Should I register my Etsy shop as a 'business' or an 'individual' if I have a Alabama LLC?

If you have an EIN and file taxes as a business entity (not a disregarded entity), register as a business. Etsy then verifies the entity name and EIN against IRS records, so the name has to match your Alabama Certificate of Formation. A single-member Alabama LLC taxed as a disregarded entity can register as an individual and provide an SSN or ITIN.

What happens if I do not complete Etsy's seller verification?

Etsy withholds payouts until verification is complete, whichever state the shop's LLC comes from. If you miss the deadline shown in your Shop Manager dashboard, you have 90 days before the shop may be closed.

I do not live in Alabama. Can I still use a Alabama LLC on Etsy?

Etsy does not check where you live, only that the Alabama entity is validly registered and that the details you enter match Alabama's record. The catch is not Etsy, it is the state you actually operate from: states require an out-of-state LLC to register as a foreign LLC before it transacts business there, which is a second filing and a second fee on top of Alabama's $200. Forming in Alabama while working somewhere else usually means paying both states, not one.

Do I need a Alabama sales-tax permit before my first sale through Etsy?

Not for your Etsy orders themselves. Alabama charges a 4% state rate and, like every sales-tax state, has a marketplace-facilitator law that makes Etsy collect and remit it for you. You need your own Alabama registration once you also sell off-marketplace and either have physical presence in Alabama or cross its remote-seller threshold of $250,000 in sales in the previous calendar year.

Etsy asks for "Articles of Organization". Alabama gave me a Certificate of Formation. Which do I upload?

Upload the Certificate of Formation. Alabama does not issue a document called Articles of Organization; the Certificate of Formation is the same instrument under the name Alabama uses for it, and it is what Etsy means by a formation or business-registration document.

Marketplace Verification

How to pass Etsy verification with an Alabama LLC

What Etsy asks for at signup, and which Alabama LLC documents satisfy each requirement.

By Edmond Hui · Last updated: August 4, 2026

Edmond Hui · Founder, MyStateLLC

Edmond Hui is a software engineer and serial entrepreneur based in New York who has founded multiple online businesses across e-commerce, media, and information publishing. Before transitioning into tech, he spent years as a commercial real estate professional closing deals totaling over 100,000 square feet, giving him firsthand experience with business formation and entity structuring. He built MyStateLLC to provide the free, state-specific LLC guidance he wished existed when forming his own companies.

A Alabama LLC is generally eligible for Etsy verification — you will need to provide your Certificate of Formation, EIN, beneficial-owner ID, and a valid US business address. Nothing about forming in Alabama blocks approval, and nothing about it guarantees approval either: the final call is Etsy's.

Etsy requires sellers using Etsy Payments to complete identity and tax verification before receiving payouts. For a Alabama LLC registered as a business (not a disregarded entity), Etsy collects the entity name as it appears on your Certificate of Formation, the legal address, the EIN or other taxpayer number, and verifies this information against the IRS database. Etsy also requires a government photo ID and selfie via its identity-verification partner Persona, plus a bank account linked to receive Etsy Payments disbursements.

In Alabama the entity behind that check is an LLC created by filing a Certificate of Formation, which costs $200. Alabama does not publish a processing time for LLC filings, so treat state approval as the open-ended step in your timeline rather than the Etsy review. Because Alabama names a member or manager on a routine public filing, the owner name Etsy asks you to confirm is already a matter of public record.

Alabama has 30,268 solo retail trade businesses with no employees, averaging $66,636 in annual receipts (U.S. Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics (NES), 2023).

Not legal advice: Verification requirements change, and so do Alabama's filing fees and forms. Confirm current platform rules with Etsy, and current filing rules with the Alabama filing office, before you file. Etsy's requirements were last reviewed 2026-07-21, and Alabama's figures on this page come from its own published schedule.

What Etsy requires, and how a Alabama LLC meets each

Requirement	How your Alabama LLC satisfies it
LLC entity name verified against IRS	Use the exact LLC name as Alabama recorded it on your Certificate of Formation; it must match your bank account holder name.
Employer Identification Number (EIN)	Provide your federal EIN (free from the IRS; non-US founders without an SSN must apply via Form SS-4 by fax or phone rather than the online tool) — independent of Alabama.
Taxpayer information and IRS verification	Complete the tax interview. A Alabama LLC owned by US persons typically submits a W-9 using its EIN; non-US owners of a disregarded-entity Alabama LLC generally use a W-8 form instead.
Government photo ID and selfie (via Persona)	Provide a government ID for each beneficial owner named in your Alabama filings. Alabama names a member or manager on a routine public filing, so at least one name already matches state records.
Bank account for Etsy Payments disbursements	Link a US business bank account opened with your EIN and your Alabama Certificate of Formation.

