Business & Licensing and Charities 

The online help chat feature was recently named one of four national finalists for the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) Innovation, Dedication, Excellence, and Achievement in Service (IDEAS) Award.

The interactive online chat feature offered on the Business and Licensing Section of the West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office website has been named one of four finalists for the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) IDEAS Award.

West Virginia Secretary of State Natalie E. Tennant said today her office will save about $23,000 this year by notifying via email tens of thousands of business owners about filing their annual report online.

Four recent incidents across West Virginia involving theft of copper and selling it to scrap metal recycling locations highlights the need for citizens to be aware of a new law that requires those dealers to register with the Secretary of State’s Office.

The holiday season combined with the impact of Hurricane Sandy may make for a perfect storm for fraudulent organizations to take advantage of generous West Virginians.

While there have been no reports of charity scams in West Virginia following the storm, Secretary Tennant said citizens need to know how to protect themselves.

The percentage of West Virginia businesses filing their annual reports online has been increasing every year since 2009, and this year more than half of all businesses will file their reports online.

Secretary of State Natalie E. Tennant said that 43,678 annual reports were filed online during the 2012 filing period, which ran from January to June.

State code requires corporations, limited partnerships, limited liability companies, voluntary associations, and business trusts to file an annual report with the Secretary of State’s Office.

The registration form recyclers must file will be available from the Secretary of State’s Office by June 1. There is no additional fee for a recycling center to file this registration.

Whenever a change is made to an online business record, an alert will be sent to the email address on record for that business.

From January 1 to February 9 of this year 10,245 annual reports have been filed online using the business portal www.business4wv.com. During the same time period last year, 6,198 annual reports were filed online.

On the first day of the filing period this year, nearly 1,500 annual reports were filed online using the website www.business4wv.com. That’s an increase of almost 200 over the first day of filing in 2011.

A business owner can now be connected to a one-on-one online help chat session with a business and licensing specialist in Charleston.

Tennant urges people to remember some simple tips to make sure a scammer doesn’t take advantage of their holiday spirit and charitable giving.

Monday, October 31 is the deadline for corporations, limited liability companies, limited partnerships, voluntary associations and business trusts to file their annual reports and pay the annual filing fee.

West Virginia Secretary of State Natalie E. Tennant and Business and Licensing Division Manager Penney Barker are part of a national panel meeting in Atlanta to fight back against a new type of crime: business identity theft.

About 7,000 notices were sent to corporations, limited partnerships, limited liability companies, voluntary associations, and business trusts across the state on Tuesday.

To assist last minute filers, the Secretary of State’s Office Business and Licensing Division will also be open until 7:00 PM on Thursday, June 30, 2011.

The NASS Business Identity Theft Task Force is a major association initiative that will target business identity theft prevention strategies and develop practical, cost-effective tools and guidance for states.

The focus of the event will be helping business owners file necessary paperwork with the Secretary of State’s Office. There are currently more than 3,400 organizations in Raleigh and the surrounding counties that have yet to file their annual report.

While charity fraud following a natural disaster isn’t common in West Virginia, it has occurred. Following Hurricane Katrina, the Secretary of State’s Office investigated and shut down a fraudulent charity in the eastern panhandle.

Business owners who need to obtain either a Certificate of Existence or Certificate of Authorization can now do so through the West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office website at www.wvsos.com.

The Secretary of State’s Office would like to encourage business owners to take advantage of filing their company’s report through “Business for WV” (www.business4wv.com). Online filing may be mandatory next year.

Several new laws go into effect on the first day of the new year.

Business and Licensing staff can help business owners who need to file last minute paperwork.

With Christmas near, many West Virginians will be looking to donate to a worthwhile charity. Secretary Tennant wants citizens to be aware that there may be some that only want to steal your money – not help those in need.

Businesses in West Virginia have until October 31 to file their annual reports with the Secretary of State’s Office – or face the possibility that their business license will be revoked.

Business owners were able to file their annual reports at the ‘SOS On The Road’ mobile office, with the help of staff from the Business and Licensing Division and Outreach Staff from the Secretary of State’s Office.

The ‘On The Road’ mobile office will be set up at the Marion County Courthouse in Fairmont on Thursday, June 17 from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.

House Bill 4248 passed during the 2010 Legislative Session. The laws go into effect June 11. Charitable organizations will not have to file any additional paperwork with the Secretary of State’s Office.

Annual reports and the $25 filing fee must be received by the Secretary of State’s Office by 5:00 PM on June 30 to avoid being assessed a late fee of $100 in addition to the $25 filing fee.

IRS 990 forms include a nonprofit organization’s financial information such as assets, donations, and liabilities. These forms and instructions on how to fill them out can be found at www.IRS.gov.

In the wake of the mine explosion in Whitesville, Secretary Tennant is urging people to watch out for charity scammers who take advantage of generosity.

The Secretary of State’s Office would like to encourage business owners to take advantage of filing their company’s report through the State’s online portal “Business for WV” (www.business4wv.com).

The Secretary of State’s Office has implemented a cost-saving measure to notify notaries, charities, and fundraisers that their registrations are about to expire.

This is to accommodate anyone who needs to conduct end of year business before the December 31st deadline.

Tennant is concerned that with more people relying on charitable organizations and more people looking to help their neighbors in need, a fraudulent charity could try to run a scam.

Saturday is a day of recognition and appreciation for the more than 45,000 notaries public in West Virginia and the more than 4.8 million nationwide.

Tennant joined in a panel discussion on how to best use social media and technology to reach the people of West Virginia.

As required by WV Code, any corporation, LLC, PLLC, voluntary association or limited partnership that is authorized to do business in West Virginia must file an annual report each year with the Secretary of State.

As of June 5, the Secretary of State’s office had received 9.358 online annual report filings through the website www.business4wv.com. This is an increase of more than 2,000 from this time last year.

Operation False Charity includes the Federal Trade Commission, secretaries of state, attorneys general, and local law enforcement.