DBA / Assumed Name
Trading under a name that is not your legal entity name.
What it actually is
"Doing Business As" — a registered alias letting you operate under a name other than your legal one. Also called a fictitious business name or assumed name depending on where you are.
Do you need it?
Only if you want to trade under a different name than the one on your formation documents, or you are a sole proprietor operating under anything other than your own legal name. A DBA is not an entity and gives you no liability protection whatsoever — a point worth being clear-eyed about.
What changes if you’re in uniform
Common for spouse-run businesses that started informally under one name and later formed an entity under another, and for anyone who wants their public-facing brand separated from a legal name.
Doing it yourself
You file with
Depends on your state — sometimes the Secretary of State, often the county clerk
- Check whether your state registers DBAs at state or county level.
- Search existing names to avoid a conflict.
- File, and check whether your jurisdiction also requires publication in a local newspaper — some still do.
Cost: A filing fee set by the state or county, plus publication costs where that is required. Both vary by jurisdiction.
Our call
Easy to do yourself if your jurisdiction files at state level. The county-level and publication-requirement variants are where paying someone starts to look reasonable.
If you’d rather pay someone
Bizee lists dba / assumed name at $99 as of 11 August 2026. You still pay any state fee on top of that.
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