Lehigh Valley Business Startup Checklist
A local-first checklist for registering a Pennsylvania business, getting tax accounts in order, and checking city-level requirements in Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton.
Built for: New founders and local operators starting a business in the Lehigh Valley.
What you get
A startup sequence with official state, IRS, SBDC, and Lehigh Valley municipal links.
- Choose the registration path before paying vendors
- Find the official PA, IRS, and local city resources
- Build the first digital checklist for website, CRM, booking, and follow-up
Run the guide
Work through it in order.
Handle the official setup
Start with official state and federal systems before buying software, domains, ads, or branding packages.
- Use PA Business One-Stop Shop to review registration steps and create a working checklist.
- Register the legal business through Pennsylvania's official filing path when the entity decision is made.
- Apply for an EIN directly through the IRS after the entity is formed, if the business needs one.
- Register state tax accounts through myPATH if you need sales tax, employer withholding, or other business tax accounts.
Check the local layer
Local requirements vary by city and business type, so treat the municipality as a separate checkpoint.
- Check Allentown, Bethlehem, or Easton requirements if you operate, sell, hire, or maintain an office there.
- Book time with Lehigh University SBDC before signing long leases, hiring, or buying a large software stack.
- Create a folder for registration documents, tax confirmations, licenses, insurance, bank records, and lease documents.
- Write the first customer path: how someone finds you, books, pays, gets follow-up, and leaves a review.
Final pass
Before you call it done
- Business structure selected
- PA filing path confirmed
- EIN need checked
- State tax accounts reviewed
- Municipal requirements checked
- Digital customer path written
Useful resources
Current links to verify the details.
- PA Business One-Stop Shop registrationOfficial state starting point for Pennsylvania business registration steps.
- Register a business in PennsylvaniaDepartment of State filing path for Pennsylvania entities.
- IRS EIN applicationOfficial free EIN application from the IRS.
- Lehigh University SBDCLocal consulting and training resource for Lehigh Valley founders.
Why this guide exists
Every guide is pulled from a live client engagement. If it is in here, we have run it, measured it, and watched it hold up in the field.
Prefer to walk through it live?
Book a working call. Thirty minutes, mapped to your situation.