About Us
The Business Gateway to the U.S. Government
Business.gov, the official business link to the U.S. Government, is managed by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) in a partnership with 21 other federal agencies. This partnership, known as Business Gateway, is a Presidential E-government initiative that provides a single access point to government services and information to help the nation's businesses with their operations.
Helping Businesses Comply with Regulations
In fiscal year 2003, businesses and citizens spent approximately 8.2 billion hours and $320 billion filling out paperwork and complying with government regulations, according to a report by the Small Business Paperwork Relief Task Force. Users spent much of this time navigating complex government hierarchies and wading through millions of documents meant to help their businesses become compliant with laws and regulations.
Business.gov helps businesses save time and money spent on regulatory compliance by providing quick and easy access to business laws, government regulations, forms and agency contacts.
Features and Tools
Small Business Guides
Business.gov Small Business Guides provide easy access to resources and programs that help businesses understand their regulatory requirements and improve their operations. Organized by Business Area and Industries, these guides provide a one-stop resource for regulatory assistance, and include links to clearly written fact sheets, guidelines, answers to frequently asked questions, interactive tools, training resources, and contacts at Federal regulatory agencies.
State and Local Guides
Through its State and Local Guides, Business.gov provides access to over 9,000 official U.S. city government resources in addition to business information from all 50 states and territories. These state guides include information on complying with state and local regulations, and programs for starting and manging a business.
Business Search Engine
Business.gov offers a unique business search engine that quickly and easily finds information from federal, state and local government web sites. You no longer need to visit multiple government websites to find information you need.
Permit Me : Finding Licenses and Permits
Our Permit Me tool allows you get a listing of federal, state and local business licenses and permits you'll need to operate your business.
Government Agency Contacts
Want to talk to a real person? Business.gov provides a list of contacts (name, phone number, and e-mail) at all major federal regulatory agencies.
Government Forms and FAQs
Business.gov provides a gateway to finding commonly request federal forms and answering frequent questions asked of federal agencys by small business owners.
Content Partnerships
Business Gateway Content Partnership Program works with industry, trade associations and other government agencies to provide authoritative information that helps small business comply with government regulations. If your business, organization or agency produces guidance that helps small businesses comply with federal, state and/or local regulations, consider becoming a Business Gateway partner by contributing your authoritative content, and helping the nation's small businesses grow and succeed.
Business Gateway Program Information
- Program Management - Resources for partner agencies.
- Contributing Partners - List of regulatory and other contributing agencies.