A Guide for Adding and Amending Companies in ATLAS€¦ · A Guide for Adding and Amending...

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Business Entity Reference Manual A Guide for Adding and Amending Companies in ATLAS

MassDOT – RMV Division Commonwealth of Massachusetts

25 Newport Ave., Extension North Quincy, MA 02171

Document Number: FID100M November 12, 2019

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COPYRIGHT This document is the property of Massachusetts Department of Transportation, Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) Division. This information cannot be copied or used by any other agent without the granted permission of the MassDOT – Registry Division.

Business Entity Reference Guide

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Table of Contents

Overview ................................................................................................................................................. 5

Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 5

Titling and Registration Policy for Business Entities ................................................................................... 6

Corporations ......................................................................................................................................... 6

Characteristics................................................................................................................................... 6

Required Documentation for Registration and/or Titling ................................................................... 6

Changing a Company Address ........................................................................................................... 6

Corporation Name Changes – when it’s an amendment .................................................................... 7

Proof of EIN for a Corporation (Applies to both Foreign and Domestic Corporations) ........................ 7

Foreign Corporations ............................................................................................................................ 8

Characteristics................................................................................................................................... 8

Required Documentation for Registration and/or Titling ................................................................... 8

Changing an Address for a Foreign Corporation ................................................................................. 8

Verifying Incorporation ..................................................................................................................... 8

Partnerships ........................................................................................................................................ 10

Characteristics................................................................................................................................. 10

Required Documentation for Registration and/or Titling .................................................................. 10

Changing an Address for a Partnership ............................................................................................ 10

Proof of EIN for a Partnership .......................................................................................................... 11

Sole Proprietorships ............................................................................................................................ 12


Required Documentation for Registration and/or Titling ................................................................. 12

Changing an Address for a Sole Proprietor ....................................................................................... 13

Changing from a Sole Proprietor to a Corporation ........................................................................... 13

Is Sales Tax Due? ............................................................................................................................. 13

Proof of EIN for a Sole Proprietor .................................................................................................... 13

Trusts .................................................................................................................................................. 14


Required Documentation for Registration and/or Titling ................................................................. 14

Changing an Address for a Trust ...................................................................................................... 14

Proof of EIN for a Trust .................................................................................................................... 14


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Document Samples ................................................................................................................................. 15

Examples of Using ATLAS to Manage Business Entities ............................................................................ 21

Adding a Corporation using ATLAS ...................................................................................................... 22

Adding an Unincorporated Business .................................................................................................... 33

Maintenance – Changing an Address for a Business Entity .................................................................. 39

Creating a New Leasing Account.......................................................................................................... 44

Adding a Miscellaneous Business Debt Account to a Business Entity ................................................... 47

Adding an Invalid Entity Marker .......................................................................................................... 51

Merging Incorporated Entities ............................................................................................................. 55

Merging a Non-FEIN Business using Links ............................................................................................ 58

Glossary ................................................................................................................................................ 62

Articles of Amendment ................................................................................................................... 62

Company ......................................................................................................................................... 62

Corporation ..................................................................................................................................... 62

Employer Identification Number (EIN) (FID) (FEIN) .......................................................................... 62

Foreign Corporation ........................................................................................................................ 62

General Partnership ........................................................................................................................ 62

Incorporate ..................................................................................................................................... 63

Principal Partner ............................................................................................................................. 63

Sole Proprietor ................................................................................................................................ 63

Trust ............................................................................................................................................... 63

ADDENDUM – How to Scan to Documents for Vehicle Transactions ........................................................ 64


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Overview The purpose of this reference guide is to describe policies and procedures for entering business entities

in the Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) database using the ATLAS software interface. It includes a

description of business entity policy and illustrative examples for entering entities and entity attributes

using ATLAS.

Introduction

The term “business entity” means a business enterprise that has an identity or name apart from its

owner or owners. This guide includes information on titling and registration of vehicles using ATLAS for

the following types of business entities:

Corporations

Partnerships

Sole Proprietorships

Trusts

Corporations are business entities that have filed articles of incorporation with the Massachusetts

Secretary of the Commonwealth (SOC) or with a similar authority in another state. The owners of a

corporation are shielded from liability for the corporation’s financial obligations.

Corporations may be foreign or domestic. Domestic corporations are those established in Massachusetts.

Foreign corporations, on the other hand, are established outside of Massachusetts under the laws of

another state. Foreign entities must register with the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth

(SOC) to do business in Massachusetts.