Alabama-specific things to watch

Alabama names a member or manager on a routine public filing, so Etsy's beneficial-owner check will line up with public state records — you still upload a government ID for each owner. (Alabama requires member/manager information on public filings.)
Alabama issues a Certificate of Formation rather than "Articles of Organization." When Etsy asks for "formation documents," upload your Certificate of Formation.

Alabama sales tax & nexus rules for Etsy sellers

Alabama charges a 4% state sales-tax rate, and like every state with a sales tax it has a marketplace-facilitator law — Etsy collects and remits Alabama sales tax on your marketplace orders for you. You still need your own Alabama registration if you also sell off-marketplace (your own site, invoices) and either have physical presence in Alabama — an in-state location, inventory, or employees — or cross the state's remote-seller economic-nexus threshold of $250,000 in sales in the previous calendar year.

Alabama's $250,000 threshold is higher than most states, but note that the state simplified sellers program (SSU) also applies. Alabama is one of the few states that has not adopted the Streamlined Sales Tax agreement, so registration is done directly through the state's My Alabama Taxes portal.

How to verify your Alabama LLC on Etsy

LLC entity name verified against IRS. Use the exact LLC name as Alabama recorded it on your Certificate of Formation; it must match your bank account holder name.
Employer Identification Number (EIN). Provide your federal EIN (free from the IRS; non-US founders without an SSN must apply via Form SS-4 by fax or phone rather than the online tool) — independent of Alabama.
Taxpayer information and IRS verification. Complete the tax interview. A Alabama LLC owned by US persons typically submits a W-9 using its EIN; non-US owners of a disregarded-entity Alabama LLC generally use a W-8 form instead.
Government photo ID and selfie (via Persona). Provide a government ID for each beneficial owner named in your Alabama filings. Alabama names a member or manager on a routine public filing, so at least one name already matches state records.
Bank account for Etsy Payments disbursements. Link a US business bank account opened with your EIN and your Alabama Certificate of Formation.

Non-US founders with Alabama LLCs

Non-US sellers can use Etsy Payments in supported countries, but a Alabama LLC's seller account must be linked to a US bank account or an eligible payment method. Non-US beneficial owners of a Alabama LLC must still complete identity verification via Persona with a valid government ID.

Frequently Asked Questions

: If you have an EIN and file taxes as a business entity (not a disregarded entity), register as a business. Etsy then verifies the entity name and EIN against IRS records, so the name has to match your Alabama Certificate of Formation. A single-member Alabama LLC taxed as a disregarded entity can register as an individual and provide an SSN or ITIN.
: Etsy withholds payouts until verification is complete, whichever state the shop's LLC comes from. If you miss the deadline shown in your Shop Manager dashboard, you have 90 days before the shop may be closed.
: Alabama charges $200 to file a Certificate of Formation, and that is the state's fee to create the LLC. Alabama does not publish a processing time for LLC filings, so treat state approval as the open-ended step in your timeline rather than the Etsy review. Etsy charges nothing for verification itself, so the $200 filing fee and Alabama's ongoing obligations are the real cost of getting verified as a Alabama entity.
: Etsy does not check where you live, only that the Alabama entity is validly registered and that the details you enter match Alabama's record. The catch is not Etsy, it is the state you actually operate from: states require an out-of-state LLC to register as a foreign LLC before it transacts business there, which is a second filing and a second fee on top of Alabama's $200. Forming in Alabama while working somewhere else usually means paying both states, not one.
: Not for your Etsy orders themselves. Alabama charges a 4% state rate and, like every sales-tax state, has a marketplace-facilitator law that makes Etsy collect and remit it for you. You need your own Alabama registration once you also sell off-marketplace and either have physical presence in Alabama or cross its remote-seller threshold of $250,000 in sales in the previous calendar year.
: Upload the Certificate of Formation. Alabama does not issue a document called Articles of Organization; the Certificate of Formation is the same instrument under the name Alabama uses for it, and it is what Etsy means by a formation or business-registration document.