How Long Does It Take For Name Reservation For A Company To Register For Ga

Naming your new concern is a large deal.

Your proper name affects your brand, your marketing, and and so much more. Sometimes, yous might think of the perfect business name before you're fix to contain, and then it'south not surprising that some concern owners choose to reserve a business organisation name.

Simply reserving a business proper name is not e'er the right determination — at that place are circumstances when y'all should and when you shouldn't. With this guide, we'll discuss everything you need to know about business organization proper name reservations.

Guru Tip: Once yous observe the perfect name for your business, don't forget to register the URL so nobody can use it. Do a quick search on GoDaddy through our tool below.

Become Started In Your Country

Select your state below to reserve a business name on your ain. If you're yet looking for the perfect business organization name, there are naming tools that can assist yous come up up with one that too has a correlating bachelor domain name.

What Does It Mean to Reserve a Business Proper name?

Before we go also deep into this article, information technology's important to point out what exactly a business proper noun reservation is. All this implies is that the state will set aside your desired business name and not permit anyone else use it until y'all're fix.

When the fourth dimension comes for y'all to course your LLC, corporation, or other business entity, all you demand to do is attach your document of name reservation to your formation documents.

The major distinction we need to communicate is that reserving a business organisation name in no fashion registers that name for business utilise, nor does information technology grade a business entity of any sort. If y'all want to actually employ your reserved name, in that location is some other set of steps beyond those you lot'll find in this guide. For instance, accept a look at our guides to filing DBAs, forming LLCs, and incorporating corporations for your adjacent steps.

Pros of Proper noun Reservation

The biggest advantage of reserving a concern name is that it but buys you time. Creating the perfect name is challenging, and then yous don't want all that work to get to waste matter.

The reservation prevents anyone else from claiming your name as their ain — no one else can contain under that name for as long as your reservation period lasts. Most business proper name reservations are good for anywhere from xxx days to ane year, and the well-nigh common reservation flow is 120 days.

This is really the only pro to reserving your business name. But since the right name plays such a big part in your business — including branding, marketing, and more — reserving your name can be a significant moment for the development of your new business.

We will also mention that the state of Alabama legally requires business name reservations. Therefore, in this state, another advantage of a name reservation is the ability to form a compliant LLC or corporation.

Cons of Name Reservation

Reserving a business name does take some disadvantages, notwithstanding. For one thing, a name reservation is not a fool-proof plan, as the reservation does elapse eventually, at which fourth dimension some other entrepreneur could swoop in and take your name equally their own.

In add-on, reserving a business organization name in one state only guarantees its availability in that specific land. For larger corporations and LLCs, this is a drawback. You want your branding to be consistent across state lines, which might hateful acquiring multiple name reservations, at which point it could feel similar quite the hassle.

Finally, a name reservation is an extra, non-refundable expense. The money does not get toward the bodily costs of forming your business, either. Typically, we recommend only going ahead and incorporating your business when you've come up with a suitable business organization proper name because in many (or even well-nigh) cases, reserving a proper name is an unnecessary expense.

In some states with inexpensive name reservations, it can be worth it. For example, states similar Iowa and North Dakota offering name reservations for just $10, only other states similar Pennsylvania charge well over $100, at which betoken this service loses its value.

Things to Consider Before Reserving a Business organisation Proper name

The first and almost of import consideration is whether a business proper name reservation is fifty-fifty necessary. For most entrepreneurs, information technology simply isn't important at all. That's because there's nothing stopping you from simply forming your business instead, which would brand the name reservation an unnecessary expense.

In improver, y'all should make sure the name y'all want is actually bachelor for utilise. Before reserving your business proper noun, you need to search your country'south business database to see if it'due south beingness used by another company. If it is, you lot'll need to go back to the drawing board and choose a different proper noun.

Costs of Name Reservation

Each country has its own pricing when it comes to reserving business names. With this in listen, we'll quickly run downwardly how much it volition cost y'all to larn a proper noun reservation in all fifty states, likewise equally the District of Columbia.

