Platform
Start a Business
Choose a structure, clear the name, file with the state and get the tax registrations in place. Our filing specialists handle the paperwork in all 50 states.
Business Structures & Entity Types
The structure you choose decides how you are taxed, what paperwork you owe each year and how exposed your personal assets are. Compare the options, then file with us.
C Corporation
A separate taxable entity with shareholders, directors and officers. The right fit when you plan to raise outside capital, issue multiple classes of stock or retain earnings inside the business.
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A corporation that elects pass-through taxation, so profits and losses land on the shareholders’ returns instead of being taxed twice. Limited to 100 shareholders and one class of stock.
Talk to a specialistLimited Liability Company (LLC)
Liability protection with far less formality than a corporation. Flexible on management and taxation — member-managed or manager-managed, taxed as a sole proprietor, partnership, S corp or C corp.
Talk to a specialistLimited Liability Partnership (LLP)
A partnership in which each partner is shielded from the negligence of the others. Common among licensed professionals in states that permit the structure.
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For state-licensed professions — medicine, law, accounting, architecture and others — where the state requires a dedicated entity type owned by licensed practitioners.
Talk to a specialistNonprofit Corporation
The state-level entity that must exist before you apply for federal tax exemption. We file the articles with the specific language the IRS looks for on a 501(c)(3) application.
Talk to a specialistSole Proprietorship
The simplest way to trade under your own name, with no separation between you and the business. Fast to start, but your personal assets are exposed to business liabilities.
Talk to a specialistPartnership
Two or more owners sharing profits, losses and management. Straightforward to form, and best paired with a written partnership agreement that sets out contributions and exits.
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Names & Trademark Protection
Clear the name before you print anything. We search availability, reserve the name while you organise, and register the marks that matter.
Doing Business As (DBA)
Register a trade name so you can operate, invoice and bank under a name other than your legal entity name. Requirements vary by state and county — we file where you need it.
Talk to a specialistBusiness Name Search
A preliminary search of the state business registry to see whether your name is available before you commit to a filing.
Talk to a specialistBusiness Name Reservation
Hold your chosen name with the state while you finish organising, so nobody claims it between your decision and your filing.
Talk to a specialistComprehensive Trademark Search
A search across federal, state and common-law sources to surface conflicting marks before you invest in branding or file an application.
Talk to a specialistTrademark Registration
Preparation and filing of your federal trademark application, with the classes, specimens and description of goods and services set out correctly.
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Licenses, Permits & Tax Filings
Formation is the first filing, not the last. These are the registrations that let you hire, collect tax and operate legally in your state.
S Corporation Election
Filing IRS Form 2553 to elect S corporation tax treatment for an existing corporation or LLC, within the deadlines that make the election effective for the current tax year.
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Preparation of the federal tax-exemption application for your nonprofit corporation, including the organisational language and schedules the IRS requires.
Talk to a specialistFederal Tax ID Number (EIN)
Your business’s federal tax identification number — needed to open a bank account, hire employees, file returns and apply for business credit.
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Registration with the state so you can legally collect and remit sales tax on taxable goods and services, in each state where you have nexus.
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State unemployment insurance and state income tax withholding accounts, so payroll is compliant from the first employee you hire.
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A review of the federal, state, county and municipal licences your specific activity and location require, and filing of the ones you are missing.
Talk to a specialistSecretary of State Filings
Document preparation and submission to the Secretary of State in any of the 50 states, with the fees, formats and turnaround times each office expects.
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