Do i need a business license to start a website

For local governments, almost all businesses will have to get a license. City and County licenses fall here too. You may need to get more than one of any of the above. I get a lot of comments about this and the answer is simple: your business license needs depends on your specific location. A general business license allows you to operate in a city or county.

It also identifies your business as one operating in that jurisdiction. They have to be renewed every year or two. For most types of businesses online, home occupation permit is the most popular license requested by the government, especially if you are shipping products from your home.

It allows you to collect sales tax from your end customers. Instead, you can give your supplier a resale certificate when you buy products that you either wholesale or retail in your online store. This is called nexus.

Nexus is quite tricky. Stored inventory is one of them. You may need licenses and permits for both states to remit the tax collected on sales to residents. Check this tax permit guide on BigCommerce. In the UK , licensing may not apply to every ecommerce business.

In addition, if you sell to residents of another country, one problem you may encounter is overlapping regulations. One way to go about this is to incorporate your business as a legal entity in the US. However, you will need a US mailing address and phone number. You can easily get those even if you stay very far away.

There are benefits to this so if you think this is for you, you can look into it. Discuss with your supplier to find out the document they require. Every city, county, institution, and state has its own price. What you sell will also affect the price. There may be additional fees for fingerprinting and other types of processing.

Some Institutions ask for almost the same amount when you want to renew. Others request for a lower amount. Just ensure that you renew on time. If not, a part of your precious revenue will be cut away to settle the penalty. If you do not have frequent carrier pickup and deliveries, your license is simple to get.

If you sell both online and offline or handle inventory and fulfillment from your house, it is harder. They may have to carry out a zoning review to find out if operating a business out of your home violates local zoning restrictions.

Whether your business is simple or complex, it is better to have plenty of information or at least one person who knows the ropes to guide you.

Small Business Administration is one good place to start. You can check out the mentor-protege network and the courses they offer. When you have located that, you should download the forms online or pick them up in person from their office. Filing the forms require a fee. Pay that and all you have to do is wait for your license to be ready. This can take a couple of days or weeks.

If you think that it stops at just getting the license, think again. The law is fluid and can change. A change that could affect your online store. So, stay informed on updates and protect your business. Getting a business license makes you look more credible. Once you have done this, you can start a business the legit way. I am a bit of a rebel when it comes to these legal hoops. No one is going to shake you down for making a few bucks while you validate your business.

Just ensure that you get your business tax ID. With this, you can create a business bank account and also integrate a business PayPal account to your site. If you start a home business, make sure you do get all your permits before it turns into a warehouse warzone. I am from Michigan. Thank you. Contact your local chamber of commerce. Now I want to have 3 businesses 1 export and import 2 selling online with website drop shipping may be with shopify 3.

So whats the best advise you give me to do in terms of forming legal docs. I want to spend as less just to start now. From an online commerce perspective — just make sure the dba is on the payment gateway so when people buy from brand X — they dont see brand y.

If that happens they might not recognize the charge and make a claim against you. Thats the most important thing really. I have one LLC and several sub businesses. I am beginning a watch brand and am selling online.

It is totally e-commerce. I need to be able to accept credit and debit cards. How can I do this if I am an expat and my business is run out of a laptop anywhere on the planet. Everything is shipped out of the producing companies to the clients.

I am selling the brand which is presently watches. What kind of business license do I need. Can I get a license from the most convenient and cheapest country on the planet that lets me have a ghost residency? To get a business bank account you need to be licensed in your state. Specifically a tax ID number. You can run a business as a "sole proprietor. For example, if you need to collect state or local sales tax because you are selling taxable things, you probably need to register with whoever collects the tax.

If you are going to have a particular place that is open to the public for business, you may need to register with your state or local government.

Depending on your line of work, you may need to get some sort of license or permit health inspection, safety inspection, etc. If all you are doing is running a website and getting a trademark, then there is no legal requirement that you incorporate, create an LLC, or register as a business.

However, there are some good reasons to do so. For example, if you don't make a business entity corp or LLC separate from yourself, then if someone wants to sue your website, they would have to sue you personally, and you could lose money. If you operate the corp or LLC, then typically you can not personally be sued for your business activities.

Many developers start by running a website or an app without a corporation, then when any significant business activity or public presence begins, they create one. An accountant or lawyer can advise you further on your specific case. Sign up to join this community. So, if you are selling affiliate products through Clickbank , through Amazon, through whoever… that affiliate service will have you fill out forms and you do not need a business license.

In the U. S, to fill out a W9, you will need to enter information like your name and your social security number. The affiliate network will then track how much money you make… and at the end of the year, you will be supplied with the proper paperwork to show on your taxes what you earned in affiliate commissions. When you work as an affiliate marketer, you are essentially operating your own business as an independent contractor.

You will want to save up money over the course of the year to pay your taxes, make sure that you can get health care covered without employer-supplied coverage, etc. With all of that being said, there are some other pretty cool benefits to being an independent contractor as well. If you live in another country, sorry but I have no idea.

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