With no personal income tax on wages and salaries, Tennessee is considered to be a decent state for doing business in the USA. The state has recently been ranked in the top 5 for the Cost of Doing Business. But why you should perform a Tennessee business entity search before starting a business? Firstly, let’s discuss why you should form a Limited liability company or LLC in Tennessee.
LLCs are a great option if you are or looking forward to running a business in this state. There are several reasons to prefer an LLC in Tennessee, which include its inexpensive and simple structure. However, to form an LLC in Tennessee, you are required to conduct a Tennessee business entity search.
Tennessee Business Entity Search
A business entity search is primarily performed to check for any necessary information of a registered business. New business owners also conduct the Tennessee business entity search in order to check if their preferred business name is available in the same state or not. And as an entrepreneur, you can do the same for your business in Tennessee. This helps you to avoid a business name that has been already registered by someone else. If you select a registered business name for your business, it will get rejected by the Tennessee Secretary of State.
Tennessee LLC Naming Guidelines
There are some key guidelines that need to be followed when naming your Tennessee business. The Tennessee LLC naming guidelines are written below:
- As it is a Tennessee LLC, the name should include the phrase “LLC”, “L.L.C’, or “Limited liability company”.
- Similarly, your LLC name must not contain the word “Incorporated” or “Corporation”.
- Words that could confuse your Tennessee LLC with a government body like FBI, State Department, Treasury cannot be used.
- The LLC name cannot suggest that your business name is affiliated with any religious, charitable, veterans’, or professional body.
- Some words are restricted, such as University, Attorney, Bank, etc. Using these words for your Tennessee LLC might require special permission.
- Your LLC name should not match other registered businesses in Tennessee. Therefore, you are required to conduct a Tennessee business entity search.
Tennessee Business Entity Search Methods
As each state has a dedicated government portal, the name search procedures for various states in the United States are different. But what is the procedure to carry out a Tennessee business entity search? For that, you are required to open the official portal of the Tennessee SOS business search. Once you land on this page, you can carry out your research primarily by two methods:
1. Search By Business Name/Search Name
- Once you open the Tennessee Secretary of State business search, in the “Search Name” tab, enter your preferred business name.
- Hit the search button once you enter the business name. The search result list will appear below the search section which will contain the names similar or exact to your searched business name.
- In addition, click the “Control#” of a particular business name for more detailed information.
2. Search By Entity ID/Control #
- In the “Control #” tab, you can simply enter the entity ID of a registered business.
- After that, hit the search button and you will be provided with the exact business name associated with your searched entity ID.
- Above all, you can click on the “Control #” of a business name in the search result for detailed information.
Reserve Your Tennessee LLC Name
To reserve a business name in Tennesse, you are required to conduct a Tennessee business entity search to check the name availability of your desired name. After that, you are required to file an Application For Name Reservation. In other words, file this form with the Tennessee Secretary of State and provide all the necessary information. You can reserve your LLC name for a period of 4 months. However, a $20 filing fee is charged.
Register Your Tennessee LLC Name
Once you have selected your preferred business name, it’s time to get it registered with the Tennessee Secretary of State. You are required to file the Articles of Organisation form ss-4270. To get your Tennessee LLC name registered, the processing time is 24 hours for online filing, and 3-5 business days to file it by mail. However, the filing fee is $50.
Revise your Tennessee LLC Name
If you wish to change your Tennesse business name because of some reason, it is a simple and easy process. You must again perform the Tennessee business entity search. It is possible to change a business name if a Tennessee LLC decides to revise its name. Changing a Tennessee LLC name can be done by either submitting an amendment form or by filing for an assumed name (DBA). In addition, the filing fee to get an LLC name changed in Tennessee is $20.
Domain & Trademark
It is always strongly recommended to use a domain name that matches your business name. Even if you don’t want to start a business today, you can still buy a domain name so as to prevent others from buying it. In addition, if you want to trademark your Tennessee LLC name, it will cost you between $225 to $400. A Tennessee trademark is not mandatory, however, it can surely protect and secure your brand name by providing nationwide security.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is it possible to reserve a Tennessee LLC?
Yes, you can reserve an LLC in the state of Tennessee for a period of 4 months.
2. What is the processing time to form a Tennessee LLC?
If you file the Articles of Organization online, it can take 24 hours, and 3-5 business days by mail.
3. Why is it recommended to perform a Tennessee business entity search before starting a business?
Performing a business name search before registering your LLC name is very helpful. It helps you to select a unique name that has not been registered by anyone. Hence, it is always recommended to perform a name search on the portal of Tennessee Secretary of State business search.
4. What is the cost of a trademark in Tennessee?
You can simply trademark your business name in Tennessee for $225 to $400.
5. Can I use the word “Bank” for my Tennessee LLC?
To use the word “Bank”, you might require special permission.