Do you need a business license in Alaska? Most businesses operating there do.
Nearly every business with activity in Alaska. The state ties it to activity, not to having an office there. Alaska expects a licence if any part of your business happens in Alaska, so check before you sell there regularly.
Checked by the BaseAcross team.
Alaska at a glance
- General licence
- YesAlaska Business License
- Run from abroad
- CheckAny activity in the state
- Sales tax
- NoneNo state sales tax
- Federal licence
- NoneOnly regulated activities
Business licences in Alaska
What Alaska asks of a business, and what that means for one run from abroad.
Alaska Business License Nearly every business with activity in Alaska. The state ties it to activity, not to having an office there. $50 a year. Issued by the Alaska Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing. The official page.
If you run it from abroad. Alaska expects a licence if any part of your business happens in Alaska, so check before you sell there regularly.
Sales tax. Alaska has no state sales tax, but many local governments do. Remote sellers register with the Alaska Remote Seller Sales Tax Commission (arsstc.org).
Cities and counties. Cities and counties license businesses located in them. Check the city or county where you'd have an office, shop or staff.
Regulated work. Alcohol, food, health, finance, transport and the licensed professions bring their own federal or state licences, wherever you're based. The lookup below lists them.
What does your company need?
Set to a company formed in Alaska and run from abroad. Change any answer.
Your answer
Nothing to apply for right now.
Based on your answers, no licence is needed today. Below is what would change that, and what you can stop worrying about.
You'll need later, if this happens· 2
Alaska Business License
Alaska expects a licence if any part of your business happens in Alaska, so check before you sell there regularly.
Nearly every business with activity in Alaska. The state ties it to activity, not to having an office there.
$50 a yearFrom the Alaska Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing
A licence in a state you sell into a lot
Only Hawaii, Washington, West Virginia reach a seller with no presence. Every other state doesn't.
Hawaii: You need one once you have $100,000 of sales or 200 transactions with Hawaii customers in a year, even with no presence there. Washington: You need one once you have more than $100,000 a year of sales to Washington customers, even with no presence there. West Virginia: You need one once you have to collect West Virginia's sales tax, which for a remote seller starts at its sales threshold.
You don't need· 4
A city licence where you have no office
City and county licences are for businesses located there. A company run from abroad isn't located in a US city.
A seller's permit before you have to collect sales tax
A seller's permit is a sales tax registration, not a licence to sell. You need one in a state once you have to collect its tax.
A licence to form your company
Forming an LLC or corporation is a filing, not a licence. Your EIN is a tax number, not a licence either.
A general federal business licence
There isn't one. The US licenses specific activities, such as alcohol, firearms and broadcasting, not businesses in general.
Want it checked for your exact business?
Customers can order licence research from their Services page. We check every federal, state, county and city licence your activity needs, and send it in writing: $99, in 4 business days.
Open ServicesQuestions about Alaska business licences.
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Alaska has a Alaska Business License, from the Alaska Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing. Nearly every business with activity in Alaska. The state ties it to activity, not to having an office there. It costs $50 a year.
Alaska expects a licence if any part of your business happens in Alaska, so check before you sell there regularly.
Alaska has no state sales tax, but many local governments do. Remote sellers register with the Alaska Remote Seller Sales Tax Commission (arsstc.org).
Cities and counties license businesses located in them. Check the city or county where you'd have an office, shop or staff. A company with no office or staff in Alaska isn't located in any of them.
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It takes about four minutes. You see the whole order, state fee included, before anything is charged.
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