Features
Post formation changes mistakes, sorted by what changed
Post formation changes mistakes sorted by the event behind them: an office move, a new owner, a rename, a second state, a missed report or a closure.
Contributor
Lucas B. Foster
Subject: LLC, EIN and Business Formation: llc, formation, steps. Lucas B. Foster is the editorial byline assigned to this area. Background, definitions and the interpretation of available information belong to this editorial remit. The emphasis is on useful distinctions rather than a universal recommendation. This is an editorial pen name used by the publication, not a claim of an independently verified personal identity.
Guides
Business name case study: nine names and what DBA filings do and do not cover
A case study of nine real business names, including Subway, EY and Walmart, plus state filing offices, published fees and what a DBA does not do for owners.
Maintenance
DBA registration metrics: two yes-or-no checks
DBA registration metrics are two yes-or-no checks: compare the filed name across business records, then confirm the filing, owner, address, and renewal date.
Costs
EIN applications metrics: four record checks
EIN applications metrics: Four annual checks on Form SS-4 accuracy, IRS confirmation, responsible-party status, and consistent EIN use.
Rules
LLC formation steps for a US business: what each filing actually produces
Walks through the LLC filing order step by step, naming the document each filing produces, from articles of organization to EIN, licenses and annual reports.
Rules
LLC formation steps in order, and the documents each step produces
The LLC formation steps in order, each mapped to the document it produces: articles, agent consent, operating agreement, EIN notice and licenses.
Rules
LLC formation steps in order: the sequence that avoids rework
The exact order from name check and registered agent to state filing, EIN, operating agreement and bank account, with the dependencies that cause rework.
Guides
A checklist for evaluating a registered agent service before you sign
How to evaluate a registered agent service: what happens in the first hours after a delivery, renewal terms, exit terms, and when self appointment is fine.
Features
What separates the strong registered agents examples from the weak
Registered agents examples: eight invented arrangements, four that held and four that broke, and the three events that break every one of them.
Reviews
Registered agents guide: Washington's filing rules
Registered agents in Washington: how RCW 23.95 filings appoint an agent, change one and end the role, plus the consent rule that catches people out.
Costs
California LLC Franchise Tax: The $800 Minimum
California LLC franchise tax starts at the $800 minimum. See when the annual LLC fee applies, its range and examples, state filing costs, and payment deadlines.
Industry
DBA registration case study: what the experienced already know
DBA registration case study, invented: four years in which one trade name filing was right on day one and wrong three separate times afterwards.
Features
Who answers a DBA registration question: the office, the system, or you?
Trade name questions grouped by who answers: the filing office on where and whether, the trademark system on rights, and you on whether the name is worth keeping.
Guides
Delaware vs Wyoming vs Nevada LLC: privacy and deadlines
Delaware vs Wyoming vs Nevada LLC: which state publishes owner names, when each annual filing falls due, and why Delaware's $300 tax has no annual report.
Guides
How a non-resident owner gets an EIN from the IRS without a Social Security Number
A non-resident owner files paper Form SS-4 by fax or mail, writes Foreign on line 7b, and uses Form W-7 only if the IRS specifically requests it.
Guides
LLC Tax Choices and Liability Shields
For LLC vs corporation tax and liability, this overview explains federal classifications, S elections, state-law shields, and when each structure may fit.
Guides
How a foreign LLC owner opens a US business bank account in person
A foreign LLC owner opens a US business bank account in person with an EIN, a signed operating agreement, a passport and a certified utility bill.
Guides
Starting a business first hundred days: Delaware entity filing costs
Starting a business first hundred days in Delaware: entity filing costs, registered agent, EIN, annual report and franchise tax dates to budget before revenue.
Rules
What best DBA registration tools involves in practice: the parts worth your time
DBA registration services sell an errand, not knowledge: what is actually being offered, how to spot official looking mail, and the terms that cause regret.
Industry
Best EIN applications tools 2027: guide and criteria, in plain terms
The best EIN application tools in 2027 help you file Form SS-4 with the IRS and show clearly what each service fee covers for your business.
Guides
DBA vs LLC for Small Business: Which One Triggers Less Paperwork
DBA vs LLC for small business: liability, renewals, state fees and tax treatment decide it, with Texas and Florida as the worked examples in this comparison.
Rules
Partnership formation questions: six exit terms to settle in writing
Partnership formation questions to answer before anyone leaves: deadlock, death, notice, valuation and payout, and the clause that keeps a split out of court.
Maintenance
What the sole proprietorships examples actually show
Ten invented working lives showing when operating without an entity is comfortable, when it is not, and why the first fix is usually cover or a contract term.
Guides
6 honest notes on sole proprietorships checklist
A sole proprietorships checklist with six practical checks for records, DBA names, permits, EIN and taxes, insurance, and when to review your setup.
Costs
Corporation formation examples: the patterns that repeat
Nine invented corporation scenes where a bank, a buyer or a claimant asks a question and the answer has to come from a record that was written on the day.
Maintenance
Corporation formation: what shares, the board, officers and the record are for
Corporation formation explained through its machinery: shareholders, directors, officers, shares, bylaws and the written record, with tax left to an accountant.
Guides
Corporation formation metrics: record checks, not scores
Corporation formation metrics are ten record reconciliations, not scores or benchmarks, with LLC checks for ownership, authority, EIN use and state filings.
Maintenance
Entity type selection checklist: twelve facts to prepare before advice
Entity type selection checklist: twelve facts to gather before paid advice, sorted by source and mapped to the usual criteria for choosing a form.
Features
Entity type selection examples: five real company patterns and what each choice turns on
Five real company examples of entity type selection, from Dell and Microsoft to Patagonia, showing what each choice turns on and the three facts that decide it.
Reviews
Entity type selection guide: 6 key decisions
Entity type selection guide to six decisions on ownership, liability, cash flow, tax classification, administration, and where your business operates.
Industry
Entity type selection metrics worth tracking, and the ones to ignore
Entity type selection metrics: what can honestly be counted, what a bad result means, what no measure will tell you, and where the real numbers live.
Reviews
Entity type selection questions: who can answer them
Entity type selection questions grouped by who can answer them: you, an accountant, a lawyer, the state filing office, and the IRS on tax treatment.
Costs
LLC formation questions: who can answer what
Sort LLC formation questions into record questions for the state or IRS, judgment questions for you and an adviser, and questions with no universal answer.
Maintenance
How to think about partnership formation
Partnership formation usually starts with an arrangement that already exists by default, and an agreement that settles contribution, decisions and exits.
Guides
Registered agents: what the role covers and when it fails
Registered agents receive lawsuits and state mail for an LLC. What the role covers, what can go wrong when the record goes stale, and how to change one.
Industry
Sole Proprietorships Guide: Five LLC Decision Triggers
This sole proprietorships guide explains five events that warrant an LLC review and what happens to your DBA, bank account, contracts, permits, and records.
Reviews
Corporation formation: roles and liability basics
An overview of corporation formation, explaining shareholder, director, and officer roles, ongoing formalities, and where liability protection falls short.