Reference
Glossary
The vocabulary of business filings in plain English. State filing offices use different names for the same document and the same name for different documents; these are the meanings every page on this site uses. Each term has its own page - and terms in the text of any page carry a dotted underline that leads there.
AL (annual list)The same filing as the annual report, under Nevada's name for it - the Annual List of officers and directors (corporations) or managers/members (LLCs), filed each year with the state business license renewal.Full entry →Annual reportThe recurring filing most states require to keep an entity's record current - officers, addresses, registered agent.Full entry →ApostilleAn international certification attached to a state document (like a certificate of good standing) so other countries accept it under the Hague Convention.Full entry →Articles of incorporationThe document filed with the state to create a corporation.Full entry →Articles of organizationThe document filed with the state to create an LLC - the LLC equivalent of articles of incorporation.Full entry →Certificate of authorityPermission for an entity formed in one state to do business in another - the 'foreign' registration.Full entry →Certificate of good standingThe state-issued document proving an entity exists and is current on its filings.Full entry →Certified copyA copy of a filed document that the state certifies as true and complete, with an official seal or certification page.Full entry →COGSIndustry shorthand for the certificate of good standing - the state-issued document proving an entity exists and is current on its filings.Full entry →DBA / fictitious nameA name a business operates under that is not its legal name - 'doing business as.' Also: assumed name, trade name, fictitious business name.Full entry →Domestic / foreignRelative to one state's records: an entity is domestic in the state that formed it and foreign everywhere else it registers to do business.Full entry →E-pay surchargeA percentage or flat amount the state adds for paying online or by card - commonly 2 to 5 percent, sometimes a flat portal fee.Full entry →Effective remittanceWhat actually leaves the bank to the state for a filing: the statutory fee plus any e-pay surcharge and any components the state bundles into the transaction.Full entry →Entity typesLLC (limited liability company), corporation (for-profit; 'profit corporation' in some states' vocabulary), nonprofit corporation, LP (limited partnership), LLP (limited liability partnership), LLLP (limited liability limited partnership),Full entry →ExpeditePaying the state to process a filing faster than its standard queue - same-day, 24-hour, even 2-hour tiers in some states.Full entry →Filing officeThe agency that keeps the business register.Full entry →FormationCreating the entity: articles of organization (LLC), articles or certificate of incorporation (corporation), certificate of limited partnership (LP).Full entry →FQForeign qualification - industry shorthand for registering an entity to do business in a state other than the one that formed it.Full entry →Franchise taxA recurring tax on the privilege of existing as an entity in a state - not a tax on franchising a business.Full entry →Good standingThe state's verdict that an entity exists and is current on required filings and fees.Full entry →Name reservationHolding an entity name with the state before forming - typically 30 to 120 days for a small fee, renewable in some states.Full entry →Publication requirementA few states require newly formed or registered entities to publish a notice in designated newspapers (New York's LLC publication is the expensive example) - a real cost of formation that fee tables usually omit.Full entry →Registered agentThe person or company an entity must continuously maintain in a state to receive service of process and official mail.Full entry →ReinstatementRestoring an entity the state revoked or administratively dissolved for missed filings - typically back-filing reports, paying accrued fees and penalties, and filing an application.Full entry →Review gateThis site's publication rule. Records climb unreviewed, then provisionally reviewed, then verified; public pages cite only verified records.Full entry →Revocation / administrative dissolutionThe state involuntarily ending an entity's authority to do business - for missed annual reports, a lapsed registered agent, or unpaid fees.Full entry →Service of processFormal delivery of lawsuits and legal notices.Full entry →SOPIndustry shorthand for service of process - the formal delivery of lawsuits, subpoenas, and legal notices to an entity through its registered agent.Full entry →SOSSecretary of State - the default filing office in most states, and shorthand throughout this site for whichever agency keeps the business register.Full entry →Statutory feeThe fee the statute or the agency's adopted fee schedule sets for a filing - the state's own number, before e-pay surcharges, bundled components, expedites, or anyone's service markup.Full entry →UCCThe Uniform Commercial Code - the law behind lien filings (UCC-1 financing statements) that lenders record against a debtor's assets, usually filed at the same office that keeps the business register.Full entry →
| Term | Also called | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| AL (annual list) | annual list | The same filing as the annual report, under Nevada's name for it - the Annual List of officers and directors (corporations) or managers/members (LLCs), filed each year with the state business license renewal. |
| Annual report | annual reports, annual renewal, biennial report, biennial statement, public information report | The recurring filing most states require to keep an entity's record current - officers, addresses, registered agent. |
| Apostille | apostilled, apostilles | An international certification attached to a state document (like a certificate of good standing) so other countries accept it under the Hague Convention. |
| Articles of incorporation | certificate of incorporation | The document filed with the state to create a corporation. |
