For business filing types not currently accepted online, please visit the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation website for assistance.

You may register or renew a trade name online.

A Trade Name is a ‘Trading As’ name, which may be different from the legal name of the business as registered with the State of Maryland.

Please note that a Trade Name is not the same as a Trademark. For more information on how to register a Trademark in Maryland, refer to the Trademarks and Servicemarks FAQ. If you can answer YES to ANY of the following questions, then you may proceed to apply for a Trade Name.

1. Is the Trade Name needed for a specific license?
2. Will the Trade Name serve as a ‘doing business as’ name under the legal entity name?
3. Will your trade name be different from your legal entity name?

Trade Names may be renewed online up to 6 months prior to the lapse date. The original Trade Name must be in active status and the owner(s) of the Trade Name must be in Good Standing.

• Combined Registration Application (register tax accounts with the Comptroller of Maryland)
• Resolution to Change your Principal Office and/or Resident Agent
• Articles of Amendment, Dissolution, Revival, Reinstatement, Supplementary, Merger, Restatement
• Certificates of Correction, Cancellation, Reinstatement
• Termination, Requalification and Re-registration for Foreign businesses

You can also search for businesses and order business documents.

You may submit business filings using your own documentation for the following types:

For eligible businesses, you can make the following changes online:

• Change Principal Office Address
• Change Resident Agent
• Cancel a Maryland LLC.
• Articles of Amendment MD Corp
• Articles of Amendment MD LLC
• Certificate of Correction
• Articles Supplementary
• Articles of Merger
• Articles of Restatement
• Articles of Amendment and Restatement
• Articles of Dissolution of a Maryland Corp
• Articles of Revival of a Maryland Corp
• Articles or Certificate of Reinstatement
• Certificate of Cancellation of a Foreign LLC
• Application for Termination for a Foreign Corp
• Foreign Corp Requalification
• Foreign LLC Re-registration

For more information, visit Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation’s Forms and Applications. See the options in the ‘Make Changes to an Existing Business’ section.

All legal business entities formed, qualified, or registered to do business in Maryland MUST file an Annual Report:

• Legal business entities (Corporations, LLC, LP, LLP, etc.), whether they are foreign or domestic, must file a Form 1 Annual Report (fees apply)
• Credit Unions must file a Form 3 Annual Report (fees apply)
• Financial Institutions, Banks, Savings Banks, Savings & Loans, and Trust Companies must file a Form 5 Annual Report (fees apply)

All legal business entities formed, qualified, or registered to do business in Maryland MUST file an Annual Report.

For 2023 Annual Reports:
If your business owns, leases, or uses personal property located in Maryland with a total original cost of $20,000 or more, you MUST also file a Personal Property Tax Return.

For 2022 Annual Reports and prior years:
If your business can answer ‘Yes’ to either of the following questions, you MUST file a Personal Property Tax Return.

• Does the business own, lease, or use personal property located in Maryland?
• Does the business maintain a trader’s license with a local unit of government in Maryland?

Sole proprietorships and general partnerships registered to do business in Maryland MUST file an Annual Report (Form 2, no fee).

For general assistance with the Annual Report, contact the Maryland State Department of Assessments & Taxations office at 410-767-1330 or sdat.cscc@maryland.gov.

For questions specific to the Business Personal Property Return portion of your Annual Report filing, contact the Business Personal Property office at 410-767-1170 or sdat.persprop@maryland.gov.

YES, you can file PREVIOUS YEAR annual filings online. However, if your business falls into one of the following categories, you will NOT be able to submit PREVIOUS YEAR filings online. Download Annual Report and/or Personal Property Tax Return forms here. Business entities that are forfeited, or Not in Good Standing (other than dissolved, merged, or consolidated), ARE ELIGIBLE to file, provided they do not fall into the categories listed below:

Other important requirements for submitting previous year filings:

Please be advised that it may take up to 7 business days to review your filing and that further action may be required by you in order for your entity to be returned to Good Standing. You may also contact the Department at sdat.charterhelp@maryland.gov for questions regarding your filing or Good Standing status.

• If your entity has been forfeited by the Department, you may need to have your assessment(s) certified, or a ‘No Assessment’ letter issued by the Department, to take to the jurisdiction to pay a bill, and/or get a tax clearance certificate.
• If your entity has not been cleared for revival or reinstatement by another agency, DLLR or Comptroller, you will need to get clearance from them as well, before your documents can be accepted by the Department.
• If your business license is being withheld by the Clerk of the Court, you may have to obtain clearance from the Finance Office of the jurisdiction(s) in which your business is located.

