Tennessee business entity search and name check

Tennessee business records are kept by the Secretary of State's Division of Business and Charitable Organizations and searched through its TNCaB business entity search. We don't search Tennessee from this site; we link you to TNCaB, where you can look up a business by name or control number. If you're forming an LLC here, budget for a fee that grows with your membership: $50 per member, at least $300 and at most $3,000, both when you file and every year after.

Registry: Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations
Official search: TNCaB (Tennessee Charity and Business filing system)
How we search Tennessee: Official site only (we hand you off). Tennessee's search asks every visitor to pass a bot-protection check before it shows results, so we can't search it for you. We send you to the official TNCaB search instead.
What a result can tell you: Searching the official site shows names on record. Tennessee decides acceptance when you file.
State fee to form an LLC: $300 (Articles of Organization (SS-4270))
Ongoing LLC filing: Annual Report, $300

What the Tennessee search covers

The search covers corporations, nonprofit corporations, LLCs, limited partnerships, limited liability partnerships and general partnerships, both those formed in Tennessee and those from other states registered here. Assumed names are also filed with the Secretary of State.

Each record has a Control Number. Search by number on the TNCaB (Tennessee Charity and Business filing system).

How to read Tennessee results

Tennessee uses its own status labels. We always show the official wording; here is what the common ones mean according to the state:

Status	What it means
Administratively Dissolved/Revoked	The state ended the business's active status, most often because it didn't file its annual report or had no registered agent. It can also happen when an out-of-state business doesn't keep up an assumed name it needed because of a name conflict, or when a payment to the state is returned. Source: sos.tn.gov

A status describes the registry filing only. It isn’t evidence of a license, tax compliance or reputation, and a record with the same name as a company you know may be a different business. More on statuses.

Tennessee business name rules

An LLC name must include one of: limited liability company, LLC, L.L.C..

Your name must be distinguishable from the names of other businesses already on file with the Secretary of State. A name that isn't is a listed reason for rejecting a filing. (Tenn. Code § 48-249-106) Source: sos.tn.gov

Tennessee doesn’t publish a list of the differences it ignores, so our check treats only capitalization and punctuation as insignificant and flags other close names as similar for you to judge.

Using a similar name with consent

Yes. If the business already using a similar name agrees, it can sign a Written Consent for Use of Indistinguishable Name (form SS-9411, $20), which you file with your documents.

Reserving a name in Tennessee

Tennessee lets you reserve a name before you form the business for $20.

File an Application for Name Reservation (form SS-9425). A business from another state uses form SS-4436, which also handles renewals.

Tennessee name reservation

Searching on this site doesn’t reserve anything. Only TN Secretary of State can.

Forming an LLC in Tennessee

Document: Articles of Organization (SS-4270)
State filing fee: $300
The fee is $50 per member at filing, with a minimum of $300 and a maximum of $3,000. $300 covers up to six members.
File online: TN Secretary of State filing
Registered agent: Every business entity except a general partnership must keep a registered agent in Tennessee.
Out-of-state LLC registering here: $300 (Application for Certificate of Authority (SS-4233))

Fees change. Confirm them on the official Tennessee fee schedule before you file.

File it yourself or use a service

File directly with Tennessee

$300 state fee

You fill in the Articles of Organization (SS-4270) yourself and pay only the state. You’ll need a registered agent with a Tennessee street address; that can be you if you have one.

File with TN Secretary of State

Use a formation service

A service prepares and files the paperwork, and most can act as your registered agent and send compliance reminders. You still pay the state fee on top of their price, and the state still decides whether to accept your name.

Bizee: $0 plus the state fee (Basic); Standard $199, Premium $299, plus state fee
LegalZoom: $0 plus state fees (Basic); Managed Service $249 plus state fees
Northwest Registered Agent: $39 plus the state fee
ZenBusiness: $0 plus the state fee (Starter); Pro $199 plus state fee, renews $199/yr

We don’t currently earn commissions from these providers. Prices from each provider’s site on Oct 30, 2026. We never send them your proposed name. Compare what each includes · Disclosure

An EIN (federal tax ID) is free from the IRS; you don’t need to pay anyone for one.

Keeping a Tennessee LLC in good standing

Annual Report: $300. Source: sos.tn.gov

LLCs and corporations owe Tennessee franchise and excise taxes, collected by the Department of Revenue. The excise tax rate is 6.5% and the franchise tax minimum is $100 (Department of Revenue guide FAE 170: https://tn.gov/content/dam/tn/revenue/documents/forms/fae/FAE170_2022.pdf).

The LLC annual report fee is $300 for up to six members, plus $50 for each additional member, up to $3,000. A corporation's annual report is $20, plus $20 more if you change the registered agent or office on it. Annual reports must be filed through a TNCaB account.

Proof of status: Certificate of Existence ($20). Source: sos.tn.gov

Assumed names (DBAs)

Tennessee doesn't use the terms DBA or fictitious name. A business registers an assumed name instead, for $20. The registration lasts five years and can be renewed. Source: sos.tn.gov

Good to know about Tennessee

LLC fees scale with the number of members: $50 per member, minimum $300, maximum $3,000. This applies both to the Articles of Organization and to every annual report. Source: sos.tn.gov
An out-of-state corporation pays $600 to register in Tennessee, six times the $100 a Tennessee corporation pays to file its charter. Source: sos.tn.gov
Tennessee replaced its old TNBEAR system with TNCaB. You now need a TNCaB account to file an annual report. Source: sos.tn.gov
Tennessee registers assumed names, not DBAs. An assumed name lasts five years and can be renewed. Source: sos.tn.gov
Missing an annual report or going without a registered agent can lead to administrative dissolution. Source: sos.tn.gov
Besides the Secretary of State's fees, Tennessee LLCs and corporations owe state franchise and excise taxes (excise 6.5%, franchise minimum $100). Source: tn.gov

Sources and accuracy

We checked this page against official Tennessee sources on October 30, 2026. Our monitor rechecks the official search, filing portal and fee pages daily and flags changes for review.

Items we couldn’t confirm on an official page (7)

We couldn't confirm the annual report due date on a current official page. It is commonly given as the first day of the fourth month after the end of your fiscal year.
We couldn't confirm how long a name reservation lasts. It is commonly given as four months.
We couldn't confirm Tennessee's required LLC and corporation name endings or its restricted words on an official page.
We couldn't confirm the format of a Tennessee control number or the full list of status labels.
We couldn't confirm current prices for buying Tennessee's business entity database.
We couldn't confirm how the franchise tax is calculated after Tennessee's 2024 changes.
LLC designators come from the statute (Tenn. Code § 48-249-106); we could not confirm them on a current Secretary of State page.

See something wrong? Tell us. We can fix how we present information, but only TN Secretary of State can change an official record.