How Many Registered Business Are There In Hawaii

If you're an entrepreneur in Hawaii, yous may not wish to use your concern'south full legal name for all of your company'due south activities. If so, a "doing business as" (DBA) name could exist a helpful branding tool, allowing y'all to behave your small business under a different title. Follow the steps below if you're interested in creating a DBA name for your Hawaii concern.

A doing business organization as (DBA) filing is the official manner to register a business proper noun in the state of Hawaii a local jurisdiction, such as a county. A DBA proper noun is also called an assumed name, fictitious business organisation name or merchandise proper name. Having a DBA is a great fashion to launch new product lines or services, as information technology allows for flexible branding.

Although we don't currently support DBA registration in Hawaii, use this guide to learn the basics of getting a DBA name and how to maintain it long-term.

How practice I register a Hawaii DBA proper noun?

As mentioned above, Hawaii does non crave a business concern to register a trade proper name; ownership is acquired by adopting and using it. However, Hawaii does all the same offer the choice to annals your trade proper name officially with the state. In Hawaii, it costs $25 to file for a trade proper name until Jan. 1, 2021, when the fee will automatically readjust to $l. For an additional fee of $twenty, y'all tin can have an expedited review of the merchandise proper noun. The Certificate of Registration tin exist completed online or past a printable class that must be completed in black ink.

Businesses that choose to post in the completed course should send a check made payable to the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and the completed form to:

Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs
Business Registration Division
P.O. Box 40
Honolulu, Howdy 96810

Follow these stride-past-step instructions to register your merchandise proper noun in Hawaii:

Search the Hawaii name registrar: Check the Hawaii business registrar to make sure that your merchandise name is not taken by another business. You're besides encouraged to cheque the phone directory of each isle, the city directory, and the Section of Taxation.
Go to the section of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs where you tin register a merchandise name: In Hawaii, you tin submit an application to annals your trade name online or use a printable form.
Provide the bidder'due south proper noun.
Enter the applicant'southward mailing address: The address should include the metropolis, state, and Nothing code.
Select type of registration (registration or renewal): Check if this is the start time you are registering this trade name or if you are renewing the trade proper name. In the case of a trade name renewal, yous volition demand to provide the certification number.
Input the status of the applicant: Remember to cheque the status of the bidder. This is your business organisation's entity type, which can include sole proprietor, corporation, partnership, LLC, LLP, unincorporated association, or other.
List the state or country of incorporation, germination, or organization: If the applicant is an entity, they must list the state or country in which they are incorporated, formed, or organized.
Write the trade name: Call back to ensure that the trade name is not already taken in the registrar.
Check whether the applicant is the originator of the name or if it was the assignee.
Input the nature of the business organization: Make sure to draw the nature of business organisation in which the trade name is beingness used.
Certify the application: If the trade name but applies to an private, simply they demand to sign the application. In the case of a corporation, the authorized officer of that corporation must sign the document. Limited and general partnerships will need a general partner to sign the grade, while an LLC must have the manager or a member (depending on the structure) of the company. Lastly, LLP trade name registration forms must be signed by a partner.
Set the term dates: Add the dates for the five-year time catamenia in which the merchandise name will be active in the country of Hawaii.
Pay the fees to complete the registration: Applications can be completed for $25 until Jan. one, 2021, and checks demand to be made payable to the Department of Commerce and Consumer Diplomacy. In addition, y'all will be required to pay a state archive fee of $i.
Submit the application.

How do I manage ongoing DBA name compliance in Hawaii?

If you do not use your trade name in a twelvemonth (365 sequent days), the Certificate of Registration tin can be revoked. If the trade name hasn't been used for a year, someone tin petition to have the trade name registration rights revoked. At this point, a manager can grant or deny the petitioner'southward request.

