State’s One Stop business portal launches with fresh design, new features

Gov. John Carney has launched a new and improved version of the One Stop online portal for businesses seeking documentation and reporting requirements.

Delaware One Stop, available at onestop.delaware.gov, is a centralized platform for businesses that launched in 2005. It is designed to help business at any stage apply for a business license, make required filings with the Department of Labor, and create formation documents for a legal entity with the Division of Corporations.

The new design prioritizes user experience and revolves around an account dashboard that tracks and saves progress. The new One Stop is hosted in cloud-based architecture built on the Salesforce platform.

“One of the things we hear all the time from small businesses is how hard it can be to figure out what you need from the state in order to open your doors. We know that entrepreneurs just want to take care of those things quickly and get to work, but state government doesn’t always make it easy,” said Carney. “Today we’re taking a big step in that direction and bringing many of those functions together on a single portal – Delaware One Stop.”

Multiple state agencies contributed to the development of the portal. The core functions of the new site include business license registration via the Division of Revenue, hiring reporting through the Division of Unemployment Insurance, and coverage verification with the Office of Workers’ Compensation.

“We want to make it easier for businesses to succeed in Delaware,” said Secretary of Finance Rick Geisenberger. “With the new Delaware One Stop portal, we’re partnering among multiple state agencies to leverage technology that makes registering a business seamless, faster, and more efficient.”

The updates also includes a step-by-step guide to creating business entity formation documents for submission to the Division of Corporations, helping users on the path to organizing a Delaware corporation, partnership, or LLC.

“The new streamlined process brings an efficient solution to form a new business in Delaware. The State Chamber applauds the Governor’s initiative to make the new One Stop website a reality,” said Mike Quaranta, president of the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce, which assisted with reviewing and testing the One Stop site prior to launch.

In line with the re-launch, the state offers these tips:

• The Division of Revenue Business License is $75 per year and is pro-rated (renew by the end of December for the next calendar year).
• You can print a temporary business license from the One Stop; you will receive your official copy in the mail in about a month if all looks good.
• After you register your business, you will need to pay gross receipts tax.
• Businesses that hire employees need to register with Department of Labor – with both the Division of Unemployment Insurance and the Division of Worker’s Compensation. You can do this from One Stop under “Report Hiring” as soon as you know you’ll have employees.
• Other licenses, such as professional licenses, environmental permits, and local/county licenses, are not yet included in the One Stop system. You need to apply for these separately.