How to Register a Sole Proprietorship in Attleboro, MA

Working from home can be an enjoyable and rewarding experience. Be sure to keep the experience a good one by making sure that your sole proprietorship is properly registered. Registering a sole proprietorship in Attleboro, Massachusetts is a relatively easy task. This article will walk you through the basics and provide you with any contact information you will need.

The first step to registering your sole proprietorship is deciding on a name for your new business. If you plan to do business under any name other than your full legal name, you will need to register a business certificate with the Attleboro City Clerk's office with a DBA, or "doing business as." For example, if you plan to practice graphic design using your legal name of John Smith, you do not need to register a DBA. If you decide to use a more appealing name for your sole proprietorship, such as Fresh Concept Designs, you will need to register that name with the Attleboro City Clerk. The DBA allows people to find out who the legal owner of a business is and includes the physical address of the business.

Registering your business name is a simple process. The business certificate must be signed in the presence of a Notary Public. The easiest way to go about this is to visit the Attleboro City Clerk's office, located at 77 Park Street, Attleboro, MA. They are open Monday through Friday, from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. (The Official Website of Attleboro, MA, www.cityofattleboro.us) There, you will be able to complete the business certificate, pay the applicable fee, visit the Assessor's office (more on that later), and have the form signed by a City Clerk official. Remember two very important things about the business certificate, or DBA. One, registering with the City Clerk does not give you permission to do a specific type of business, you should check with local licensing boards to see if there are any other requirements that need to be met. (The Official Web Site of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, www.mass.gov) Two, registering the name of your sole proprietorship at the local level does not protect your business name from being used by someone else. If you are concerned that someone else may use your business name, you should look into registering a copyright or trademark.

Registering a business certificate in Attleboro currently costs $40.00 and the DBA is good for four years, at which point you will need to renew the certificate to keep your sole proprietorship in good standing with the City Clerk. Should you decide to move your business out of Attleboro or discontinue your business completely, you will need to register a Discontinuance or Change Certificate which currently costs $20.00 and must also be signed in the presence of a Notary Public.

The next step which should be completed is filing with the Assessor's office and can be completed in the same visit to the Attleboro Municipal Offices at 77 Park Street. Here, you will need to register a Personal Property Form of List. This is simply a form which gathers information about the property you own which is related to your sole proprietorship, for example, computers, equipment, etc. The Assessor's office will use this information to evaluate your property and to calculate the taxes you will need to pay on that property for the fiscal year. This form will be filed yearly and can be downloaded from the City of Attleboro web site. (City of Attleboro Assessor's Office, www.cityofattleboro.us/assessor/Forms.htm)

Finally, if you plan to sell goods or services for which sales tax must be collected, you will need to register with the Massachusetts Department of Revenue. New businesses are registered online, using WebFile for Business. On the web site, you will be able to register with the DOR and select which taxes you will be collecting, sales tax, for example. You will also create an account which will allow you to file returns, pay taxes and report wages. Depending on the amount of sales tax you anticipate collecting, you will need to file and pay either quarterly or yearly. (Massachusetts Department of Revenue's WebFile for Business, wfb.dor.state.ma.us/webfile/Business/Public/Webforms/Login/Login.aspx) A tour of the WebFile for Business site is available as answers to commonly asked questions. For specific questions about your tax account, you should call 1-800-392-6089 (toll-free in MA). Remember, WebFile for Business is for the collection of sales taxes. You will still need to file a Schedule C with your federal and state income tax returns to report and pay taxes on your business income.

Congratulations on your decision to work from home and for keeping your sole proprietorship in good standing with local government. Don't forget to visit the web sites listed in the additional resources section for more helpful information!