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State launches new online filing system

LANSING — To facilitate business growth in Michigan and to better meet the business needs of the more than 800,000 business customers in the state, the new Corporations Online Filing System went live at 8 a.m. today.

Launched by LARA’s Corporations, Securities and Commercial Licensing Bureau, COFS will make doing business with the State of Michigan significantly easier and more convenient.

“We’re excited to launch this state-of-the-art software program that drastically improves our business filing system and adds many new online capabilities to better serve Michigan’s business community,” said CSCL Director Julia Dale. “Online filing means easier filing, faster service and expedited fee payment processing that eliminates all the paperwork, mailing and waiting — freeing up our customers’ valuable time to more profitably spend toward actually starting and running their businesses.”

With COFS’ technology, businesses can submit documents and annual filings, pay filing fees, and order certificates and certified copies all online; set up a secure electronic debit account (providing frequent filers with the ability to pay filing fees without repeatedly entering payment data); and sign up for subscription-based electronic notification of yearly reporting requirements.

Certificates of Good Standing will be automatically processed by COFS and emailed to a business owner within minutes. COFS also features an expanded search functionality (by individual name, trademark, service mark and insignia records); a capability to search rejected submissions, and search the Corporations Division’s Card Files (which contain the records of business entities that were dissolved prior to Jan. 1, 1978); enhanced communication with CSCL offices; and much more.

Businesses will be assigned new entity identification numbers by the Corporations Division for their exclusive use when submitting documents. The new entity ID number will not affect a business customer’s taxes. The business’ taxpayer identification number(s) used by the Michigan Department of Treasury and federal Internal Revenue Service remain unchanged.

In mid-October, resident agents of all registered business entities were notified about COFS and provided live log-in instructions, including the new entity identification number, as well as a customer identification number, or CID, and PIN which are similar to a username and password to be used to log into COFS. Those who didn’t receive their CID and PIN or lose it, should contact the Corporations Division by email at CorpPIN@michigan.gov.

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