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Now that COVID drove many of us to work from home, the many appeals of a 1-minute commute to your office chair might have convinced you to continue your telepractice. Before turning to your next client or patient, you may want to take a few minutes to discuss one of the easiest and least expensive legal requirements to keep your practice sailing smoothly. A simple business license is one of the most important and least costly legal protections you can get when working from home.
Taking a few minutes to file for a business license can go a long way to creating the appropriate legal protections needed to conduct a psychotherapy or psychiatry practice from your home office. Overlooking this crucial detail could bring about difficulties and associated undue legal and ethical complications. This article explains the business license and how to get one in your jurisdiction.
What Is a Business License?
A business license can be defined as a permit granted by a governmental body to carry out a specific activity. The optimal way to understand a business license is as an agreement between you and the city or county where your practice is situated that:
1. Allows you to lawfully operate your business at that particular location
2. Initiates your tax obligations, including filing and paying taxes, and
3. Acts as a formal announcement to those around you about your business venture.
While these issues may initially seem trivial, understanding the city’s or county’s motivations can help clarify the reasons for its existence and how you can best comply when you ask them to recognize your digital office…
