Becoming a Sole Proprietor in Georgia

Here is an outline of the steps you should follow to go started equally a sole proprietor in Georgia. Yous should too read the general section for information that is applicable in any state.

1. Cull a business concern proper noun for your sole proprietorship and bank check for availability.

  • Please encounter our section on choosing and checking the availability of a proper name for your small business organization, also as our section on the trademark law aspects of choosing a proper name.

ii. Register the business organisation name with local, land, and/or federal authorities.

  • If you volition be operating your sole proprietorship under a proper name that is different from your own name, then you will need to register the proper name every bit a "fictitious" or "assumed" business concern name. In Georgia, you exercise this by registering with the Clerk of Superior Court of the canton where your concern is principally located.
  • Although you lot are not required to do so, you should consider registering your business name as a federal and/or land trademark. Please run across the Trademark for Business Naming section for details.

three. Obtain any required local licenses.

  • Please see the general section for details.

4. Decide what tax and other regulatory obligations your sole proprietorship has, and take care of any necessary registrations.

  • If yous have an employee or employees, you need to apply for an Employment Identification Number from the IRS. You can apply for an EIN online. You lot may apply for an EIN even if you accept no employees. Doing and so may make information technology easier to open up a depository financial institution account and reduce your risk of identity theft. In that location is no filing fee.
  • Register for Georgia concern taxes using the Georgia Section of Acquirement website. The Section of Revenue website has detailed instructions on the different taxes and the registration process.
  • Whenever you rent an employee in Georgia, you lot must inform both the IRS and the State of Georgia. You can find details of all the necessary steps, including verifying work eligibility and withholding allowances, on the Hiring Employees section of the IRS website. You can discover state-level information on reporting new hires at the Georgia New Rent Reporting Website.
  • If you have three or more employees in Georgia, you lot must conduct workers' compensation insurance.
  • As a business owner or employer, there may be other informational returns that you lot have to file annually or semi-annually with the IRS. For more information, take a wait at the IRS Guide To Information Returns.

5. Open a bank account for your business.

  • It is a good idea to keep your business's finances divide from your personal accounts. A proficient way to do this early is by opening a bank account for your business. The bank will probably require your Social Security Number or EIN and a copy of your business proper noun filing, although you may not need any documentation if your business'due south name includes your surname. (Here is an example of what banks may require.)

Jurisdiction:

  • Georgia

Subject Surface area:

  • Business organisation Germination