{"id":26792,"date":"2025-05-27T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-27T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.resourcepro.com\/bulletin\/delaware-delays-statewide-trade-name-registration-overhaul-to-february-2026\/"},"modified":"2025-05-27T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-05-27T04:00:00","slug":"delaware-delays-statewide-trade-name-registration-overhaul-to-february-2026","status":"publish","type":"bulletin","link":"https:\/\/www.resourcepro.com\/bulletin\/delaware-delays-statewide-trade-name-registration-overhaul-to-february-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Delaware Delays Statewide Trade Name Registration Overhaul to February 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>DE| Delaware<\/strong> business owners with trade names or DBAs will now see the major changes to DBA\/Trade Name registration in early 2026, with further instructions and outreach to be provided by the <strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Delaware Division of Revenue<\/span><\/strong> before then. <strong><em>Original Start date was set for June 2, 2025;  No action is required until new guidance is issued.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Summary of Delaware Trade Name\/DBA Registration Changes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.delcode.delaware.gov\/BillDetail?LegislationId=141757\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">House Bill 40 (HB 40)<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/span> &#8211; <em>This change delayed by <strong>House Bill 177 <\/strong> below.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>HB 40 was signed into law on February 7, 2025, and <strong><em>was originally set to take effect on June 2, 2025.<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It overhauls Delaware\u2019s trade name (DBA) registration process, moving it from a county-based, paper, and notarized filing system to a single, statewide, online process managed by the Delaware Division of Revenue.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>All businesses using trade names\u2014including corporations, LLCs, partnerships, and sole proprietors\u2014would be required to re-register their DBAs through the new system.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The law introduces a $25 filing fee for each statewide trade name registration, eliminating the need for separate filings and fees in each county.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>For Delaware corporations and LLCs not doing business in Delaware but wishing to register a trade name, a new $25 annual \u201cTrade Name Only\u201d business license is required.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The re-registration period was set to run from June 2, 2025, to August 1, 2025, after which unclaimed trade names would become available to others on a first-come, first-served basis.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.delcode.delaware.gov\/BillDetail?LegislationId=142340\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">House Bill 177 (HB 177)<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>HB 177 was signed into law on <strong><em>May 27, 2025<\/em><\/strong>, and delays the effective date of the changes made by HB 40 and earlier related legislation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The new effective date for the statewide trade name registration process is now <em><strong>February 2, 2026, instead of June 2, 2025.<\/strong><\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>HB 177 also directs the Division of Revenue to conduct <strong><em>outreach to agencies and businesses before February 2, 2026<\/em><\/strong>, including publishing an FAQ guide on its website to explain the upcoming changes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-delaware-business-owners-with-trade-namesdbas\">What Delaware Business Owners with Trade Names\/DBAs Can Expect<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>No Immediate Re-Registration:<\/strong> The previously announced June 2\u2013August 1, 2025, re-registration window is canceled; <strong><em>the new window will open on February 2, 2026<\/em><\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Further Instructions to Come:<\/strong> Expect official communications and detailed instructions from the Division of Revenue before the new effective date.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Prepare for Statewide Registration:<\/strong> All existing county-level trade name\/DBA registrations will need to be re-registered in the new statewide online system in 2026 to remain valid.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Potential for Name Conflicts:<\/strong> Because registration will be on a first-come, first-served basis, businesses should be ready to act promptly in 2026 to retain their trade names.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>No Fee for Re-Registration:<\/strong> There will be no fee for re-registering an existing trade name during the initial transition window; new registrations or late filings will incur a $25 fee.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Special License for Out-of-State Entities:<\/strong> Delaware corporations and LLCs not doing business in the state but wanting a DBA will need a \u201cTrade Name Only\u201d business license at $25 per year.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-to-do-now\">What to Do Now<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Monitor Official Communications:<\/strong> Watch for updates and guidance from the Delaware Division of Revenue in the coming months.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Review Your DBA Records:<\/strong> Ensure your business contact information is up to date so you receive all relevant notices.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Be Ready for 2026:<\/strong> Plan to promptly re-register your trade name(s) once the new system opens to avoid losing your DBA.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Contact the Delaware Division of Revenue<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/revenue.delaware.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/revenue.delaware.gov\/<\/a><br>\u00a0DOSDOC_ftax@delaware.gov<br>\u00a0DOR_CorpTax@delaware.gov<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"tel:(302) 577-8200\">(302) 577-8200<\/a>\u00a0&#8211;\u00a0General Information<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":21524,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"department":[254],"state":[274],"class_list":["post-26792","bulletin","type-bulletin","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","department-department-of-revenue","state-delaware"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.resourcepro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bulletin\/26792","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.resourcepro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bulletin"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.resourcepro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bulletin"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.resourcepro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bulletin\/26792\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.resourcepro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21524"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.resourcepro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26792"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"department","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.resourcepro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/department?post=26792"},{"taxonomy":"state","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.resourcepro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/state?post=26792"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}