Before we go started, nosotros would like to mention that only 1 land strictly requires a business name reservation, even if yous're already fully prepared to incorporate your business organization. That state is Alabama, which requires all entrepreneurs to reserve a concern name.

Alabama: $x
Alaska: $25
Arizona: $45
Arkansas: $25
California: $fourteen
Colorado: $25
Connecticut: $110
Delaware: $75
District of Columbia: $85
Florida: This state does not offer business name reservations
Georgia: $25
Hawaii: $33.50
Idaho: $40
Illinois: $25
Indiana: $eleven.22
Iowa: $10
Kansas: $30
Kentucky: $15
Louisiana: $55
Maine: $lxx
Maryland: $45
Massachusetts: $30
Michigan: $10
Minnesota: $45
Mississippi: $25
Missouri: $25
Montana: $thirty
Nebraska: $30
Nevada: $75
New Hampshire: $fifteen
New Jersey: $100
New United mexican states: $25
New York: $45
N Carolina: $130
North Dakota: $10
Ohio: $139
Oklahoma: $x
Oregon: $100
Pennsylvania: $140
Rhode Island: $50
South Carolina: $ten
South Dakota: $75
Tennessee: $20
Texas: $65
Utah: $22
Vermont: $20
Virginia: $20
Washington: $80
West Virginia: $15
Wisconsin: $40
Wyoming: $50

Steps to Reserve a Concern Proper name

Reserving your new business name is a quick and easy process. While the steps required in your specific state may vary a flake, for the most part, you'll only need to have care of the post-obit items.

First, you lot'll need to exercise a business proper name search to make sure the proper name you want for your company isn't already in use in your land. Once you've verified its availability, you'll need to fill out the proper noun reservation form. The exact info required can vary from country to state, but you lot'll likely include the following:

The proper name you want to reserve
The official name of your business
An indication of your concern entity type
Contact information
Your business organisation address
Your proper noun, title, and signature

Once y'all've filled out the class, y'all'll only need to submit it to your Secretarial assistant of State and pay your filing fee. At that point, your new business organisation name volition be set up and waiting for you when it's fourth dimension to class your business concern.

When Is the Best Time to Reserve a Business Name?

To be honest, there isn't really a "best time" to reserve a business organisation proper noun because it's normally not necessary at all. That said, if y'all're forming a business in Alabama, you'll demand to reserve your concern name before you lot get-go filling out the formation documents.

Other than that, yous tin can reserve a business name someday you'd like to. We almost e'er advise people to simply become ahead and class their businesses, but if at that place's something holding you back for some reason, yous might as well reserve the name so it'due south still there when you are prepare.

Business organization Name Reservation Services

Reserving a name isn't the most difficult or time-consuming process in the business world, simply if you'd rather have a professional business organisation service provider handle it, you exercise accept that option.

Most of these companies offer name reservation services at reasonable cost points, so it'southward not also much of a commitment to hire out this chore. There are quite a few options out there when it comes to hiring a service to reserve your business organisation name, which is why we made a cursory list of our two favorite options.

BizFilings ($35): We're not aware of any competing services that offer business proper noun reservations at a lower price bespeak than BizFilings does. They besides accept plenty of feel, as they've served more than 500,000 clients over the years.
MyCorporation ($49): While MyCorporation does charge a bit more than BizFilings does, their services are backed by outstanding customer reviews. When you consider their quality customer back up network, MyCorporation is a popular choice for concern name reservation service.

Should You Reserve a Name for Your Concern?

When You Should Reserve a Business Name

There are two primary circumstances when you should file an application to reserve a concern name. Get-go, you should file for a proper name reservation when you've created a perfect proper noun, but you don't know for sure what type of business you're going to create.

On a similar note, let'southward say you have the perfect name, and you've picked an entity type. Merely, you have a few diplomacy to air current up with your 24-hour interval job, and then you're not quite ready to incorporate, so you could reserve the business name instead.