Partnerships (also referred to as general partnerships) are unincorporated businesses formed by two or

more persons and governed by a partnership agreement signed by the partners. The partnership

agreement specifies which partners have authority to act for the partnership. Such partners are

designated “general partner” or “principal partner.”

All corporation and partnership entities are required to have an Employer Identification Number (EIN)

issued by the United Stated Department of the Treasury in order to title or register a vehicle. The EIN is

also referred to as a FEIN (Federal Employer Identification Number), TIN (Tax Identification Number), or

FID (Federal Identification number).

Sole proprietorships are unincorporated businesses wholly owned by an individual. If a sole proprietor

has an EIN number, he or she may choose to register a vehicle as a business owner using that EIN, or

he/she may decide to simply register the vehicle as any ordinary individual would – under his/her name

and social security number (SSN).

Trusts are legal arrangements whereby assets owned by an individual or entity are managed by another

individual or entity. Trusts may or may not have an EIN. Vehicles are registered in the Trustee’s name and

with the Trustee’s social security number or Trust EIN.


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Titling and Registration Policy for Business Entities

The following section describes general characteristics of the four types of business entities and

describes general titling and registration requirements for each.

Corporations A corporation is a business that has filed the appropriate paperwork and paid the applicable fees to the

Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth (SOC), or to the applicable authority in another state, in

order to incorporate. By incorporating, the business shields the owners from financial responsibility for

business’s financial liabilities.

Characteristics

The most common types of corporations include For-Profit Corporation, Non-Profit Corporation,

Professional Corporation (PC), and Limited Liability Corporation (LLC).

A corporation may or may not have an EIN. However, in order to register a vehicle in the name of

a Corporation in Massachusetts, an EIN must be provided.

Incorporation in Massachusetts must be verified by searching on the Massachusetts Secretary of

the Commonwealth (SOC) website.

Corporations from other states doing business in Massachusetts must register with the MA SOC

as “foreign corporations.” Businesses registered as foreign corporations can be verified by

searching on the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth (SOC) website.

Required Documentation for Registration and/or Titling

Title or Manufacturer’s Certificate of Origin (MCO), and supporting documentation signed over to

the name of the corporation.

Registration and Title Application (RTA) that lists the corporation’s name on

Corp/Co/Organization Name field (F3) and the corporation’s EIN number in the EIN/FID field (F3).

Proof of EIN which agrees with the provided documentation, if the Corporation has not

previously been entered.

Changing a Company Address

The following must be provided to change a company address:

Proof of EIN listing the company name, new address, and the EIN number.

Proof must be less than 2 years old.

The new address must be listed on the SOC website.


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Corporation Name Changes – when it’s an amendment

If a company is simply changing their business name, a new EIN is not required and the transaction is

processed as an amendment. The required documents include:

Registration and Title Application form with insurance stamp for each vehicle

Proof of EIN - 147C Letter from the IRS less than 2 years old

Articles of Amendment issued by Secretary of Commonwealth (SOC)

If non-profit organization, ST-2 Certificate showing new information along with IRS 147C letter

$25.00 fee for each registration amendment

$25.00 fee for each title amendment

Note: Don’t turn a customer away if they do not have the Articles of Amendment. Instead, verify

that the Secretary of Commonwealth website has been updated with the new name.

(Verification on the SOC website is recommended even if customer provides Articles of

Amendment.)

If a new EIN has been issued, this indicates a change in ownership and should be treated as a new vehicle

Title and Registration transaction.

Proof of EIN for a Corporation (Applies to both Foreign and Domestic Corporations)

Commonly accepted proof of EIN documents include:

Form 147C

Notice of New Employer Identification Number Assigned - Form 5372

CP 575 notice (issued by the IRS). This is a letter sent to customers to confirm issuance of an EIN

number

Federal Tax Deposit Coupon - Form 8109

Any other IRS form or letter that has the customer’s information printed by the IRS, not by the

customer, and that includes company name, address, and EIN number

Certificate of Exemption - Form ST-2 (issued by DOR)

A Corporation will usually be listed on an IRS document as follows:

Smith Landscaping, Inc.

123 Main Street Boston, MA 02115


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Foreign Corporations

A foreign corporation is a company that has been incorporated in another state.

Characteristics

A foreign corporation may or may not be registered with the Secretary of the Commonwealth (SOC).

