Answers to Business organisation Registration Questions

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​Oregon Business organization Registry (OBR) E-filing

New Assumed Business Name Registration
New Oregon Express Liability Company

Oregon and other states or countries
New Concern Corporation

Oregon and other states or countries
New Oregon Nonprofit Corporation
New Combined Employer Registration
Corporation Division Renewals/Annual Reports
Combined Employer Concern Contact Change

Your registration must exist reviewed past Oregon Corporation Division staff before it's completed. The process typically begins within one business day later on you submit your filing. When your filing is submitted online, a confirmation email with an attached copy of the filing is sent to the email accost yous provided when you signed upwardly with the Secretarial assistant of State. Please add DoNotReply@oregon.gov to your trusted email address listing then you can receive our emails.​​

You'll receive an e-mail stating there are items that need to be corrected. The electronic mail contains a link for you to log in and correct the errors. One time the errors are corrected, yous may resubmit the filing.

When the new filing or renewal has been filed, an email will be sent to the e-mail accost you provided when you signed up using the Secretary of State Secure Access system. The electronic mail will take a stamp filed confirmation copy attached.

You may track the status of your filing by logging into Oregon Business concern Registry and clicking on "My Businesses."

When the filing is completed, a check mark will announced in forepart of the business name and the status is automatically updated to show it's complete. Clicking on the name of the business in this list volition take you to the details for the business.

An assumed business name renews every ii years. All other concern entity types renew annually. Your renewal will be due on the anniversary appointment of the original filing. We send out renewal notices automatically about 45 days prior to the due date.

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A cookie is a small text file created by a website and stored on your calculator or mobile device. It contains unique information the site uses to track such things equally your business proper name and registry number. If you've used an east-commerce site, you lot accept experienced cookies at work. Cookies track what items you accept chosen equally you scan from i page to the next, and so load them into your shopping cart. Almost Web browsers offer the selection to limit the use of cookies. All the same, many websites utilize features that don't work when cookies are disabled.

Yes. At the State of Oregon we apply manufacture standard Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology to encrypt payment data. As a result, whatever payment information you enter online is protected and will not be used by anyone other than the State of Oregon.

​​​Registering Your Business organization Name​

​The principal reason to register your concern proper name is to tell the public - and other businesses - who is doing business organization nether that name.

The law requires people doing business organisation in Oregon under an assumed proper name to register it as a public tape with the Oregon Secretary of State Corporation Division. This registration lets the public know that the holder of the name intends to do concern under that name. It both aids concern owners in establishing their name with other businesses and gives the public contact information for legal proceedings. Information technology's merely like when you lot create a business, such as a corporation or express liability company, the required organization documents must be filed with u.s..

Those who do business with an unregistered causeless business name may not accept continuing in courtroom to pursue o​r defend legal deportment. They also may detect information technology hard to exercise business, for instance, getting licenses, opening depository financial institution accounts and entering into contracts.​​​

​An causeless business name is also ordinarily known as a ​DBA, or "doing business as."​​​

​The business name must be bachelor for registration purposes, meaning that no other business with exactly the aforementioned name has an active, or up-to-appointment, registration with us. At that place tin be businesses of tape with the same name which are no longer agile. At that place can be businesses in other states or countries that practice concern under that name. There can fifty-fifty be businesses in Oregon operating under that proper noun, only have non however registered.

In brusque, our records don't include every business that is using a given name. If the name is non already taken by an active registration, it's available for you to annals in the public record.​​​

​​The constabulary requires the Secretary of State to take names that are "di​stinguishable upon the tape." A business name is distinguishable if it doesn't copy a name already on tape. A word or even a letter'due south difference in a name can be plenty to tell it apart from another name.

Note: Assumed business organisation names are filed past canton. The database can contain identical names which are associated with unlike counties.

For farther item meet Oregon Administrative Rules Chapter 160​.​

​​If the name of your business includes the "real and true" name of each owner, then you don't have to use or annals an assumed business concern name.

