How to Get a Certificate of Good Standing in Pennsylvania

A Certificate of Good Standing in Pennsylvania is called a Subsistence Certificate, costs $40, and is issued by the Department of State’s Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations. The fastest way to get one is online through the Pennsylvania Business Hub at hub.business.pa.gov, with typical processing in one to two business days.¹ Before ordering, confirm your entity is actually current on its filings, because the Department will not issue the certificate for a business that has fallen out of good standing.

What the Certificate Proves

Under 15 Pa.C.S. § 145, the Subsistence Certificate confirms that a domestic filing entity or domestic limited liability partnership is “currently subsisting on the records of the department.” It states the entity’s name, confirms it exists in good standing, and can be relied on as conclusive evidence of those facts.² Banks, lenders, and other states’ business registries typically accept it as proof that your Pennsylvania entity is real and active.

Two boundaries matter. First, the certificate does not confirm tax compliance. If you need to prove your business is current on state taxes, for example when dissolving a corporation or withdrawing a foreign entity from Pennsylvania, you need a separate Tax Clearance Certificate from the Department of Revenue and the Department of Labor and Industry.³ Second, foreign businesses registered in Pennsylvania receive a Certificate of Registration instead of a Subsistence Certificate. It confirms the foreign entity is registered to do business in the Commonwealth and costs the same $40.¹

Ordering Online

Online is the standard route. You will need a Keystone Login account, which you can create during the process if you don’t have one.⁴ Once logged in at hub.business.pa.gov:

Scroll to Quick Navigation and click “Find Existing Documents.”
Click “Business Documents” and search for your business by name.
Click your business name in the results, then click “Request Certificate.”
Select “Subsistence Certificate” from the dropdown, or “Certificate of Registration” if you are a foreign entity.
Review the $40 fee, submit the request, and pay by credit card.

Your order appears in “My Work Queue.” Once approved, you can download the certificate directly, typically within one to two business days.¹

Ordering by Mail or In Person

If you prefer paper, download the Copy/Certification Request form (DSCB:15-133/145/153) from the Department of State’s website. Fill in your entity’s exact legal name, entity number, and the type of certificate you need. The fee is $40, payable by check or money order made out to “Department of State.” Checks must have a commercially pre-printed name and address.⁵

Mail the completed form and payment to:

Pennsylvania Department of State
Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations
P.O. Box 8722
Harrisburg, PA 17105-8722

You can also deliver the form in person to the Bureau at 206 North Office Building, 401 North Street, Harrisburg. Mailed applications typically take 7 to 10 business days to process and return.⁵

Expedited Service

If you need the certificate faster, the Bureau offers three expedited tiers on top of the $40 fee, available for in-person and mail submissions:⁶

Same-day service: $100 additional, request must arrive before 10:00 a.m.
Three-hour service: $300 additional, request must arrive before 2:00 p.m.
One-hour service: $1,000 additional, request must arrive before 4:00 p.m.

Confirm You Are Actually in Good Standing

The Department will not issue a Subsistence Certificate for an entity that has lapsed, so the compliance question comes before the order form. Pennsylvania overhauled its business reporting requirements starting January 1, 2025. The old decennial report, filed once every ten years in years ending in “1,” has been repealed. Most domestic and foreign filing entities must now file an Annual Report each year.⁷

The fee is $7 for business corporations, LLCs, limited partnerships, and limited liability partnerships. Nonprofit corporations and LPs or LLCs with a not-for-profit purpose file for free. You file online at file.dos.pa.gov, and the report asks for basic information: business name, jurisdiction of formation, registered and principal office addresses, the name of at least one director or manager, and principal officers’ names and titles.⁷

Deadlines run by entity type:

Corporations, business and nonprofit: January 1 through June 30
LLCs: January 1 through September 30
LPs, LLPs, business trusts, and professional associations: January 1 through December 31

The Department is in a transitional grace period. The 2025 and 2026 filing years carry no dissolution penalty, but skipping them still puts your entity out of compliance and could block a Subsistence Certificate request. Starting with 2027 annual reports, any entity that misses its deadline faces administrative dissolution, cancellation, or termination six months later, and loses the protection of its business name.⁷

If Your Entity Has Been Dissolved

A dissolved, cancelled, or terminated entity cannot get a Subsistence Certificate. Pennsylvania law allows reinstatement under 15 Pa.C.S. § 383. The application must include your entity’s name at the time of dissolution (if that name has since been taken, you will need to pick a new available name), your registered office address, your principal office address, and either a statement that the grounds for dissolution did not exist or the most recent unfiled annual report plus fees for every missed year.⁸

You will owe the $7 annual report fee for each year you missed, plus the reinstatement fee set in the Department’s fee schedule. Once the application meets the requirements and all payments are received, the Department files a statement of reinstatement within 30 days, and the entity’s legal standing is restored as if the dissolution never happened.⁸ Only after that statement is on file can you go back and order your certificate.

1
PA Business One-Stop Hub. Purchase Business Documents in BFS
2
Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code Title 15 – Section 145 Subsistence Certificate
3
Legal Information Institute. Pennsylvania Code 19-13.13 Tax Clearance Certificates
4
PA Business One-Stop Hub. PA Business One-Stop Hub
5
Pennsylvania Department of State. Copy/Certification Request DSCB 15-133/145/153
6
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Expedited Services – Department of State
7
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Annual Reports – Department of State
8
Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Title 15 – Section 383 Reinstatement