Hi BisReasearcher,   I'll tell you what I told the last person on what you need to do to register a business. Go to business.gov if you want to know exactly what you need to do for an on-line 'freelance business.'   Good Luck   Marty Rhoades

Hi katherine, All businesses must register with the government. Which state are you in? Here are 10 steps to starting a business. You can find more information on starting an online business here as well. What kind of online business do you want to start? You can use our Permit Me Tool to see which licenses and permits you may need to apply for.

It's my understanding that biz licenses can be city, county, or state implemented, and since everyone is hunting for funds these days don't assume that just because your state doesn't have a fee your city or county won't either. I've found the local Chamber of Commerce is usually a good resource for which fees apply -- the Mt View Chamber had a nice little folder you could buy for starting a business that contained all necessary forms and detailed which fees applied and where/how to pay. Keep in mind that a business license is separate from registering your name as a legal entity -- if you're doing business as your name (Joe Smith) you don't need to register a dba (doing business as), but if you want to do business as freelance Services you need to register that name for it to be legal for you to do business. Names are usually registered with the county.

I am not sure what an on-line freelance business is, but all businesses need to register their name and entity type with your state or county agency that registers businesses. Whether you need a business license will depend on where you live. Business licenses are issued by cities and counties. A quick call to your city clerk's office should answer that question. The problem with allowing the business to go live before you register the name is that you may not be able to register the name you plan to use if it is already registered by another business. If that were to occur, you would then need to change the name. If you register the business first, you eliminate this problem. If you anticipate earning money soon after going live, you will need to have a bank account in the business name, which will require that you have registered the name.