A existent and true name refers to your last proper name combined with your given proper name or initials. For example, if your proper name is Tom G. Sorenson, and you lot behave business under the name Tom G. Sorenson Construction, you would not be required to register an assumed business name. For corporations, limited liability companies and other busi​ness entities, the business name registered with the Corporation Division is the real and true name of the business - no additional name registration is required. An assumed business name is only required for entities like corporations and LLCs if they are conducting business under a name other than the registered proper name for the entity.​​​​

​Registering your business proper name with the Corporation Segmentation is not the same every bit getting a license. Contact the city or county y'all're doing concern in to become a​ license or consult the Concern Xpress License Directory​.

​​The state of Oregon does ​not assign resale numbers for wholesale buy. Use your business registry number to buy wholesale.​​

Create and impress a resale certificate​ from the Department of Revenue.


​Registering your name doesn't give y'all the right to use it.

The law requires business owners to annals a public record of assumed business names and entities such as corporations. However, the authority to use the name comes only through asserting those rights through apply and legal action.

Registering your name doesn't imply you can legally use information technology. For instance, you might be able to register "Starbucks Coffee and Tea" with us, but the real Starbucks could still sue you. Also, someone may register a business proper noun similar yours just not exactly the same. That doesn't suggest they accept a right to use the name. It just means they've told the public they want to practice business using that name.

Your right to your business name is established mainly by using the name in business and is enforced past legal action - not by the Corporation Sectionalization. This may hateful you'll need to sue in courtroom to cease the offender.

If yous notice yourself in this state of affairs, it is important to go an chaser'southward communication. Consider what the loss of business and reputation will cost if you lot don't go professional advice. A visit or two to a lawyer volition cost far less than the time and expense of straightening out mix-ups with the other businesses.

To find a business chaser, consult the Oregon Bar Association's free referral service at 800-452-7636 or ask other business owners whom they recommend.​​​​​​

​A business name may not contain a discussion or phrase that implies banking or related financial action without written authorization from the Division of Finance and Corporate Securities.

Asking more information from the Division of Fiscal Regulation​.

​Name reservations and name registrations are filings meant to concord a name for a short period of time to allow for preparing to register your business concern. Having a name reservation or registration does not allow you to exercise business in Oregon.​

​​​​​​​Articles of Incorporation

​​​Manufactures of incorporation, sometimes called the document of incorporation, or charter, declares the desire of an individual or group to become a corporation. It spells out the ​minimum information near the corporation that is required by the laws of the state. It may too contain data about the corporation that needs to be made public record, items similar brake on the transfer of corporate stock.​​

​An causeless name, sometimes called a fictitious name, is a feature of some state corporation laws that allows a corporation to operate under more than one name.

This pick serves the small-scale business organization person who sells different products but doesn't wish to have several corporations. Many people initially proper noun the corporation their last name like Jones, Inc. They might and then add company names that are more descriptive of split up product lines, like Quantum Computers, Inc., and Standard Computer Software Corporation. All of these names are just aliases for the aforementioned corporation with a unmarried ready of books and the same shareholders.

​Country law specifies that shares of stock in the corporation will be issued under the management of the board of directors. Yet, because the corporation is set upwardly to benefit the shareholders, the shareholders set, or limit, the number of shares the directors are allowed to issue. In other words, the directors are not immune to issue shares without authority from the shareholders, and so the number of authorized shares is equal to the number of total shares.​

​The board of directors control the issuance of stock. Authorized shares refers to the full number of shares of stock that the board of directors is authorized to effect to shareholders.

The board may result all the shares now, or effect some now and some later. Authorized shares become issued shares when issued, or distributed, to a stockholder. Shares that are not issued are usually chosen authorized but unissued shares. Unissued shares belong to the corporation and are not considered for shareholders' ownership percentages.​

The board of directors is the body of people specified by state constabulary to direct and oversee the business affairs of the corporation, and is ordinarily headed past a chairperson. The board usually meets infrequently and hires officers to manage the day-to-twenty-four hour period business operations. Yet, because directors of the corporation have certain immunities from lawsuits against the corporation, all of import business decisions like entering long-term contracts should exist canonical by the corporation'south board of directors. It is important to call up to have a corporation'due south directors corroborate all major corporate actions.

