A DBA — “doing business as” — is the public-facing trade name you operate under when it does not match your legal entity name. Depending on the state it is also called a fictitious, trade, or assumed name, but the function is the same: it tells the public and the state who is operating behind the name on your storefront, website, or invoice.
You generally need one if you are a sole proprietor using a brand name other than your personal legal name, or an LLC or corporation operating under a name different from the one on your formation documents. You do not need one if you operate solely under your own legal name or under the exact name on your LLC or corporation paperwork.
What a DBA does: it registers your trade name so the public can look up who owns it, and it lets you open a business bank account, accept payments, and issue invoices under that name.
What a DBA does not do: it does not create a separate legal entity, does not provide liability protection — a sole proprietor with a DBA carries the same personal liability as one without — and does not give you exclusive rights to the name. That requires a trademark. Filing fees typically run $10–$100 depending on the state, with renewals every 5–10 years. If the name on your invoices does not match your legal name, file the DBA.
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