After logging in, there are several ways you can start an Annual Report/Personal Property Tax Return from your Account Home page:

• Click ‘Start a New Filing’ and select ‘File Annual Report/Personal Property Tax Return’ from the dropdown
• Click ‘Find it Fast’ (on the right side of the page) and select ‘File Annual Report/Personal Property Tax Return’ from the dropdown
• Locate the business under the ‘Businesses’ tab and select ‘File Annual Report/Personal Property Tax Return’ from the ‘Options for this Business’ drop-down
• Under the ‘Annual Report/Personal Property Filings’ tab, click ‘Start An Annual Report/Personal Property Filing’.

You will be guided through the process to file a current or previous year filing if eligible to do so online. You will be required to enter your Department ID number which can be found using the Business Entity Search.

Not all business types can file online at this time. If your business falls into one of the following categories, you will NOT be able to file online:

• Government Entity
• General Partnership
• Credit Union, Financial Institution, Bank, Savings Bank, Savings & Loan, and Trust Companies
• Co-operative (Nonstock)
• Rental Property in Worcester County (Unincorporated)
• Public Utility
• Cable company

If your business cannot submit online, you can download Annual Report/Personal Property Tax forms and submit them in person or via postal mail.

Once logged in, select the ‘Online Filings’ tab on your Account Home page. Your Annual Report/Personal Property filing(s) will display in the list of pending filings. Select from the ‘Options for this Filing’ button to resume the filing.

No. However, if you wish to avoid the online fees, or if your business cannot submit online, you can download Annual Report/Personal Property Tax forms and submit them in person or via postal mail.

For assistance with guidance around questions about completing the forms, contact the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxations Personal Property Division at 410-767-1170 or sdat.persprop@maryland.gov.

There are two possible reasons. First, your business entity may have multiple locations, in which case you are required to upload your Personal Property Tax Return when prompted. Second, you answered ‘No’ to the following questions:

1. Does the business own, lease, or use personal property located in Maryland?
2. Does the business require or maintain a trader’s (retail sales) or other license with a local unit of government?

Ensure that the Owner/Officer checks their junk/spam folder. The email from the preparer will come from no-reply@maryland.tylerapp.com. The preparer can resend the email or edit the owner’s email address within the filing. Find the filing in the ‘Online Filings’ tab, then select ‘Resend Email’ from the ‘Options for this Filing’ dropdown. To edit the filing, select ‘View/Edit Filing’ and proceed to the Signature page to check the email address, and edit it if necessary.

When the owner receives the email, they should follow the steps given. They can either make the payment for the filing or send it back to the preparer to finalize, make payment, and submit it to SDAT.

If your Annual Report/Personal Property Tax Return shows a ‘Submitted’ status, it has been submitted to the Department of Assessments and Taxation. It will be reviewed within 4-6 weeks. The Department will then change the entity status to ‘In Good Standing’ if all years are current. No further action is needed from you for this filing unless you hear from the Department.

On the Signature page of the Annual Report/Personal Property filing you can select to either file as the Corporate Officer responsible for the filing, or as an agent of the Corporate Officer. If you are both the corporate officer and filer, select the first option. This enables you to sign and pay for the filing without providing the FEIN or requiring third-party approval. If your filing is ‘Incomplete’ and you want to change this selection, access the filing under the ‘Online Filings’ tab of your Account Home page. Then edit the filing by changing the selection on the Signature page. You can now sign and pay for the filing without sending the filing to yourself.

When you, as the preparer, select the option to send the Annual Report/Personal Property Filing to the owner/officer of the business entity, they have the option to send it back to you (the preparer) for payment. This option is shown on the Signature page. To change that option, do the following:

On the payment page, click the ‘Remove’ button. You will be prompted to confirm the removal (removing the filing from the payment process will not delete it). After removing the filing from payment, you will need to re-certify and send it back to the owner. When the owner/officer accesses the filing through their email, they need to make sure that they do not select to resend it to you for payment.

Yes, you can pay a late filing penalty using Maryland Business Express either as a logged-in user or guest user. Search for the entity, click on the entity name, then click on the Annual Report/Personal Property tab. You will see options to submit Annual Reports and/or Pay Penalties. If you submit an Annual Report with your penalty payment, you will be required to log in or create a user account.

