How Do You Change Your Business Name with the IRS?
By Paul Sponaugle Tuesday, August 11, 2020
Have you recently changed the name of your LLC or corporation?
If so, it’s your responsibility to make sure everyone knows it, including the IRS. You must change your business name with the IRS if you change the name of your LLC.
Under most circumstances, changing your business name with the IRS will not require a new EIN—though it will require an EIN name change. To make this determination, see IRS Publication 1635.
Although it’s rare, sometimes changes to names are made right after EINs are issued. If you recently received your EIN and have not made any tax filings with the IRS, then send your business name change request to: IRS, Stop 6055, Kansas City, MO 64999
If tax liability for the EIN has already been determined (i.e., you've already filed a tax return for the entity), there are two ways to notify the IRS of your LLC name change:
- When filing a current year tax return, you can change your business name with the IRS by checking the name change box on the entity’s respective form:
- Corporations – Form 1120, Page 1, Line E, Box 3
- S-Corporation – Form 1120S, Page, 1, Line H, Box 2
- LLC (sole member) – cannot update name by filing return; must use Option 2.
- If you have already filed the return for the current year, you do not have to wait until next year to change your LLC or corporation name with the IRS. Changing the name of an LLC or corporation typically requires a Certificate of Amendment to be filed with the state or country where the business entity was originally formed.
Deliver a filed copy of this Certificate of Amendment, along with a letter informing the IRS of the company name change, to the address where you filed your return. Corporations must have the letter signed by a corporate officer while LLCs must have the letter signed by a member.
Once you’ve changed your business name with the IRS, you’ll need to let everyone else know you’ve changed the name of your company, too.
It’s a good idea to make a list of all the other agencies and companies that you do business with on a regular basis; be sure to include all state and local tax authorities, vendors, suppliers, service companies and banks.
This will help keep you organized during the transition and make sure your mail service is not interrupted. It’s your responsibility to make sure everyone is on the same page in this new chapter of your company.
We can help you file a Certificate of Amendment if you would like to change the name of your LLC or corporation. Call us at 1-800-345-CORP if you are thinking about changing your LLC name.
*Disclaimer*: Harvard Business Services, Inc. is neither a law firm nor an accounting firm and, even in cases where the author is an attorney, or a tax professional, nothing in this article constitutes legal or tax advice. This article provides general commentary on, and analysis of, the subject addressed. We strongly advise that you consult an attorney or tax professional to receive legal or tax guidance tailored to your specific circumstances. Any action taken or not taken based on this article is at your own risk. If an article cites or provides a link to third-party sources or websites, Harvard Business Services, Inc. is not responsible for and makes no representations regarding such source’s content or accuracy. Opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of Harvard Business Services, Inc.
There are 11 comments left for How Do You Change Your Business Name with the IRS?
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Dorin P said: Tuesday, January 19, 2021Hi! I am writing on behalf of an LLC that recently changed their name and filed the income tax return with the new name. We also got a letter 147C confirming the new name is matched with the EIN. Since we are an online business, I applied for a Stripe payment processor account and their verification process with the IRS database still shows a match between the old company name and the EIN. Is it possible that the IRS database is in fact not updated although we received Letter 147C? Should I inform other partners of the name change in this situation, or wait until it's sorted out? Thank you!
HBS Staff replied: Thursday, January 21, 2021The IRS has been quite delayed in a number of different areas for the past 10 months. We would recommend you call them directly to confirm the change was recorded properly. We can't advise on when to inform your partners, but generally, the IRS can give you a quick response once you're able to get through to them.