- [Narrator] A DBA or doing business as
is essentially a nickname for your company.
In Pennsylvania, a DBA is also called a fictitious name.
DBAs are a great way to rebrand your company name,
to add new brands to your company,
or to change your company name completely.
For sole proprietors and partnerships,
DBAs offer the ability to operate under a name
that isn't the business owner surname.
For more information on the specifics of what a DBA is
and how it can be used,
check out our other video linked below.
In this video,
we will go over the steps you need to take
in order to form a DBA in Pennsylvania.
(gentle music)
There are two ways to form a DBA.
You can do it yourself,
or you can hire a service to do it for you.
Let's take a look at both options
and help you decide how to go about forming your own DBA.
One, do it yourself.
If you want to save money,
you can form a DBA on your own.
Let's take a look at the steps to forming a DBA
in Pennsylvania on your own.
One, complete name searches.
When determining what you want your DBA name to be,
you'll want to make sure you follow
Pennsylvania naming requirements.
For more details check out our video,
how to name your business in Pennsylvania
or our naming guides linked below.
Next you'll want to make sure
the name is available in Pennsylvania.
Note that when you register your fictitious name,
you are essentially letting other business owners know that
the name is in use.
Your fictitious name isn't protected from being used
by other businesses.
The first and most important search is
Pennsylvania's Department of State Business Entity Search.
If the name is not available,
you'll have to adjust your name or use a different one.
We provide instructions
to search your business name in Pennsylvania,
on how to start an llc.com linked below.
Searching is free.
To learn more visit Pennsylvania naming guides
linked in the description below.
After confirming your name is available on Pennsylvania,
we recommend doing a domain search
to see for name is available as a URL.
Even if you don't plan on making a website today,
we recommend buying your domain
in order to prevent others from acquiring it.
Two, register your DBA.
After you've chosen an available name,
you'll want to register your DBA.
For all business structures in Pennsylvania,
you register your DBA with the Secretary of State.
You must complete the registration of fictitious named form
and then either file it online or by mail.
The application will ask for your new DBA name
and information about your business,
such as a brief description of the business,
the names and addresses of individuals
interested in the business,
the names and addresses of entities
other than individuals interested in the business
and the names of anyone authorized
to amend or cancel their registration
on behalf of the existing parties.
Filing fees vary so check out our pages linked below
for more detailed information.
Three, publish a notice for your DBA.
Any business that includes an individual party
rather than being owned by a corporation or LLC
must publish notice that it has filed
or intends to file for a fictitious name.
In other words,
if there are one or more individuals listed in box four
of the registration of fictitious name form,
then you need to advertise.
The advertisement should be placed
in at least two newspapers in the business's home County,
unless there is only one paper in the County.
In that case, one a sufficient.
You can find a list of approved newspapers
from the Department of State.
The publish notice must include the following,
the fictitious name being registered,
the business address,
the names and addresses of any individuals
party to the registration
and the statement that the name is being filed
under 54 Pa.c.s.
You can find detailed information about
publishing notice of your fictitious name linked below.
And with that,
you'll have a DBA in Pennsylvania.
Keep in mind that your Pennsylvania DBA
needs to be renewed every five years.
You can either renew online
or complete the business name renewal form.
Option two.
The second way to form a DBA
is to hire a professional service
to create your DBA for you.
Hiring a professional service to file your forms
and do name searches will cost you an additional 50 to $150.
However, there are several benefits to working with a pro.
A higher professional files or DBA for you,
keeps you up to date with renewals
and assist with publications.
DBAs or doing business as are also known as trade names,
assumed names or fictitious names of a business.
Informal business structures like
sole proprietorship and partnerships can use DBAs
as their business name instead of their surnames.
Formal business structures like LLCs and corporations
can use DBAs as a means to rebrand their name,
add new brands
or change the name they are using as their business name.
DBAs are not a business structure
and are not separate legal entities.
They also do not provide asset protection
or liability protection to informal business structures.
For state specific guides on how to form a DBA,
check out the pages linked below
and for a more detailed guide visit StartupSavant.com.
Give the video a like if you found it useful
and subscribe if you'd like to see more.
And if you have questions or encounter any roadblocks
leave a comment below.
Good luck and starting your small business.