---
title: "Hawaii DBA: How to File, $50 Fee, Renewal | MCC Solutions"
description: "To file a DBA in Hawaii, register the trade name with the state ($50). Lasts 5 years. Steps, renewal dates, official links."
url: "https://mcc-solutionsnj.com/bookkeeping/dba-hawaii"
---

Business names · Hawaii

# Registering a DBA in Hawaii

Where the trade name is filed, what it costs, when it has to be renewed, from the official pages.

[![Intuit ProAdvisor Gold tier badge](/img/credentials/intuit-proadvisor-gold.png)](https://proadvisor.intuit.com/app/accountant/search?searchId=matthew-coleman77)Gold tier in Intuit's ProAdvisor program. [See my Intuit listing](https://proadvisor.intuit.com/app/accountant/search?searchId=matthew-coleman77)

Keeping your own books? Tallyfinch does invoices, bank import and reports on your computer. [See Tallyfinch](/bookkeeping/mcc-books-downloadable-bookkeeping-software)

**Short answer.** The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Business Registration Division. Registering gives notice of the name but doesn't grant ownership of it. Cost: $50, not refundable; renewal is also $50. Five years from the date of the certificate, as long as the name stays in actual use. Renew within the six months before the term ends.

## At a glance

Called

trade name

Where to file

State office

Filing fee

$50, not refundable; renewal is also $50.

Local fees vary

No local filing

How long it lasts

5 years

Newspaper notice

Not required

## Renewal, with dates

Five years from the date of the certificate, as long as the name stays in actual use. Renew within the six months before the term ends.

Setting up the books for the new name? [A free bookkeeping health check](/bookkeeping/health-check).

For a registration filed on Sunday, November 8, 2026:

- **Sole proprietor or partnership:** expires Saturday, November 8, 2031; renewal window opens Thursday, May 8, 2031

## No newspaper notice

HRS 482-2 (application and $50 fee) and 482-3 (recording, five-year registration and renewal) set out the steps for a trade name; neither section has a newspaper publication requirement.

Your own date: [open the calculator set to Hawaii](/bookkeeping/dba-renewal-date-calculator?state=hi).

**Not stated on the pages we read:** online filing.

## Official sources

- [Hawaii DCCA BREG: Trade name application instructions (T-1)](https://cca.hawaii.gov/breg/files/2025/12/T-1-INSTR-11-2025.pdf) (checked November 2026)
- [Hawaii Revised Statutes 482-2: Certificate (trade names)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol11_Ch0476-0490/HRS0482/HRS_0482-0002.htm) (checked November 2026)
- [Hawaii Revised Statutes 482-3: Registration; renewal (trade names)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol11_Ch0476-0490/HRS0482/HRS_0482-0003.htm) (checked November 2026)

General information, not legal advice; we are not lawyers. Checked November 2026 against the pages above. Fees and forms change, and a county or town office can add its own steps, so confirm with the filing office before you file. We don't file DBAs or trade names for anyone.

## Questions people ask

**Where is a DBA filed in Hawaii?**

It's called a trade name. The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Business Registration Division. Registering gives notice of the name but doesn't grant ownership of it.

**What does it cost to register a business name in Hawaii?**

$50, not refundable; renewal is also $50.

**How long does a Hawaii trade name last?**

Five years from the date of the certificate, as long as the name stays in actual use. Renew within the six months before the term ends.

**Is a newspaper notice part of filing in Hawaii?**

No. HRS 482-2 (application and $50 fee) and 482-3 (recording, five-year registration and renewal) set out the steps for a trade name; neither section has a newspaper publication requirement.

All states: [DBA registration by state](/bookkeeping/dba-registration-by-state) · [Georgia](/bookkeeping/dba-georgia) · [Illinois](/bookkeeping/dba-illinois)

Tallyfinch

### Books you keep on your own computer

Tallyfinch does invoices, bills, bank import, reconciliation and the main reports, in a file you own. $99 once, then $5 a month for updates; the app keeps working if you stop the plan. It does not do payroll or sales tax filing. The free download records up to 60 entries.

[See Tallyfinch](/bookkeeping/mcc-books-downloadable-bookkeeping-software) [Download it free](/tools/pro/trial/mccBooks) [Compare the three apps](/software)

## Want the books set up for the new name?

[See bookkeeping services](/bookkeeping/)[Call (908) 444-6373](tel:+19084446373)