There are two kinds of foreign corporations:

Foreign corporations that do business in Massachusetts

EIN can only be added to ATLAS if the corporation has registered with the SOC. This can be

verified by looking to see if the company is listed on the SOC website.

If the company has not registered with the SOC, then the business cannot register or title any

vehicles in Massachusetts.

Foreign corporations that do not do business in Massachusetts, but own one or more vehicles that are

in the custody of Massachusetts residents.

These corporations do not need to be registered with the SOC.

However, they do need to be incorporated – to verify incorporation from another state, please

see the Verifying Incorporation section below.


Title or Manufacturer’s Certificate of Origin (MCO), and supporting documentation, is signed over

to the name of the corporation.

RTA form that lists the corporation’s name on Corp/Co/Organization Name field (F3) and the

corporation’s EIN in the EIN/FID field (F2).

Proof of EIN which agrees with the provided documentation. Refer to paragraph Proof of EIN for

a Corporation on previous page.

For foreign corporations who do not do business in MA, customer must provide proof of

incorporation.

For foreign corporations who do business in MA, a paper copy of the SOC website may be

submitted, but finding the company listed on the SOC website is all that is required.

Changing an Address for a Foreign Corporation

To change the address of a foreign corporation the following is required:

A request in writing to change the address.

Letter must be signed by an officer of the company.

Address needs to be updated on SOC website.

Verifying Incorporation

For foreign corporations doing business in Massachusetts, incorporation can be verified by looking up the

business name on the SOC website. For these companies, the process is identical to verifying

incorporation for a business that has incorporated in Massachusetts.

For foreign corporations that do not do business in Massachusetts, but who own one or more vehicles in

the custody of Massachusetts residents, their incorporation cannot be verified on the SOC website. Since


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they do not do business in Massachusetts, they are not required to register with the Massachusetts SOC.

This means that you will need to see adequate proof of the company’s incorporation. The following

suggested guidelines apply for verifying incorporation from a corporation in another state.

The document presented should list the company name and appear to have been created by the

Secretary of State’s office of the state the customer claims to have incorporated in.

It should be an application form that has been validated by the Secretary of State’s office or in

some fashion, such as marked “Approved” or “Received.”

If the state in which the company is incorporated has a website that provides data on

corporations, this can be used to verify the provided documentation.


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Partnerships A partnership (also referred to as a general partnership) is an unincorporated business that is owned by

two or more individuals.

Characteristics

A partnership is assigned an EIN number.

The unincorporated business name used by a partnership is referred to as “Doing Business As”

(DBA), or trade name.

The owners of the partnership have a partnership agreement that defines which partner or

partners are authorized to sign legal documents on behalf of the partnership.

Partnerships are not required to register with the Secretary of Commonwealth (except limited

partnerships). Partnerships are considered a DBA entities and vehicles must be registered and

titled in the name of an authorized partner, under the partnership’s EIN number. (Please see

exception in note below).


Title or Manufacturer’s Certificate of Origin (MCO), and supporting documentation signed over to

the name of the authorized partner, or business name.

RTA form that lists the registrant name and the DBA (if requested) In the Business owner

Information section (F1-F9) and the Partnership’s EIN number in block F2.

Proof of EIN which agrees with the documentation provided, if not already listed in ATLAS.

Registration, title and sales tax fee (if applicable).

Note: If a Partnership requests the DBA name be added, they are required to submit a

Business Certificate showing the DBA name that is issued by the city or town in which the

business is located. The DBA can be added only if this certificate is presented. The DBA, if

added, is appended to the owner’s name in ATLAS, for example, “Jack Smith gen ptr DBA

Smith Bros Groceries.” (The DBA field is not used.)

Changing an Address for a Partnership

To change the address, a proof of address less than two years old is required. Either of the following is

acceptable:

Proof of EIN document listing the name, new address, and the EIN number.

A letter on letterhead requesting the address change.

The letter must include the old address, new address, EIN number and it must be signed by the principal

partner. If the entity is a Limited Partnership, the new address must be shown on the SOC website.


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Proof of EIN for a Partnership

A general partnership is usually listed on an IRS document as follows:

Smith Landscaping

Jack Smith Gen Ptr

123 Main Street

Boston, MA 02115

The DBA or business name is “Smith Landscaping” and the General Partner is Jack Smith

Note: Unless the customer specifically requests the business name be added as the

DBA, and submits a copy of a valid Business Certificate, ATLAS should display “Jack

Smith Gen Ptr.”


