Q: I am into wedding, corporate, baby showers and other event planning and I offer catering services as well. I am also into organizing I.
A: That sounds like a solid plan. Here is the licensing side of it. The easiest place is this site. You order online, we track down the right application, fill it out and file it, and the certificate comes to you by mail.
With food, the menu decides the paperwork: baked goods from home may qualify for cottage food rules, while meat, dairy or anything that needs refrigeration usually needs a licensed kitchen.
The good news is that the business license itself can be free, as explained below.
🎁 How to get your business license free
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.
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: Display the license where customers can see it if you have a shop. It builds trust and saves you a conversation with an inspector.
😄 The health inspector does not care how good grandma’s recipe is. Grandma, however, would want you licensed.
Get your free business license now →
List of required licenses below include online as well as home or Amazon businesses.
1. catering The majority of starting businesses need a(n) , Dalton business tax id registration (business license).
2. catering Businesses with an trade firm name other than the owner's legal name are required to get a(n) Whitfield County DBA ( doing business as ) fictitious business name.
3. In GA you may also need a sales tax ID AKA seller's permit if you sell merchandise that is taxable. ( A.K.A Georgiaseller'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 GA Federal Tax ID Number and a(n) GA State Employer Tax Number.
5. Instead of filing a fictitious business name DBA Filing in Dalton, Incorporate in GA or form a(n) LLC.
Before the first customer walks in (or clicks “buy”), a catering business needs its paperwork in order. Here is what that usually looks like. Food businesses answer to the health side of govt first. Home kitchens are allowed for some low-risk foods (breads, cookies, jams) under cottage food rules, but not for everything.
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.
Pick two or more items and the shopping cart deducts $100 automatically, no coupon and no phone call needed. That discount equals the business license service, so you get a free business license with your order.
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.
Start your order and get the license free →
99% of new businesses are required to get a(n) , Dalton business tax id registration (business license).
Businesses with an trade firm name other than the owner's legal name are required to get a(n) Whitfield County DBA ( doing business as ) fictitious business name.
On the other hand you may also need a sales tax ID AKA seller's permit if you sell merchandise that is taxable. (A.K.A Georgiaseller'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 GA Federal EIN and a(n) GA State Employer EIN
Instead of filing a fictitious business name DBA Filing in Dalton, Incorporate in GA or form a(n) GA LLC
On the other hand you may also need a resale id AKA sellers permit if you sell merchandise that is taxable. (A.K.A Georgiaseller's permit, state id, wholesale, resale, reseller certificate).
In addition you will need a federal and a state EIN if you will be an employer. I.e., a GA Federal Tax Id Number and a(n) GA 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 →