How to Change a Business Name With the State

Step 1: Confirm the New Name Is Available

Before filing anything, search your state's business name database to confirm the new name is distinguishable from other registered businesses, since most states reject an amendment if the new name conflicts with an existing one. Most Secretary of State websites offer a free online name search; if you want to lock in the name before you're ready to file, many states also let you reserve it for a fee and a set number of days.

Step 2: File an Amendment With Your State

Changing your business's legal name means amending your formation document, commonly called Articles of Amendment, a Certificate of Amendment, or similar depending on the state and entity type, rather than filing anything new. You submit this to the same filing office that approved your original Articles of Organization or Incorporation, typically the Secretary of State. The filing fee for this amendment ranges from $15 in Montana to $220 in the District of Columbia, according to each state's fee schedule. Processing time varies by state, from same-day online filing to several weeks by mail.

Step 3: Get Your Approved Amendment Back Before Using the New Name

Wait for the state to formally approve the amendment before updating your name everywhere else. Banks, licensing agencies and other states will typically want to see the state-stamped or certified amendment as proof the name change is official, not just your filed copy.

Step 4: Update Your Name With the IRS

The IRS states you don't need a new EIN simply because your business changes its name; your existing EIN stays with the business. How you notify the IRS depends on your entity's tax classification:

• Sole proprietorships send a signed letter to the IRS address where the business files its return, including the old and new names and the EIN.
• Partnerships check the name-change box on the current year's Form 1065, or send a signed letter if the return has already been filed.
• Corporations, including LLCs taxed as corporations, check the name-change box on the current year's Form 1120 or 1120-S, or send a signed letter if already filed, and include a copy of the state-approved amendment.

If you'd like written confirmation, you can ask the IRS to send an acknowledgment of the name change.

Step 5: Update Your Registrations in Any Other States

If your business is registered as a foreign LLC or foreign corporation in other states, the name change you filed in your home state doesn't automatically update those records. File the amendment or name-change notice each additional state requires for a foreign-qualified entity, since an out-of-date name on a foreign registration can create a mismatch with your home-state records.

Step 6: Update Banks, Licenses, Contracts and Everyone Else

Once the state and IRS reflect the new name, work through the rest of your name-dependent records: your business bank account, any state or local business licenses, your registered agent's records, vendor and client contracts, your website and marketing materials, and your DBA filings if you operate under any trade names. Banks in particular will usually ask for the state-approved amendment before updating the account name.

A Legal Name Change Is Different From a DBA

If you just want to operate under a different public-facing name while keeping your existing legal name intact for contracts and taxes, that's a "doing business as" or trade name filing, a separate and typically simpler process from amending your Articles. A full legal name change, by contrast, changes the name on your actual formation document and, in turn, on every official record tied to it.

Order Matters: State First, Then Everyone Else

Most banks, licensing agencies and other states will ask for proof that your state has approved the name change before they'll update their own records, so file the state amendment first and don't try to update the IRS, your bank or a foreign qualification before the state has signed off.

A Name Change Can Affect Trademark and Domain Considerations

Changing your legal name doesn't automatically secure matching trademark rights or a matching domain name; if brand protection matters to your business, check trademark availability with the USPTO and domain availability separately, since neither follows automatically from a state name-change filing.

Keep a Paper Trail of the Transition

Contracts, licenses and agreements signed under your old name generally remain valid; they don't need to be redone simply because your name changed. Keep a copy of your approved amendment on hand to document the connection between the old and new names if a bank, vendor or counterparty ever asks.

This Is Not Legal Advice

Whether a name change affects existing contracts, trademark protection, or specific industry licenses depends on your situation and the exact wording of your agreements and licenses. Talk to a business attorney if your name change is tied to a larger rebrand, a dispute over the name, or licenses that specifically reference your old business name.