​Just as a city or state government has laws for citizens, the corporation has rules for its shareholders, officers and directors. These rules are called bylaws. They specify things like the number of votes required to laissez passer a matter put earlier the corporation, and the requirements to be met before a shareholder can sell stock.​​

​The IRS, not the country, classifies corporations according to how they want to exist taxed. At that place are 2 types of corporations according to the IRS, either "C" corporations, named after Subchapter C of the tax code, or "Southward" corporations, named later on Subchapter Due south of the tax code. C corporations accept their ain tax identification number and pay their own taxes.

By contrast, S corporations, sometimes chosen pocket-sized business organisation corporations, are taxed equally if they were not a corporation. Taxed similar a partnership, an S corporation passes through its income or losses to the shareholder's personal tax return and is non liable for Federal income taxes itself. The shareholders of an S corporation pay personal income taxes based on the income of the S corporation, whether or not the shareholder received any of the income. Southward corporation shareholders can take any losses the corporation may have.

For information about how to handle taxation, see your CPA.​​​

​​​Capitalization has a specialized pregnant in corporate accounting. With a new corporation, the term mostly refers to the amount of money a corporation has in its "kitty" when operations brainstorm.

Some states have minimum capitalization requirements to ensure corporations have a minimum of assets before starting operations. Because shareholders are somewhat insulated from lawsuits confronting a corporation, these avails provide a means to pay whatever potential lawsuit winners.

Some states outcome the certificate of incorporation to confirm that yours is a valid corporation, one which has met state incorporation requirements. In some states document of incorporation means manufactures of incorporation, the document filed to comprise your business organisation.​

​The terms charter, certificate of incorporation and manufactures of incorporation are used interchangeably.​

​​Directors are people who oversee the affairs of the corporation. Directors are picked by the shareholders and subject to removal past them. In a minor corporation, the directors are usually the shareholders who put on their director's hat when the demand arises.​​​

​​A dividend is a special payment, commonly paid at the end of each quarter, based on the profits made past the corporation during that quarter.

Dividends are usually paid in cash or additional stock to the shareholders. This is a shareholder's reward for investing in the corporation. It is much the same as interest on a loan, except the dividend is based on the income of the corporation and may non be a regular payment. In addition, the corporation can't deduct dividends like it would loan involvement. Some owners pay themselves but a pocket-size salary to minimize FICA withholding and pay themselves a quarterly dividend instead.​​

​​The incorporator is the person who files the articles of incorporation. The incorporator's duties and title terminate after incorporating. The incorporator must be old enough to legally enter into contracts. When lawyers incorporate a business on the client's behalf, they usually deed every bit the incorporator, allowing them to sign the required paperwork.​

​Issued shares are easily confused with authorized shares.

Authorized shares: the maximum number of shares the lath of directors is immune to effect.

Issued shares: the number of shares actually given out to shareholders. Only issued shares are counted for ownership purposes.​

​A corporation cannot be a corporation without at least one share of stock. In other words, you must take at least one shareholder and one share of stock. You lot tin can accept (authorize) as many shares of stock as you want. Nonetheless, doing so may increase your filing fees.​

​​Par value is an bookkeeping unit of measure used to go on rail of the amounts given to the corporation when stock is issued.

Par value ways much the same as purchase price. If the stock has a $chiliad par value, then the person wishing to buy the stock must give something with at least a $g value for the stock. Amounts given for the stock in excess of par value are chosen "paid in capital in excess of par value" - likewise an accounting term. Par value is simply meaningful when the stock is bought directly from the corporation. It is not considered when stock is bought on the open marketplace. When you buy stock on the market, you pay what the stock is actually worth, the market toll.​​​

Par value refers to the price set for shares when purchased from the corporation, and no par value stock refers to stock for which no fixed price is ready. This is usually the case in small corporations where the owners issue themselves a number of shares and but infuse money in the corporation when needed. Corporations issue no par stock for flexibility. If the corporation'due south stock has no par value, so there is no set up price for the stock. In this case, the directors can raise the toll of the stock when the corporation becomes more valuable. In other words, with no par value stock, the directors decide how much must be paid for the stock each fourth dimension it is issued to a shareholder.​

​No, stock need non have a fixed value. Mostly, in a small business organisation corporation the stock is called "no par value stock" which means there is no set amount of payment required to purchase the stock of the corporation. Each time stock is issued, the directors make up one's mind the value of the shares.​​​​

​​Officers are normally employees of the corporation who manage the business on a daily basis. They are responsible for duties outlined past the corporate bylaws.