Reserving a concern name is a decent option for these circumstances. Reserving the name allows you to protect it for a certain period of time — usually 120 days, although the exact time period does vary a fleck depending on your state. During that menstruation, no one else tin incorporate under the name you've chosen. So in a sense, the name reservation buys you fourth dimension to make your key decisions without the hazard of losing the name you've worked so difficult to create.

Finally, y'all should ever reserve a business name if you're forming a visitor in the country of Alabama, as this land requires a proper noun reservation, even if yous're ready to incorporate your business organisation immediately.

When You Shouldn't Reserve a Business Name

As helpful as a name reservation can be, information technology isn't the right option for everyone in every circumstance.

For example, you shouldn't reserve a business proper noun when you aren't going to form an incorporated business. But the names of formal businesses are protected past the state, so getting a proper name reservation doesn't do yous any favors if you operate a sole proprietorship or full general partnership.

You besides should non carp reserving a business organization name if you lot are on the verge of incorporating. For example, if you file your manufactures of incorporation and a proper name reservation on the same twenty-four hours, they volition exist processed in roughly the aforementioned amount of fourth dimension.

Filing the incorporation documents is what formally gives y'all the right to use your proper noun, not the reservation. Therefore, filing the reservation application would just throw your money downwards the bleed.

Finally, you should not file a name reservation when another incorporated business concern is already using that name in the land. If someone has already claimed the name, your reservation asking volition exist denied. And since the application fees are not-refundable, you'll be out still much yous spent.

Register vs. Reserve

Ane quick notation: you've probably encountered the words "annals" and "reserve" when it comes to business names.

The two terms may seem similar, just don't be deceived, equally they're actually two entirely different terms. "Registering" a business proper noun is the terminology used for officially acquiring a concern name. For example, let'south say that a sole proprietorship wants to operate nether a name that differs from its legal proper noun. Information technology can annals a DBA with the Secretary of Land or the canton clerk or form an LLC or corporation to annals its proper noun.

In dissimilarity, reserving a concern name is the terminology for securing the rights to a business name, only without actually registering it. Reservation is completed by filing an application to reserve a business name. However, it is but a temporary reservation — only by incorporating under the reserved proper noun does the championship get sectional to the business concern.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a business name reservation a legal requirement?

Unless your business organisation is located in Alabama, in that location is no legal requirement for a business name reservation. In fact, information technology's almost always unnecessary to reserve your business proper name if you're located in any other state.

How long does it have to reserve my business name?

This can vary a bit from country to country. However, in about states, the process is quite fast, ordinarily only taking a couple of business days.

Does my business proper name reservation form an entity for my company?

No, it does not. In fact, reserving a business organisation proper noun doesn't even annals the proper name. Information technology simply places a temporary concur on the name until you're ready to form your business or file a DBA.

How long will my name exist reserved for?

Depending on your state, your name could be reserved for every bit piddling as 30 days or as long as a full yr. In most states, your reservation will last for around 120 days.

What do I need to do after reserving my business name?

Reserving your business proper noun is only the get-go step toward actually registering it. You lot will still demand to either course a concern entity or register a DBA to make your new name official.

Our Final Thoughts

Reserving a name is occasionally the right option for a business, merely that doesn't necessarily mean it's a good option for you. Other than the state of Alabama, which requires a concern proper name reservation for any incorporation (or other business organisation formation, like an LLC), at that place is usually non a corking reason to reserve a name without actually forming your business entity.

In full general, we typically recommend that our readers but get ahead and incorporate when they come with a great business name. If yous're going to terminate up doing it anyway, why await, while as well adding unnecessary expenses to the process?

That said, if for some reason yous're not comfy forming your concern entity withal, a name reservation is the only mode you can ensure that the name y'all want will even so exist available when you are fix to incorporate.

Guru Tip: Haven't incorporated a business yet but you're fix to get started? There are a handful of good incorporation services that can launch your business and get information technology registered with the state.Northwest and ZenBusiness are ii very popular choices for entrepreneurs.