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Sole Proprietorships A sole proprietorship is an unincorporated business owned by an individual. Unlike an incorporated

company, a sole proprietorship is not required to register with the Secretary of Commonwealth (SOC).

Characteristics

A sole proprietorship may or may not have an Employer Identification Number (EIN).

The unincorporated business name used by a sole proprietor is referred to as “Doing Business

As” (DBA), or trade name. The DBA is not used to title or register vehicles.

If a sole proprietor has an EIN number, he or she may choose to include the EIN as part of his

registration or he/she may decide to simply register the vehicle as any ordinary individual would

– under his/her name, and license number.

Note: Because a sole proprietorship is not an incorporated business entity, vehicles must be titled and registered under the sole proprietor’s (i.e. the owner’s) name and SSN. If there is an EIN, it may also be listed.


A sole proprietor who is registering a vehicle with an EIN number must provide his/her SSN on the

application.

If Customer has an EIN Number and SSN the following documents are required:

o Title or MCO, and supporting documentation, signed over to the individual.

o Registration and Title Application (RTA) form that lists the individual owner name in the

Business Owner Information section (F1 – F9).

o The SSN must be listed on the RTA (F7).

o Proof of EIN which agrees with the presented documents, if the sole proprietor has not

previously been entered.

If Customer does not have an EIN, the following documents are required:

o Title or Manufacturer’s Certificate of Origin (MCO), and supporting documentation, signed

over to the individual.

o RTA form must list the individual owner name on the Owner 1 Information section (D1 -

D9).

Note: When adding an EIN to ATLAS for the first time for a sole proprietor, the SSN must

also be added. If the sole proprietor cannot provide a SSN, the transaction cannot be

processed as a sole proprietor transaction and instead the customer will need to register

the vehicle as an individual and will be subject to the same requirements as an individual.


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Changing an Address for a Sole Proprietor

Note: When processing a transaction for a sole proprietor using ATLAS, you must verify the SSN is listed. (Previously some sole proprietors were entered without SSN numbers.)

To change the address the following documents are required:

A request in writing to change the address.

(Letter must be signed by the sole proprietor).

If sole proprietor is using an EIN, proof of EIN listing the sole proprietor’s name, new address,

and the EIN number.

Proof must be less than 2 years old.

Proof of SSN, if SSN is not already listed in ATLAS.

Note: If the SSN is not listed and the sole proprietor cannot provide an SSN, the transaction cannot be processed and the customer will need to re-register all vehicles as an individual.

Changing from a Sole Proprietor to a Corporation

When a sole proprietor decides to convert to a corporation, a new EIN number is issued by the IRS. This is considered a new business entity and the following is required:

A completed Application for Registration and Title (RTA).

Proof of EIN.

Previous title reassigned to the new company name.

Articles of Organization to verify the date of organization.

If formed within 90 days, Motor Vehicles Sales and Use (MVU)-25 form.

Registration, title and sales tax fee (if applicable).

Is Sales Tax Due?

When a sole proprietor incorporates, this is considered new business; however, the transaction may be tax exempt.

If the new Corporation was organized over 90 days in the past, a sales tax is due.

If the new Corporation was organized within the last 90 days, a sales tax is not due.

In order to be eligible for the exemption, the customer must provide a copy of the Articles of

Organization showing the dates. This information can be verified on the Secretary of

Commonwealth’s website.

Proof of EIN for a Sole Proprietor

A Sole Proprietor is usually listed on an IRS document as follows:

Nancy Smith Nancy’s Floral Shop 123 Main Street Boston, MA 02115

The DBA name is “Nancy’s Floral Shop.” Since the business is unincorporated, the EIN is for the individual, not the business (DBA).

Note: A sole proprietor without an EIN, is an individual, and should be registered as such using their name and driver’s license number.


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Trusts

A trust is a legal arrangement whereby money or property is managed by one person (or persons, or organizations) for the benefit of another but is owned by the trust.

Characteristics

There are different kinds of trusts. Some of the most common trusts include a simple trust, a

charity trust, a revocable trust, and a family trust.

A trust may or may not have an EIN number.

A trust must be added to ATLAS under the Trust name, with the EIN Number field listing either

the EIN number of the trust (if the trust has one), or the Social security number of the Trustee.

If the trust has an EIN, then proof of EIN must be submitted before the trust can be added to

ATLAS.

