People search for a New Jersey certificate of good standing, but the state uses other names. The Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services, DORES, issues a Certificate of Standing to corporations and LPs. LLCs and LLPs get a Short Form Standing or a Long Form Standing. All of them are sold through the state's Business Records Service.
For searching, formation fees and the annual report in general, see the New Jersey office guide. This page stays on standing proof.
New Jersey standing fees by entity type
The fee depends on what kind of entity you run. A corporation or limited partnership pays $25. An LLC or LLP pays $50 for the short form and $100 for the long form. The table shows the names, fees and the order link.
| What the state calls it | Certificate of Standing (Corp and LP); Short Form and Long Form Standing (LLC and LLP) (nj.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Fee | Corp and LP $25; LLC and LLP short form $50; long form $100 (nj.gov, checked ) |
| Where to order | njportal.com/dor/businessrecords (njportal.com, checked ) |
The fee page lists the two LLC forms side by side but does not spell out what the long form adds. Read the description in the Business Records Service before you pick, and check the request letter from your bank or agency. Buying the wrong form means paying twice.
How to order from the Business Records Service
- Look up the company in the Business Records Service by name, keyword or entity ID.
- Open the record and check the status. If it does not read Active, stop and fix that first.
- Choose the standing product that fits your entity type.
- Pay online and save the document you receive.
The same service also sells status reports. Those can help when you only want to see the record yourself, but a bank or another state will usually want the certificate.
What keeps a company out of standing
New Jersey ties standing closely to the annual report. Every LLC and corporation files one each year by the last day of the month in which it was formed. The fee is $75, or $30 for a nonprofit. DORES lists no late fee, but after two years in a row without a report the charter of a New Jersey company can be voided, and an out of state company can have its authority revoked. On the record that shows as Revoked or Voided.
Getting back into standing
A revoked LLC files all of its missing annual reports, then pays a $75 reinstatement fee. When the revocation is more than 2 years old, add a $20 tax clearance certificate. Once DORES processes the reinstatement and the record reads Active, order your standing certificate. Annual reports cannot be expedited, so leave time before a closing or a loan date.
Who asks for it
Banks opening accounts, lenders, landlords on a commercial lease and buyers of a business often want standing proof. Other states also ask for it when a New Jersey company registers there to do business. Check how recent they need it to be before you order.
Sources
- www.nj.gov/treasury/revenue/fees.shtml: good standing certificate, certificate fee. Checked .
- www.njportal.com/dor/businessrecords/: certificate ordering. Checked .