How to close down a business when a loved one passes

When a loved one who owned a business passes, you will likely have to go through the process of shutting down that business if you don’t choose to continue it.

Each state has different forms to file with its own Secretary of State or Division of Corporations to dissolve a business. To find the Secretary of State website for your state, click on your state below. To find the form for your needs, click on the entity your business falls under (LLC, corporation, etc.). (If you need help figuring out which of these your loved one’s business was, scroll down to the section below for information on how to look this up via business entity records.)

When you’ve found that, select the form that includes “dissolution” or “cancellation,” fill it out, and submit it to the appropriate entity. Some of these websites require you to create an account before you file, but it is simple to do. 

Alabama

Alaska

Arizona (or here)

Arkansas

California

Colorado

Connecticut

Delaware 

Florida

Georgia 

Hawaii (click on “Changes” under “Manage a Business”)

Idaho (click on “Terminate Business” under “Business Services”)

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa 

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey (click “Close a Business” under “Business Filings”)

New Mexico

New York

North Carolina

North Dakota

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island (or here)

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

Washington

West Virginia (search for “Dissolution”)

Wisconsin

Wyoming 

If you need more information on your loved one’s business (like whether it’s an LLC, etc.) in order to complete the necessary dissolution form(s), you can find out by searching for records of the business entity on the Secretary of State’s website. The following are links to business entity search pages: 

Alabama

Alaska

Arizona

Arkansas

California

Colorado

Connecticut

Delaware 

Florida

Georgia 

Hawaii 

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa 

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

North Carolina

North Dakota

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island 

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

Washington

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Wyoming

Jennifer GoodComment