A trust does not have to be registered with the Secretary of the Commonwealth (SOC).


Title or MCO, and supporting documentation signed over to the name of the trust or

trustee.

RTA form that lists the trust name on Corp/Co/Organization Name block (F2) and the

EIN number in the EIN/FID block (F3), if applicable.

If registering with an EIN, proof of EIN which agrees with the paperwork, if the Trust has

not previously been entered.

Documentation showing that the Trust exists, which must include:

o Name of trust and first three pages of the Trust document.

o Name of trustee.

o Signature of trustee (Signature page).

Changing an Address for a Trust

To change the address for a trust, the following documents are required:

A request in writing to change the address signed by the trustee.

Trust document, less than 2 years old showing the trust name, new address, and the

EIN, if the trust has one.

Trust document proving the trustee name with signature page.

Proof of EIN for a Trust

A Trust usually will be listed on an IRS document as follows:

Nancy Smith Trust Jane Doe, Trustee 123 Main Street Boston, MA 02115

A trust is entered into ATLAS using the Trust name. In the sample above, the entry in ATLAS would be

Nancy Smith Trust.


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Document Samples

This section contains samples of documents that are often presented as proof of EIN, as well as samples of trust-related documents:

Form 147C

CP 575 Notice

Form ST-2

Trust Sample #1

Trust Sample #2


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Sample LTR 147C

Must be same

number.


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Sample CP 575

EIN Numbers

Must match

Date must be

fully legible


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Sample ST-2

Name and address must

match information

presented by customer on

the IRS document.


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Sample Trust Document


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Additional Sample Trust Document


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Examples of Using ATLAS to Manage Business Entities

This section provides examples of performing basic business entity management tasks using ATLAS:

Adding a Corporation to the Database

Adding an Unincorporated Business to the Database

Maintenance – Changing an Address for a Business Entity.

Creating a New Leasing Account

Adding a Miscellaneous Business Debt Account

Adding an Invalid Entity Marker

Merging Incorporated Entities

Merging a Non-FEIN Business using ATLAS


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Adding a Corporation using ATLAS The following instructions describe steps for adding an incorporated business entity (corporation) using

ATLAS:

1. Log into ATLAS, select Service, Open a New Day, and select Next Customer.

2. In the green field under Search for the customer you are helping, type the name of the

corporation you are adding, then click Search.


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3. Because the company is not in the RMV database, the question Couldn’t find what you are

looking for? displays. Click Continue, at the right of the search field, or Next at the bottom

right of the page.


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4. The question What would you like to do? displays. Start typing “create a new business.” The

Create New Business Link will be displayed directly below the heading Business. Click this

link.

5. The Business Type selection bar displays (light yellow background). Click on Corporation.


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6. The Secretary of the Commonwealth Search link is displayed. Click Search Corporations.

7. The Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth (SOC) website is displayed as an active

website. Type in the corporation name and click Search Corporations.


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8. The corporation name is displayed on the SOC website along with the Massachusetts

corporate ID number. Copy the ID number, then return to ATLAS by clicking the previous

ATLAS tab.

Click to return

to ATLAS

Massachusetts Corporate

ID number


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9. Paste the Massachusetts Business ID number into Search Corporations field and click Next.


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10. Information from the SOC will auto-populate in ATLAS. Type in the corporation’s EIN number

in the Federal Employer Id Field. Click Next.

11. Select Yes or No to the question Is the Business Mailing Address the same as the Business

Address?.

12. If No, respond to the prompt to add a mailing address.

13. Click Next.


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14. Scan the Proof of EIN document and any supporting documents. Refer to the paragraph

Proof of EIN for a Corporation on page 7.

Note: Refer to ADDENDUM – How to Scan Documents for Vehicle Transactions for

information on scanning documents.


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15. The transaction can now be submitted. Click Submit.

16. You will be prompted to confirm that you want to submit the transaction. Click Yes.


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17. The Service Session springboard displays. At this point, complete any other transactions for

this customer, such as titling and registration. After those transactions have been completed

and you have returned to the Service Session springboard, click Complete.

18. You will be prompted to confirm that you want to close the session. Click Yes.


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19. The Service Manager springboard displays, showing the completed session.


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Adding an Unincorporated Business The following instructions describe steps for adding an unincorporated business entity such as a sole

proprietorship, partnership or trust to the RMV database using ATLAS. This process differs from the

previous example in that we cannot import details about the business from the SOC website, and

therefore need to add the information manually.

