To change your LLC name in Pennsylvania, file a Certificate of Amendment (Form DSCB:15-8622/8822) with the Department of State and pay a $70 filing fee.1Department of State | Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Fees and Payments The state filing is quick. What takes longer is updating the IRS, state tax accounts, your bank, your insurance, and every contract that carries the old name.
Do You Actually Need a Legal Name Change?
If you only want a different public-facing name for a new product line, a second location, or fresh branding, a fictitious name (a “doing business as” registration) is cheaper and simpler than amending your certificate of organization. Your LLC keeps its original legal name on tax returns, contracts, and lawsuits, and operates publicly under the fictitious one.
A formal amendment is what you want when the LLC’s legal identity needs to change everywhere — every government filing, every bank account, every contract. Pennsylvania requires business entities other than sole proprietorships to file name changes with the Department of State before updating any other agency.2PA Business One-Stop Shop. Changing Your Business Name
Get Member Approval First
Check your operating agreement. It may set the voting threshold for amendments to the certificate of organization: simple majority, unanimous consent, or authority delegated to a managing member. Whatever it says controls.
If your operating agreement is silent, or your LLC never adopted one, Pennsylvania’s default rules kick in. Actions outside the ordinary course of business generally require the consent of all members, and a legal name change qualifies. Put the decision in a written resolution or signed consent before you file. Banks and agencies sometimes ask for proof that the change was authorized, and a member can raise the question later.
Pick a Name That Clears Both Checks
Pennsylvania requires every LLC’s legal name to include one of these identifiers: “company,” “limited,” “limited liability company,” or a recognized abbreviation like “LLC” or “L.L.C.”3Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code Title 15 Section 204 – Partnership and Limited Liability Company Names The name also has to be distinguishable from every other entity already registered in the state’s database.
Run two searches before you commit. First, the Bureau of Corporations’ online database, to confirm the name is available in Pennsylvania.4Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Record Searches Second, the USPTO’s federal trademark database.5United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Federal Trademark Searching Pennsylvania’s approval only means the name is available at the state level. A conflicting federal trademark can still expose you to an infringement lawsuit under the Lanham Act, and the search is free.6Legal Information Institute (LII) / Cornell Law School. Trademark Infringement
File the Certificate of Amendment
The document is the Certificate of Amendment for Limited Liability Company, Form DSCB:15-8622/8822.7Pennsylvania Department of State. Certificate of Amendment for Limited Partnership/Limited Liability Company Download it from the Department of State’s website or file through the state’s online Business Filing Services portal.8Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Help Guides – Amend or Close an Existing Business in BFS
The form is short. You’ll enter your LLC’s current legal name exactly as it appears in state records, the new name, your entity number from the original certificate of organization, and the date the members adopted the amendment. If you want the change to take effect on a future date rather than immediately, you can specify that. The signer must have authority to act for the LLC — a member, manager, or authorized representative.
Fee and Turnaround
The standard filing fee is $70.1Department of State | Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Fees and Payments Online filings process faster than paper. Paper submissions can take several weeks depending on the Bureau’s backlog. Expedited service is available for an additional fee:
- Same-day service: $100, if the form is received before 10:00 a.m.
- Three-hour service: $300, if received before 2:00 p.m.
- One-hour service: $1,000, if received before 4:00 p.m.
Expedited requests aren’t accepted by mail; you have to submit them in person or online.1Department of State | Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Fees and Payments Once processed, you’ll receive a stamped acknowledgment or certificate of amendment. Keep it permanently. Banks and agencies will ask for it.
Notify the IRS the Right Way
A name change alone doesn’t require a new Employer Identification Number. Your LLC keeps its existing EIN.9Internal Revenue Service. When to Get a New EIN But IRS records need to match your new legal name, and how you notify them depends on how your LLC is taxed.10Internal Revenue Service. Business Name Change
- Multi-member LLC taxed as a partnership: check the name change box on your next Form 1065 (Page 1, Line G, Box 3). If you’ve already filed this year’s return, send a written notice signed by a partner to the IRS office where you file.
- Single-member LLC taxed as a sole proprietorship: Schedule C has no name-change checkbox. Send a written notice signed by the owner to the IRS office where you file your return.
Include your old business name, new business name, EIN, and a copy of your state-stamped Certificate of Amendment. One common mistake worth flagging: Form 8822-B doesn’t change your name. It’s for updating a business address or responsible party only.11Internal Revenue Service. About Form 8822-B, Change of Address or Responsible Party – Business
Update Pennsylvania Tax and Local Accounts
Once the Department of State processes your amendment, notify two more state agencies: the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue for sales tax, employer withholding, and other state tax accounts, and the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry for unemployment compensation and related accounts.2PA Business One-Stop Shop. Changing Your Business Name Don’t let this slide. A mismatch between your Department of State name and your tax account names can cause processing delays or rejected filings.
Your local municipality may also require updates to business privilege licenses, zoning permits, or health permits. Requirements vary, so check with your city or county clerk’s office.
Update Banks, Contracts, and Insurance
Banks will almost always require a certified copy of your state-approved Certificate of Amendment before changing the name on business accounts, credit lines, or merchant processing. Bring the stamped certificate, your updated operating agreement if you have one, and a new member resolution. Some banks also want an updated IRS confirmation letter, so plan for that.
Existing contracts, leases, and vendor agreements don’t automatically become invalid when your LLC’s name changes. The entity is the same. Still, send written notice to every counterparty and ask for a formal amendment or addendum to each agreement. Some contracts contain change-of-control or notice provisions that can create problems if you don’t disclose the change. Notify your insurance carrier promptly so liability coverage stays valid under the new name.