Register your business in Pennsylvania

LLCs, corporations, nonprofits and limited partnerships register with the Pennsylvania Department of State’s Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations, through Business Filing Services (file.dos.pa.gov). General partnership: no filing; formed by agreement. A business that uses a name other than its legal name files a fictitious name with the same Department, not with the county.

What’s different in Pennsylvania

• Every filing entity files an annual report, a requirement that began January 1, 2025 and replaced the old decennial report. Corporations file by June 30, LLCs by September 30 and other registered entities by December 31, starting the year after they form. It costs $7, and $0 for nonprofits. A miss means administrative dissolution (cancellation for an LLP, termination of a foreign registration) and loss of the name's protection, six months after the due date, for reports due in 2027 and later. Stay compliant has the dates.
• There is a registered office, not a registered agent. An LLC or corporation lists a Pennsylvania street address where the entity can receive mail; no P.O. boxes, or names a Commercial Registered Office Provider (CROP) on the Department's list.
• A new corporation has to publish. Under 15 Pa.C.S. 1307, a business corporation must officially publish a notice of intent to file, or of the filing of, its articles. The Department’s guide says to publish in two newspapers of general circulation, one a legal journal if possible, and says the same for nonprofit corporations. The sources we read state no such rule for LLCs.* Check with the Department of State.
• A fictitious name is a state filing, and it is advertised only when the registration lists an individual.

Do this

1. Pick your structure. LLC, corporation, nonprofit corporation, partnership or sole proprietorship. A sole proprietor or general partnership has no formation filing and can skip to step 7. A licensed professional can form a restricted professional company or professional corporation; the restricted professional company (PLLC) must be noted on the Certificate of Organization. Pick an entity compares them.
2. Check the name in the Department’s business search. An LLC name must include company, limited, or limited liability company, or an equivalent abbreviation. A name availability check for three names is $15. Not ready to file? A reserved name is held for 120 days for $70. Search the web and the federal trademark database too.
3. Choose a registered office. It must be a Pennsylvania street address where the entity can receive mail; no P.O. boxes. Or use a Commercial Registered Office Provider (CROP) on the Department's list. The annual report notice is mailed to the registered office address at least two months before the deadline.
4. File with the Bureau. Set up an account on Business Filing Services and file online. Include a Docketing Statement, filed with the formation document. The fee depends on your structure (below). The portal’s total before payment was not available to us, so check the total when you file.* The Department’s FAQ says to allow 15 business days for processing.* Check the portal for current times.
5. Ask for expedited service if you need a date. It is extra and online at file.dos.pa.gov only; expedited requests are not accepted by mail: $100 for same-day if received before 10 a.m., $300 for three-hour if before 2 p.m., and $1,000 for one-hour if before 4 p.m.
6. Publish, if you are a corporation. The statute, 15 Pa.C.S. 1307, says the incorporators or the corporation must officially publish a notice of intent to file, or of the filing of, its articles. The Department’s guide says that publication goes in two newspapers of general circulation, one a legal journal if possible.
7. File a fictitious name if you use another name. The form is Registration of Fictitious Name (DSCB:54-311), filed with the Pennsylvania Department of State for $70. Details are below.
8. Order a certificate of status if your bank wants one. The Department’s subsistence certificate is $40.
9. Calendar the first deadlines. The first annual report is due the year after the company is formed (or after its initial foreign registration). Selling taxable goods or services means registering with the Department of Revenue before your first sale: Get your tax IDs.

By structure

LLC

File a Certificate of Organization ($125). The LLC then files an annual report by September 30, $7, starting the year after the company is formed (or after its initial foreign registration). A restricted professional company (PLLC) also files a Certificate of Annual Registration by April 15 of the following year, with a 2026 fee of $700 per member. The fee is owed only for members who were licensed in the company's profession and had a principal residence in Pennsylvania on December 31, per the Department’s page.

Corporation

File Articles of Incorporation ($125). Then publish, as in step 6. The corporation files an annual report by June 30, $7. A C corporation also pays corporate net income tax; the capital stock and foreign franchise tax was eliminated for tax years beginning January 1, 2016 and after. S corporation status is a federal election made with the IRS.

Nonprofit

File Articles of Incorporation ($125) and publish in two newspapers of general circulation, one a legal journal if possible. The annual report is due June 30 and costs $0. 501(c)(3) status is a separate application to the IRS. Past formation, the rest of this series is written for for-profit businesses, and nonprofit tax exemption and fundraising rules are not covered.

Partnership

A general partnership: no filing; formed by agreement. A domestic limited partnership registers for $125 and a limited liability partnership for $125. Both file the annual report by December 31, $7. A limited liability partnership also files a Certificate of Annual Registration by April 15 of the following year, with a 2026 fee of $470 per general partner, owed only for general partners who had a principal residence in Pennsylvania on December 31 (or, for a partner that is an entity, was organized in Pennsylvania).

Sole proprietorship

No formation filing. The Department’s rule: a sole proprietor using their own full name does not register. A name other than your own means a fictitious name registration. Sales tax registration and any license your work needs still apply.

Fictitious names

Registration is required of any individual or entity doing business under a name other than its legal name. The form is Registration of Fictitious Name (DSCB:54-311), $70. County filing? none; fictitious names are not filed with the county. Can you reserve one? no; fictitious names cannot be reserved. Does registering protect the name? no; registration gives no exclusive right to the name.

Advertising is required only when the registration lists an individual; publish in the county of the principal office or place of business. Proof of publication is kept with the business's permanent records; not filed with the Department. The penalty for not registering: no court enforcement of contracts made under the name until it is registered. A court may also add $500 if you register late and then try to enforce a contract. How long a registration lasts, and whether it renews, is not stated on the pages we read.* Check the official source.

Formed in another state

An LLC or corporation formed elsewhere files a Foreign Registration Statement (DSCB:15-412) with a Docketing Statement: $250 for an LLC, $250 for a corporation, $250 for a nonprofit. On a home-state good standing certificate, the Department says no; the registration needs no good standing certificate or copy of the home-state articles. Forming in another state covers the tradeoffs.

What you get back

Your filed documents become part of the public record, searchable at file.dos.pa.gov/search/business. You will need the filed certificate or articles for your EIN and bank account. The annual report notice is mailed to the registered office address at least two months before the deadline.