Registering a Business

Note: The information on this page is general and may be incomplete or outdated. While useful for background, it cannot replace the advice of a legal professional in your jurisdiction. Please consult an attorney to determine the current laws applicable to your specific situation.

Local governments handle new business registration differently. Most new businesses must register for a business name, business permits, and business taxes.

• A fictitious business name is a legal alias. If your name is John Doe, you may only legally do business as John Doe. Registering a fictitious business name allows you to create a legal name to do business.
• Many local governments require business to file for any of a range of business permits: sellers permit, business license, resellers permit, etc.
• Business taxes are special taxes that are separate from the business owners' personal income tax.

Use the following location-specific resources to find the information you need to register your business.

• '''California Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development'''

• '''Indiana Department of Revenue'''

• '''Kentucky Department of Revenue'''

• '''NYC Business Express'''

• '''Texas Secretary of State'''
• '''Official Texas Economic Development Corporation'''
• State and local sales taxes are collected by '''Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts'''
• '''The Texas Workforce Commission''' collects all unemployment taxes for workers employed in Texas
• '''Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR)'''

• '''Austin City Code: Title 4. - Business Regulation and Permit Requirements'''

• '''Establishing a Company'''

• '''Doing Business in Kenya'''

If your country isn't listed here, check '''DoingBusiness.Org'''. It's an excellent resource for finding business registration information on a country-by-country basis. You'll still need to check for municipal regulations, but it's a good start.