Filing Services

Name Amendment (File Changes to a Company Name)

Anytime you change information included in your company’s articles of incorporation or articles of organization, you typically need to file an Article of Amendment. When the name of a corporation, Limited Liability Company (LLC), Limited Partnership (LP) or Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) changes, a name amendment may be required in states where your company conducts business.

The amendment certifies that changes to the name were completed as required by law with consent of the appropriate individuals within the company. Legal requirements vary by state and entity type. For example, name changes for a corporation may require consent of the incorporator, the company's board of directors or its shareholders .

The new company name must be distinguishable on the records of the state government. If the name is not unique, the state may reject the company’s name amendment.

Plaza Company Wizards' service includes a preliminary name check in the desired state verifying name availability; the preparation of an Article of Amendment; shipping of the document to you for signature, in cases where a signature is necessary; and filing of the Article of Amendment document for your business with the appropriate state office. 

Purpose Amendment (File Changes to a Business Purpose)

Anytime you change information included in your company's articles of incorporation or articles of organization, you typically need to file an Article of Amendment. When the business purpose of a Corporation, Limited Liability Company (LLC), Limited Partnership (LP) or Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) changes and the company's formation documents include a detailed purpose clause that consequently needs to be updated, filing a purpose amendment may be required in states where your company conducts business.

The amendment certifies that changes to the business purpose were completed as required by law with consent of the appropriate individuals within the company. Legal requirements vary by state and entity type. For example, business purpose changes for a corporation may require consent of the incorporator, the company's board of directors or its shareholders.

Plaza Company Wizards' service includes the preparation of an Article of Amendment; shipping of the document to you for signature, in cases where a signature is necessary; and filing of the Article of Amendment document for your business with the appropriate state office.

Share Amendment (File Changes to Stock Information)

Anytime you change information included in your company’s articles of incorporation, you typically need to file an Article of Amendment. When the number of authorized shares and/or par value changes, a share amendment may be required in states where your company conducts business.

In order to alter the number of shares of stock a corporation is authorized to issue and/or to alter the par value of that stock, an Article of Amendment is required. A share amendment certifies that changes to the stock information were completed as required by law with consent of the appropriate individuals within the company. Legal requirements vary by state and entity type. For example, stock changes for a corporation may require consent of the incorporator, the company's board of directors or its shareholders .

Plaza Company Wizards' service includes the preparation of an Article of Amendment; shipping of the document to you for signature, in cases where a signature is necessary; and filing of the Article of Amendment document for your business with the appropriate state office.

Conversion (Change a Company’s Entity Type)

Convert an LLC to a corporation or a corporation to an LLC with the help of incorporation services experts from Plaza Company Wizard today.

When the nature of your business changes, it may present an opportunity to change from one entity type to another:

Changing a corporation into a limited liability company (LLC)
For example, the owners of a corporation may wish to become an LLC to integrate an owner that isn't a US citizen.
Changing an LLC into a corporation
For example, an LLC may wish to seek venture capital funding and offer stock to potential investors.
Converting a company from one business type to another requires the business owner to follow the procedure used by the state where the entity was formed. Plaza Company Wizard helps you through the conversion process by:

Determining the appropriate process for conversion in the state where your company was formed
Obtaining and preparing the appropriate state forms for conversion
Submitting your completed conversion forms to the appropriate state agency or agencies
Notifying you when the conversion process is complete
Pricing
The cost of conversion varies, depending on the tasks required by each state. Plaza Company Wizard only charges clients for the time spent facilitating the conversion process. For questions regarding Plaza Company Wizards' conversion services, please contact our customer service team using the information below.

DBA (Doing Business As or Fictitious Name Filing)

A DBA (doing business as) filing is an official and public registration of a business name with either the state or local jurisdiction. A DBA name is also called an assumed name, trade name, or fictitious business name. DBAs enable sole proprietors to conduct business under a name other than their own personal name and enable corporations or LLCs to do business under a name other than that which is used on the company’s articles of formation.

Once the state and/or county has approved the DBA filing, the business can begin using this name as its official business name by publishing stationery and/or business cards, developing advertisements and/or directories, making transactions on behalf of the company, etc.

The typical completion time for the DBA Filing Service is 4 to 6 weeks.

Advantages of a DBA
Many business owners prefer to use a DBA rather than a personal name or company name for a variety of reasons:

to develop a business identity
to create a marketing campaign
due to requirements imposed by banking organizations
to notify other businesses that the name is in use as the DBA name becomes part of public record
Pricing
Plaza Company Wizard can file the necessary paperwork to obtain a DBA for your company. The cost for a DBA Filing is $140 plus state and/or county fees, any publication fees and a $45 name check fee in states where applicable.

