Professional licensing. Firms in regulated industries.
Firms in regulated industries must obtain professional licenses at both the individual and firm level. This guide covers the overall framework, common requirements, and state-by-state variation.
Start here.
Individual professional license + firm license. Both required in most regulated professions.
LLC, PLLC, Professional Corporation. Specific structures often mandated by profession.
Each state has its own licensing board for each profession.
Operating in multiple states requires firm licensing in each.
Annual renewals, continuing education, audit requirements.
The full picture.
Two-level licensing
Most regulated professions require both: (1) Individual professional license for each licensed practitioner; (2) Firm license for the business entity. Both must be current to operate legally.
Entity structure requirements
Many states mandate Professional LLC (PLLC) or Professional Corporation (PC) structures for licensed professions. Standard LLCs and C-Corps may not be permitted. Check your state and profession.
Common regulated professions
Architecture, engineering (all disciplines), general construction, real estate brokerage, law, medicine, accounting (CPA), dentistry, veterinary, pharmacy, nursing, social work, mental health counseling, physical therapy, others.
Individual license required
Every licensed practitioner in the firm must hold an active individual license. Hiring or partnering with unlicensed individuals as practitioners is typically prohibited.
Ownership restrictions
Some states require all firm owners to be licensed in the profession (architecture, engineering, law typically). Others allow non-licensed ownership (real estate often).
Designated qualifier
Many regulated firms must have a "designated qualifier" or "responsible licensee" - a licensed practitioner who is responsible for the firm's professional work.
Multi-state operations
Operating in multiple states requires individual licensure (often via reciprocity) in each state, plus firm licensure in each state.
Continuing requirements
Annual renewals; continuing education for individual licenses; sometimes annual reports specific to the profession; audit requirements for certain firms.
Penalties for non-compliance
Operating without proper license is typically illegal. Penalties include cease-and-desist orders, fines, criminal penalties in some states, civil claims by clients for unauthorized practice.
Common questions.
Do I need both individual and firm licenses?
Can I use a standard LLC?
Do all owners need to be licensed?
Multi-state operations?
Who handles renewals?
How does the firm license differ from individual?
Penalties for unlicensed operation?
Can File.Business help?
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.