Instructions

1

Register your small business with Alabama’s Secretary of State’s office. Complete an Application for Certificate of Existence to register your business in the state. Submit this form online or mail it to the Secretary of State’s office.

Alabama Secretary of State
100 N. Union St., Suite 770
Montgomery, AL 36130
334-242-5324
sos.state.al.us
2

Register your small business’s trademark or service mark. Although Alabama does not require you to register your business name with the state, you can opt to register your trademark or service mark. Complete the Application to Register Trademark, Service Mark or Trade Name and submit it to the Alabama Secretary of State’s office.
3

Register your small business with the Alabama Department of Revenue. Acquire a privilege license through the Probate Judge in the county courthouse in the county where your business will operate. Your county’s Probate Judge will notify you of any additional municipal licenses that your business type requires. For example, automobile dealers require additional licenses. The privilege license renews annually on Sept. 30.
4

Obtain a federal Employment Identification Number through the Internal Revenue Service. The Alabama Department of Revenue requires all small businesses to obtain this number to file taxes in the state. Complete Form SS-4 and submit it to the IRS to obtain your business’s EIN.
5

Create an account with the Alabama Department of Revenue’s Business Tax Online Registration System. Provide your small business’s basic contact information, as well as the EIN you received from the IRS to register to pay taxes in the state of Alabama. State taxes that your business might have to pay include a sales tax, lodging tax, consumers use tax and utility excise tax.