USA.gov is the U.S. Government's official web portal to support business start-ups, growth, financing, and exporting.

It is designed to provide access to online resources and services of Federal, state, and local Government as well as those of non-profit and educational organizations supporting businesses.

State and Federal Online Business Registration

1. Ascertain the legal configuration of your business:

You need to organize your business as a legal entity.

There are numerous options to account for, and all have various legal, financial and tax considerations.

A corporation
A nonprofit organization
A limited-liability company or partnership

2. Register your business / firm name:

“Doing Business As,” “DBA,” “Assumed Name,” and “Fictitious Name” are references that are used when describing the procedure of registering a legal name for your business.

The legal name of a firm / business by default is the name of the person or organization that owns a business.

The legal name will be your full name, if you are the exclusive proprietor of your firm / business.

3. Acquire your federal tax ID:

Employers with employees, business partnerships and corporations, and other categories of organizations, are required to acquire an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.

This number is also known as an Employer Tax ID and Form SS-4:

U.S. Internal Revenue Service
Phone: 1-800-829-4933

An Employer Identification Number (EIN) / Federal Tax Identification Number is needed to distinguish a business entity.

4. Register with your state revenue agency:

In addition, you are required to obtain Tax IDs and permits from your state’s revenue agency, just as you are required to have a Federal Tax ID.

If you decide to sell products and you need to compile sales taxes, you will probably be required to acquire a Sales Tax Permit or Vendor’s License.

This can be obtained from your state or local government (or both).

The most frequent types of tax obligations for small businesses / firms include the following:

Tax Permit

In the majority of states, business / company owners need to register their business with a state tax agency and apply for the relevant tax permits.

Income Taxes
Employment Taxes

5. Acquire licenses and permits:

The majority of businesses need to acquire some category of business license or permit to formally operate.

Most small businesses are required to acquire a general business license / industry-specific operating permits from state and local government agencies.