You can find your Indiana business entity information, including entity name, type, number, and formation date, through the Indiana Secretary of State's business search portal. This free online database, part of the INBiz system, provides immediate access to the details you need for onboarding, compliance, or business transactions.

The sections below walk you through how to search the Indiana database, where to find each piece of information, and what format each data point takes in Indiana's system.

Summary table: finding your Indiana entity information

This table shows where to find each piece of entity information and what format to expect.

How to search for Indiana business entities

Navigate to the Indiana Business Search portal and select your search criteria from the dropdown (business name is most common). The portal also supports searches by Business ID, Filing Number, Registered Agent Name, and Incorporator or Governing Person Name. Three match types are available: "Contains," "Starts With," and "Exact Match." Using your complete legal name as registered ensures precise results.

Click the Business ID in the search results to access the full entity detail page, including formation documents, filing history, and governance details.

What you'll see in search results

The search results table displays each entity's legal name, entity type (LLC, Nonprofit Corporation, LLP, Limited Partnership, etc.), Business ID (a clickable link), name type, current status (Active, Inactive, Admin Dissolved, etc.), principal office address, and registered agent name in Indiana.

Clicking through to an entity record reveals Business Details (name, entity type, Creation Date, principal office, jurisdiction, Business ID, status, and Business Entity Report due date), Governing Person Information, and Registered Agent Information.

How to find your entity number in Indiana

Your Indiana entity number, officially called your "Business ID," was assigned by the Indiana Secretary of State when your entity was formed. The Indiana Department of Revenue also references this identifier as the "Indiana Secretary of State Control number" on Form BT-1.

Where to locate your Indiana Business ID

Your Business ID appears in three places. The Indiana business search displays it as a clickable link in the first column of search results, and the same identifier is used for certificate validation through the SOS portal. It also appears at the top of your Indiana LLC formation documents and on all Business Entity Reports and other official Secretary of State correspondence.

Indiana entity number format

The label is "Business ID" in INBiz and "Control number" on DOR forms. The format has varied over time: older entities may have hyphenated identifiers, while more recently formed entities may have longer numeric strings. The Business ID and Filing Number are separate fields in INBiz, and the SOS Business ID is distinct from the Department of Revenue's 10-digit Taxpayer ID (TID). For exact format confirmation, query your entity at the public business search portal or contact the SOS Business Services Division at 317-234-9768.

How to find your entity type in Indiana

Indiana recognizes a wide range of business entity types, listed exactly as shown in your business search results and formation documents. Indiana does not recognize "Professional Limited Liability Company" (PLLC) as a distinct statutory entity type. Licensed professionals in Indiana may practice through a Professional Corporation, a standard LLC, or an LLP, per Indiana Supreme Court Rule 27.

Where to find your Indiana entity type

Your entity type is displayed in search results under the "Entity Type" column, using full designations such as "Domestic Limited Liability Company," "Domestic For-Profit Corporation," or "Foreign For-Profit Corporation." The same designation appears at the top of your formation document and in the entity information section of Business Entity Reports. Entity type cannot be changed without formal amendment and state filing.

How to find your formation date in Indiana

Your formation date (when the Indiana Secretary of State filed and approved your business entity) appears in Indiana business search results and on your Certificate of Formation, Organization, or Incorporation. The INBiz portal labels this field as "Creation Date."

Where your Indiana formation date appears

The INBiz business search lists this as "Creation Date" in the Business Details section of the entity profile, showing the date the state processed your filing. The same date appears at the top of your Certificate of Formation, Organization, or Incorporation (typically with an official state filing stamp) and on Business Entity Report confirmations, where it is used to calculate biennial report due dates.

Formation date vs. effective date

Indiana allows businesses to specify a future effective date when filing, creating two different dates: the formation date (file date) is when the Indiana Secretary of State processed your paperwork, and the effective date is when your entity officially began operations (if you specified a later date). For corporations, IC 23-1-21-3 confirms that corporate existence begins when the articles of incorporation are filed unless a delayed effective date is specified. For most Indiana entities, the formation date and effective date are identical.

Streamline Indiana entity compliance with Discern

You have what you need from Indiana's system: business name, entity type, Business ID, and formation date. Under IC 23-0.5-2-13, Indiana entities file a Business Entity Report every two years in the anniversary month of their formation date. With those details in hand, Discern's entity management platform handles biennial Business Entity Report filings, deadline tracking, and registered agent coordination from a single platform, replacing the manual tracking that comes with Indiana's two-year report cycle.

For firms managing multiple entities across jurisdictions, Discern consolidates compliance across 51 jurisdictions. Entity-specific payment management, automated report pre-filling, and centralized deadline tracking replace scattered invoices and manual calendar reminders.

Schedule a demo with Discern to onboard your Indiana entity in minutes.