DBA means "Doing Business As".  If you are an Individual Sole Proprietor and want to do business under a name which is different from your legal name then you have to Register a DBA Name with the authorities in the Massachusetts cities or towns where you want to conduct business under the DBA Name.

If you are a Corporation or LLC and want to do business under a name which is different from the name which is registered with the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth then you have to Register a DBA Name with the authorities in the Massachusetts cities or towns where you want to conduct business under the DBA Name.

Other names for a Massachusetts DBA Name include:

• Massachusetts Alternate Name
• Massachusetts Assumed Business Name
• Massachusetts Assumed Name
• Massachusetts Business Name
• Massachusetts Fictitious Name
• Massachusetts Trade Name

No.  You CANNOT Register a DBA Name with the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth.  In Massachusetts you are required to register a DBA Name with the Massachusetts cities or town in which you want to conduct business under your DBA Name.

Yes. You can register a Massachusetts DBA Name with the MA Secretary of the Commonwealth for a Massachusetts Corporation or a Massachusetts LLC.

Before a Massachusetts Corporation or LLC can register a DBA Name, the MA Corporation or MA LLC must be in good standing with the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth.

Yes. You can register a Massachusetts DBA Name even if you have not formed a Massachusetts Corporation or LLC. In fact that's what most skilled craftsman and professionals do when they want to use a business name other their own name.

You Register a DBA Name with the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth for an existing Massachusetts business.

You Reserve a Company Name with the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth for use with a Massachusetts business that will be formed and legally registered with the MA Secretary of the Commonwealth sometime in the future.


When you Register a Corporation or LLC with the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth there are certain tax and administrative obligations which must be met to keep the company in Good Standing.  Failing to keep up with those obligations can result in the administrative dissolution of your Massachusetts company by the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth.

The Massachusetts state fees for Registering a DBA Name are less than the fees for Registering a Corporation in Massachusetts or Forming a LLC in Massachusetts and there are no tax or reporting obligation for a Registered Massachusetts DBA Name.

No. The Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth will not issue a good standing certificate (Certificate of Existence) for a registered Massachusetts DBA Name. Massachusetts good standing certificates are issued only for companies which have registered with the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth as a Corporation, LLC or LP.

You can renew the Massachusetts DBA Name before the expiration date if you want to retain ownership of the Massachusetts DBA Name.