Official Business Law Sources

Business formation and state records

Entity status, formation, amendments, registered agents, and annual reports are generally handled through state filing authorities.

• SBA: Register Your Business
• USA.gov: State Governments

Federal tax and business administration

• IRS Small Businesses and Self-Employed
• SBA Business Guide

Employment and worker classification

• U.S. Department of Labor: Wage and Hour Division
• IRS: Independent Contractor or Employee

Consumer protection, privacy, and cybersecurity

• FTC: Protecting Personal Information
• NIST Cybersecurity Framework
• FTC Business Guidance

Intellectual property

• USPTO Trademark Basics
• U.S. Copyright Office: Copyright Basics

Capital raising and securities

• SEC: Small Business Resources
• SBA: Fund Your Business

Legal definitions

• Cornell Legal Information Institute: Business

How to use a source

• Confirm that the page belongs to the responsible authority.
• Check the publication or revision date.
• Open linked forms and instructions, not only a summary.
• Save the accepted filing, receipt, correspondence, or version used for the decision.