How to Get a Business License 1-2-3
Does My Company Need a Business License?
Getting a local, county or state
business license can be a complicated, time-consuming task. There are over 19,000 separate licensing
jurisdictions in the United States, and each has its own particular licensing requirements. That can mean
hours spent on the phone or online chasing down the right department, getting the right forms, learning
the submission rules, etc.
The Difficulties of Obtaining Licenses
Sometimes the process of obtaining business licensing can be nothing short of maddening. First you must
search for license applications, not always knowing who to call or where to browse; then you must try to find
the appropriate department, the right person, and the correct forms.
The internet is usually of little help, since most local authorities don't post their business license
applications on the Web (and even those applications that are posted are not fillable). Then you must wait and
hope that you will get the forms promised to you, or you have to arrange to pick them up yourself from numerous
government offices.
When you finally receive the license forms you've requested, you have to fill them out manually, calculate
all the pertaining fields by hand, make changes it if you didn't get every field right the first time, and then
file away copies in file cabinets for later reference. To top it all off, you have to mail these applications
or deliver them yourself in hopes that they arrive safely. And you have to go through this process for every
license or permit required for your business!
Licensing difficulties can be summarized as follows:
- Which licenses apply?
- Who administers it?
- How do I obtain the application?
- Filling it out, filing it, and saving it
Corporate entities have additional concerns:
- Separate check requests have to be made for every application
- Licensing might be dispersed among different departments and locations
Now you can avoid these hassles: for a minimal fee per license -- or for a full-access subscription for all
available licenses for your location-- the easiest route is an online system for business licenses.
When to Re-Apply for a Business License
Even if your run an established business, you still may have a need to re-apply for licenses. For
example:
- A change in corporate structure
- Adding a location
- Putting up a sign
- Adding a service, item or structure
- Delivering into new areas
- Moving to a different location
- Closing a location
The Pitfalls of Not Being Licensed
- You cannot open your new location
- You cannot add items, services, or structures
- Your location might be padlocked if found in non-compliance
- You may be hit with costly penalties and interest, or even personal liens
How to Save Time & Money
The South Carolina Chamber of Commerce estimates that it takes the typical new business in that state 47
hours to fill out the government's paperwork.
Our customers estimate that they spend 50% of their time on research.
It takes approximately ½ hour per license or permit just to fill out each form by hand.
Plus there is additional time spent to research, acquire, send out, and store each form.
According to Benchmark Consulting International, workers spend 500 hours a year (a quarter of each day!)
searching for files and information. Additionally, a misplaced document costs $120 in expenses and lost
productivity.
It costs large businesses anywhere from $15 to $50 to complete an internal check request. Priority requests
can cost up to $75.
Using the traditional method of manual licensing applications forces a business person to:
- Spend hours acquiring the forms
- Spend hours filling out the forms
- Re-submit any rejected applications because of errors
- Mail, fax, or hand deliver the application to the licensing authority
- Search file cabinets to find a copy of a filed application at a later date
- Spend time and money for each check request related to the filing
We estimate that people filing online with a Business
License Service will save 90% of the time they spend per form!
More Small Business Resources:
-
How to Apply for a Federal
Tax ID Number
You get a Federal Tax ID Number, or Employer ID Number (EIN), from the IRS. You can apply through their
website, by phone, fax or mail. For fastest service, apply online. It can take up to five weeks to get
your EIN if you apply by mail.
The EIN you receive is your permanent number and can be used for business tasks such as opening a
business bank account, applying for a business license or filing a tax return.
If you don't know if you need a Federal Tax ID Number for your business, answer these questions. If you already have a Tax ID Number, but have misplaced
it, you can call the Business and Specialty Tax Line at (800) 829-4933 and have them look it up for
you.
- Home Business Tax Deductions
Don't underestimate the power of tax knowledge! Small business changes can effect your profit in great
ways. Discover over 20 deductions you can take for your business and how to save money getting your taxes
done.
- How to Incorporate in 3 Easy Steps
Are you better off forming a C Corporation, or would you be better off in an LLC or Partnership business?
Find out here which one will maximize your business profits and how you can get started easily online.
- Avoid Legal Fees with Do-it-Yourself Small Business Legal Forms
You want to avoid problems and protect your business at minimal cost. These standardized legal documents
can help you do that with buy/sell/rent contracts, hiring forms, borrowing and lending paperwork and much
more (over 60 legal forms WITH Instructions!) Think of all the money you'll save.
- Free Business Insurance Quotes
Do you need business insurance? As you may already know, anything can happen in business, and you don't
want to find yourself unprotected. Find out exactly what kind of benefits you can get with a free quote
before you make a decision, you may be surprised at the price!