In a small corporation, officers are ordinarily also the directors and shareholders. Owners of small corporations do a lot of function playing, because pocket-sized corporations don't fit the corporate mold envisioned past the laws of many states. The president is usually the chairperson of the board every bit well.​

​Although a corporation is a separate legal entity, it cannot physically receive documents. It needs a real person, a registered agent, to receive them on its behalf.

The registered agent and address are registered with the state in which the corporation does business organization. This person is authorized to ship and receive legal documents for corporation and to forward documents to the corporation at its chief office accost.

Corporations that operate in different states, but don't maintain offices in these states, apply amanuensis service companies to human activity as registered agent. The terms registered agent, resident agent and statutory amanuensis all have the same meaning.​

Read more about Registered Agents and Service of Process​.

​The annual meeting is a meeting held once a year to review the results of corporate operations with the shareholders. In large corporations, shareholders by and large do non participate in daily business operations. Most states require corporations to hold annual meetings to keep shareholders informed about their investment.

Annual meetings are likewise held to re-appoint the officers and directors of the corporation.

Although holding an annual meeting may audio complicated, the requirement of holding an annual meeting is usually satisfied by using a standard pre-written form called Minutes of Almanac Shareholders Coming together or Annual Shareholder Meeting Minutes. Y'all can find free templates online.​

​​The terms stockholders and shareholders are used interchangeably, and refer to the people for whom the corporation was organized. In large corporations, shareholders are investors who put money into the business in return for future dividends. In a small corporation, they are the people who commencement and run the corporation​.​​​​​

Business Information Heart​

​Visit our online Forms Folio to download and impress a form or to file online.

​Practise you await to turn a profit from your activities in Oregon? If you lot practice, you are probably doing business organization in Oregon.

A taxpayer having 1 or more than of the following in Oregon is clearly doing business in this state:

  • A stock of goods.
  • An office.
  • A place of business organization (other than an function) where affairs of the corporation are regularly conducted.
  • Employees or representatives providing services to customers equally the primary business organization activity (such as bookkeeping or personal services), or services related to the sale of tangible or intangible personal property (such as installation, inspection, maintenance, warranty, or repair of a product).
  • An economic presence through which the taxpayer regularly takes advantage of Oregon's economy to produce income.

​Corporations, Limited Liability Companies and other formal business entities must register with the Secretary of State. Sole Proprietors and General Partner businesses are non required to register if they disembalm the names of the owners in the business concern name.  Any business tin choose to register an Assumed Business organization Name. ​​​​

​​Many occupations require special licenses, permits, or certifications from country agencies or boards. Please check the Land of Oregon'south online License Directory​ to make up one's mind if you lot must also register your business with a state agency or board and if there are any requirements regarding the name of your business.​

​If y'all have more one business name registered, each name must be renewed separately and cannot be combined. Renew online.

​​Become to Business organisation Proper noun Search, enter the business registry number or name, and curlicue down to summary history to check what it says under Almanac Report Payment or Renewal Payment.​​

​Go to Reinstate a Business organisation for information and links to reinstate your corporation, LLC, or limited partnership. Causeless concern names can now be reactivated. You lot can request the class at Renew Online or call our role at 503-986-2200.​​

Select your business type from the Business Registration Forms​ page. Click through to the page about your particular concern and find the "Data Change" form and either mail or fax the completed document to our office. The information is located at the top of the form.

If you have an causeless concern name, complete the amendment form.

​Amendments are not available for filing online at this time. Go to the Forms Page to download and print a form.

​​Aye. A foreign corporation or express liability company tin be filed online at Register Online.