CPA firm licensing. Accounting practice entity.
CPA firms have entity structure restrictions. Most states require Professional LLC, Professional Corporation, or Partnership. Ownership requirements vary. Peer review required for audit firms.
Start here.
PLLC, Professional Corporation, Partnership.
Most states require majority CPA ownership.
Many states require firm name to include CPA names or specific phrasing.
Required for audit firms per AICPA standards.
State boards have varying reciprocity.
The full picture.
Entity options
Professional LLC (PLLC), Professional Corporation (PC), Partnership. Sole practitioners typically operate as Sole Proprietorships, PLLCs, or PCs.
Ownership requirements
Most states require majority (50%+) ownership by licensed CPAs. Some states require 100%. Some allow more flexible ownership with at least one licensed CPA on staff.
Naming
Most states require firm name to include CPA names or "Certified Public Accountants" or specific phrasing. Some allow general accounting names with proper disclosures.
Peer review
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) requires peer review for firms performing audits, reviews, or attest work. Cycle: typically every 3 years.
Audit firm requirements
Firms performing audits subject to: peer review, independence requirements, professional liability insurance, specialized training. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) oversight for firms auditing public companies.
Multi-state operations
Reciprocity varies. Substantially equivalent licensure facilitates multi-state work in many states. Each state requires firm registration in some form.
Continuing requirements
Annual firm registration; individual CPA CPE (continuing professional education); ethics requirements; AICPA membership where applicable; peer review for audit firms.
IRS practice
EAs (Enrolled Agents) can also practice before the IRS. CPAs have broader practice including audits and reviews. Mixed firms common.
Compliance areas
Ethics rules; independence requirements (audit firms); confidentiality; client retention; trust account compliance for fiduciary services.
Common questions.
Can I use a standard LLC?
Do all owners need to be CPAs?
What is peer review?
Multi-state practice?
What is PCAOB?
Can an EA work without a CPA?
Naming rules?
How often renewal?
Set up your professional firm.
PLLC formation, registered agent, ongoing compliance. We handle entity-level requirements; you handle the professional practice.
Professional licensing is handled by state boards. File.Business handles entity formation and ongoing compliance.
How we deliver, end-to-end.
Four-step path from request to confirmation. State and IRS turnaround varies; our steps run in parallel where possible to compress the timeline.
Intake + scope
You tell us what you need through a short intake form (or a call for complex matters). We confirm scope, surface any gating issues (deadlines, missing documents, entity status), and quote any state fees that pass through at cost.
Prepare + verify
Our specialists draft the filing, verify entity details against state databases, run internal QA, and route any items needing your sign-off. You see drafts before anything gets submitted.
File with the authority
We submit directly to the state Secretary of State, FinCEN, IRS, USPTO, or whichever authority your filing requires. We pay state fees at cost and track the submission identifier in your account.
Confirmation + vault
Stamped certificate, IRS notice, or filing receipt arrives in your SOC 2 encrypted document vault the moment we receive it. Next filing deadline auto-added to your compliance calendar where applicable.
Built on the same infrastructure used by 220,000+ businesses.
SOC 2 Type II audited
Independent annual security audit covering access control, change management, incident response, and data handling. Current report on request.
All 51 US jurisdictions
Every state plus DC plus Puerto Rico - direct filings, not third-party reseller. We hold registered-agent qualifications in every state we operate.
Deadline guarantee
If we miss a filing deadline on a service you pay us to manage, we pay the state penalty. Specific to each plan and the filings it includes.
4.9 from 8,200+ verified reviews
Independently verified by Trustpilot + Google + our own NPS infrastructure. Customer success team within reach by email, chat, or phone.
60-day money-back promise
Change your mind in the first 60 days and we refund our service fee in full. State filing fees pass through at cost and are non-refundable once paid to the state.
E&O insured
Errors and omissions coverage protects you from service errors. Carrier and certificate available on request for enterprise clients.
Recommended add-ons
Most customers add these to keep their business compliant year-round.
Registered Agent
Most orderedRequired for every registered business entity in every state.
Compliance Monitoring
Best valueTrack every annual report, registered agent renewal, and license deadline.
Annual Report Filing
RecommendedAuto-file your state annual report. Never miss a deadline.
Premium compliance, no service-fee markup.
Trust you can verify
SOC 2 Type II audited platform. 220,000+ businesses served. 60-day money-back on service fees. State fees passed through at cost with no hidden markup. Explicit AUP on restricted industries.
A compliance partner, not a transaction
Most providers go quiet after checkout. We auto-track every annual report, registered agent renewal, and license deadline across your entities. The Business OS dashboard keeps your compliance score visible year-round.
Premium experience competitors cannot match
Premium positioning, transparent pricing, no service-fee markup on state or federal filings. Premium positioning, transparent pricing, no service-fee markup on state filings.