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Part of Credit foundations: the practical version
Credit foundations services: the filings you can do yourself
Most credit foundations services sell state and IRS filings that carry published fees. Here is the order to file in and what each step costs at source.
Most of what a business file needs from the state and the IRS is paperwork with a published fee. It can be filed in a set order, and knowing that order and those fees tells you whether a service is saving you time or only charging for setting up business credit.
What to take away
- Six filings start a file, in this ordername search, formation, EIN, registered agent, annual report, D-U-N-S number.
- An EIN and a D-U-N-S number cost nothing at the source, so any charge for them is a service fee.
- State formation fees are typically $50 to $500, and renewals commonly $0 to $300.
- Confirm entity type and tax treatment with a CPA or attorney before anyone files.
- A fair quote lists each filing and its source fee, never a promised result.
The six filings, in the order that works
File in this order: name, formation, EIN, registered agent, annual report, D-U-N-S number. Each later filing repeats the legal name and address the earlier ones recorded, so the order keeps them matching.
Filing and registration admin
- Search the state business registry to confirm the name is free.
- File the formation document with the Secretary of State and pay the published fee.
- Apply for an EIN with the IRS. There is no charge.
- Record the registered agent and the address the state will use.
- File the annual report or renewal before the state deadline.
- Request a D-U-N-S number from Dun & Bradstreet, then check your file with Experian and Equifax.
Entity type, state of formation and tax treatment vary by jurisdiction. Confirm those with a CPA or attorney licensed where you operate before you pay anyone to file. The filing order stays the same; what changes is the form and the fee.
What each filing costs at the source
Published fees set the floor for any quote. The IRS charges nothing for an EIN and Dun & Bradstreet charges nothing for a D-U-N-S number, while the state charges for formation and renewal. Compare every quote with these figures.
| Filing | Filed with | Fee at the source |
|---|---|---|
| Formation document | Secretary of State | Typically $50 to $500 |
| EIN | IRS | No charge |
| Registered agent | A registered agent firm | Typically $100 to $300 a year, state fee added on top |
| Annual report or renewal | State | Commonly $0 to $300 |
| D-U-N-S number | Dun & Bradstreet | No charge |
The IRS itself says you never have to pay a fee for an EIN. Those state ranges are typical, not quotes, so check the current fee schedule where you file before comparing.
Reading a formation quote line by line
A fair quote names each filing, shows the fee the agency charges and prices the firm's own work on a separate line. Nothing in these filings is proprietary, so the invoice should reflect hours and filing costs, not access.
If a quote for this work runs into four figures, ask which filings it covers and what each one costs at the source. A firm that answers plainly is easier to trust than one that treats the process as a secret.
Firms that sell this by name include LegalZoom, ZenBusiness, Northwest Registered Agent and Registered Agents Inc. They differ in what is bundled: some pair formation with a registered agent and a compliance reminder, others sell the two separately.
Where paying a service makes sense
A service can earn its fee on the recurring items, the registered agent record and the annual report deadline, because both come round every year. The one-off filings carry published fees you can pay directly.
If you will not work through the list, buying it is a reasonable trade. If you would, you are buying time back, so the price should match the price of your time. The setup choices a company faces decide how much of the list applies to it.
Four things sold as one
Filing and registration admin
- What it is
- Form-filling
- Worth buying
- At form-filling prices
- Do it yourself
- Yes, issuing agency
Consistency work
- What it is
- Name and address matching
- Worth buying
- Yes, if dull
- Do it yourself
- Yes, checklist
Creditor report list
- What it is
- Lead list
- Worth buying
- Perishable
- Do it yourself
- Ask creditors
Claims about the file
- What it is
- Promises
- Worth buying
- Scrutinize
- Do it yourself
- No substitute
Keeping one identity across every filing
Every filing should carry the same legal name, trade name, suite number, phone and entity type. Dun & Bradstreet builds a PAYDEX from trade references tied to that identity, and a mismatched suite number can split one company into two thin files.
The steps are in the credit foundations checklist. It is a few hours of typing, not a service with a moat. Update the address on file with each agency whenever it changes, because an old suite number left at one of them is where a split starts.
A split file is easy to describe and hard to spot, and worked examples show what it looks like once it has happened.
When a quote goes past filing
Filing, registered agent and consistency work all have published prices. A quote that adds "exclusive bureau access" is selling something none of them contains. No firm has a private door into Dun & Bradstreet, Experian or Equifax.
Each bureau publishes its own contact route, and a business can open or correct its own file without an intermediary. Ask which bureau and which product the claim covers. The answer will be a reseller arrangement you could reach yourself, or nothing.
Five claims to walk away from
- Guaranteed approval or guaranteed number
- Seasoned, primary or authorized-user history for sale
- Substitute identifying number for applications
- Removal of accurate information
- Exclusive access to a bureau
Paying for a place on someone else's payment history is misrepresentation to a lender, and it is the one offer where tradelines are sold instead of earned. Walk away rather than negotiate.
Never buy a shortcut: credible ones do not exist, and the ones on offer leave you worse off than a thin file. That pattern drives most foundation mistakes worth avoiding. The Federal Trade Commission's credit and finance guidance sets out what is expected of firms selling in this space.
Common questions
Which of the six filings can I do without a firm?
All of them. Each is a form filed with the state, the IRS or Dun & Bradstreet at the published fee. A firm adds convenience and reminders, and the invoice should show that.
Should the same firm handle formation and the registered agent?
Not necessarily. Some firms pair formation with a registered agent and a compliance reminder, others sell the two separately. Compare each line against the state fee and the typical agent range.
What if my file already has problems?
Read the file at each bureau before hiring anyone to improve it. Errors are a different job from absence of history. For anything contested, use the bureau's own dispute channel or a licensed credit attorney.