1. Log into ATLAS, select Service Manager, Open a New Day, and Next Customer.

2. In the green field under Search for the customer you’re helping, type the name of the

unincorporated business (sole proprietorship, partnership, or trust) you are adding, then click

Search.

Note: If adding a trust, search by the trust name. If adding a sole proprietorship, search by the

sole proprietor’s (individual’s) name. If adding a partnership, search by general partner’s name.

In this example we are searching for a partnership, so we enter the name of the principle

partner, John Smith.

3. Because the business in not yet in the database, ATLAS responds with the question Couldn’t

find what you are looking for?. Click Continue.


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4. The question What would you like to do? displays. Start typing “create a new business” in

the search field. The Create New Business Link will be displayed directly below the heading

Business. Click this link.

5. The select business type selection bar displays (light yellow background). Click General

Partnership. (In this example we are adding a general partnership. Other unincorporated

business types are sole proprietor and trust).


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6. Fields are displayed for adding information about the business. Type in the requested

information. Business Id is a required field for General Partnerships but not for Sole

Proprietorships and Trusts.

Note: If Verify Address is displayed in red when you add the address, click Verify Address

and select a verified address.

Note: Do not enter anything in the Doing Business As field. If a Partnership has an EIN number, and

requests that the DBA name be added, we accommodate this request by adding the DBA in the Business

Name field. For example: JOHN SMITH GEN PTR DBA JOHN’S AUTO SALVAGE. We do not add DBA’s for

Trusts or Sole Proprietorships.


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7. If the customer provides contact information, click Add a Record to provide contact

information.

8. Click Next.

9. Scan required documents and any provided supporting documents. (In this example, Proof

of FID is shown in the Required Proof documents area, so you would need to scan a

document proving the FID number.) Click Next.




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10. A message is displayed indicating that the transaction can be submitted. Click Submit.

11. You will be prompted to confirm that you want to submit the transaction. Click Yes.

12. The Service Session springboard displays. At this point, complete any other transactions for

this customer, such as titling and registration.

13. After those transactions have been completed and you have returned to the Session

Manager springboard, click Complete.


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14. You will be prompted to confirm completion of the session. Click Yes.

15. The completed session is displayed in the Service Manager springboard.


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Maintenance – Changing an Address for a Business Entity This section provides an example of performing maintenance on a business entity account. In this

example we will the mailing address for a corporation.

1. Log into ATLAS, select Service Manager, Open a New Day, and select Next Customer.

2. In the green field under Search for the customer you are helping, type the name of the

corporation for which you are performing maintenance, then click Search.

3. In this case the entity, The Green Spot Garden Center Inc, has already been entered and is

therefore listed in the search results. Click on the business entity name, which in the example

is The Green Spot Garden Center Inc.


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4. The question Which entity are you updating? is displayed. Click on the entity you are

updating (in this case The Green Spot Garden Center Inc.)

5. In response to the question What would you like to do?, begin to type “Maintenance” in the

search field. Click on Business Entity Maintenance when it appears in the list of categories

below the search field.


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6. Various fields are displayed for entering or updating information about the business entity. In

this example, the business address field is displayed with a red background, indicating that

there is an error that should be corrected. The error indication is because the business

address cannot be a PO Box.

7. Enter the correct address. When a valid address is entered, the background of the field will

turn green. Click Next.

8. The message Transaction can be submitted is displayed. Click Submit.


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9. You will be prompted to confirm submittal of the transaction. Click Yes.

10. The Service Session springboard will be displayed. Click Complete.

11. Confirm that you want to complete the transaction by clicking Yes.


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5. The Service Manager springboard will display the completed session.


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Creating a New Leasing Account Note: This task can be performed only by RMV employees with appropriate security access and

is generally not performed in Service Centers.

Creating a new leasing account is a task that can be performed for either a business that is already

established in ATLAS or a business being created for the first time. In the following example, we will add

a lessor account to an entity that already exists in ATLAS.

1. After beginning a session in ATLAS, search for the business entity you are updating and select

Create New Leasing Account in response to the question What would like to do?

2. The Create New Leasing Account springboard is displayed. Add a DBA name, if the entity has

one, and enter the Lessor Address, which may or may not be the same as the entity address.

Click Verify Address to verify the address entered.


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5. Scroll down to enter additional information, including Account Contacts, if the customer

provides this information. When all information is entered, click Next.

