Q: I provide handyman services, maintenance and home repairs. As well as selling small electronics and minor appliances.
A: Thanks for describing your business. Here is what a handyman and repairs like yours usually needs. The business license is the baseline for a business like this, and depending on location and trade there may be a second layer from another level of govt.
Handyman work is usually fine with a business license for small jobs, but most places cap the dollar amount or exclude electrical, plumbing and structural work without a contractor license.
The good news is that the business license itself can be free, as explained below.
🎁 How to get your business license free
Here is how it works: choose any two or more items, such as a business license and an LLC, or a business license and a seller’s permit. The cart automatically takes $100 off, which covers the business license service. In effect, the license is free.
For the business license, we find the right application(s), prepare them and file them. If you also need a home occupation permit, or licenses from more than one level of govt (such as a city license and a county license), they are all covered by the one business license fee. The certificate is mailed to you by regular mail.
LLC, corporation and tax ID orders are filed by us, and we obtain the certificate or number for you.
Not included: the annual license tax that the govt itself charges, usually a flat $10 to $50, sometimes more. In some places you send a check with the application; in others you pay it at year end.
Tip: Put the license renewal date on your calendar the day the certificate arrives. Late renewals usually cost more than the license itself.
😄 Measure twice, cut once, file the license zero times late.
Start your order and get the license free →
The licenses below are required for all businesses including internet as well as home and businesses like Etsy etc.
1. Handyman and repairs Nearly all businesses need a(n) , Austin business tax registration.
2. Handyman and repairs All Businesses that use a business name to trade that is other than the surname and first name of a sole proprietor or a fictitious business name other than the LLC or Corporation legal name need a(n) Hays County DBA assumed business name certificate.
3. In TX you may also need a tax id called a resale tax ID or seller's license if you are selling touchable items. ( A.K.A Texasseller's permit, state id, wholesale, resale, reseller certificate).
4. You will need a federal and a state EIN if you will hire employees. I.e., a TX Federal Tax ID Number and a(n) TX State Employer Tax Number.
5. Instead of filing a fictitious business name DBA Filing in Austin, Incorporate in TX or form a(n) LLC.
Thinking about a handyman and repairs? Good. Here is the licensing side, in plain English. Construction is where the business license and the trade license are most often confused. The business license lets you operate; the contractor license lets you do jobs above a certain size or in licensed trades like electrical and plumbing.
If you work from home, expect a home occupation permit to join the business license, or in some places to replace it.
Expect at least one extra license beyond the business license for this kind of work. The list above shows the usual ones.
Select two or more items in our order form (for example a business license plus an LLC, or a business license plus a tax ID) and $100 comes off the regular price automatically in the shopping cart. That pays for the business license service, so your business license is in effect free.
Our business license service means finding, preparing and filing the application. A home occupation permit, or a second license from another level of govt, is included in the same single fee when your business needs it. Your certificate arrives by regular mail.
For company formation and tax IDs, we handle the filing and get the certificate or number issued to you.
Not included: the govt’s own annual business license tax. It is usually a flat $10 to $50 a year, though some businesses pay more. Depending on the govt, you may mail a check with the application or pay it at the end of the year.
😄 You build things to last. Your license only lasts a year, so put the renewal on the calendar.
All Businesses need a(n) , Austin business tax registration.
All Businesses that use a business name to trade that is other than the surname and first name of a sole proprietor or a fictitious business name other than the LLC or Corporation legal name need a(n) Hays County DBA assumed business name certificate.
You may also need a tax id called a resale tax ID or seller's license if you selling touchable items. (A.K.A Texasseller's permit, state id, wholesale, resale, reseller certificate).
In addition you will need a federal and a state EIN if you will hire employees. I.e., a TX Federal EIN and a(n) TX State Employer EIN
Instead of filing a fictitious business name DBA Filing in Austin, Incorporate in TX or form a(n) TX LLC
In addition you will need a federal and a state EIN if you will be an employer. I.e., a TX Federal Tax Id Number and a(n) TX State Employer Tax Number
Pick two or more items, such as a business license and an LLC, and $100 comes off automatically in the cart.
Pick two items, get $100 off →
No. Each service may need its own professional license, while one business license covers the salon.
Tip: choose two or more items in our order form and $100 comes off automatically in the cart, which makes the business license free. The govt’s own annual license tax (usually $10 to $50) is not included.
Start your order →