Run under a name you don't have to form.
A DBA, also called a fictitious, assumed, or trade name, lets your existing LLC, corporation, or sole proprietorship do business under a different name, without creating a new entity. We confirm whether your state or county requires the filing, prepare the paperwork, and file it at the right office.
You want a public name that isn't your legal one.
Your entity is registered as one thing, say Cedar Holdings, LLC, but you are launching a storefront, a product line, or a second brand called something else entirely. You do not need a whole new company to do that. A DBA registers the brand name to your existing entity on the public record, so you can bank, invoice, sign, and advertise under it, all still backed by the LLC you already own.
So what does a DBA actually add? Here's your record.
Add a name. Keep the company.
A DBA does not change your entity; it adds a public trade name to it. Everything that defines the company stays exactly as it was.
Two things founders get wrong about a DBA: it is not a new entity and it carries no liability protection of its own, it simply rides on the LLC or corporation behind it, which is where your protection actually comes from. And the filing office varies: some states register a DBA at the state level, others at the county or city clerk, and a few require you to publish notice in a local newspaper. We file at the right office and handle publication where it is required.
A brand on the record. Here's what it lets you do.
What it lets you do, and what it doesn't.
A DBA is a small filing with a specific job. Here is what it opens up, what it leaves untouched, and where the brand goes next.
- A registered trade name your business can use publicly.
- The ability to open a bank account and invoice under the brand.
- Permission to advertise, sign, and operate under the name, legally.
- A clean link on the public record between the brand and your entity.
- Your legal entity, its EIN, and its ownership.
- Your liability protection, which comes from the LLC or corporation, not the DBA.
- Your entity's good standing and formation date.
- Your existing contracts and registrations.
A DBA registers a name; it does not reserve it as a trademark. If the brand matters, protecting it is the natural next step.
You know what it does. Here's how it gets filed.
Checked, filed, and on the record.
You give us the name. We confirm it is available and required, file it at the right office, and handle publication if your state asks for it.
Give us the brand name
Tell us the name you want to use. We check availability and confirm whether your state or county even requires a DBA filing.
To the right office
DBAs are filed at different levels depending on the state: the Secretary of State, a county clerk, or a city office. We prepare the correct form for yours.
Newspaper notice, handled
A handful of states require you to publish notice of the DBA in a local paper. Where that applies, we arrange the publication so the filing is complete.
The DBA is on the record
The trade name is registered to your entity. We store the filed confirmation in your vault, ready for the bank to add it to your account.
File the DBA, or file it with the brand stack around it.
Register the name, or launch the whole brand.
The trade name, registered
- Availability check and office routing
- DBA filed at state, county, or city level
- Newspaper publication handled where required
- Filed confirmation stored in your vault
Name, and own it
- Everything in the DBA filing
- Trademark search and application
- Domain and business email on the name
- A brand that is registered and protected, not just named
State and county filing fees vary and are passed through at cost. See what a DBA costs →
Registered and ready. Here's the brand, live on the record.
The brand is now officially yours to use.
With the DBA on record, your business can bank, invoice, sign, and advertise under the name, all backed by the entity you already own. We keep the filed confirmation in your vault so the bank can add the name to your account, and the brand is ready for a domain and a trademark to make it truly yours.
Cedar Holdings, LLC
Trade Name registration, filed at the correct state or county office and linked to your entity.
Dana launched a retail brand under her LLC.
Her holding company had a plain legal name, but the shop needed to be Fern & Oak. Instead of forming a second LLC, we filed a DBA at her county office, handled the newspaper notice her state required, and her bank added the name to the account. She opened under the brand, still protected by the LLC behind it.
What a new brand should set up next.
Trademark
A DBA registers the name; a trademark is what actually protects it.
Learn more →Domain
Secure the web address that matches the brand before someone else does.
Learn more →Business Email
Put the team on an address at the new brand's domain.
Learn more →Website
Stand up a site under the brand once the name is registered.
Learn more →Brand on the record. Here's the whole road it sits on.
A business is never static. Your record shouldn't be either.
Brands, names, owners, addresses: they all change over a company's life. Every change lives on one platform, so keeping the government's copy of your business accurate is one system, not a scramble across agencies.
Form it, brand it, and keep every name it uses on the record, all inside File.Business. One platform keeping every government record accurate for the whole life of the company.
The questions owners ask about a trade name.
What is a DBA?
A DBA, short for "doing business as" and also called a fictitious business name, assumed name, or trade name, is a public name your business uses that is different from its legal name. It lets an existing LLC, corporation, or sole proprietor operate under a brand without forming a new company. We confirm whether your state or county requires the filing and file it at the right office.
Do I need to form a new company for a new brand?
No, and that is the point of a DBA. Instead of forming and maintaining a second LLC, you register a trade name to your existing entity, which lets you bank, invoice, and advertise under the brand while it stays backed by the company you already own. It is simpler and cheaper than a new formation, and you can register more than one DBA under the same entity.
Does a DBA protect my liability or my brand?
Neither, on its own. A DBA is only a name registration: your liability protection comes from the LLC or corporation behind it, not the DBA, and the name is not reserved the way a trademark reserves it. So a DBA lets you use the name legally, but if the brand matters, you protect it with a trademark and secure the matching domain.
Where is a DBA filed?
It varies by state. Some register a DBA at the state level with the Secretary of State, others at a county clerk or city office, and a few require you to publish notice of the name in a local newspaper. Filing in the wrong place means it does not count. We determine the correct office for your location and handle the publication step where it is required.
Can I open a bank account under my DBA?
Yes, that is one of the main reasons to file one. Once the DBA is on record, most banks will add the trade name to your business account so you can accept payments and issue invoices under the brand. We store the filed confirmation in your vault, which is the document the bank asks for to link the name.
Do I still need my legal name for anything?
Yes. Your legal entity name remains the official name for contracts, tax filings, and your EIN, while the DBA is the public-facing brand. Many businesses sign contracts as "Legal Name, LLC doing business as Brand." The DBA sits alongside the legal name on the record, it does not replace it.
Can File.Business handle the whole DBA?
Yes: we check the name's availability, confirm whether your state or county requires the filing, prepare the correct form, file it at the right office, and arrange newspaper publication if your state asks for it. We store the confirmation in your vault, and can pair the DBA with a trademark, domain, and email so the brand is protected, not just named.