3. Select either Short Term (30 days or less) or Long Term (greater than 30 days) or both, as

requested by the customer. When the message Transaction can be submitted is displayed, click

Submit.


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5. Click Complete to complete the transaction and return to the Service Session springboard.

Complete any additional transactions required for this customer and then complete the session.


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Adding a Miscellaneous Business Debt Account to a Business Entity The following procedure describes how to add a miscellaneous debt business account to a business

entity.

Note: A miscellaneous debt account is used to record debts that must be paid in order to

renew registration. Usually these are debts incurred to cities and towns from tickets and

fines.

1. Access the business entity account using ATLAS Service Manager. (Search for the account

and click on the Business Entity Name in the Association block to access the account.)

2. In response to the question What would you like to do?, select Create New Miscellaneous

Business Debt Account.


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3. Add information in the fields as required. If the customer provides account contacts, click on

Add a Record to input information about contacts.


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4. When all necessary information has been added, click Next.

5. Transaction can be submitted message will be displayed. Click Submit to submit the

transaction. When prompted, confirm that you want to submit the transaction.


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6. Click Complete to complete the transaction, then confirm completion when prompted.

7. You can verify that the account has been added by opening the Entity springboard (by

clicking the entity name in the Association block). The added Miscellaneous Debt Account

will display under the Accounts sub-tab.


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Adding an Invalid Entity Marker An invalid entity marker blocks all transactions for the entity. An invalid entity marker is added by

accessing the Entity springboard for the entity.

Note: This task can be performed only by RMV employees with appropriate security access and


The following procedure describes how to add an invalid entity marker:

1. Log into ATLAS, open Service Manager and search for the entity that you are going to add the

invalid entity marker to. Click on the entity name in the Association Block to access the Entity

springboard.


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2. In the Entity Springboard, select the CRM tab, and then select the Indicators sub-tab. In the

Indicators sub-tab, select Add.


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3. On page 2 of the Select Indicator menu, select Invalid Business Id.

4. The marker Attributes page is displayed. Select an owner for the marker and add a note

describing the reason for the marker. The current day will be selected as the effective date by

default. Click Save.


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5. The Invalid Business Id flag is displayed, indicating that the marker has been added. Click the

menu icon to return to Service Manager.

6. Navigate back to Service Manager by selecting your location (in bold) from the Menu.


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Merging Incorporated Entities Note: This task can be performed only by RMV employees with appropriate security access and

is generally not performed in Service Centers

The following procedure describes how to merge two incorporated companies from the database into

one company using ATLAS:

1. Log into ATLAS, open Service Manager and search for the company that is going to be merged

into another company. In the example, this company is called BALLOONS OVER BOSTON.

2. In response to the question What would you like to do?, select Business Merge From.


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3. In the To Customer Section, select Federal ID Number and type in the EIN of the company that

you are merging to. (This is will be the surviving company after the merger.)

4. Scan the merge documents from the Secretary of the Commonwealth that show that the

companies have merged. Click Next.




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5. The companies being merged will be listed in the Businesses To Merge section and the

Transaction can be submitted message is displayed. Click Submit.

6. The Customer Closed Customer Merged banner is displayed. Click Complete. When prompted,

confirm completion by clicking Yes.


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Merging Non-FEIN Businesses using Links Note: This task can be performed only by RMV employees with appropriate security access and


In this example we will merge two non-FEIN businesses using a link. This technique is useful for merging

duplicate instances of the same non-EIN entity that occur in the database as a result of a clerical error.

1. Log into ATLAS, select Service Manager and search by name for the non-EIN entity that you want to

merge. In this example we will search for the non-FEIN entity “Baloony Tunes.” This Entity is in the

database twice because of an error in the address.

2. Click on the first entry for “Balloony Tunes” which has an error in the address. (“EVERET ST” street is

a misspelled). This entry will be the “from” entity in the merger we are performing.


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The Back Office Service Session springboard displays. Click on Balloony Tunes in the Association panel.

3. The Entity springboard for BALOONEY TUNES is displayed. Click the Links sub-tab, and then click

Add.


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4. The Select Customer to Link menu is displayed. There is a field for searching for the customer to

link, however, in this case we don’t need to as the entity (“Balloony Tunes” with the correctly

spelled address) is listed in the Today section below.