| Articles of organization | certificate of organization, certificate of formation | The document filed with the state to create an LLC - the LLC equivalent of articles of incorporation. |
| Certificate of authority | foreign qualification, application for registration | Permission for an entity formed in one state to do business in another - the 'foreign' registration. |
| Certificate of good standing | certificates of good standing, certificate of existence, certificate of status, certificate of compliance, subsistence certificate | The state-issued document proving an entity exists and is current on its filings. |
| Certified copy | certified copies | A copy of a filed document that the state certifies as true and complete, with an official seal or certification page. |
| COGS | - | Industry shorthand for the certificate of good standing - the state-issued document proving an entity exists and is current on its filings. |
| DBA / fictitious name | fictitious name, fictitious business name, assumed name, trade name, doing business as | A name a business operates under that is not its legal name - 'doing business as.' Also: assumed name, trade name, fictitious business name. |
| Domestic / foreign | foreign llc, foreign corporation, domestic entity, foreign entity | Relative to one state's records: an entity is domestic in the state that formed it and foreign everywhere else it registers to do business. |
| E-pay surcharge | e-pay surcharges, epay surcharge, convenience fee, portal fee | A percentage or flat amount the state adds for paying online or by card - commonly 2 to 5 percent, sometimes a flat portal fee. |
| Effective remittance | effective remittances | What actually leaves the bank to the state for a filing: the statutory fee plus any e-pay surcharge and any components the state bundles into the transaction. |
| Entity types | entity type | LLC (limited liability company), corporation (for-profit; 'profit corporation' in some states' vocabulary), nonprofit corporation, LP (limited partnership), LLP (limited liability partnership), LLLP (limited liability limited partnership), |
| Expedite | expedited, expedited processing, expedite fee | Paying the state to process a filing faster than its standard queue - same-day, 24-hour, even 2-hour tiers in some states. |
| Filing office | filing offices, corporations division | The agency that keeps the business register. |
| Formation | formation fee, formation filing | Creating the entity: articles of organization (LLC), articles or certificate of incorporation (corporation), certificate of limited partnership (LP). |
| FQ | foreign qualify, foreign qualified | Foreign qualification - industry shorthand for registering an entity to do business in a state other than the one that formed it. |
| Franchise tax | franchise taxes, privilege tax | A recurring tax on the privilege of existing as an entity in a state - not a tax on franchising a business. |
| Good standing | in good standing | The state's verdict that an entity exists and is current on required filings and fees. |
| Name reservation | reserved name, reserve a name | Holding an entity name with the state before forming - typically 30 to 120 days for a small fee, renewable in some states. |
| Publication requirement | publication requirements, newspaper publication | A few states require newly formed or registered entities to publish a notice in designated newspapers (New York's LLC publication is the expensive example) - a real cost of formation that fee tables usually omit. |
| Registered agent | registered agents, resident agent, statutory agent, agent for service of process, commercial registered agent | The person or company an entity must continuously maintain in a state to receive service of process and official mail. |
| Reinstatement | reinstated, reinstate | Restoring an entity the state revoked or administratively dissolved for missed filings - typically back-filing reports, paying accrued fees and penalties, and filing an application. |
| Review gate | review status, verified, provisionally reviewed | This site's publication rule. Records climb unreviewed, then provisionally reviewed, then verified; public pages cite only verified records. |
| Revocation / administrative dissolution | revoked, administratively dissolved, administrative dissolution | The state involuntarily ending an entity's authority to do business - for missed annual reports, a lapsed registered agent, or unpaid fees. |
| Service of process | - | Formal delivery of lawsuits and legal notices. |
| SOP | - | Industry shorthand for service of process - the formal delivery of lawsuits, subpoenas, and legal notices to an entity through its registered agent. |
| SOS | secretary of state | Secretary of State - the default filing office in most states, and shorthand throughout this site for whichever agency keeps the business register. |
| Statutory fee | statutory fees | The fee the statute or the agency's adopted fee schedule sets for a filing - the state's own number, before e-pay surcharges, bundled components, expedites, or anyone's service markup. |
| UCC | uniform commercial code, ucc-1, ucc lien | The Uniform Commercial Code - the law behind lien filings (UCC-1 financing statements) that lenders record against a debtor's assets, usually filed at the same office that keeps the business register. |
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incFACTS, "Glossary - plain-English definitions for US business filings," FACTS repository v0.10.08 (data as of 2026-09-21), https://www.incfacts.com/glossary/ (accessed 2026-09-21).incFACTS, Glossary - plain-English definitions for US business filings, https://www.incfacts.com/glossary/ (last visited 2026-09-21).@misc{incfacts_glossary_2026,
author = {incFACTS (FACTS repository)},
title = {Glossary - plain-English definitions for US business filings},
year = {2026},
url = {https://www.incfacts.com/glossary/},
note = {v0.10.08, data as of 2026-09-21, accessed 2026-09-21}
}How to cite incFACTS · The accessed date is today's; the version and data-as-of date identify what you relied on.