Operate under any name you like. Without forming a new company.
A DBA lets an existing LLC, corporation, or sole proprietor do business under a different name. We confirm whether your state or county requires the filing, prepare the paperwork, and file at the right office.
File a DBA, explained plainly.
A DBA, also called a fictitious business name, assumed name, or trade name, is a name your business uses publicly that is different from its legal name. If your LLC is registered as "Sequoia Properties LLC" but you market apartments as "Bayside Rentals", you need a DBA for the second name.
A DBA does not create a new entity. It does not change your tax structure, ownership, or liability. It is simply a public registration that tells your state or county "this business uses this other name". Banks usually require a DBA filing before they will let you accept payments or open an account under the alternate name.
Where you file depends on your state. About half of US states file DBAs at the Secretary of State level; the other half file at the county or town clerk level. A handful (Arizona, Nebraska, others) do both. We confirm the correct office for your jurisdiction before filing.
Common situations that need this filing.
A clean handoff, in four steps.
You give us the basics. We handle the state, the IRS, and the compliance clock so you can focus on the business.
A name that's actually available.
Real-time check against the state register, USPTO trademark database, and matching domains.
Filed with the Secretary of State.
We submit your Articles, pay the state fee on your behalf, and return the stamped certificate.
EIN + the right tax setup.
Federal Employer ID with the IRS, plus state tax accounts when your business needs them.
Registered Agent + deadline tracking.
Your agent on file in every state, with every renewal and annual report tracked in one calendar.
Four steps. We handle everything else.
How we compare.
| LegalZoom | ZenBusiness | Bizee | File.Business | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service fee | $99 | $99 | $0–99 | $99 |
| Jurisdiction confirmation | manual | manual | limited | auto |
| Publication arranged | extra | extra | extra | included |
| Renewal monitoring | no | limited | limited | yes |
| Document storage | PDF only | no | limited | vault |
Based on publicly listed pricing and feature pages as of 2026. Competitor names are trademarks of their respective owners.
Frequently asked questions.
Is a DBA the same as forming an LLC?
Where is a DBA filed: state or county?
Do I have to publish my DBA in a newspaper?
How long does a DBA last?
Can multiple businesses share one DBA?
Does a DBA protect the name from others using it?
Can I file a DBA before forming my LLC?
How fast can a DBA be filed?
Will my bank accept the DBA filing?
Start your DBA in about 5 minutes.
Tell us a few details. We file at the right office. You receive the stamped certificate in your dashboard.
How we deliver, end-to-end.
Four-step path from request to confirmation. State and IRS turnaround varies; our steps run in parallel where possible to compress the timeline.
Intake + scope
You tell us what you need through a short intake form (or a call for complex matters). We confirm scope, surface any gating issues (deadlines, missing documents, entity status), and quote any state fees that pass through at cost.
Prepare + verify
Our specialists draft the filing, verify entity details against state databases, run internal QA, and route any items needing your sign-off. You see drafts before anything gets submitted.
File with the authority
We submit directly to the state Secretary of State, FinCEN, IRS, USPTO, or whichever authority your filing requires. We pay state fees at cost and track the submission identifier in your account.
Confirmation + vault
Stamped certificate, IRS notice, or filing receipt arrives in your SOC 2 encrypted document vault the moment we receive it. Next filing deadline auto-added to your compliance calendar where applicable.