One time the trade name is registered, information technology will be valid for five years in Hawaii. The country will not remind yous to renew your trade name. Delight note that information technology will exist your responsibility to re-register the trade proper noun before the end of the v years. In fact, renewals must exist received before the expiration date of the registration. Y'all can re-annals your trade proper name up to six months before the expiration of the trade name. If a business would similar to renew their trade name, they can do so online or by completing this grade.

If you would like to cancel the merchandise name, you can file a request for cancellation. This form can be emailed, faxed, or mailed.

What is a Hawaii "doing business as" (DBA) name?

A DBA name, which tin as well be chosen an "assumed proper name," "fictitious name," or "trade proper name," enables businesses to conduct business under a different name than their formal business entity name. Multiple businesses can accept the aforementioned trade name within the state, and it doesn't necessarily provide legal protection for businesses. For instance, businesses using a trade name are all the same subject to trademark infringement laws, so it is of import to keep that in heed when choosing a proper noun.

In Hawaii, DBA names are unremarkably referred to every bit "trade names" and relate to entities and businesses. It is not a business organisation entity type merely gives businesses an opportunity to employ a different name than their business organisation'due south official name. For case, a corporation that is registered with the name "Acme, Inc." could accept a trade proper name of "Tiptop Manufacturing Co."

A trade name can be used in a variety of business concern structures, such every bit a sole proprietorship, partnership, and corporation. For sole proprietorships and partnerships, they might choose to accept a trade name to avoid using the person's legal name. For corporations and limited liability companies (LLCs), they might cull a trade name to driblet a designator ("LLC," "Co.," "Inc.," etc.) from their name.

The post-obit business entity types may register for a trade name in Hawaii:

Sole proprietorship
Corporation
Partnership
Express liability visitor (LLC)
Limited liability partnership (LLP)

A registered trade name offers a couple of advantages to businesses:

Use a different name: Registering a DBA name allows businesses to operate nether a dissimilar name than the owner's name or the formal concern name.
Open a business bank business relationship: When combined with a federal tax ID number, a merchandise name enables businesses to open up a business banking company account.

In this guide, nosotros'll provide a detailed overview of how to obtain and maintain a DBA name in Hawaii. Although Hawaii does non legally require businesses to register a trade proper noun before they can utilize it, registering a DBA proper noun can help dissuade other businesses from using that proper name.

How practice I choose a Hawaii DBA name?

Deciding on a business name is a peachy opportunity to establish a unique brand and connect with clients and customers. Crafting a brand starts with establishing the right name. When deciding on a name, you should envision the future of your business and think long term. Although you likely have a business organisation name if you're because a DBA proper noun, crafting the right DBA name tin can help yous market your business.

On superlative of that, ensuring that your business organization email matches your trade proper noun further distinguishes your brand. All businesses should annals a domain proper name right away. Past registering early on, y'all tin prevent other businesses from taking the same proper name.

Hither are additional benefits of a domain name:

Promote your brand online
Add together legitimacy to your business
Protect your business from others using your proper name online

It'due south important to annotation that registering for a trade proper name with the State of Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Diplomacy does non give you ownership of the trade name. Registering the trade name might serve the purpose of helping dissuade others from using the name, just it doesn't legally forbid them from doing so. In Hawaii, ownership of a trade proper name is acquired mainly by adopting and using it in the marketplace in social club to larn mutual law ownership rights.

That existence the case, the Application for Registration of Trade Proper name does encourage you to cheque the online business name database, the telephone directory of each island, the urban center directory, and the Department of Taxation to see if your desired trade name is already in use. After all, whoever is using the name will already likely have established its utilise nether common law.

During the registration process, Hawaii will merely cheque to see that no business concern's proper name is "essentially identical" during registration. It's still your responsibility to yous to make certain no ane else is already using a merchandise name that's similar to yours. Registering your trade name doesn't prevent someone else from suing y'all if they already have a similar name in use.

Equally mentioned above, the search engine for businesses in Hawaii is a good place to start. Inbound a name hither will yield the record blazon (trade name, entity, trademark, etc.), file number, and status (active, expired, canceled, etc.).

