Register a Business in Virginia

Starting July 1, 2024, all new businesses in Virginia will need to register with us online.

We’re excited you’ve decided to do business in Virginia.

Ready to register?

You can start the registration process by using the button below, and selecting "Are you a new Business? Register Here." You can save a draft, and come back later to complete your registration. Just be sure to save your user ID and password, so you can log back in.

If you plan to hire employees, you can register with the Virginia Employment Commission (VEC) at the same time you register with us. VEC is responsible for collecting unemployment tax.

What you need before you start your registration

• Federal Employer Identification number (FEIN). Don’t have a FEIN? You can get one through the IRS website.
• Primary account user’s information: Name, email, and phone number.
• Responsible party’s information: Name, Social Security number, home mailing address, email address, and phone number.
• Business information: Legal business name; primary business address, and mailing address.
• Entity type. If you’re not sure, the Small Business Administration is a good resource to see which business structure is most appropriate for your business.
• North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code. Look it up here.
• The tax types you need to register for and the date you’ll begin business for the purposes of each tax type.

An interactive, step-by-step video to help you register is available.

When you complete your registration, you’ll receive your Virginia Tax account number for each tax type, your sales tax certificate (if you registered to collect retail sales or use tax), and documents to help you with your next steps (what returns you need to file, when to file, etc.). You also are automatically enrolled in a business online services account where you’ll be able to file and pay taxes, send us emails, and manage your Virginia Tax account in the future.

New business resources

• Business One Stop is an online interactive system that helps you register your business with several Virginia state and local agencies at one time.
• State Corporation Commission (SCC) - some businesses must also register with the SCC.
• U.S. Small Business Administration
• Virginia Economic Development Partnership
• Virginia Employment Commission (VEC)
  

While all new businesses are required to register with us online, the following reasons may prevent you from doing so:

• You don’t have a FEIN
• You don't have an SSN
• You’re reopening a closed account or
• The FEIN you need to register is associated with another account
• Your SSN is associated with another business
• You were a responsible party or primary account user for another business
• You need to register for a tax type that's not available online (dealer's aircraft sales and use tax)

If you're unable to register online, you'll need to fill out and mail us Form R-1 instead.

Yes. You can "Save as draft" in the left navigation on any of the registration pages, and come back later to finish your registration. Make sure to save the User ID and password you created. When you come back, you'll log in as if you already have an account with us under "Account Login."

Some of the most common tax types you might need to register for are:

• Retail sales tax (in-state dealers)
• Use tax (remote or out-of-state dealers with nexus in Virginia)
• Employer withholding (if you have Virginia employees), and
• Corporate or pass-through entity income tax

You can register the following business entities:

• Sole Proprietor
• Corporate entities:
  • Corporation
  • Nonprofit corporation
  • LLC reporting as a corporation
  • Subchapter S Corporation
  • General Partnership
  • Limited Partnership
  • Limited Liability Partnership (LLP)
  • Limited Liability Company (LLC)
  • Nonprofit organization
  • Cooperative
  • Credit Union
  • Bank
  • Savings and Loan
  • Public Service Corporation

  If you’re not sure, the Small Business Administration is a good resource to see which business structure is most appropriate for your business.

  Can I make changes to my registration?

  Yes, once you have completed your registration you can log back into your account at any time to make changes. You may update contact and address information, add a new business location, close a location, close your business, update responsible officers of your company, print a copy of your sales tax certificate, or change your tax filing responsibilities. To learn more, see How to Report Changes to Your Business.