DBA in Florida...Is Legal Zoom the Way to Go?

[twinebindery]

I was wondering if any of you have filed for a DBA in Florida. I want to register my business and get a tax id number, but I'm so confused. The state website provided by my bank is hard for me to follow.

I was thinking about just going with Legal Zoom, but wanted to save some money if possible. Anyone have any advice?

Thanks!

Eileen

[TOMgirlApparel]

Not sure about Florida, but in CA my husband got his DBA from Legal Zoom and paid a few hundred dollars. I just filled out a form and took it in myself and it was only $24. So I would check it out to see if you can do it yourself. It was simple :)

[twinebindery]

Thanks Amanda. In CA, do you only need to file a DBA to open a business account?

In the meantime, I'll continue looking into it.

[Former_Member]

LegalZoom was 99$ for me in AL, which was cheaper than paying two filling fees plus the cost of the DBA.

[twinebindery]

Brittany, did you also apply for a tax id number? I was wondering if it's necessary for Etsy sellers to have one.

[TOMgirlApparel]

Yes, Eileen. But I also had to get a seller's permit and business license, not to open my account but just to conduct business in my city. It different in each city, so check yours :)

[twinebindery]

OK. Thanks again Amanda.

[Former_Member]

yes i have an EIN. that's free and you get it instantly via the IRS. It's necessary for certain business tasks, like getting a business bank acct, getting some wholesale accts, etc. And it's good practice to use your EIN instead of your SSN for your business dealings.

[twinebindery]

Great advice ladies! Thanks so much. :)

[Former_Member]

Call your county and ask for the requirements to have a business. They'll tell you the facts about your specific type of business in your area.

[Former_Member]

I did my DBA at my county office; so easy to do, and the clerk can usually help you figure out how to fill it out (well, we're semi-rural, so not a lot of traffic for her to contend with). The tax id isn't necessary, bt it's useful for not paying taxes on your supplies/products to resell & some wholesale stores require them for you to shop & buy from them.

[ItsaGoodDayforClay]

In Texas, a DBA is $8.50 all the way. Legal Zoom is $99.
And our sales tax IDs are free.

I feel sorry for everyone else in all the other states trying to start a business. It's so easy here...

And I have a question for anyone who has gotten their DBA: When you file it (I just did mine last week), do they send you a certificate that's all legal looking that you can put in a frame? All I have is a paper with my horrible handwriting...

[Former_Member]

I filed mine online through the colorado government business site, took only a few minutes, I paid $10, and it was done. I was able to print a copy out and take it to my bank to set up my business bank account. I did not need an EIN to open an account, although I did get one later.
My sales tax ID was about $10 too I think.
@Kaylee, since I did my DBA online none of it was my handwriting, but I was able to print out a copy for my records that looks relatively professional. It doesnt look like my sales tax license or anything, it's just a plain piece of paper with text on it basically. :)

[ItsaGoodDayforClay]

courtney and mike from UrbanBirdandCo says

@Kaylee, since I did my DBA online none of it was my handwriting, but I was able to print out a copy for my records that looks relatively professional. It doesnt look like my sales tax license or anything, it's just a plain piece of paper with text on it basically. :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oh poo. Well I went to the office here and they just gave me a certified copy of the original that I wrote out. I was hoping I would get an awesome Texas copy with all the bells and whistles that was all official that I could hang up and show everyone. Darn.

[Former_Member]

I'm in Florida, and I've had to do it twice :)

LegalZoom and those other places are SUCH a rip off - unless you really don't care about the cost and just want it done in a hurry.

Call your county office and ask them what you need. I'm in Lake county and they sent the forms to me at no extra charge. Took about an hour to fill out and I think the cost was $25. You can do it online too but navigating Florida's website is a nightmare. Either way you get your stuff from them in about 2 weeks after you turn in the forms.