Although obtaining a trade name in Hawaii is not all that hard, there are some things to know before completing the application:

A trade proper name may not infringe on anyone's ownership rights to a concern name that is reserved in Hawaii.
The proper noun should non be substantially identical to any other registered name.
The application must be completed in legible, printed black ink, or typewritten if y'all cull to complete the post-in version.
So, if registering a trade name is optional and doesn't requite y'all ownership rights to that proper noun, information technology'southward fair to ask: Why bother registering?

1 reason is that registering lets others know that you're challenge that DBA name; it puts it in the system. Another is that going through the registration process could alert you if someone else is already using that proper name or one very shut to it.

We Tin can Help!

While nosotros don't currently support DBA registration in Hawaii, nosotros can help you create one in states we do support, including: Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Isle, South Dakota, Texas and Utah. Nosotros can make creating a DBA proper name in some other state simple.

The content on this page is for informational purposes only, and does not establish legal, tax, or accounting advice. If you have specific questions about any of these topics, seek the counsel of a licensed professional.

Hawaii DBA FAQs

How much does it toll to register a Hawaii DBA proper noun?
Filing fees can change over fourth dimension, so bank check the state'southward website for a current fee schedule. In addition, the country offers expedited registration for an additional fee.
What is the processing time to register a Hawaii DBA?
Filing online is ever a faster option. In addition, you can pay an expedited service fee to go your trade proper noun registered as quickly as possible.
Do I need a DBA name for my Hawaii business concern?

DBA names are not required past law. That being said, a DBA name, or trade name, allows businesses to utilize an alternative proper noun to their legal business name. By using a merchandise name, you can utilize a unique proper name to brand and market your business concern. When yous choose a trade proper noun, you do not accept to pay whatsoever additional taxes and can obtain a potentially shorter name for a small fee.

For many businesses, registering a DBA name tin prove advantageous. In the case of an LLC, choosing a DBA proper name can assist eliminate the "LLC" in the title. The same goes for corporations. By obtaining a trade name, they will be able to choose a name that fits their personal brand.
If I register a DBA name in Hawaii, can another business use the same name?

Registering your trade name will non preclude other businesses from legally using your DBA name in Hawaii. Although merchandise names tin offer advantages in Hawaii, they are non to be dislocated with trademarks.

At the federal level, a trademark can protect your business across the nation. A trademark from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) prevents similar businesses (those in your manufacture) from using whatever of your trademarked names. Trademark lawsuits tin can bear witness quite plush, which is why information technology's recommended to check the trademark database. In Hawaii, in that location is as well a state trademark, which can be completed online.
Can a business in Hawaii have multiple DBA names?

Yes. All businesses tin can have multiple DBA names. Typically, businesses that use multiple DBA names do and then to differentiate between dissimilar products or services. One of the major perks of a DBA name is that it offers flexible branding for businesses.

For instance, a peel care business concern might have a general DBA name for their business, but they can add more DBA names for a new serum, moisturizer, or sunscreen. By having multiple DBA names, the peel care visitor is able to not but differentiate themselves among other skin intendance brands only too amend market their products.
Is a DBA name the aforementioned thing as a fictitious concern name in Hawaii?
Although a DBA name and "fictitious business organization proper name" can be interchangeable, sure states use specific terms. In Hawaii, a DBA name is referred to as a "trade name."
Practise I need a DBA name in Hawaii if I use my ain name for a sole proprietorship?
If you lot would similar to carry business under your legal name, you do non demand a DBA name in Hawaii. In fact, equally mentioned above, DBA names are not a legal requirement at all in Hawaii.
Will using a DBA proper name affect how my business concern is taxed in Hawaii?
No. A DBA has no effect on your tax status whatsoever. A DBA name, or trade proper name, acts as an alternative name only. For this reason, it doesn't crave any carve up filings or tax IDs.