Sole proprietorship
No state filing to start. You and the business are the same legal person. It works in every state, and you can add a company later.
Loading the guide
The order most new practices follow, what each business structure means, and the free official steps for your EIN and NPI. Then pick your state for filing links, fees and taxes, with the date we checked each one.
An associate, intern or trainee license usually means supervision, and some boards limit billing or advertising until you are fully licensed. Read your board's rules before you build anything.
Sole proprietorship, LLC, PLLC or professional corporation. Which ones your license may use depends on your state and your board. Your state page lists the answers we could confirm.
If you form a company, the state's business filing office handles it. Some states ask for board approval first, and a few ask you to publish a notice in a newspaper.
It is free and takes one online application. Sole proprietors can get one too, so a Social Security number does not have to print on invoices and superbills.
Most licensed therapists already have an individual NPI. Insurers and superbills use it. A second, organization NPI matters only if your company bills under its own name.
Keep practice money apart from personal money from the first payment. Most banks ask for your state filing, your EIN letter and your ID.
Have it in place before your first client. Ask how the policy handles a claim made after you close the practice, and whether it covers telehealth across state lines.
Some places ask for a local business license, a home occupation permit or a zoning check, even for a practice that runs on video.
Telehealth does not remove state lines. Plan around where your client is during the session, and check whether a compact applies to your license.
Fees, paperwork, booking and a website. This is the part SyncedUp builds with you, so your first client finds a practice that is ready.
A state can change this order. Some ask for board approval before you file, and a few ask for a newspaper notice after.
No state filing to start. You and the business are the same legal person. It works in every state, and you can add a company later.
A separate company that keeps business debts apart from your personal assets. Some states let licensed therapists use a regular LLC. Others require a professional version or do not allow it for your license.
An LLC for licensed professionals. States often require every owner to hold the license, and some ask the board to approve the filing first.
A corporation owned by licensed professionals. It is taxed differently from an LLC by default and often costs more to keep up. In a few states it is the only company type open to some licenses.
Each license has its own board and its own law, so the answer can differ for a counselor, a marriage and family therapist, a social worker and a psychologist in the same state. A state page shows a row for each license and marks any answer we could not confirm.
In most states a company does not protect you from claims about your own professional work. Insurance does that. A company mainly separates business debts and contracts from your personal assets.
Every state page lists what each license may use, the filing office and fees with the date we checked them, taxes, and what we could not confirm. A page marked “In review” has not been checked by a person yet.
SyncedUp builds your fees, paperwork, booking and website from a few answers, then runs the practice with you. Everything on this page stays free to read.
Join the waitlistRegistration is paused. Joining the waitlist does not create an account or reserve a plan.