Important Dates to Put on Your Business Calendar Every Year

By Heather Harteis

At the beginning of each new year, we want to begin to prepare our calendars and get our documents in order. When business and your personal life are hectic, these reminders you pre-set for yourself are essential.

*This video blog was recorded in a prior year but all the content is still relevant!

#1
Annual Business Entity Renewal

No matter which state you are registered in, annual renewal for your business is typical. This applies to both for-profit and non-profit organizations of all kinds: LLCs, corporations, etc.

A pro tip is to make this a recurring annual reminder, year after year.

Oregon Annual Business Renewal

In Oregon, this annual renewal of your business license is also called the annual report. It is very simple to complete and costs $100. You can do this online yourself before your deadline. Don’t be fooled by mailings by third parties who are trying to trick you into spending more money on this renewal.

How do I look up my business entity registration date in Oregon?
Please visit this website and type in your business name.
Business Registry Database from the Oregon Secretary of State Corporation Division:
https://egov.sos.state.or.us/br/pkg_web_name_srch_inq.login

If you cannot locate yours or are unsure if you have filed a business, get in contact with us and we can help.

Washington Annual Business Renewal

One of the joys for Washington state businesses is it costs you more to register the first year, but less for each renewal.  The cost to renew a business in Washington state is $60 annually.

Washington State Corporation
Scroll down to the section that says Corporation Search
https://ccfs.sos.wa.gov/#/

California Business Renewal

In California, this happens every two years for LLCs.

It is called a Statement of Information and you should file this every two years.  If your information changes (such as business address), please file it ASAP.

https://bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov/ 

If you have a corporation in California, an out-of-state business license, or some other category, you may be required to file a Statement of Information every year.

#2
Renewal for any DBAs, ABNs, or other aliases your business uses

The renewal process varies by state, too.  In Oregon, ABNs must be renewed every two years. I would strongly recommend checking on this every year just in case you need to update your mailing or physical address or other contact information. 

Not sure if you have a DBA? Not sure what these acronyms mean, really? Read our blog on the topic.

In Washington State, ABNs are called trade names which are very different from federally registered trademarks. Washington state trade names do not need to be renewed, but you can cancel them if no longer being used.

California Business Names vary by county. Check more information here by clicking on your county: https://www.counties.org/county-websites-profile-information

#3
Website Domain Renewals + Website Hosting Renewals

There are lots of choices for website domain ownership, hosting, building, maintenance, etc.  You may have multiple renewal dates to mark on your calendar depending on what you own and which accounts you hold. 

It is fairly common for a business owner to purchase domains before building a website, so that is one reason for dates that differ.

Even if you have automatic payments enabled, I recommend you keep an eye on these dates because credit cards change periodically, and you would never want to lose your website to a missed notification.

#4
Tax Dates

Do you use quarterly tax payments for your business? If so you’ll want to make sure you look up your quarterly tax dates every year. These will happen mid month in: April, June, September, and January of the next year.

As always: consult your bookkeeper or CPA for which deadlines you need to follow.  Taxes you need to keep an eye on may include:

• Federal

• State 

• Local - City, Township, other jurisdictions

• Taxes which are unique to your city

• Are you doing business in multiple states? You may owe in multiple states.

Read a little more about estimated quarterly taxes on the IRS website here, or any of their related pages and links.

If you would like to speak to someone who specializes in taxes, take a look on our referrals page. Also, here is another blog of ours on the topic of S Corps, a tax designation and not a legal entity.  

#5 
Licenses and Certifications essential to your Industry

There are so many possibilities for certificates and licenses.  Reflect on what permits you hold—both as a person, and as a business entity. Some examples:

• Certification for a Profession or Industry

• Benefit Corporation for Good Certification

• Certifications that make your business unique

• Liquor license

• Food Cart Permit

• Health Inspection

• ServSafe certification (for you and/or multiple employees)

• Memberships

• Department of Health permit

• Vehicle registration for a company car

• Continuing education requirements

#6 
Business Insurance Renewal

For most of us, this happens once a year.  Great insurance agents will reach out to you when it is time to renew.  Some industries require more paperwork to renew an insurance policy than others.

If you would like to speak to someone who specializes in business insurance, take a look on our referrals page.

#7
Renewal Dates or Deadlines for Trademark

Did you choose to protect your brand name and/or logo through a Trademark?  The USPTO approval process is lengthy but important if you would like to prevent anyone else from using your business name.

What should I expect during the trademark application process?

Recently, USPTO applications are extremely slow to be processed. Sometimes it has takes 8 to 9 months in order for the application to be assigned to an examiner.  After an examiner issues a letter, often called an Office Action, you have 3 months to respond. This is an important deadline to watch for with your attorney.

What dates should I bookmark for my registered trademark?

After your trademark has been officially registered, there is a renewal process that begins 5 years after the date of the registry.  If you are one of our clients, we have an info sheet about this 5 year renewal process and the Declaration of Use. Get in touch with us to ask for it.

Want to read a bit more about why your business may want to consider a federal trademark? Read our blog about protecting your brand.

Ready to discuss if trademarking is a good idea for your business? Get a no-cost service consultation with us.

#8
Days of Celebration for Your Business, Employees, and Work Culture

Here at Rational Unicorn, we aim to celebrate everyone’s birthday, in addition to important work anniversaries.  We also celebrate the date the firm was started.

There might be other fun days you want to mark. For example, coffee shops and roasters often celebrate Coffee Day.  We celebrate Unicorn Day on April 9.  Sometimes we have to make our own fun. 

#9
Holidays and Days of Rest

For the most part, calendars come preloaded with federal holidays.  But, you may have other cultural, religious, personal days of celebration to add.  Keep the conversation open with your employees about holidays that may be missing from the work calendar. 

When are you planning to take vacation as a business owner?  

It is essential to rest.

You are not a machine.

#10
Commit to review and reflection time.

Decide when you want to do this during your year. Maybe your industry has a slow season. Maybe you personally can identify a month that has fewer personal commitments. Or maybe you want to do this in connection with your LLC renewal.

Take a look at:

• Governance documents

• Website and data policies

• Corporate policies

• Business plans

• Standard Operating Procedures and internal manuals

• HR documents such as hiring process, collecting feedback from employees, exit interviews

• What can you improve to continue to stay organized in the following year?

#11
Conferences, Continuing Education

Before the end of each year, look for any conferences you either attended or wish you had attended during the past year. If that event is happening again, you’ll want to add those dates to your calendar and take advantage of early bird registration (if available) by purchasing them now.

For me personally, I may add the “purchase by” dates to my calendar to lock in early bird pricing. And: don’t forget to book travel and lodging related to any trips before prices go up or options are scarce.