Payment of a late filing penalty does not guarantee immediate Good Standing. To confirm whether your penalty payment places your entity back into Good Standing status, ensure that you are logged into your Maryland Business Express account. Locate the entity in your ‘Businesses’ tab and click on the entity name. The General Information tab will indicate whether the entity is back in Good Standing. If the entity is Active, but not in Good Standing, the Annual Report/Personal Property tab will indicate which additional penalties or Annual Reports are due. If the entity is in Forfeited status, additional filings with the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation are required.

If your penalties are more than 3 years old, you will need to visit the State of Maryland Central Collection Unit website.

For questions related to your penalty payment(s), email sdat.forfeiture@maryland.gov or call 410-767-4950.

If you have forgotten your username, you can enter your email address here, and your username will be emailed to you. You can use your username and email address to reset your password here.

A Maryland Business Express user account cannot be closed or deleted. User accounts allow access to Maryland Business Express, and do not affect any filing or business registered with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation. No fees are assessed for accounts no longer in use.

Create a new account here to order documents, submit personal property filings, and complete other actions for your business.

Once logged in, click on ‘My Profile’ in the upper right. Then, click ‘Account Holder Information’ where you will have the option to change your name for this login.

No. A Maryland Business Express account is a user account only for accessing that system and not tied to a registered business or filing with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation. A user account can be used to manage multiple businesses.

If your business was not originally set up using your Maryland Business Express account, the business will not automatically appear on your Account Home page under the ‘Businesses’ tab. This tab only shows filings created using that account. However, if you are logged in to your account, you can now search for your business and manually add it to your Account Home page. You will then be able to link new filings to that business.

If your charter filing or amendment shows a ‘Submitted’ status, it has been submitted to the Department of Assessments and Taxation. Click here to see current processing times for submitted filings. On your Account Home page, under the Online Filings tab, you can see if your filing has moved from a status of ‘Submitted’ to ‘Approved’, ‘Rejected’, or ‘Refunded’. 14 days after approval, you will find approved registrations in the ‘Businesses’ tab of your account home. For questions regarding filing status, email SDAT.CharterHelp@Maryland.gov.

Check your business status using the Business Entity Search. For businesses not in Good Standing, refer to the following resources:

› End, Cancel, or Revive a Business

If you have further questions, contact the SDAT Charter Legal Department at 410-767-1350 or SDAT.charterhelp@maryland.gov.

Check out the Maryland Business Express resources website.

Once logged in, click the ‘Start a New Filing’ button on your Account Home page. Then select the registration type from the drop-down menu.

Maryland business types:

• Sole Proprietorship
• General Partnership
• Maryland Limited Liability Company
• Maryland Close Corporation
• Maryland Stock Corporation
• Maryland Tax-Exempt Nonstock Corporation
• Maryland Religious Corporation

Foreign (Non-Maryland) business types:

• Foreign Limited Liability Company
• Foreign Corporation

You can also complete a Trade Name Registration or Establish Tax Accounts with the Comptroller of Maryland.

No. Sole Proprietorships and General Partnerships are filed and registered with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation under the name of the owner(s). To register to do business under a business name of your choosing, you must register a Trade Name (click ‘Start a New Filing’ on your Account Home page and select the ‘Register a Trade Name’ option).

No. A Sole Proprietorship or General Partnership is NOT the same as a Limited Liability Company (LLC). If you are not sure, review the following resources for choosing a Business Type:

• Maryland Business Express: Choose a Business Structure
• Small Business Administration: Choose a business structure

The links above provide comprehensive information on choosing a business structure. Consulting with business counselors, attorneys, and accountants can also prove helpful. Choose your business structure carefully. While you may convert to a different business structure in the future, there may be restrictions based on your location, which could result in tax consequences and unintended dissolution, among other complications.

Yes. A filing submitted to the Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT) can be edited unless SDAT personnel have already started reviewing the filing. If your filing is under review, you will be prevented from editing it. To edit your submitted filing, go to Account Home, locate the filing under the ‘Online Filings’ tab, and click the ‘Options for this Filing’ drop-down on the right-hand side.

Filings that show a ‘refund provided’ status message cannot be edited or resubmitted. After 15 days of inactivity, a rejected filing is automatically refunded (minus the convenience fee), and a new filing will need to be submitted.

