Fix a filing error, retroactively.
A typo in your entity name, a wrong effective date, a missing address, a signature in the wrong capacity. Articles of correction fix clerical mistakes in a prior state filing, effective back to the original date, so the record reads as though the error was never there. We identify what is wrong and file the correction.
The filing went through with a mistake in it.
A letter got transposed in the entity name. The effective date was entered wrong. An address had a typo, or the organizer signed in the wrong capacity. Small errors, but they are now on the public record, and they cause outsized friction: a bank cannot match the name, a lender flags the discrepancy, a diligence review pauses on it. A correction fixes the mistake at the source, without pretending anything about the company actually changed.
So what does a correction actually do? Here's your record.
Fix the error. Keep the date.
A correction repairs the mistaken field and, crucially, leaves your original filing date in place, so the record reads as though the error was never made.
The point that makes a correction valuable: most state correction statutes make the fix effective from the original filing date, so your entity's history stays continuous and the mistake does not create a gap. That retroactivity is why a correction is the right tool for an error, and why using an amendment to fix a typo is a mistake in itself: an amendment changes something going forward, which can imply the name or term actually changed when it never did.
Correction or amendment? The difference matters.
Fixing a mistake is not the same as making a change.
The two filings look similar but do opposite things. Choosing the right one keeps your record accurate and your dates intact.
- A name is misspelled or has transposed or missing letters.
- A date, an address, or an organizer detail was entered wrong.
- A signature was made in the wrong capacity, or one was missing.
- Anything filed was a clerical or scrivener's error, not a real decision.
- You are actually changing the company's name going forward.
- You are changing the purpose, share structure, or management.
- The decision is a real change the owners made, not a fix.
- You want the change effective when filed, not retroactively.
In short: a correction says the record was always meant to read this way; an amendment says the company is changing it now. We confirm which is true for you before filing.
The right tool chosen. Here's how it gets filed.
Identified, cited, and corrected.
You point out the error. We confirm it is correctable, prepare the correction citing the original filing, and file it back to that date.
Point out the error
Tell us what is wrong on the filing. We pull the original from the public record so we are correcting against exactly what was filed.
Correctable, or a change
We check that it is a clerical error a correction can fix, rather than a real change that needs an amendment, so you file the right instrument.
Articles of correction
We draft the correction citing the original filing and the specific error, in the exact form your state requires, specialist-reviewed before submission.
Effective from the original date
The state records the correction, effective back to the original filing under most correction statutes, so your entity's history stays continuous with no gap.
As if it were never wrong
The corrected filing lands in your vault, and the record now matches what you meant to file all along, ready for the bank or lender that flagged it.
File the correction, or keep the record clean going forward.
Fix the error, or keep the record maintained.
The error, fixed
- Original filing pulled and reviewed
- State-correct articles of correction filed
- Retroactive to the original date
- Corrected copy stored in your vault
Corrected and maintained
- Everything in the correction filing
- Fresh Certificate of Status under the corrected record
- Registered agent and deadline monitoring
- Future filings checked before they are submitted
State correction fees vary by jurisdiction and are passed through at cost. See what a correction costs →
Filed and retroactive. Here's the record, made right.
The record now reads the way you meant it to.
When the state records the correction, the error is fixed at the source and, in most states, back to the original date, so there is no gap in your entity's history and no lingering discrepancy for a bank or lender to catch. We keep the corrected filing in your vault, ready the next time someone matches your name or reviews your documents.
Northbay Goods, LLC
Articles of Correction, filed with the Secretary of State, retroactive to the original filing date.
Priya's name was misspelled on the Articles.
A single transposed letter had been on her filing since formation, and it surfaced when a lender ran the entity for a loan and the name would not match. We filed a correction that afternoon, retroactive to the original date, so the record read clean with no gap. The loan cleared the same week.
What a correction sits next to.
Articles of Amendment
For a real change going forward, rather than a fix to what was filed.
Learn more →Certificate of Status
Fresh proof under the corrected record for a bank or lender.
Learn more →Registered Agent
Make sure notices about your filings reach you, so errors surface early.
Learn more →Compliance Calendar
Keep the corrected record accurate alongside every deadline.
Learn more →Record made right. Here's the whole road it sits on.
A business is never static. Your record shouldn't be wrong, either.
Errors, names, owners, addresses: keeping the state's copy of your company accurate is ongoing work. Every filing lives on one platform, so fixing a mistake, or making a real change, is one system, not a scramble across agencies.
Form it, run it, and keep its record exactly right, all inside File.Business. One platform keeping every government record accurate for the whole life of the company.
The questions owners ask about a filing error.
What is an articles of correction filing?
Articles of correction fix clerical or scrivener's errors in a previously filed state document, such as a misspelled entity name, a wrong date, an incorrect address, or a signature made in the wrong capacity. In most states the correction is effective back to the original filing date, so the record reads as though the mistake was never there. We identify the error and file the state-correct correction.
How is a correction different from an amendment?
A correction fixes a mistake in what was filed and is typically retroactive to the original date. An amendment makes a real change going forward, effective when filed. Using an amendment to fix a typo is itself a mistake, because it can imply the name or term actually changed when it never did. We confirm which one your situation calls for so the record tells the true story.
Is the correction retroactive?
In most states, yes. Correction statutes generally make the fix effective from the original filing date, which keeps your entity's history continuous and avoids a gap that could complicate a loan, a sale, or a tax matter. Preserving that original date is the main reason a correction is the right tool for an error rather than a fresh filing. We confirm your state's specific rule when we file.
What kinds of errors can be corrected?
Typos and misspelled or transposed entity names, wrong or missing dates, incorrect registered-office or principal addresses, and wrong organizer or signer details, including a signature in the wrong capacity or a missing one. In short, clerical mistakes rather than substantive changes. If what you want is actually a change to the company, that is an amendment, and we will tell you so before filing.
Will fixing an old error cause problems?
The opposite, usually. Because the correction is retroactive, it removes a discrepancy that could otherwise surface at the worst moment, when a bank cannot match your name or a buyer's diligence flags it. Correcting it cleanly, back to the original date, is far better than leaving a known error on the public record. We handle it quietly and keep the corrected copy in your vault.
How long does a correction take?
It depends on the state, but corrections are generally quick, often a few business days for standard processing, with expedited handling available in many states if a closing or a deadline depends on it. We prepare and file the moment we confirm the error is correctable, and return the stamped corrected filing to your vault as soon as the state records it.
Can File.Business handle the correction?
Yes: we pull the original filing, confirm the error is a correctable clerical mistake rather than a change that needs an amendment, prepare the articles of correction citing the original document, file them with your state, and store the corrected copy in your vault. Where it helps, we also order a fresh Certificate of Status so the clean record is easy to prove.