What is a DBA?
A DBA is a name that’s different from the legal name of the company. It is a name the business wants to use when marketing itself to the public and dealing with customers. A sole proprietor, LLC, or corporation is said to be “doing business as” whatever fictitious name it has filed.
You may have heard DBA (Doing Business As) referred to in a variety of ways. Some other names for DBA include:
- Fictitious business name
- Assumed business name
- Trade name
A DBA lets the public know the true owner of a business. The DBA or fictitious business name designation was created as a form of consumer protection, to prevent unscrupulous business owners from operating under a different name to avoid legal trouble. When a business files a DBA with its county or state, it must typically submit a notice to the local newspaper so that the community can see who is behind the business.