No. The Department ID is issued by the State Department of Assessments and Taxation. Tax IDs or EINs are issued by the Internal Revenue Service. Click here for more information.

Yes, for eligible filing types, there will be an option to Process my Filing Faster if your filing is in submitted status and you initially filed using non-expedited or expedited processing. Log into your account and locate your filing in submitted status on the ‘Online Filings’ tab. Navigate to the ‘Options for this Filing’ drop-down on the right-hand side. If the filing is eligible for faster processing, you will see a ‘Process my Filing Faster’ option in that drop-down. Click this option, and once ‘Continue’ is shown in the pop-up, the pop-up will advise that the following will occur:

If you proceed, this action cannot be undone. The following irreversible operations will result when you click the Continue button below:

• Current Filing Deactivated
  The current filing will be deactivated and its filing date will no longer apply. The filing fee for the deactivated filing will be refunded in 15 days.
• Filing Created
  The system will create a new filing with all the information from the deactivated filing. Payment is required for this new filing – payment for the deactivated filing cannot be applied.
• Select Faster Processing Service
  Before payment, edit the filing and select the upgraded processing service. See the Fee Schedule for processing and filing fees.

The following changes or amendments can be accomplished online through Maryland Business Express. Once logged in, select the blue ‘Start a New Filing’ button in your ‘Online Filings’ tab. Some businesses may not be eligible to file online based on their entity type or business status.

› Manage an Existing Business

› End, Cancel, or Revive a Business

› Foreign (non-Maryland) Businesses

For any other changes or amendments to existing businesses, see the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation’s Forms and Applications page, and scroll down to the ‘Make Changes to an Existing Business’ section.

If your Resolution shows a ‘Submitted’ status, it has been submitted to the Department of Assessments and Taxation. Click here to see current processing times for submitted filings. You can check the status of your filing in the ‘Online Filings’ tab on your Account Home page. 14 days after approval, you will find approved registrations in the ‘Businesses’ tab of your account home.

You can locate your Trade Name in the ‘Businesses’ tab and select ‘Renew Trade Name’ from the drop-down on the right or you can select ‘Renew Trade Name’ from the ‘Find if Fast’ drop-down menu in the upper right of your account home. If the Trade Name is no longer active, you will not be able to renew. Trade Names may be renewed up to 6 months prior to the Trade Name’s expiration date. If the Trade Name is no longer in use by the owner of the Trade Name, do not submit this filing. The only change that may be made when renewing a Trade Name online is to update the business address. Any other changes must be submitted in hard copy to SDAT by filing a Trade Name Amendment. If the owner of the Trade Name is an LLC or Corporation, that LLC or Corporation must be in Good Standing with SDAT. Trade Name Renewals may NOT be submitted and paid for at the same time as other filings.

Trade Name Amendments can only be accomplished by postal mail or drop box submissions.
Download the Trade Name Amendment form and instructions here.
Click here for instructions regarding drop box submissions.
For further questions about trade name filings, call 410-767-1801 or email sdat.tradenamehelp@maryland.gov.

The option to cancel or change a Sole Proprietorship/ General Partnership is not available online. For questions about Sole Proprietorship filings, call 410-767-1170 or email sdat.charterhelp@maryland.gov.

See the full Fee Schedule for fees associated with Maryland Business Express Filings

Certain online charter filings allow for rush, expedited, and non-expedited processing options. The current fee schedule indicates which filings are eligible for which level of service. You will be provided with available processing options when you submit your filing.

Yes. A Trade Name (also called a ‘Doing Business As’ name or ‘DBA’) is different from the legal name of the business or the sole proprietor under which the business may operate. The owner of the Trade Name is the business or individual that will do business using that name. For example, if a company called ‘ABC, LLC’ wishes to do business as ‘Maryland’s Best Services,’ it would register the Trade Name ‘Maryland’s Best Services’. The owner of that Trade Name would be ‘ABC, LLC.’ Therefore ABC, LLC would do business in the State of Maryland as ‘Maryland’s Best Services.’ Trade Name registrations are optional filings and are not a substitute for the formation of a separate business entity or the registration of a Sole Proprietorship or General Partnership.

