How do I change the name of my LLC?

File articles of amendment (sometimes called a certificate of amendment) with the state office that formed your LLC, changing the name on your articles of organization. Once the state approves it, notify the IRS, then update your bank, licenses, permits, contracts, website and anywhere else the old name appears. The state filing is the legal change; everything after keeps your records consistent.

Does changing my LLC name require a new EIN?

No. Your EIN stays the same when you change the LLC's name, the number is tied to the entity, not the name. You simply notify the IRS of the new name. A single-member LLC can note the change on its next return or send a signed letter; a multi-member LLC or corporation usually checks the name-change box on its return or writes to the IRS. No new EIN is needed.

How do I notify the IRS of an LLC name change?

How you notify the IRS depends on how your LLC is taxed. A corporation or LLC taxed as one checks the name-change box on Form 1120 or 1120-S. A multi-member LLC checks the box on Form 1065. A single-member LLC typically sends a signed letter to the IRS office where it files. Always use the exact new legal name the state approved.

How much does it cost to change an LLC name?

The main cost is the state amendment fee, which commonly runs from around $20 to $150 depending on the state, confirm the current figure with your filing office. Beyond that, budget for any new licenses or permits that must be reissued in the new name, updated bank cards and checks, and new marketing materials. There is no IRS fee to report a name change.

How long does an LLC name change take?

Preparing the amendment takes very little time; the wait is state processing, which ranges from same-day or a few business days in fast states to a few weeks in busier ones. Expedited handling is available in many states for an extra fee. Only after the state approves the amendment should you start updating the IRS, banks and licenses, so the new name is official first.

Do I need a new operating agreement if I change my LLC name?

You do not necessarily need a brand-new agreement, but you should update the existing one so it reflects the new legal name, and record the members' decision to change the name. If your operating agreement names the company throughout, amend it for consistency. Keeping the internal document aligned with the state record avoids confusion in banking, contracts and any future sale.

Can I change my LLC name without filing an amendment?

If you want to operate under a different public-facing name while keeping the same legal entity name, you can register a DBA (also called a fictitious or trade name) instead of amending. But that does not change your LLC's legal name, contracts, the bank account and the state record still show the original. To truly change the legal name, you must file the amendment.

How to Change an LLC Name, Amendment, IRS & Licenses

How do you change an LLC name?

Changing an LLC's name is a records exercise, not a rebuild of the company. The entity stays the same, same formation date, same EIN, same history, you are only updating the name attached to it. There are three layers to update, in order: the state that created the LLC, the IRSand then every third party that relies on the name, from your bank to your licensing boards.

The single rule that keeps this clean is state first. Until the state approves your amendment, the old name is still your legal name, and updating the IRS or your bank before then just creates a mismatch. Do the state filing, wait for approval, then cascade the change everywhere else. This is one of the record changes covered in our guide to LLC amendmentsalongside address and ownership updates.

How do you file the state amendment?

A name change is made by filing articles of amendment (some states call it a certificate of amendment) that revise your original articles of organization. The form asks for your current registered name, your state file number, and the new name you want. Before you commit to the new name, do two checks:

Availability. The new name must be distinguishable from every other registered entity in the state. Use the state's business name search first so your amendment is not rejected for a conflict.
Designator. The name still has to carry a proper ending, “LLC,” “L.L.C.,” or “Limited Liability Company”, as your state requires.

Members should approve the name change the way the operating agreement specifies, and it is worth recording that decision in writing before you file. Once the state processes the amendment, it will return a stamped copy, keep it, because banks and agencies will ask to see proof of the change.

Keep the stamped amendment

The state-approved amendment is your evidence of the name change. You will hand a copy to your bank, your licensing boards, and anyone who needs to see that the new name is official. Store it with your articles of organization.

How do you tell the IRS about the new name?

Your EIN does not changeit belongs to the entity, not the name, so there is no new application and no fee. You simply report the new legal name. How you do that depends on how the LLC is taxed:

Single-member LLC (disregarded entity): note the change on the next return, or send a signed letter to the IRS office where you file, stating the old and new names and your EIN.
Multi-member LLC (partnership): check the name-change box on Form 1065, or write to the IRS between filings.
LLC taxed as a corporation or S-corp: check the name-change box on Form 1120 or 1120-S.

Use the exact name the state approved, character for character. A mismatch between your IRS record and your state record is exactly what triggers letters and rejected filings later.

What about banks, licenses and contracts?

Once the name is legally changed, work through everywhere it appears. None of these are optional if you want the change to actually stick:

Bank and payment accounts. Your bank will want the stamped amendment and possibly an updated EIN confirmation before it renames the account and reissues cards and checks.
Business licenses and permits. State and local licensing boards usually require the name on a license to match the legal entity, so many must be reissued.
State tax and sales-tax registrations. Update your state tax accounts so filings continue under the correct name.
Contracts, insurance, domains and marketing. Update vendor and client agreements, insurance policies, your website, invoices and signage.
Registered agent and foreign registrations. If you are registered in other states as a foreign LLC, each of those registrations needs the new name too.

Amendment or a DBA, which do you actually need?

These solve different problems. An amendment changes your LLC's true legal name on the state record. A DBA (also called a fictitious or trade name) lets the same legal entity operate publicly under a different name while its legal name stays put. If you are rebranding and want the legal name to actually change, on contracts, the bank account, and the state record, you file the amendment. If you only want a public-facing brand and are happy for the legal name to remain, a DBA is simpler and cheaper. And if you are retiring an old trade name, that is a DBA cancellationnot an amendment.

What does it cost, and how long does it take?

The core cost is the state amendment fee, commonly in the range of roughly $20 to $150 depending on the state, confirm the current figure with your filing office, since fees change. There is no IRS fee to report the name change. Add the practical costs: reissued licenses, new checks and cards, and updated printed materials.

Timing is driven by state processing, from same-day or a few business days in quick states to a few weeks elsewhere, with expedited service often available for an added fee. Do not update the IRS or your bank until the state has approved the amendment, so the new name is official before it propagates.

What are the common mistakes?

The recurring errors are all about sequence and consistency: updating the bank or IRS before the state approves the amendment; choosing a new name that conflicts with an existing registration; forgetting the required “LLC” designator; missing foreign-state registrations so the old name lingers in other states; and leaving the operating agreement pointing at the old name. Change it once, in order, and reconcile every record to the new name. If a name change is part of a bigger shift, new owners, a new address, or winding the company down entirely, see the amendments hubthe address-change guideor, if the company has run its course, how to dissolve an LLC cleanly.

How to change an LLC name