If you are unsure as to what type of business (i.e. Corporation, Limited Liability Company, Partnership, etc.), you may need to contact an attorney or tax professional, as this office is unable to assist in that determination. For information on types of business entities and tax, treatments consult the IRS, Tennessee Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration or the Business Enterprise Resource Office (BERO) at the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development.

• Corporations*
• Limited Liability Companies (LLC’s)*
• Limited Partnerships (LP’s)*
• Limited Liability Partnerships (LLP’s)*
• General Partnerships+ 

*All of the above business entities file formation documents.

+Filings by general partnerships are not for the purpose of forming or maintaining a general partnership in Tennessee. Document filing is for the purpose of providing public notice of basic information about a general partnership, such as the agency authority of its partners, and such filings are optional and voluntary.

You can file form SS-4800 to change the mailing address by mail or in person. A change in Registered Agent or principal address requires filing Articles of Amendment and paying the statutory $20 filing fee.  Forms can be found on our the Forms & Fees page for mail and in person filings.

Use our GoVoteTN app to find your elected officials. The GoVoteTN app will also provide you with a sample ballot, early voting locations, Election Day polling location and election results.  The GoVoteTN app is available in the Apple store, Google Play store, and through any browser as a website application.

You may find your state legislators here.

If your complaint does not fall within one of the Title III HAVA categories, you may file a general complaint with the State Coordinator of Elections office or with the local county election office.

An Administrative dissolution occurs for the following reasons:

• Failure to file an annual report
• Being without a registered agent
• A foreign entity fails to maintain its assumed name due to a name conflict
• Returned payment by a financial institution

A certificate of existence is a document issued by our office that certifies that an entity is active and in good standing.

Election results can be found here: https://sos.tn.gov/elections/results

An assumed name is a name other than the true entity name under which it conducts business.  Tennessee does not recognize 'DBAs' (doing business as) or fictitious names.  The assumed name is good for 5 years and can be renewed.

1. The correct fee is not paid. The annual report fee for a corporation is $20, and an additional $20 is required if any change is made concerning the registered agent/registered office. The annual report fee for LLCs is $300 minimum up to a maximum of $3000. The fee increases by an additional $50 per member for every member over 6 members up to a maximum of $3,000.
2. An officer is not listed. If the business is a Tennessee for-profit corporation, the corporation must list at least one officer. If the business is a Tennessee nonprofit corporation, a president and secretary or required.
3. The board of directors are not listed, the box indicating that the board is the same as the officers listed is not marked, or the box indicating that the corporation does not have directors is not marked.
4. The annual report is not signed and/or dated.
5. The annual report is not typed or filled out in ink.

• The required filing fee was not enclosed.
• The document has not been signed
• The document is not clear and legible.
• The document was not enclosed.
• The document is not dated.
• An email address was not provided.
• The name that you have requested is unavailable because it is not distinguishable from another business entity on file.
• We were not able to obtain tax clearance from the Department of Revenue.  Please, contact the Tennessee Department of Revenue at (615) 253-0600 or (800) 342-1003.  Once you have satisfied their requirements, resubmit your document to our office for filing.
• The address of the registered office must be a physical Tennessee address; it cannot be a post office box, route number, or box number alone.

A business entity that has failed to file its annual report on a timely basis may be administratively dissolved and placed in inactive status. The filing history of every business is shown in the Business Information Search. Click on “filing history” for details on your business.

A registered agent is a person or company who agrees to accept legal mail on behalf of your entity.  Tennessee requires that all entities (except General Partnerships (GP) to maintain a registered agent/office in the State of Tennessee at all times.

Tax clearances are required to obtain a certificate of existence, to reinstate, and to terminate, cancel or withdraw an entity from Tennessee.