Business entity statuses explained
Updated . General information, not legal or tax advice.
Every state registry shows a status for each business record. The wording varies a lot: Colorado says “Good Standing” or “Delinquent,” Kentucky shows “Active” or “Inactive” with a separate standing, and Idaho combines them as “Active-Existing.” We always show the official wording, and each state page explains that state’s labels where the state defines them.
Common statuses, in plain terms
- Active, existing, in existence
- The entity is on the registry and hasn’t been dissolved, cancelled or withdrawn.
- Good standing, current, compliant
- It is active and up to date on required state filings and fees, such as its annual report.
- Delinquent, not in good standing, past due, noncompliant
- It missed a required report or fee. It usually still exists and can catch up, but may lose the right to file certain documents or get a certificate.
- Administratively dissolved, revoked, forfeited
- The state ended or suspended the entity, usually for unfiled reports, unpaid fees or no registered agent. Many states allow reinstatement within a set period.
- Voluntarily dissolved, cancelled, terminated
- The owners ended it.
- Withdrawn
- An out-of-state company that was registered here has withdrawn its registration. It may still exist in its home state.
- Merged, converted
- It became part of, or changed into, another entity. Its successor may have a different name and number.
- Reserved, registered name
- Not a business. Someone is holding the name, which can still block yours while the reservation lasts.
What a status doesn’t prove
- “Active” or “good standing” describes state registry filings only. It doesn’t show that a business is licensed for its trade, current on taxes, financially sound or trustworthy.
- Two records with the same name aren’t necessarily the same company, and one company registered in several states can have different statuses in each.
- An inactive name isn’t automatically available. States often hold it for possible reinstatement.
- A record that’s missing from a search hasn’t necessarily dissolved. It may have changed its name, merged, or be registered in another state.
For proof of status, most states sell or provide a certificate of good standing.