How to Get a
Business License
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T I P : 5 Easy Steps to Getting Your Business License Get all your federal, state, county, and municipal licenses & permits online. Find the forms you need & submit them in minutes - without ever leaving home. 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 Ways You can Save Time & Money: 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! How to Write a Business Plan Small Business Banking FREE Small Business Financing Accept Credit Cards Home Business Tax Deductions 800 Phone Numbers Free Business Cards Free 7-Step Marketing Guide! Increase Website Traffic FREE Make Money on eBay