Convenient new online option designed to help business owners fulfill requirement quickly, easily
RIVERSIDE, Calif. – New business owners in Riverside now can join existing businesses in obtaining and renewing their business tax certificate requests online, eliminating the need to do the work in person at City Hall.
The new option is designed to help new business owners fulfill the business tax requirement quickly and efficiently. The process can be started at https://www.riversideca.gov/finance/license.asp using an automated system and, where necessary, through emails with City staff.
“New business owners have a lot on their minds already, so if we can simplify the business tax certificate process by offering an online option, that’s one less thing to worry about,” Mayor Rusty Bailey said. “Riverside is business friendly, and this is another example of that.”
Existing businesses have been able to renew their business tax certificates online for several years, but this is the first time this type of completely online access has been made available to first-time business tax certificate holders, who can both apply for the certificate and pay required amounts, all online.
The City of Riverside processes about 3,000 new business tax certificate requests each year, either when businesses open or when they change ownership. The City has more than 20,000 business tax certificate accounts overall.
“Every time we see a new business complete their business tax certificate online, that’s probably a business that will be renewing electronically as well,” Mayor Pro Tem Mike Gardner said. “Over time, I suspect we will see our business tax function evolve to be more and more efficient each year.”
City staff members still have the ability to follow up by email or by telephone if there are any questions generated by a new application filed online or in instances where the new business actually is outside the City limits. In the latter instance, staff would direct the business owner to the proper jurisdiction.
The option to print out an online PDF of the application and mail it to City Hall remains available for business owners who prefer that method. In that scenario, City staff would mail out an invoice for payment.
New business owners already are taking advantage of the option. In December, for example, 172 applications still were being filed manually, but 144 already had been completed online.
