Home | About | Site Map | FAQ | Contact

 
this site statewide   [ Advanced  ||  Tips ]

Annual Registrations & Filings

Corporations

• The Business Services Division of the Secretary of State’s Office has online annual report filings for general and non-profit corporations.

Brokers/Advisors

• The Securities Division of the Secretary of State’s Office provides securities registration for brokers and advisors.

Sales/Use/Employer Withholding Tax

• You are required to file a return even if you have no tax to report, unless you are registered as a "Seasonal Business" with the Department of Revenue. For more information, please contact the department at businesstaxregister@dor.mo.gov. Department of Revenue Business Tax Forms has all of their reporting forms available online. You may also file your taxes online at Business Tax Electronic Filing.

Unemployment Insurance Tax

• The Division of Employment Security mails Quarterly Contribution and Wage Reports to employers who have met the conditions for paying unemployment tax to cover their employees. This form may also be downloaded or filed online. If you will not have employees during any quarter of the year, you will still need to file this report showing "No Payroll".

Insurance/Financial Institutions/Professional Registration

• The Department of Insurance, Financial Institutions and Professional Registration works to safeguard the public interest by ensuring safe and sound insurance and financial institutions and ethical services by licensed professionals.

Commercial Vehicles

• If your business uses commercial vehicles, you’ll need information on Commercial Drivers, Vehicle Titling Manual and Motor Carrier Services.

Charitable Organizations

• Many charitable organizations are required to file annual reports with the Attorney General's Office and, on request, disclose how much of the solicited money is spent on fundraising costs. Charities exempt from this provision include religious organizations and educational institutions.

Environmental Regulations

• The Department of Natural Resources maintains a Small Business Assistance Program to help you ensure that you’re in compliance with environmental regulations.

• The Department of Natural Resources Permit Assistant is a tool designed to help users determine what type of environmental permit they need and the forms to apply for these permits.

[ see also Permits ]

Tax Issues & Concerns

Federal Employer Identification Number

• As your business grows, you may need to have additional Federal Employer Identification Numbers. You can find out if you need an additional federal EIN at the Internal Revenue Service's EIN page. When you're ready to apply for the federal EIN, you can do it online at the IRS' EIN Form page .

Tax Questions

• The Department of Revenue offers a Business Tax Page that covers the registration, tax types and other related questions you might have. The Division of Employment Security also offers help with your questions about unemployment insurance.

Sales Tax Exemption Letters

• The Department of Revenue issues Sales Tax Exemption Letters  to religious, charitable, civic, social/fraternal, educational, Missouri political subdivisions and federal or Missouri state agencies.

[ see also Permits ]

Employee Information

Background Checks

• If you are in an industry that requires background checks of employees, or if you have another valid reason to request background checks, you will need to submit your requests to the Missouri State Highway Patrol Criminal Record Checks. The request form is SHP-158 .

Hire Employees

• When you’re ready to hire employees, the Missouri Career Centers and GreatHires provide services for businesses and job seekers.

Workers' Compensation Insurance

• When  you hire employees, you’ll want to make appropriate arrangements for Workers' Compensation Insurance. For more information contact the Missouri Division of Workers' Compensation or the Department of Insurance, Finance and Professional Registration.

Economic Development

• The Department of Economic Development is Missouri's lead agency for economic, community, workforce and tourism development. The Department's Home Page has a directory of links to each of those agencies.

Labor and Workplace Issues

• If you have questions related to unemployment insurance, workers compensation, workplace laws and safety, or discrimination, you'll want to visit the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations' Businesses page. This site includes links to free Required Posters and frequently asked questions.

Specialized Training

• The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education can help you with a variety of programs designed to provide Career Education for your employees. Customized Training may be of particular interest.

Insurance Industry

• The Department of Insurance, Financial Institutions & Professional Registration provides Industry Services for forms and filings and a page for information on Workers Compensation Insurance.

Ending a Business

In the lifecycle of every business, there comes a time when the business ends. Even at the end of the business’s life, there are still several rules to comply with:

1. Unless you are a sole-proprietor, the Secretary of State requires that you file a cancellation, withdrawal, termination or dissolution form, depending on your business type.

2. If you’re a non-profit, you’ll need to file a Notice of Dissolution with the office of the Attorney General.

3. If you conduct a going out of business sale, you need to register with the Attorney General’s Going Out of Business Sale Registry.

4. When you're no longer paying wages to employees, you'll want to file a Report on Change of Business Operations with the Division of Employment Security. You can also do this online through the Unemployment State Tax Automated Reporting System (USTAR).

5. To close your account(s) with the Missouri Department of Revenue, you will need to mark your last business tax return "FINAL", submit it to the mailing address indicated on your return/booklet and email your close date for each business tax type to the Missouri Department of Revenue at businesstaxregister@dor.mo.gov.