J.J. Meddaugh
There are literally hundreds of moving pieces that go into starting a business. From doing market research about your potential competition to formulating a strategy for growth and success, dealing with logistics and paperwork may not be the first or even the 10th thing on your mind. That being said, business forms are a necessary evil that must be satisfied in order to transform your potential company from an idea to reality.
It's important to note that many of the forms that we will be discussing are completed on either a state or local level, and your mileage may vary depending on the types and formats of forms used in your area. The Small Business Administration provides a good overview of some of the things you'll want to consider when registering your business and other important information.
Getting an EIN
While a sole proprietorship allows for the use of a Social Security number for business activities, most business owners will want to obtain an Employer Identification Number, commonly known as an EIN. This is a 9-digit number assigned by the Internal Revenue Service for taxes and other purposes. You can quickly obtain an EIN number for free using an online form. According to the page, you must fill out the entire form in one sitting within 15 minutes, so it's a good idea to have all of your information gathered and ready to go before you start. Though it can be very tempting when filling out some of these more complex forms to try to just wing it by filling in an answer to a question even if you don't entirely understand it, I urge you to take the time needed to research proper answers to the questions on these forms. Many of these answers will determine how your business operates in the future and will be more difficult to change later on.
Getting a Business License
Typically, the first step of officially establishing your business is to obtain a business license. Where you do this depends on the type of business you wish to register. For a sole proprietorship, registration is typically performed at the county or local level. County governments are smaller than state-level agencies, so the availability of online forms to register your business may be more limited. For LLCs and corporations among others, registration typically happens at the state level, often at the Secretary of State office or a dedicated business agency. You could search your state's website or Google "register a business Michigan," for example, to find forms for your state. No matter your type of business, if you are fortunate, you will find a website or system that you can use to get the ball rolling. Registering a business will likely provide you with additional information, such as account numbers, usernames, and passwords. For keeping track of sensitive information, consider a password manager such as 1Password, which will save this information in an encrypted format and also help you to login automatically to most websites. 1Password has put considerable effort into making their apps very accessible and plans for individuals and businesses start at just a few dollars per month—a sound investment in security.
The Good and Bad of PDF Forms
If there is no website form to fill out, the next best option may be a fillable PDF. This gives us a moment to talk about accessible and inaccessible PDF forms, something that you will encounter often in your business journey.
The usefulness and accessibility of a PDF form can range from rather amazing to downright unusable. Your best-case scenario would be to use a PDF that includes fillable form fields. These forms will let you fill in information just as you would on a website. You will want to download Adobe Acrobat Reader DC for Windows or Mac. When you encounter a PDF on a webpage, open it directly in Adobe instead of displaying it in your web browser. You can usually do this by right-clicking on the name of the file and selecting "Save As." Some forms may be viewable within your web browser, but generally speaking you won't be able to fill out forms that are displayed this way.
Often, it will be necessary to sign your PDF before you submit it. Depending on the agency, this may need to be done in a couple of different ways. Some electronic forms include a Fill and Sign option, which allows you to provide an electronic signature using either an image or initials. To access this option, press F6 from the Adobe Acrobat window and Tab until you locate the "Fill and Sign" option. Press Enter, and then select Sign to provide your initials or a signature graphic. I found this process a bit cumbersome at first, but it's achievable with some practice.
Other forms will require you to print and sign the hardcopy of the form before submitting. It's useful to have access to a printer for situations like this. I use the context of the form to get an idea of where the signature line would be, and then, once I've printed out the completed form, I'll call up a virtual assistant service like AIRA to ensure I'm signing at the correct spot. Once the form is signed, you can scan it or take a picture to create an electronic copy that can be submitted. I vastly prefer a flatbed scanner for situations like these since they will give a consistent document quality without the added requirement to line up the page to take a picture.
The other types of PDFs fall into the more cumbersome category. If you load a PDF into Adobe and do not find any form fields, then the PDF has likely not been created as fillable. There is software that can be used to fill out these forms electronically such as Foxit, used by many AIRA agents, but this can't be done using a screen reader or accessibility tools. Still other PDF forms may be fillable, but have not been properly tagged with accessibility features. For these forms, you will find unlabeled checkboxes and edit boxes, and likely unsure about what goes where. I will also call AIRA for a situation like this, and use the free TeamViewer program to allow the agent to see what's on my screen. Using this strategy, I can be provided with additional visual descriptions but still fill out the form myself.
The worst-case scenario would be a PDF that does not even speak its data to a screen reader. This is likely a file that has simply been scanned, with no additional treatment or remediation provided. In a perfect world, all business forms would be accessible, and Federal law generally dictates that they need to be. This type of situation brings to light a quandary that is unfortunately faced sometimes by business owners: finding the balance between advocating for accessible design or just getting things done and moving on. Generally, if I have a moment, and it's obvious that a government agency is either unaware or not taking seriously their obligation for accessible documents, then I may try to talk to someone or push the issue. But sometimes, a form is the only thing standing between your business and a large opportunity, and time is of the essence.
It's also worth noting that currently PDF forms are only fillable using a screen reader on Windows and Mac computers. While VoiceOver for iOS and TalkBack for Android can be used to view PDF files, the features allowing for fillable forms do not appear to work with screen readers on mobile devices.
Other Forms for Getting Started
Depending on the type of business you are starting, there are likely other forms you will need to fill out, again mostly at the state level. Some states will provide an online portal for filling out these forms, and thankfully more and more services are moving online. Some of the types of forms you may need to consider are outlined below.
If you plan on hiring employees, you will probably need to fill out forms to submit payroll taxes as well as deal with Workers Compensation and Unemployment Insurance. If you hire a payroll provider, they will often guide you through this process. Generally, you will need to do this for each state where you plan on hiring. This applies to employees, but not contractors.
If you will be selling merchandise or other taxable goods, you will need to register to submit sales tax if it's charged in your state. You will collect the taxes from your customers and then pay them to the state on a regular schedule, depending on the size of your business. It's often possible to make these payments online or use a bank account or another means.
For some types of businesses, you will need to file annual reports or other documents on a regular basis. You will also need to file forms if you change the structure of your business, relocate to a new address, or perform other administrative tasks.
One wrinkle that often happens during this process is when a state insists on sending information through the mail. This is often done for new businesses to distribute account numbers or login credentials. You will need to use an OCR program such as Voice Dream Scanner for iOS or Android to read and process this printed mail. Once you have logged in, many states offer the option of electronic or paperless delivery of documents, which should provide a more accessible experience.
Dealing with the IRS
Congratulations, you've made it through your first year, but now it's time to pay the government. The Internal Revenue Service has created one of the most complete resources for accessible forms on the Internet. They provide tax forms in a variety of formats including fillable PDF, braille-ready files, and large print. Braille or large print tax forms and publications can also be ordered by calling 800-829-3676, though these would primarily serve as a reference, and not be fillable.
Conclusion
Forms are a rarely exciting but certainly inevitable part of the operation of your business. With the move to more online systems, they are becoming more usable without assistance, and are often less painless to fill out than in the past. Using some of the above tips will hopefully help you sign the dotted line as you prepare to open or expand your business empire.
This article is made possible in part by generous funding from the James H. and Alice Teubert Charitable Trust, Huntington, West Virginia.
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