How to Change Your Georgia Business Name

How to Get a New Business Name

A business name change in Georgia requires a bit of preparation. However, it’s a relatively easy task once you’ve got your paperwork together. We break down the general steps for you below. 

1. Choose a new business name

Picking out a new name for your business is the best part of a business name change in Georgia. You can choose a name that better reflects yourself, your mission, or your products. Or, if you’ve changed locations or expanded since you started, a business name change is a great time to reflect that in your business identity.

However, there are some rules about how to change a business name in Georgia. In general, your business’s new name needs to:

• Contain appropriate words or abbreviations that indicate what kind of business you’re running (e.g., LLC, corporation, etc.)
• Be distinguishable from names already in use by other businesses
• Not include any of the Georgia Secretary of State’s list of restricted words (including words like “university,” “bank,” or “insurance”) without permission of the appropriate state commission or licensing board

These are pretty easy rules to follow. However, checking that your business’s new name not only captures the essence of your business but is also unique from others can be more difficult. We make it easy with our Business Name Checker. Once you’ve confirmed that your name is unique, you’re ready to file that name change paperwork. 

2. Gather information for filing your amendment

An essential part of a business name change in Georgia is updating your corporate documents to reflect that change. To file Articles of Amendment for your corporation or your LLC to change your business’s name, you’ll need to gather some key business information. Typically, the Secretary of State will need to know: 

• The business’s exact current name
• The business’s Georgia Control Number (assigned by the Secretary of State when you were incorporated or your LLC was formed)
• The date the business filed its original formation documents
• The new business name and date the business adopted the name change
• The signature of an appropriate party

It’s easy to change your business name in Georgia if you have your company information handy. Our comprehensive suite of business services offers entrepreneurs ways to keep documents and key business information organized, making amendments like these more manageable.

3. File your Georgia amendment

You can file the amendment online through the Secretary of State’s online portal. You can also file by mail. Filing online is encouraged and is cheaper and faster than by mail. When filing online, you can pay by any major credit card. 

Changing your business name can be important work, but you don’t have to do the work on your own. We can handle this task for you with our Amendment Filing Service. 

After You Change Your Business Name

There are other essential considerations after you legally change your business name. These include:

• Changing your business name on contracts, loans, and financial accounts
• Changing the name on any employment contacts
• Reviewing and updating marketing materials like business cards, stationery, website materials, logos, and more

Make sure to budget time and money to handle these updates. Ideally, your marketing materials and website will be updated before you complete the change. That way, you can press a button once you’ve filed for a business name change in Georgia and can begin operating under your new name immediately upon approval.

We Can Help

Change doesn’t have to be hard. In fact, change will do you good. We can help make changes to your business easily with our Amendment Filing Service. And if you’re still an early-stage entrepreneur and don’t have an LLC or corporation finalized yet, our Georgia LLC and Georgia Corporation Formation Services can get you up and running fast.

We can also help you keep your business legally compliant with our Worry-Free Compliance Service. Our flagship corporate compliance service includes up to two amendment filings per year. Our goal is to help you be the best entrepreneur you can be. That’s why we take care of the paperwork.