The business world moves fast—sometimes, your company needs to evolve just as quickly. There are a number of reasons you might have outgrown the LLC name you chose when you first set up your business. Maybe it no longer reflects your brand’s essence, or a competitor has a similar name, or you’ve pivoted your core offerings.
Although rebranding might seem as simple as hanging a new sign or updating your website URL, legally changing your LLC name involves several critical steps that, if mishandled, could expose your business to unnecessary risks, complications, and even losses. Here’s how to ensure your LLC’s name change is both valid and strategically executed.
What is an LLC name?
For limited liability companies (LLCs), your LLC name is its legal business name. It serves as the business’s formal identification in all official documents, contracts, and government paperwork. It must comply with state-specific regulations (like prohibitions on profanity) and be distinguishable from all other registered businesses in your state of formation. In most US states, your LLC name must include an abbreviated or spelled-out version of “Limited Liability Company,” or “LLC.” Ideally, your name will align with your branding strategy—making it a crucial foundation for both your company’s legal presence and marketing materials.
But it’s important to note that your LLC’s legal name is not necessarily the name under which you must conduct business. If you want to use another name without formally renaming your LLC, you can adopt a fictitious name—otherwise known as a DBA (“doing business as”). This allows you to operate under a different name, as all of your public-facing materials (website, social media, invoices, etc.) would bear the DBA rather than your legal LLC name.
Reasons for changing an LLC name
From a legal standpoint, there are no restrictions or qualifying events needed to change your LLC name. You can change it for a variety of reasons:
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Alignment with business growth. Your LLC’s original name may not capture or no longer align with your business’s offering—for example, if you expand your products and services or pivot to target a different market segment.
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Avoiding brand confusion. If your LLC’s name is too similar to a competitor or even a prominent brand in another industry, you may want to change it to avoid confusing customers.
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Changes to ownership. Any change in ownership can warrant a name change. For example, if your LLC name includes the names of other business owners who have left the organization, you can change the legal name of the LLC to remove their names.
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Changes to business structure. A merger or acquisition might necessitate a fresh identity that better represents the newly combined legal entity.
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Resolving trademark disputes. If you discover your LLC name violates another brand’s trademark, you might choose to change it.
Changing your LLC name vs. adopting a DBA
For those with an existing LLC, a DBA may be a preferable choice to a formal renaming if you only want a different name temporarily or prefer not to update all your banking and legal contracts.
But when you need to make a more permanent shift in your business identity—perhaps due to some fundamental marketrepositioning, rebranding, or change in ownership—a formal LLC name change may be more appropriate. While more complex and expensive, it ensures complete legal recognition of your new name and eliminates confusion, fully replacing the former name across all business operations.
An LLC name change may also be preferable if you want to conclusively distance yourself from an old business identity—for instance, if you’re recovering from reputation damage, or when your original name simply no longer reflects your core offerings.
How to change an LLC name
- Ensure your LLC is in good standing
- Research name availability
- Vote to change your business name
- Confirm state-specific rules
- Amend your articles of organization and operating agreement
Before you unveil your LLC’s new identity, take these steps to protect your business’s legal status and maintain compliance with business regulations:
1. Ensure your LLC is in good standing
Your LLC is in good standing with the state if you’ve filed required annual reports, paid reporting fees, maintained a registered agent, and are up to date on tax obligations. You may be prohibited from changing your LLC’s name if the business entity is not in good standing.
For nearly all states, you can visit the website where you registered your business to see your current standing.
2. Research name availability
Across all 50 US states, an LLC may not share the same name with any other business registered in the state, and some may even prohibit confusingly similar names. Thoroughly research the new name you’ve chosen, and check local business name registries to ensure compliance.
3. Vote to change your business name
If your LLC consists of multiple owners or “members” (i.e., a multimember LLC), your operating agreement may require that all LLC members vote on a resolution reflecting member approval of the name change. In some states, you may be required to file this written resolution along with your name change application. A single-member LLC is often treated as a “disregarded entity” (i.e., as a sole proprietorship operated by a single owner who is fully authorized to make all business decisions) meaning no resolution is necessary.
4. Confirm state-specific rules
Rules for naming and renaming your LLC will differ state by state. Familiarize yourself with the state laws of your LLC’s state of formation before submitting a name-change application. For example, New York requires publishing a notice of your name change in two newspapers (one daily and one weekly) in the county where your LLC’s base of operations is located. The State of Washington enforces a unique “cooling off period” that prohibits a name change within 60 days of filing any prior report or renewal relating to your LLC.
You can typically find information like this on your state’s Secretary of State or Department of Commerce websites.
Note: If your LLC is registered to operate in multiple states, you’ll need to complete the process in each one.
5. Amend your articles of organization and operating agreement
Filing paperwork is a part of every business, and in all 50 states, you must amend your LLC’s articles of organization to effect a name change. When you initially formed your LLC, you filed these articles with the state’s business filing agency. You can typically pay the filing fee and submit the amendment online.
Similarly, amend your internal LLC operating agreement and any other relevant internal formation documents to reflect the new name.
What to do after changing your LLC name
With the above step-by-step guide, chances are your new LLC name will be approved, but the job isn’t quite done. Here’s what to do after an LLC name change:
Notify tax and licensing agencies
Since you filed your LLC’s name change through a state business agency’s office, state tax authorities should already know about the change. However, ensure you also notify the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS)—which handles your business’s federal tax obligations—by submitting an IRS name-change request.
If your business is subject to county or municipal taxes, notify authorities like the city or county clerk. Likewise, if your business or members have specific business licenses—like licenses for accountants, cosmetologists, or legal professionals—notify those individual licensing agencies.
Update business accounts
Change your LLC name across your business bank accounts, loan agreements, checks, and credit cards. Inform banks, credit card companies, and other financial institutions, and notify your business’s insurance carriers and software licensors.
Share the new name
Share the new name with vendors, suppliers, and customers you conduct business with so they can update their records accordingly. If you have contracts currently in term, notify the other parties. You may also need to issue vendors updated tax forms (like a W9), depending on what time of year the name change took effect. Consider consulting with a tax professional to understand if this applies to you.
Update your contract templates, dated to your official name change approval. If your business uses templated invoices, estimate forms, purchase orders, or any other type of official paperwork, update those forms as well.
On the customer side, you’ll need to update your brand assets to reflect your new name. You may also want to conduct a full rebrand, changing your look and feel to align with your new name. Update your website, its terms and conditions, privacy policy, and domain name. Make the name change across social media pages and consider making an official announcement across marketing channels.
Finally, file an application with the US Patent and Trademark Office if you’re interested in trademarking your new LLC name.
How to change an LLC name FAQ
Is it easy to change an LLC name?
It is not necessarily easy to change an LLC name—it involves several required steps that vary depending on the state where you formed your LLC. However, by researching state-specific rules ahead of time, you can simplify the process.
Can I change my business name and keep the same employer identification number (EIN)?
According to the IRS—the agency responsible for issuing EINs—a business owner usually does not need a new EIN to change a business’s name. There may be some special circumstances in which issuing a new EIN may be necessary.
How long does it take the IRS to approve an LLC name?
The state in which you formed your LLC will be the primary party to approve the new name of your LLC. However, once the state business authority has approved the change, you should submit a request to the IRS, which will take about six weeks to process.