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Starting a computer sales and service business in Missouri

Question: I want to start a computer sales and service business. What process do I need to go through to make sure I have completed all the required paperwork to establish such a business?

Answer: When registering your business to operate in Missouri, please follow these four steps:

First, after selecting a business name and form of organization (for a sole proprietorship), go to the Missouri Secretary of State's Web site (sos.mo.gov) and follow this path (Businesses > Starting A Business > Register Fictitious Name) to register online. Or, go to www.sos.mo.gov/forms.asp to download the appropriate form (Registration of Fictitious Name (Corp. 56)) to register your business by mail. Complete the form and mail it with the required fee of $7 to the address listed on the form. If you would like the form mailed to you, call 573-751-3827.

Next, apply for a Federal Employer Identification Number by going to this Internal Revenue Service Web address:
www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=98350,00.html.

Follow the links to complete your application for an EIN. After submitting all requested data, the number will come back to you almost immediately. If you would like to apply for this number over the telephone, call 800-829-4933. (NOTE: Even if you are not going to have any employees as a sole proprietorship, it's a very good idea to get this number. The bank, vendors, customers, and government agencies will request it.)

Third, submit a completed Missouri Form 2643, Business Tax Registration Application (Sales, Withholding, and Corporate Income Registration) to the Missouri Department of Revenue. Find and download the form www.dor.mo.gov/tax/business. In the upper left-hand corner of this Web page, there is a search engine for forms. Type the form number 2643 in the search engine, select "Forms" and click "Search." Form 2643 is a four-part form that will register your business with the state and also will register you for a Missouri sales tax number, a Missouri Employer Identification Number (if you are going to have employees) and the Corporation Franchise Tax if you elect to be organized as a corporation or taxed as one if organized as a Limited Liability Company. You must complete the business registration part (Sections 1 through 32) of Form 2643 if you are required to fill out any other part of the form. If you need a sales tax number, Missouri EIN, or the Corporation Franchise Tax, complete the appropriate section that applies to you and leave the others blank. If you would like Form 2643 mailed to you, call 573-751-5860. (NOTE: If you apply for a Missouri sales tax number, you may also want to download Missouri Form 149 (www.dor.mo.gov/tax/business/sales/forms/149f.pdf), Sales/Use Tax Exemption Certificate. This certificate is given to suppliers if you are buying wholesale and will be reselling the materials that you purchase from them).

Finally, apply for a local business license at the city clerk's office if your business will be located inside the city limits or at the county clerk's office if it will be in an unincorporated part of the county.

For information regarding the rules and regulations that govern electronics recycling and disposal, contact the Missouri Department of Natural Resources at 800-361-4827. You can also have your name added to the Computer/Electronics Recycling List by visiting www.ecyclemo.org and completing the registration form. Information about this list can be found at this Web address:
www.dnr.mo.gov/env/hwp/computerlist.htm.
Also, you may find useful information in the following documents to help you get your business registered with the state: Licenses and Registration Checklist; Licensing; and a Computer Sales, Service and Consulting business profile.

And, be sure to visit the Missouri Business Resource Library Web site for other tools and resources to help you with your business needs.

This story was featured in the January 2009 newsletter

Authored by: Alan F. Hauff, Small Business Program Specialist, Missouri Small Business Assistance Center, UMSL 1/13/09