Wedding Planner Permit Requirements in Boston, MA

1. EIN (Employer Identification Number)

   Required if you have employees, operate as an LLC/corporation, or file certain business tax returns. Free from the IRS. Sole proprietors with no employees may use their SSN instead.

   Official government source

   Free·Immediate (online)

   Free

   Immediate (online)

1. Massachusetts Sales Tax Vendor Registration

   Businesses selling taxable goods or meals in Massachusetts must register as a sales tax vendor with the Department of Revenue through MassTaxConnect. There is no 'ST-1' form in Massachusetts — registration is done online, and the ST-4 form is a separate exempt purchase certificate. Registration requires your EIN (sole proprietors with no employees may register under a Social Security number), the business start date, and the legal and mailing addresses; entities other than sole proprietorships also list owners and officers with titles and Social Security numbers. Massachusetts taxes tangible personal property, not services, so a business selling only services generally has nothing to register for.

   Official government source

   Free·Register online through MassTaxConnect; you get a confirmation email on completion and a registration certificate is mailed once approved

   Free

   Register online through MassTaxConnect; you get a confirmation email on completion and a registration certificate is mailed once approved

2. General Liability Insurance for a Massachusetts Wedding Planner (Venue-Required, Not State-Required)

   Massachusetts does not license wedding planners and does not require them to carry liability insurance. The requirement is contractual: most venues will not let a planner work on site without a certificate of insurance, commonly naming the venue as an additional insured, and many client contracts ask for the same. Limits are set by whoever is demanding the cover, not by the Commonwealth, so ask each venue for its exact requirement before you buy — the required limit, whether an additional-insured endorsement is needed, and whether liquor liability is required if you coordinate bar service. If you hire staff or second shooters as employees rather than contractors, workers' compensation insurance is separately mandatory in Massachusetts. Before binding, check that the carrier is admitted to do business in Massachusetts through the Division of Insurance.

   Official government source

   There is no state fee — the Commonwealth requires nothing here. Premiums are set by the carrier and vary with the limits the venue demands, your revenue, and whether liquor liability or additional-insured endorsements are included, so price the specific limits you are actually being asked for.·Brokers can generally bind a general liability policy and issue certificates quickly once the application is complete. Collect the venue's written insurance requirements before you buy, and allow time to have venue-specific certificates issued for each event.

   There is no state fee — the Commonwealth requires nothing here. Premiums are set by the carrier and vary with the limits the venue demands, your revenue, and whether liquor liability or additional-insured endorsements are included, so price the specific limits you are actually being asked for.

   Brokers can generally bind a general liability policy and issue certificates quickly once the application is complete. Collect the venue's written insurance requirements before you buy, and allow time to have venue-specific certificates issued for each event.

1. Boston Business Certificate (if operating under a trade name)

   Boston issues no general business license, and Inspectional Services does not license businesses by category — its role is building, health and zoning permitting. A wedding planner operating under a trade name (DBA) rather than their own legal name must file a Business Certificate with the Boston City Clerk's Office; the owner's signature must be notarized and the certificate renewed every four years. Sole proprietors and partnerships using their own legal names, and LLCs or corporations registered with the Secretary of the Commonwealth, need no additional citywide business license.

   Official government source

   $65 filing fee; an additional $35 if you are not a Massachusetts resident. Card payments add a 2.5% processor fee ($1 minimum).·Same day if filed in person at the City Clerk's Office, Boston City Hall Room 601; filings are also accepted by mail

   $65 filing fee; an additional $35 if you are not a Massachusetts resident. Card payments add a 2.5% processor fee ($1 minimum).

   Same day if filed in person at the City Clerk's Office, Boston City Hall Room 601; filings are also accepted by mail

2. Boston Business Certificate (DBA) Registration

   If you operate under a trade name — 'Perfect Day Events' rather than your own legal name — you must file a Business Certificate with the City of Boston's City Clerk's Office, not with Suffolk County, which has no such filing. Do it before accepting payments under the business name. The certificate is renewed every four years from the date you registered, and a late-fee penalty applies if you miss the renewal, under M.G.L. c. 110, s. 5. If you move, file a change of address with the Clerk.

   Official government source

   $65 filing fee, plus an additional $35 if you are not a Massachusetts resident — $100 in that case. Paying in person by credit card adds a processing fee of at least $1, charged by the card processor rather than the City.·Same day if you file in person at the City Clerk's Office, Room 601, 1 City Hall Square; filing by mail also accepted

   $65 filing fee, plus an additional $35 if you are not a Massachusetts resident — $100 in that case. Paying in person by credit card adds a processing fee of at least $1, charged by the card processor rather than the City.

   Same day if you file in person at the City Clerk's Office, Room 601, 1 City Hall Square; filing by mail also accepted

Official Sources

• City of Boston — Business Licensing
• Massachusetts Secretary of State
• IRS — Apply for EIN

Related Guides