5. Click on the customer to link to, in this example, Baloony Tunes.

6. The Select Link Type menu is displayed. Select Business Merge and click Next.

7. The new link attributes are displayed. The Commence field is auto-filled with the current date and

the “from” and “to” entities are listed. Click Submit.


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8. The Customer Merged flag is displayed for the “from” entity. The entities have been successfully

linked. Use the menu icon to navigate back to Service Manager and close the session.


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Glossary Articles of Amendment

Articles of Amendment are used to make important changes to a corporation by amending its Articles of Incorporation. Anytime a change needs to be made to a corporation, the state requires the filing of an Article of Amendment with the Secretary of the Commonwealth (SOC).

Company

A company is any formal business entity for profit, which may be a corporation, a partnership, association or individual proprietorship. Often people think the term "company" means the business is incorporated, but that is not true.

Corporation

A legal entity created by the registration of appropriate incorporating documents with the supervising government office. This may be private (ownership held by specific individuals and not traded on a public stock exchange) or public (shares traded on stock exchange). Shareholders are protected from liability for the actions of the corporation. Corporations may enter contracts and own property.

Employer Identification Number (EIN) (FID) (FEIN)

Employer Identification Number or EIN (also known as Federal Employer Identification Number or FEIN), assigned by the IRS, is the corporate equivalent to a Social security number, although it is issued to anyone, including individuals, who have to pay withholding taxes on employees. It is obtained by filing an SS-4 application form with the IRS.

Foreign Corporation

A foreign corporation is a company that has incorporated in another state. If a foreign corporation wants to do business in Massachusetts, it needs to register as a foreign corporation with the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

General Partnership General partnerships are unincorporated businesses that are owned by two or more individuals. All partners who are authorized to sign legal documents on behalf of the whole partnership are referred to as General Partners. The business name of a general partnership is a DBA. As with a sole proprietor, vehicles owned by a general partnership cannot be registered or titled under the DBA name. Instead, all vehicles owned by the general partnership are registered and titled in the name(s) of one or more of the general partners. See the General Partnership section for exceptions.


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Incorporate To obtain an official charter or articles of incorporation from the state for an organization, this may be a profit-making business, a professional business, such as a law office or medical office; or a non-profit entity that operates for charity.

Principal Partner The principal partner is the general partner who signs all the legal documents for a General Partnership.

Sole Proprietor A sole proprietor is an individual who owns an unincorporated business. A sole proprietor may or may not have a Federal Identification Number (FID). The unincorporated business name used by a sole proprietor is referred to as a Doing Business As (DBA) name. Since a DBA is not an incorporated business entity, vehicles cannot be registered or titled under the business name. Instead, vehicles must be owned and registered under the sole proprietor’s (i.e. the individual’s) name. If a sole proprietor has an FID number, for tax or other reasons, he or she may choose to register a vehicle under that FID, or he/she may decide to simply register the vehicle as any ordinary individual would – under his/her name and license number.

Trust

A trust is a legal arrangement whereby money or property is managed by one person (or persons, or organizations) for the benefit of another but is owned by the trust. The trust is governed by the terms of the trust document, which is usually written and in deed form.


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ADDENDUM – How to Scan to Documents for Vehicle Transactions

The following describes how to scan documents as part of a vehicle transaction:

Load the documents in the Fujitsu scanner in the proper order. 2

Manually push the Scan/Enter button on the Fujitsu and make sure they feed

through the machine.

3

Click the Scan Documents button in ATLAS. 4

Review each of the images to make sure they scanned properly. 5

Any images that were distorted or blank can be viewed by clicking

on the image in the Scanned Documents panel and then

selecting the Discard button.

The images scanned together will be stored as Vehicle Ownership

Documents.

If any images need to rescanned, you can load them into the Fujitsu and press the scan button on the machine to feed them through. Then select the

Acquire Images hyperlink to pull them into ATLAS.

If you need to adjust the order of the scanned images, click the thumbnails and then use

these arrows.

Navigate to the Documents section of the transaction you are working on. 1


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Once you confirmed the documents scanned properly, select Save. 6

Check off each of the documents that you collected and scanned the image for. 7

If you missed any document you can repeat the process with the new document or

you can select the Add Image in the top right Items panel.

8

You can view the scanned images that you saved to the transaction again by clicking the Image hyperlink. The

documents that you scanned and saved as a group will be contained in 1 image file, which is why it says 1 here.


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A Guide for Adding and Amending Companies in ATLAS€¦ · A Guide for Adding and Amending...

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