A Trade Name is a ‘doing business as’ name, which may be different from the legal name of the business as registered with the State of Maryland. Registering a Trade Name is not mandatory, but is recommended if you are a Sole Proprietor or Partnership using a name other than the full legal name of the owner or owners, or a Corporation, Limited Partnership, or Limited Liability Company operating under a name other than the name registered with the State of Maryland.

Please note that a Trade Name is not the same as a Trademark. For more information on how to register a Trademark in Maryland, refer to the Trademarks and Servicemarks FAQ.

If you can answer YES to ANY of the following questions, then you may proceed to apply for a Trade Name.

1. Is the Trade Name needed for a specific license?
2. Will the Trade Name serve as a ‘doing business as’ name under the legal entity name?
3. Will your Trade Name be different from your legal entity name?

Yes. There has been a change in the statute regarding the registration of Trade Names. You must now provide the Department ID of the business that will use the Trade Name you wish to register. Trade Names that are in progress or in ‘Rejected’ status may require certain information to be re-entered to meet the new requirements.

Trade Names are valid for five years from the date of acceptance by SDAT. Trade Names may be renewed online up to 6 months prior to their expiration date for an additional five years. If a Trade Name is not renewed prior to the expiration date, it will be ‘Forfeited’. A new Trade Name must be registered. Renew your Trade Name here.

On your Account Home page, under the ‘Online Filings’ tab, click on the blue ‘Start a New Filing’ button. For new Trade Names, click ‘New Business Filings’, then ‘Register a Trade Name’. For renewals, click ‘Manage an Existing Business’, then ‘Renew a Trade Name’. The Maryland Business Express Demo is helpful in providing the information you need to apply for or renew a Trade Name.

For questions about Trade Name filings, call 410-767-1801 or email sdat.tradenamehelp@maryland.gov.

From your Account Home, locate your Trade Name in the ‘Businesses’ tab and select ‘Renew Trade Name’ from the drop-down on the right or select ‘Renew Trade Name’ from the ‘Find if Fast’ drop-down menu in the upper right of your account home. If the Trade Name is no longer active, you will not be able to renew. Trade Names may be renewed up to 6 months prior to the Trade Name’s expiration date. If the Trade Name is no longer in use by the owner of the Trade Name, do not submit this filing. The only change that may be made when renewing a Trade Name online is to update the business address. Any other changes must be submitted in hard copy to SDAT by filing a Trade Name Amendment. If the owner of the Trade Name is an LLC or Corporation, that LLC or Corporation must be in Good Standing with SDAT. Trade Name Renewals may NOT be submitted and paid for at the same time as other filings.

A Trade Name Amendment must be filed if there are changes to the following:

• Owner Name (if the owner’s name has changed, or if an owner needs to be added or deleted)
• Owner Address (if the address has changed, or if an address needs to be added or deleted)
• Address where Trade Name is used (if the address has changed, or if an address needs to be added or deleted)
• Description of Business (if the description has changed)

At this time, a Trade name Amendment cannot be filed online. Download the Trade Name Amendment form here.

Trade Name Amendments can only be accomplished by postal mail or drop box submissions.
Download the Trade Name Amendment form and instructions here.
Click here for instructions regarding drop box submissions.
For further questions about trade name filings, call 410-767-1801 or email sdat.tradenamehelp@maryland.gov.

The trade name Location can only be changed online when submitting a Trade Name Renewal. If the Trade Name is outside the renewal period, a Trade Name Amendment must be filed (see above).

Prior to registering a Trade Name for a home improvement company, please contact the Maryland Home Improvement Commission at 410-230-6171 to ensure that your desired name is available.

There are several ways to order business documents. If you are not logged in, find the business you want to order documents for using the Business Entity Search. Click on the business Department ID to see the business details, then click ‘Options for this Business’ and select the ‘Order Business Documents’ option from the dropdown. You will see the documents available for your business. If you are logged in to your Account Home page you can find your relevant business and click ‘Options for this Business’, then select the ‘Order Business Documents’ option. You can also click ‘Order Business Documents’ under the ‘Ordered Documents’ tab. For further assistance with ordering documents, contact the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxations office at 410-767-1340.

Certificates of Status are not available on Maryland Business Express for trade names, name reservations, sole proprietorships, government entities, and special entities such as public utilities. Discuss departmental documentation options by contacting the Department of Assessment and Taxation at 410-767-1344 or 1- 888-246-5941, or email sdat.goodstanding@maryland.gov.