If you would like to obtain your DBA online filing sooner, Plaza Company Wizard offers an Expedited DBA Filing Service for an additional $90. With expedited processing, Plaza Company Wizard sends you the necessary document(s) for signature via FedEx 2Day delivery. We also ship your approved DBA document(s) via FedEx 2 Day delivery both to the state and/or county and to you after receiving them from the appropriate office. Typical completion time for Expedited DBA Filing orders is 2 to 4 weeks.

Dissolution (Dissolve a Company)

Regrettably, not all businesses succeed to the level their owners originally intend and many must cease operations. Dissolution is the termination of a company’s legal existence. Dissolution may be caused in many ways, including failure to file annual reports, failure to pay certain taxes, bankruptcy, or voluntary dissolution of the business by its owners.

If your company is ceasing operations or is no longer in business, Plaza Company Wizard can directly assist with filing the articles of dissolution with the state of formation, or if applicable the state(s) of foreign qualification, to terminate the existence of a corporation, limited liability company (LLC) or nonprofit corporation.

There are a number of other steps involved in the dissolution of a business, which are outlined in our article entitled “Dissolving Your Business".

Pricing
The Plaza Company Wizard fee for a dissolution is $169 + state fees. 

Foreign Qualification (Register to Transact Business in another state)

Seeking to transact business in multiple states? Plaza Company Wizards' foreign qualification services can help, whether you are getting ready to form a business, or you have an established business and are ready to expand into different states.

Corporations and limited liability companies (LLCs) are considered domestic only in their state of formation. In all other states, they are considered a “foreign” entity. If your company expects to transact business outside your state of formation, your company may be required to qualify as a foreign corporation or foreign LLC in the applicable state(s).

There are many factors used to determine whether a company is transacting business in a state. Some criteria evaluated include:

Whether the company has a physical presence in the state
Whether the company has employees in the state
Whether the company accepts orders in the state
Whether the company has a bank account in the state
This is not a complete list and different states may have different criteria. However, these are some common factors to consider when trying to determine whether it is necessary for your corporation or LLC to foreign qualify. For questions regarding your specific situation, it is best to seek the advice of an attorney or accountant.

To qualify your company to transact business in another state, you may have to apply for a certificate of good standing from your domestic state, and you must register for a certificate of authority in the state you wish to transact business in, and pay the applicable state filing fees. Keep in mind that corporations and LLCs are subject to taxes and annual report fees in both the state of formation and any states where the company has foreign qualified.

lf you decide it is necessary to foreign qualify your corporation or LLC, Plaza Company Wizards' Foreign Qualification Service provides everything you need in one turn-key package:

Preliminary name availability check to ensure your name is available
Preparation and filing of the certificate of authority
Obtainment of a certificate of good standing or certified copy
Initial state filing fees
The typical completion time for the Foreign Qualification Service is 6 to 10 weeks. If time is of the essence, Plaza Company Wizard also offers an expedited foreign qualification service that reduces the completion time to 3 to 5 weeks.

Reinstatement (Return a company to Good Standing)

Reinstatement is the process of returning an inactive or non-compliant company to good standing within a state. Corporations and limited liability companies (LLCs) face required ongoing formalities in the state of formation, and if applicable in the state of foreign qualification. Such requirements often include filing annual reports or statements, paying the associated filing fees and paying required franchise or other state taxes. When a company fails to undertake these steps in a timely manner, it risks falling out of “good standing” in a state.

A company that fails to comply with a state’s rules and regulations can fall out of good standing in that state. Companies that are in bad standing long enough risk administrative dissolution or revocation by the state. This should be avoided because when a state administratively dissolves a corporation or LLC or its corporate or LLC status is revoked, the benefits of being a corporation or LLC are lost to the business.

Reinstatement requires a company to resolve outstanding compliance issues and submit the necessary forms and fees to the state. Steps required to reinstate a company can include filing overdue annual statements and paying the necessary fines and paying back taxes for your company. Plaza Company Wizard helps you through the reinstatement process by:

Identifying all steps your business must take to become compliant with the state.
Determining outstanding or overdue fees due to the state by your company.
Obtaining the forms you must complete as part of the reinstatement process.
Auditing your reinstatement forms for common errors prior to submission.
Submitting your completed reinstatement forms to the appropriate state agency or agencies.
Notifying you when reinstatement of your company is complete.
Pricing
The cost of Plaza Company Wizards’ Reinstatement service varies, depending on the tasks required to return a company to good standing with the state. Plaza Company Wizard only charges clients for the time spent facilitating the reinstatement process.

For questions regarding Plaza Company Wizards' Reinstatement service, please contact our customer service team using the information below.