Phillip · Chicago, IL
Phillip asked: “Provide residential service in the Chicago area.”
Hi Phillip, HVAC work in the Chicago area comes with licensing at the state or city level, refrigerant handling certification, and insurance, and those are the biggest items to check. An LLC protects you, and an EIN is needed to hire. You need an Illinois Certificate of Registration (sales tax) only if you sell equipment or parts separately, and Form CRT-61 covers parts bought for resale.
Short answer: For a residential HVAC contractor in Chicago, Illinois, the essentials are a federal tax ID number (EIN) and a local business license, plus an LLC or other structure.
In Illinois, the seller's permit goes by the name Certificate of Registration (sales tax), with an Illinois resale number. When you buy inventory to resell, the paperwork is a Form CRT-61 Certificate of Resale. Illinois registers a business as a reseller when all its sales of tangible goods are nontaxable, such as sales only for resale. Illinois' sales tax is legally the Retailers' Occupation Tax, a tax on the seller; resellers get a resale number to buy tax-free. Supplies you use up in a service are usually taxed when you buy them, since they aren't resold.
Industry code: NAICS 238220 (Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors)
Get your Certificate of Registration (sales tax), with an Illinois resale number filed · Start your LLC, DBA and EIN · Business licenses
Theresa · Winchester, VA
Theresa wrote: “Plumbing and heating contractor, Winchester, VA.”
Hi Theresa, a plumbing and heating contractor in Virginia should start with the contractor license for your work, since that is the main gate, then an EIN and an entity such as an LLC. Virginia's Sales and Use Tax Certificate of Registration matters if you sell parts or equipment as separate items. Form ST-10 Sales and Use Tax Certificate of Exemption is for items you resell, not for materials that you install into a customer's property.
Short answer: VA State Tax Number: a plumbing and heating contracting business in Winchester typically needs a federal tax ID number (EIN) and a local business license, with an LLC and a DBA if you use a trade name.
In Virginia, the seller's permit goes by the name Sales and Use Tax Certificate of Registration. To buy for resale without paying sales tax, you give the supplier a Form ST-10 Sales and Use Tax Certificate of Exemption. Suppliers generally accept a resale certificate only from a buyer registered for sales tax, so even a business that mostly buys and sells wholesale usually registers. In-state buyers using Form ST-10 generally need a Virginia registration; out-of-state buyers can cite their home-state number. Out-of-state buyers do not need a Virginia registration to give a valid Virginia resale certificate. Supplies you use up in a service are usually taxed when you buy them, since they aren't resold.
Get your Sales and Use Tax Certificate of Registration filed · Start your LLC, DBA and EIN · Business licenses
BACK TO TOP
All Businesses Need a Chicago Business License & a Trade Business Name ( Trade Business Name required if using a trade name).
Retailers / Wholesalers, Need a Reseller Tax ID, & a Business License.
Employers Need a Federal Tax Id Number (EIN), a IL State Tax Id ( State EIN), & a Business License.
Corporations, & LLC Need a Federal Tax Id Number (EIN)& a Business License.
Partnerships Need a Federal Tax Id Number (EIN) & a Trade Business Name, but also need a Business License.
Sole Proprietors May Use a Federal Tax Id Number as a Business Tax ID but also need a Business License.
Instead of filing a Trade Business Name, You Can Incorporate in IL or form a(n) LLC & You Will Not Need To File A DBA
Requirements below include websites as well as home-based or eBay Businesses.
1. Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractor 99% of new businesses are required to get a(n), Chicago business Id registration ( business tax registration or business permit).
2. Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractor Starting businesses using a company name other than the legal owner's name need a (n) DBA Doing Business As Trade Firm Name Registration.
3. In a business tax ID registration (occupationall business license ) and a DBA Doing Business As Fictious Business Name are ncessary for most businesses but if your business sells any taxable items, you will need a sales tax ID number. ( A.K.A ILseller's permit, state id, wholesale, resale, reseller certificate).
4. If you are thinking of hiring help, you will need a tax ID called a state EIN and an IRS tax ID number called an EIN Employer ID Number. I.e., a Federal Tax ID Number and a(n) State Employer Tax Number.
5. Instead of filing a fictitious business name DBA Filing in Chicago, Incorporate in or form a(n) LLC.