registered agents are authorized to receive legal documents on behalf of the business. These include tax documents, annual reports or statements, and Service of Process (Notice of Litigation).

Yes. you should always consult with an attorney on any legal matters concerning your business.

Different states use different names, but all three agents fulfill the same duties.

Whenever you want to update the articles for your company—by changing your company name, changing your contact information, or changing stock information, for example—you may need to file a document with the appropriate state agency. Depending on the state, this is sometimes called an articles of amendment, a certificate of amendment, or a certificate of change. We can create your amendment document and file it with the state.

An operating agreement establishes the ground rules for a limited liability company, including the rights and duties of the LLC's members. Many states require an LLC to have a written operating agreement. Learn more.

Keeping your company in good standing with the government is an important part of running a business. If you miss a filing requirement or deadline, your company could be subject to fines and other penalties that could impact your operating ability and bottom line. Compliance calendar services relieve some of the burden of managing these important deadlines.

An Annual report is filed regularly to keep your business's information—its name, address, managers, etc.—up to date with the state. They must be filed with the Secretary of State (or other state filing office) every year—in some states, every two or ten years. The name, definition, and scope of the reports can vary, but most states require businesses to file them on a regular annual basis.

Generally, Your business will need the most current name and address of the company, its registered agent, and its managers. Corporations usually need to list officers and directors, and may also need stock information.

You could lose your good standing with the state and need to pay late fees. If you fail to file completely, you might face the administrative dissolution of your company. The state will no longer recognize your company as a legal entity, which could affect contracts, hurt business relationships, and expose you to personal liability.

It may vary among states, but here are some usual names: Biennial Statement (NY), Statement of Information (CA), and Public Information Report (TX).

States have different filing windows and deadlines, and submissions outside of those windows may not be accepted. For example, the California Secretary of State has a six-month filing window before, and including the month of your business formation. Check your state's filing window to make sure your order and paperwork can be processed on time. You can also get email and text reminders for annual reports and business income tax filings through our Compliance Calendar.

More than likely, you need licenses to legally run your business and meet all local, county, state, and federal requirements. The exact number of licenses you need depends on your industry and location.

You should get all required licenses before you start operating your business or open your doors to the public. Otherwise, you could face fines and other penalties. Once you have your licenses, it's important to display them properly, make copies for your records, and keep track of all renewal dates.

Business licenses issued by all levels of government—city, county, state, and federal—so you might need to apply with various agencies and departments. Our agents makes that part easy by finding all of the licenses you need at every governmental level.

Business licenses are needed for three main reasons. (1) Helps protect the public's health and safety, (2) Track a business's finances for tax purposes, and (3) Identify businesses so they can be held accountable for their actions.

Licenses businesses often need: (1) Building permit , (2) Fire and Police Department permit, (3) Health Department permit , (4) Home occupation permit , (5) Sales tax license, (6) Seller's permit, (7) Withholding tax registration, and (8) Zoning permit.

A virtual address is a real, physical address that can be used remotely as a customer business mailing address without the need for you or your business to physically occupy that space.

All mail items we receive on your behalf is scanned and uploaded into your dashboard, so you can review, manage or print them out whenever you need a copy. We can direct items to different users within your account based on how they are addressed. This can be done with individual or business names, titles, and departments.

Items delivered to our mailing in Miami, FL should appear in your account the same day. Street addresses generally accept items from all carriers. We don't currently offer PO Box addresses. Over time, we list a network of our addresses and more details on individual addresses and exceptions.

All the postal mail we receive on your behalf from any agencies or other third parties at our address, we will scan the outside of your parcel and the inside and outside of your envelope, turning it into a fully searchable PDF that you can securely view in your account dashboard.

To ensure the security of your digital mail, we use 256-bit AES encryption to store digital documents. You can also enable multi-factor authorization on your account for strict account access.

E+n Partnership is our network of preselected service providers (e.g. accounts, bookkeeper, business consultant, IP Lawyer, designer, etc.)

The ‘E’ is an (exponent) or supporter, which helps to multiply the previous anything by 10.

RCA's goal is to support our customers and their businesses along the way, which may help them to multiply their mission 10 times more.