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I currently run a small two person web development team. For that last couple years I have simply had clients make checks out to my name which I cashed directly into my personal account. Through basic bookkeeping I managed my finances and paid my taxes. I want to keep things more professional and start a LLC. I have just submitted my LLC paperwork. Once I get that back I plan to set up a business bank account.

Now say for example, my company is called WebPro. On my LLC filings with the state of California, the official paper work has my company listed as WebPro, LLC. However my marketing materials, business cards, websites simply refer to my company as WebPro. I was planning to have my clients make out invoice payments to my company name right away, before the LLC filing is completed and I wanted to know whether they can simply write a check out to WebPro or if they have to write the check out to WebPro, LLC. Does that even matter? Is it dependent on the bank I use?

Thanks!

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You should be fine using the name without the LLC. I wouldn't worry about it. Talk to your bankers, but I would be shocked if they even raised an eyebrow.

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Tim's right on this. Most banks won't care that they miss the LLC. If you want to be letter of the law, you can do a Doing Business As (DBA) filing but that's probably overkill. – Jarie Bolander Feb 9 '10 at 21:45
+1, definitely doesn't matter. DBA not required. – Jason Feb 9 '10 at 22:25
Make sure you get the name you want though, before telling your clients - otherwise you will have some issues with those checks in an entity name you don't own... – TimJ♦ Feb 9 '10 at 22:57

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